question for the dj's

[Guest itsalexg]

I have always wondered do DJ’s plan their set ? Do they come in knowing what they are going to play? Does the city the play affect the type of tracks they play? Might be a dumb question but iv alwasy been curious ;D

[Guest Diaga]

I never plan anything, i just make sure i have my cds, records, headphones & powerade before i leave home ;D. Some other do plan their set or they have an idea of what they are goin to do. I like to feed of the crowd. The venue affects they way i play.

[Guest Fez]

I never plan anything, i just make sure i have my cds, records, headphones & powerade before i leave home ;D. Some other do plan their set or they have an idea of what they are goin to do. I like to feed of the crowd. The venue affects they way i play.

when r u gonna play.... Infusion - Do to You (In '82) ???

Nocturnal, BoomBox??

lmk when...and i'll be there ;D

BTW, i've seen DJ's (Roland) with a sheet in his hand, that he reads when playing his sets....i believe that might be a "planned" list

[Guest AlanS]

I don't plan anything, other than ensure the bag is full of a good variety of tracks, plenty of new ones, and plenty of recognizable, tried and tested ones. I program my sets on the fly based on the venue, crowd, party concept, who I'm spinning with, etc, etc...and try to build consistency that way, rather then hammering the same old played out tracks and sounds in a predictable fashion week after week.

[Guest rhythmburn]

pure spontaneity usually works best for me.... =)

[Guest lyrik]

I usually plan on getting drunk before, during and after I spin...funny thing that it almost always works out that way.

[Guest james stratus]

The only thing I have in consideration for anywhere I have played is the first track to start off the flow of a set. After that it is all just about the vibe of the room and where it will go, or if I still give a shit anymore

[Guest Seb]

There is some planning involved. You always want to fill your bag (if you use records) with tracks that are appropriate for the venue, time, crowd etc. I think its good to have an idea of what your going to play and arrange your record bag accordingly. Its also nice to grab a classic that you haven't played in a while just to keep things fresh. As far as the actual set goes everything should be on the fly. There is no fun in playing a set that was planned from start to finish. If your not having fun than neither is your audience. 8)

[Guest obby]

After that it is all just about the vibe of the room and where it will go,

Werd!

Just be!

[Guest]

I always have a plan but once you're there, you can see how it goes depending the crowd and the vibe.But its always good to have a plan.

[V. Barbarino]

Not to sound like an asshole, but if you guys want to make it big, you can't show up and spin and feel the crowd out!

First off your manager or booking agent should have some idea to what the club is looking for and secondly what the crowd expects and likes and thirdly if you know other djs that have played that room, a friendly call is in order. Never take chances! One bad gig and you are done!

Tsettos at Space was so good it spawned gigs for us. It wasn't good by luck, it was preparation!

Ever wonder why I sit in a club for a month prior to Denny playing even though he's a pro of 19 years? How come Denny won't play the same tracks and or the played out tracks?

Talk to cedric or oscar g, they are always preparing, learning, studying, and talking to other djs. I once saw a big name Miami dj show up to see morillo spin, only to watch him on the video screen so he could learn how he messes with tracks.

If a dj plays a gig I set them up, I will put in the contract they have to scout that club out until the date of the gig. What works, what fails, what does the crowd like, what is it like in the middle of the dance floor compared to the vip. etc..

I do the basics and Denny takes the reins over. He's playing Bogota this weekend but he already knows what won't work and will work, now he shows up and rocks the room!

[Guest pod]

It is all about doing your homework.

You don't hire someone like Morillo to play "Miami style" because that is what the crowd likes....what someone like Erick knows in advance is the overall vibe and feel of the room, and picks tracks accordingly...some of them might be Miami monsters, but others might be these new cuts from Ibiza that he knows will totally go over well...basically, you hire Erick to be Erick, not Cedric or Oscar.

If you're not Erick though, and haven't played a certain room, of course, call around, find someone who has, and see what they have to say.

If you wanted Cedric or Oscar, you could hire them.

On the other hand, booking a DJ for a club is tricky as well. Certain DJs just can't play certain rooms or certain crowds. They don't have the material or their style isn't in vogue at the moment.

