How to do a lyric handoff
End A on a line that B's first lyric answers.
- Crowd-pleaser
- easy
- About 4 bars
When to use it
- Use it when both songs sit at a similar energy, when the next song brings more energy and when you're bringing the energy down.
- A natural fit for pop/open-format and hip-hop/R&B.
- Works at any tempo gap, and it's the go-to move when the songs are more than 8% apart, because there's no beatmatched overlap.
- Great for closing a set or emotional moments.
Step by step
- 1Find a line in A that sets up B: a matching word or a question.
- 2Let A sing that line.
- 3Cut to B right as its first lyric answers it.
See it on a controller, and hear it with your own songs
Cueball picks the right technique for every pair of songs in your set and animates the knobs and faders in time with the music.
Build a set for freeGenres this works for
- How to mix Bollywood songs
- How to mix hip-hop and rap
- How to mix pop and throwback songs
- How to mix R&B
New to DJing? Start with how to DJ for beginners and the 6 basic transitions.
Similar techniques
- Hard cut on the phraseSnap from A to B exactly on a new phrase.
- Short blend on the downbeatA quick overlap so the keys never get time to clash.
- Quick cutStop A, start B. Bold and clean.
- Echo outLet A ring out on an echo, then drop B.
- Tempo ramp, then blendGlide the tempo over, then do a short blend.
- SpinbackRewind A like a vinyl spin, then slam B in.