Turntablism
Spinback
A spinback ends a track by throwing it backwards out of the mix — by hand on a platter, or with the reverse and brake controls on a player that has none. No beatmatching required.
Measured in our catalog
606 of 7,254 transitions DJs sequence here join two records no pitch fader can bring together — an exit, not a blend.
Taking every adjacent pair in 717 hand-sequenced flows, 663 sit further apart than the ±6% a CDJ pitch fader reaches. A tempo gap that big is often an octave, and reading one record at the other pulse brings it straight back inside the fader — but that rescues only 57 of them. The remaining 606 are beyond every tempo tool there is, with a median gap of 16.73% and a widest of 129.41%. Whatever was played over those joins, it was not a beatmatched blend.
8.4%
No fader reaches
663
Beyond fader travel
57
Rescued by an octave
16.73%
Median gap when it fails
| How the two tempos sit | Transitions | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Identical | 1,991 | 27.4% |
| Inside a ±6% fader | 4,600 | 63.4% |
| An octave apart | 57 | 0.8% |
| Beyond any fader | 606 | 8.4% |
Measured on 11 August 2026 across 7,254 adjacent transitions in flows sequenced by hand on Mixgraph across 717 flows and 515 DJs (machine-generated running orders excluded; both tracks carrying a stored tempo and a key). Reachable means within ±6%; an octave means the incoming tempo within ±6% of half or double the outgoing one. A flow is a planned running order, so this says these pairs could not have been blended, not that a spinback was performed. Method: the full transition dataset and its chance baseline.
Why it matters
It exists because some transitions cannot be blended. Two records more than a pitch fader apart cannot be beatmatched at all, and an abrupt exit is not a shortcut in that situation — it is the only option that does not involve changing one of the records.
It is also the cheapest way to change the temperature of a set. A blend hides the seam; a spinback announces it, which is why it turns up at the end of a run rather than in the middle of one.
Frequently asked
What is the difference between a spinback and a backspin?+
The same gesture, different job. Backspin usually describes the technique — pulling the record back mid-track. Spinback describes using it to end a track and leave the mix.
When should you use a spinback?+
When the two records cannot be blended. 8.4% of the transitions DJs build here join tempos further apart than any pitch fader reaches.
How do you spinback without turntables?+
With the reverse and brake controls on a player or in software. Setting the brake time long gives the slowing sweep a platter produces; short gives an abrupt stop.
Related terms
Backspin
A backspin is the record pulled sharply backwards while the platter keeps turning underneath, throwing the track back through itself. It is used as an effect mid-phrase and as a way out of a track.
Brake
A brake is a controlled slowdown to a stop, either by killing the turntable motor or with the brake control on a player. The pitch falls with the tempo, which is the whole effect.
Reload
A reload is pulling a track back to its start and dropping it again, usually seconds after the moment the crowd reacted to. It is native to jungle, drum and bass, garage and dubstep.
Trainwreck
A trainwreck is a transition that falls apart in public — beats drifting out of phase, two basslines fighting, the floor noticing. Every DJ has had one, and most of them start with tempo rather than with key.
Explore: The human transition dataset · Score a transition · Mixing guides · All DJ terms