[Guest itsalexg]

Not to sound like an asshole, but if you guys want to make it big, you can't show up and spin and feel the crowd out!

First off your manager or booking agent should have some idea to what the club is looking for and secondly what the crowd expects and likes and thirdly if you know other djs that have played that room, a friendly call is in order. Never take chances! One bad gig and you are done!

Tsettos at Space was so good it spawned gigs for us. It wasn't good by luck, it was preparation!

Ever wonder why I sit in a club for a month prior to Denny playing even though he's a pro of 19 years? How come Denny won't play the same tracks and or the played out tracks?

Talk to cedric or oscar g, they are always preparing, learning, studying, and talking to other djs. I once saw a big name Miami dj show up to see morillo spin, only to watch him on the video screen so he could learn how he messes with tracks.

If a dj plays a gig I set them up, I will put in the contract they have to scout that club out until the date of the gig. What works, what fails, what does the crowd like, what is it like in the middle of the dance floor compared to the vip. etc..

I do the basics and Denny takes the reins over. He's playing Bogota this weekend but he already knows what won't work and will work, now he shows up and rocks the room!

Makes sense ;D But i dont think cedric is doing his homework very well if he plays the same tracks week after week

[AndrewChibale]

Makes sense ;D But i dont think cedric is doing his homework very well if he plays the same tracks week after week

so what, you come here asking if djs plan their sets or not saying that is a really dumb question from YOU and then you bash on someone who has made a great name here in miami and also world wide ?

maybe you should stop smoking shit first so you can think straight ... (ive been told they have seen you @ space)

... next thing you know, you are gonna tell us your gf djs better than cedric right ?

:

[Guest djqba]

I plan the tracks I want to play, perhap not the exact order but I gather my thoughts, as to what i want to sound like. New tracks go into a section and classic into another and then while i play I feel the crowd and gather mental notes as to the reaction of the crowd. It doesn't matter if your playing for 5000 people or 10 the same rules apply keep your crowd dancing. If you tend to play different venues within the same town you have to change it up to not sound the same every time. There is no exact science just an endless job with peaks and valleys. Just because someone big isn't playing a track doesn't mean it doesn't work, Dj prefer certain tracks over others. Who ever you are and where ever you spin if you love what you do and your have fun at it people will notice and respect it. Too many Dj's get caught up & full of themselves the key is to remain humble.We must always remember you are the student(djs) and the music is the teacher and your dancefloor becomes your grade. And please everybody please remember DJ's are human and make mistakes like all of us.. my 2 cents

[Guest itsalexg]

Makes sense ;D But i dont think cedric is doing his homework very well if he plays the same tracks week after week

so what, you come here asking if djs plan their sets or not saying that is a really dumb question from YOU and then you bash on someone who has made a great name here in miami and also world wide ?

maybe you should stop smoking shit first so you can think straight ... (ive been told they have seen you @ space)

... next thing you know, you are gonna tell us your gf djs better than cedric right ?

:

I think cedric is a good DJ and I enjoy going to space so i guess your sources are corrct. I in no way bashed Cedric i was only making a comment about him doing his hw to not play the same tracks. At no point did i say i didnt go to space and i never bashed anyone ;D... and as for my gf being a better dj... one day shell be rocking the patio lol

[Guest AlanS]

Not to sound like an asshole, but if you guys want to make it big, you can't show up and spin and feel the crowd out!

I think you are contradicting yourself, as I've heard you say many times, the DJ mis-read the crowd, this sucked, that sucked, yada, yada, yada, but I don't think you sound like an asshole. Rather, I think you are right on point here and yes, preparation is essential. Denny is really blowing up around here, and that speaks for itself and the work you put into it.

I, however, interprereted the question as do I show up with a play list and put on record after record (or CD after CD) according to my playlist. Hell no! And that has nothing to do with whether I understand what works in what rooms, and to what type of crowds, and prepare the selections in my bag accordingly, and even alter "my style" accordingly after doing the necessary homework.

Nothing is a given, you have to adapt to your surroundings and at the same time deliver the goods that people expect from you. Throw in everyones varied tastes and you can have a real balancing act. Overall, tho, I think most importantly it is about being yourself, having fun, knowing your audience and working them! IMO that is what makes a good DJ, great.

