A multi-genre set means switching from reggaeton to afrobeats, from dancehall to hip-hop, and sometimes from salsa to amapiano—all within the same hour. The challenge: maintaining sonic coherence even though each style has its own tempo, structure, and energy. Effects and stems are now the two most powerful tools for achieving this.
Stems: What Are They?
Stems are the different parts of a track, separated from one another. With Serato Stems, built into Serato DJ Pro, you can isolate the vocals, melody, bass, and drums from any track in your library in real time, without any special preparation. You can cut out a part, keep just one, or apply an effect to only one of them.
I use them with all Serato DJ Pro-compatible controllers and decks. Some, like the DDJ-FLX10, even have dedicated, color-coded stem buttons, which are very handy during live sets.
5 Ways to Use Stems in a Multi-Genre Set
1. A cappella over a different instrumental track
Cut out everything except the vocals from a well-known reggaeton chorus and layer them over an Afrobeat instrumental with a similar tempo. The audience recognizes the chorus and discovers the new groove at the same time. That’s the concept behind a mashup, performed live.
2. The “battery-only” transition
At the end of a song, keep only the drums. This gives you a clean rhythmic foundation on which to introduce the melody of the next track, without two bass lines or two vocalists overlapping.
3. Withdraw your vote to avoid conflict
Two vocals at the same time almost always make for a bad mix. During a long transition, mute the vocal track of the song that’s ending—this will give you a few measures to line up the next track cleanly.
4. Swap out the bass without adjusting the EQ
Cut the bass from one track and leave it on the other. The result is cleaner than cutting the bass with an EQ, because the kick drum on the track being cut remains intact.
5. Create a dramatic pause
Before a drop, cut the drums and bass for one or two measures, leaving only the vocals. Bring everything back in on the "one": the effect on the track is immediate.
The Key Effects of the Multi-Genre Set
- The fade: to gradually fade out a track or set the stage for the next one. It’s the most subtle and useful effect.
- Echo out: essential when the tempos are too different for a mix, such as between dancehall and salsa.
- Reverb: At the end of a sung phrase, it softens a sharp cut-off.
- Stem-specific effects: Serato DJ Pro offers effects designed for stems, such as an echo applied only to the vocals, or the “braker,” which slows down only the instrumental track while leaving the vocals unchanged.
On Pioneer DJ controllers and tables, the mixer effects (Sound Color FX and Beat FX) can also be combined with stems to apply them to only a portion of the track.
An example of a multi-genre sequence
- Reggaeton at 95 BPM: I cut out the vocals on the last verse.
- An Afrobeat track comes in at around 100 BPM: I gradually increase the tempo of the reggaeton during the transition, with key lock enabled.
- An a cappella reggaeton chorus over the Afro instrumental for 8 measures, then I fade it out with an echo on the vocals.
- Dancehall: I only keep the Afrobeat drum track to bring in the dancehall riddim.
Four songs, three styles, and a track that never lets up.
Mistakes to Avoid
- Don't use stems all the time: separating tracks is still a form of processing, and a complete song always sounds better than its individual parts. Save the stems for key moments.
- Don't underestimate your computer's processing power: analyzing stems requires resources. Prepare your tracks in advance if your computer has limited processing power.
- Mixing incompatible keys: An a cappella track over a backing track in a different key will sound off. Check the key displayed in Serato before layering the tracks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need to prepare your tracks to use stems?
No, Serato DJ Pro can split stems on the fly. But preparing them in advance reduces the delay when triggering them and takes some of the load off the computer during the set.
Do stems replace the official acapellas?
They complement them. An official a cappella track is cleaner, but stems let you create a version without vocals or with just vocals for any track in a matter of seconds.
Want to hear a multi-genre set?
That’s the spirit of my ECLATOI parties: Afrobeats, reggaeton, shatta, dancehall, and amapiano all in one night. Check out the upcoming dates or relive my parties through photos. To learn more about transitions between genres, read about how to mix salsa with hip-hop.
