Turntablism
Slip cue
Slip cueing is holding a record still with the platter turning underneath it, then releasing on the beat. The slipmat allows the platter to keep spinning, so the record is at full speed the instant you let go.
In practice
Hold the record, let the platter spin, release on the beat. This is slip cueing, not slip mode on a player.
Find the first beat, rock the record back and forth to hear it, then hold it a fraction before that point with light pressure — enough to stop it, not enough to lift it off the mat. Release forward rather than simply letting go: a small push in the direction of rotation gets you to full speed cleanly, where a bare release is slightly late. If the first beat arrives flat and pulls up, the deck lacks the torque to recover, or the slipmat is gripping when it should be sliding.
Light
How hard to hold it
Push
How to release
Not slip mode
The name collision to avoid
Where these come from: Standard slip-cueing technique — established practice, not a catalog figure. For what we can measure, see the surface that makes it possible.
Why it matters
It is the foundational vinyl technique and it is not the same thing as slip mode on a player, despite the name. Slip mode is a digital feature that remembers where playback would have been; slip cueing is a hand holding a piece of plastic against a moving platter.
It is also the move every digital equivalent is imitating. A cue button that starts instantly at the right speed exists because slip cueing did it first, and learning it on vinyl teaches a sense of exactly where the downbeat is that no button quite replicates.
Frequently asked
Is slip cueing the same as slip mode?+
No. Slip cueing is a vinyl technique — holding the record while the platter turns. Slip mode is a player feature that keeps a hidden playhead running while you do something else.
Why is my first beat flat?+
Either the deck is not recovering fast enough or you are releasing without a push. A small nudge in the direction of rotation gets the record to speed cleanly.
Do I need a slipmat to slip cue?+
Yes, in practice. Without one the record grips the platter, so holding it either stops the platter or scuffs the label side against it.
Related terms
Slipmat
A slipmat is a felt disc between the turntable platter and the record. It lets the platter keep spinning while you hold, drag or pull back the record itself, which is what makes cueing and scratching possible.
Slip mode
Slip mode keeps the track running silently underneath whatever you are doing to it. When you release a loop, a scratch or a reverse, playback jumps to where the record would have been if you had never touched it.
Turntable
A turntable spins a record at a constant speed while a stylus tracks its groove. A DJ turntable adds a pitch fader, high torque so it reaches speed instantly, and a platter you can hold and release.
Body tricks
Body tricks are scratches performed in a visually difficult way — behind the back, under a leg, with an elbow, facing away from the decks. The sound is ordinary; the difficulty and the spectacle are the point.
Explore: Beginner mixing guide · Slipmat · Slip mode · All DJ terms