It's all about the vibe!

[Guest junglesmacks]

IMHO when I d/l sets I seem to notice a trend, obviously..

it honestly seems to me that when most DJ's play Space, they throw down a higher energy than normal set.. due to.. higher energy

seems kinda consistent..

[Guest sross]

BTW, i've seen DJ's (Roland) with a sheet in his hand, that he reads when playing his sets....i believe that might be a "planned" list

He was probably checking his bill before handing it to the promoter

[Guest pod]

What Roland is doing is writing down what he plays so he has a setlist. Bobba_Lou's wet dream in other words. ;D

[Guest HouseJunkie]

It wasn't good by luck, it was preparation!

There must be some truth to this. I know experience plays a great roll but how can a DJ like Mauro Picotto just drop into the DJ booth at SPACE and rock the main room all-night-long?

I find it hard to believe that its just his 'sixth sense'

[Guest slamminshaun]

I'm sure the question was directed with EDM in mind, but the standards typically apply across all genres. All sets are planned to a certain degree. If they weren't, then the DJ would close his eyes when filling his record bag. There are certain tracks that most DJ's have an idea they're going to play along with a time frame of when they're going to drop them. Usually, a DJ would want to drop his hottest track when the club is at its peak...not when the place is half-full. That Oscar G article pretty much said it all....

Regarding another post, not all DJ's are "looking to make it big". I know I'm sure not. I hardly take this shit seriously anymore and have found I enjoy it a hell of a lot more then I used to. I'm definitely not there to impress trainspotters. I play for the party, not the two DJ buddies of mine standing behind me with their arms folded.

[Guest nova]

I plan the tracks I want to play, perhap not the exact order but I gather my thoughts, as to what i want to sound like. New tracks go into a section and classic into another and then while i play I feel the crowd and gather mental notes as to the reaction of the crowd. It doesn't matter if your playing for 5000 people or 10 the same rules apply keep your crowd dancing. If you tend to play different venues within the same town you have to change it up to not sound the same every time. There is no exact science just an endless job with peaks and valleys. Just because someone big isn't playing a track doesn't mean it doesn't work, Dj prefer certain tracks over others. Who ever you are and where ever you spin if you love what you do and your have fun at it people will notice and respect it. Too many Dj's get caught up & full of themselves the key is to remain humble.We must always remember you are the student(djs) and the music is the teacher and your dancefloor becomes your grade. And please everybody please remember DJ's are human and make mistakes like all of us.. my 2 cents

Qba I couldnt have said it better... sometimes, most of you guys think that we have to be precise... its not the case... there are alot of mistakes that go un-notice... At least I play for the love of the music and to bring that joy to others, some do it for fame and to make a name for themselves. But the fact remains, you have to study the venues and the crowd... thats a most to any Prof dJ.

[B-SIDE1414779017]

18+ Years and never a set 8)

I cant' stand Programable DJ's

If you ever hear me playing the same two/three songs back to back more than once PLEASE shoot me (unless it's a live remix i'm doin) ;D

[Guest Inán]

I plan the tracks I want to play, perhap not the exact order but I gather my thoughts, as to what i want to sound like. New tracks go into a section and classic into another and then while i play I feel the crowd and gather mental notes as to the reaction of the crowd. It doesn't matter if your playing for 5000 people or 10 the same rules apply keep your crowd dancing. If you tend to play different venues within the same town you have to change it up to not sound the same every time. There is no exact science just an endless job with peaks and valleys. Just because someone big isn't playing a track doesn't mean it doesn't work, Dj prefer certain tracks over others. Who ever you are and where ever you spin if you love what you do and your have fun at it people will notice and respect it. Too many Dj's get caught up & full of themselves the key is to remain humble.We must always remember you are the student(djs) and the music is the teacher and your dancefloor becomes your grade. And please everybody please remember DJ's are human and make mistakes like all of us.. my 2 cents

Qba I couldnt have said it better... sometimes, most of you guys think that we have to be precise... its not the case... there are alot of mistakes that go un-notice... At least I play for the love of the music and to bring that joy to others, some do it for fame and to make a name for themselves. But the fact remains, you have to study the venues and the crowd... thats a most to any Prof dJ.

ITA