KNOW YOUR MUSIC
This is kind of a given for all DJs. You should know each end every track in your box before you play it out. I’m not saying you should mentally absorb every 16 bars like some kind of Rain Man, but you should know which tracks have long intros, which ones are slow/fast and the general vibe of the track.
Your set should flow smoothly and you should instinctively have about four or five tracks in your head that will mix beautifully out of the track currently playing. If you start clashing styles and wildly variant BPMs, the crowd won’t know where they are and neither will you.
If you find yourself with some brand new promos that you haven’t heard yet, listen to them in the car on the way to the venue to familiarise yourself with them.
WHO IS DJING BEFORE AND AFTER YOUR SET?
It may be the case that you are DJing a mixed genre night, or the DJ that is on after you might be playing different class of music at a different BPM. You should always pay attention to the last couple of tracks that the DJ before you has played and start your set off with something that is similar but still keeping with your own style.
For example, if I am Djing after a Garage DJ, I might kick off my set with something by Martin Solveig which is quite breaky, or I might play a funky house remix of a well known Garage tune. This helps to keep the crowd on your side when you step up and also makes the transition between DJs a smooth one.
TAKE THE CROWD ON A JOURNEY
Without getting too philosophical, this is quite an integral part of your DJ set. As well as tunes being played that mix nicely into each other by having a similar vibe, you always have to be thinking about the long run, the kind of tracks that you played at the start of your set and the kind of stuff you think the crowd would enjoy at the end of your set.
Its no good playing some piano led Jamie Wamie track before mixing it straight into a bit of Prodigy. It just does not work.
I always like to start my sets off at a slower BPM and a more chilled vibe before gradually working up the tempo throughout the night. By the end of my set I think I’m always playing something quite nasty and electro-y.
But be sure to pace yourself with your track selection otherwise you will just end up DJing yourself into a corner. What I mean by this is don’t play those killer tracks you have too soon. I know you are eager to hear them on a loud sound sytem but if you peak to early then you’ll run out of steam and won’t have any tracks left in your bag that have the same impact and your set will taper off.
You’ve started out chilled, worked up into the peak of your set, only to leave yourself with nowhere to go and only 30 minutes in. Keep an eye on the time and how long you have left in your set and play your records accordingly.
DON’T PLAN YOUR SET
Yes, this is a list of how to plan your set, but one thing that you must avoid at all costs is writing down a religious track-by-track listing that you stick to for the whole night. As a DJ you must be flexible to what you are playing and always go with the crowd depending on their reactions.
Make sure you have enough music on hand to go off on slight tangents and take your sound a little more vocal, a little more deeper or a little more banging depending on the mood of the night.
LABEL YOUR TUNES
Something that I have started to do lately is to label my tracks when I go out. I normally sort my music by the month that I purchased them and have them in a double-height CD wallet.
The top row holds the printed track listing (or back of the CD artwork), and the bottom row holds the CD. I found a load of coloured stickered circles in my flat a while ago and so I thought I should put them to good use. Next to each track on the listing, I put a coloured sticker beside it depending on the music style.
So if its a laid back down tempo track, it gets a green sticker. If its a track that fits into my set pretty much anywhere, it gets a yellow sticker. Floor fillers and guaranteed anthems get a blue sticker while dirty nasty electro filth gets a red sticker.
So now when I am playing a track and I decide I want to step it up a notch, or if I am hitting the peak time of my set, I can speedily fly through my CDs looking at colours rather than track names and it helps me to find a suitable tune to play a hell of a lot quicker.
KNOW YOUR TOILET TRACK
When I say a “Toilet Track” I don’t mean a crap record. I’m on about a tune or two that you have in your collection that is quite a lengthy tune in case you get caught short. This is a great tip for when you find yourself playing longer DJ sets and you need to relieve yourself halfway through.
My Favourite is the 8 minute Monster Mix of Faithless Insomnia. Stick that on and you have a good few minutes to locate the restroom and take care of business before you need to get back and cue up the next record. Or you could always have 2 tracks pre-mixed on CD that you could play but the crowd might boo you when you get back!
YOUR FIRST TRACK IS THE MOST IMPORTANT
Your first track of your DJ set is the most important track you will play. It sets the mood and the tempo for the whole night. It sounds obvious, but before you play your track make sure it is cued up exactly where you want it and double check that pitch adjust. If the previous DJ has left it on +8 you will have a tough time bringing the tempo back down to a sensible level without looking like a nob.
Also, do not choose a record that has a stupidly long intro. Crowds are fickle people and they will not hang around to listen to 2 minutes of beats before something “happens”. Choose a track with a short intro, or (and this is what I often do) find a record that sounds amazing but has a very DJ-unfriendly intro. By that I mean it will start without beats and launch straight into a melody or a vocal solo. DJ-unfriendly tracks are a bitch to mix midway through your set so if you can play it as your first tune then no mixing is required.
TWO CDS ARE BETTER THAN ONE
Now you have built the crowd up into a frenzy. They are going nuts, there’s crowd surfing going on and they are all chanting your name. And you know exactly the track that you want to play next to blow the roof off!
Trouble is, its on the CD that is currently playing. Oh dear. Some pieces of DJ kit will allow you to play a track from a CD that is already playing, but if you do not have that luxury, then all you need to do is make 2 copies of each CD that you take out to the venue. Not only does this allow you maximum flexibility during your set, but you also have a backup in case you find that one of the CDs is scratched and won’t load.
STICK TO THE MUSIC POLICY
If you are booked to play Funky House, don’t go sticking in Trance into your set no matter which drunken oik finds their way to the DJ booth and keeps demanding it. You have been booked to play a specific style of music and you should keep to it. Make sure the agreed music policy is defined in your contract. Perhaps you could crossover a little into other genres, for example I have no problem dropping Scram towards the end of a night but I would not launch into a full-on breakbeat set.
Perhaps you are booked to play in a bar where you are expected to play all kinds of genres of commercial music. In which case, keep it commercial and don’t stray too far into the underground sound. Remember, you are there to play for the person who booked you and not for yourself.
KEEP BACK YOUR SECRET WEAPONS UNTIL YOU NEED THEM
Right now you have in your collection a handful of tracks that you know will be the highlight of the night and make you a DJ legend when you play them. Make sure you keep hold of these gems until deep into your set and that you do not play them out too soon. If you use up all of your killer tracks at the start of your set, you find you have nothing left during your peak time moment.
Most of all, have fun! I find that DJing is such a good laugh and I always have such a great time doing it. If you would like to hear what I sound like, come and listen to my Funky House Radio Show at Platform Six and if you want to book me for your next event, please get in touch.
Thanks paul velocity
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