A Quick Guide for Aspiring DJs on Beat-Matching from DJ Willie Dutch

Dallas' DJ Willie Dutch, a master of mixing vinyl, has some tips about how not to skip a beat. Jason Janik

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Dallas has never had a shortage of top-notch DJs, but one has made quite a name for himself recently. DJ Willie Dutch, whose name is an homage to the Dallas-raised Motown artist Willie Hutch, recently received a Dallas Entertainment Awards trophy for his skills. He packs local clubs with his sets, but his greatest joy seems to come from sharing rare disco, soul and R&B tracks with the world.

Dutch grew up listening to the classics, which helped solidify his love for a variety of musical legends. “There was always great music being played in my house, from Luther to Al Green, but James Brown’s records are seared into my memory," he says. "They were special to me then, and I’ve grown to revere them even more.”

He soon realized that his love for an underappreciated era of dance music could be a foundation for a career behind the turntables. “I wanted to celebrate the forgotten Black artists of the '70s and '80s,” Dutch says. “I started DJing to expose people to music they haven’t heard but will want to hear again and again.”

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Dutch's love underappreciated dance music form the '70s and '80s laid a foundation for his DJ career

Jason Janik

Dutch spent a lot of time as a collector and listener before eventually sharing his passion with the public. He remembers, “DJ Jules and I had been collecting and playing each other's records for a while, but we decided to start playing shows. In 2017, she got us a gig at Easy Slider, and we both fell in love with turning people onto new sounds.”

He’s come a long way since those first gigs. He’s since played other cities, including a memorable gig in Chicago, and various residencies around the Dallas area. He is most frequently pumping up the dance floor at Charlie’s Star Lounge.

Seeing as how he’s a master at mixing vinyl, we asked if he could give readers an official “DJ Willie Dutch” lesson in beat-matching. Here’s what he had to say:

• Step 1: Understanding the tempo of each record is critical on vinyl. There are no cue points or sync button. Knowing a song's beats per minute allows you to have a baseline for the speed you need to mix at.


• Step 2: Pick the spots on each track you want to blend together. A long instrumental break, an a cappella chorus, etc., are all great places to choose.


• Step 3: Introduce the new song to the mix. Live drummers speed up and slow down, so you need to use your pitch fader to adjust the tempo. Slowly fade out the first song; if you can get a long blend, that’s a plus, but your main objective is not to kill the groove.


• Step 4: Pick your next record and do it all over again.