Are trance sets supposed to have some "filler" tracks?
I've noticed some great trance sets will not always have "banger for every tune" on the tracklist. Is it to preserve the crowd/listener's energy and preserve the more high energy tracks for last?
In my mind, I'm not sure if djs do this because they want to warm up the crowd more for an epic later part of their set, or if they just simply have fillers in their set because that was the best they could do
By "fillers" I mean like, some mediocre/subpar tracks. They almost feel like the dj is just throwing some of them in there just to pass the time
For me, I've made my own mixes where every single tune on the mix is a banger, but it sometimes exhausts my mind since i dont get a chance to rest. it has to stay focused on every single tune intently. but that's just me. what do you guys think?
Sep-22-2025 03:02
Mattsanity
Supreme tranceaddict
Registered: Aug 2003
Location:
I'm sure there's qualified DJ's who can speak on this.
Last edited by Mattsanity on Sep-25-2025 at 11:12
Sep-22-2025 08:29
Sykonee
Supreme EMCritic
Registered: Dec 2004
Location: Vancouver, Canada
A smart, transitional filler track will make the bangers stand out that much more. A set of just banger after banger waters down their effective bangerness.
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Sep-22-2025 22:04
SYSTEM-J
IDKFA.
Registered: Sep 2003
Location: Manchester
A good set needs variety, whatever the genre. Play too many tracks of the same ilk and it becomes boring, no matter how good they are individually. But that doesn't mean the tracks in between the bangers should be mediocre. When you go to a restaurant, the potatoes don't taste as good as the steak, but you still need them on the plate.
I see, thanks for info guys. I had a feeling ya know, but the replies here pretty much confirmed it. So it seems to a good set is to allow some space for the avid listener to rest a bit and then throw in the defining bangers later.
Sep-26-2025 00:34
Mattsanity
Supreme tranceaddict
Registered: Aug 2003
Location:
quote:
Originally posted by Sykonee
A smart, transitional filler track will make the bangers stand out that much more. A set of just banger after banger waters down their effective bangerness.
How do you define a banger and a filler? just curious.
Oct-10-2025 23:19
Hyperborean
Junior tranceaddict
Registered: Sep 2025
Location: Denver
A banger bangs and a filler fills.
Oct-11-2025 15:22
Sykonee
Supreme EMCritic
Registered: Dec 2004
Location: Vancouver, Canada
An easy example of a 'filler' track is Young American Primative's These Waves as it appears on the first Northern Exposure from Sasha & Diggers.
You got the early 'banger' (re: stand-out track) in FSOL's Cascade, and a little later, God Within's Raincry, but need something 'lesser' to bridge the gap between those two highlights. YAP's tune nicely serves that purpose, a track that keeps the momentum going without making a big fuss about its presence within the set.
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Oct-11-2025 22:22
ProgHouseFan
Junior tranceaddict
Registered: Mar 2024
Location: Richmond, USA
A great set can make the "filler" tracks seem like "bangers".
Oct-12-2025 08:50
SYSTEM-J
IDKFA.
Registered: Sep 2003
Location: Manchester
Much as it pains me to quibble with my old writing buddy Sykonee, I don't think Northern Exposure CD1 is a great example because it's not a club set and it's really a bunch of mostly chilled out cuts edited together. It flows as it flows.
A better example of a quintessential filler track would be Smith & Selway's Move on GU:013. It's literally just a filtered tech house groove for five minutes and by far the most utilitarian cut on the whole compilation, but it's a perfect example of using a tool track to "level off" after playing two big mid-set climaxes (My Lexicon and Nothing Left) before building back up again to the disc's finale.
Originally posted by SYSTEM-J
Much as it pains me to quibble with my old writing buddy Sykonee, I don't think Northern Exposure CD1 is a great example because it's not a club set and it's really a bunch of mostly chilled out cuts edited together. It flows as it flows.
A better example of a quintessential filler track would be Smith & Selway's Move on GU:013. It's literally just a filtered tech house groove for five minutes and by far the most utilitarian cut on the whole compilation, but it's a perfect example of using a tool track to "level off" after playing two big mid-set climaxes (My Lexicon and Nothing Left) before building back up again to the disc's finale.
By all means, quibble away.
Yeah, I figured there'd be better examples about the GU series, but I still have scant few of those, much less memorized in detail. NE was just the one that I had on my mind while browsing this thread.
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Oct-15-2025 22:53
LoveHate
...........
Registered: Oct 2006
Location: Vancouver
I tried listening to a Steve Angello set from creamfields or something recently. it was just horrible. the transitions didn't make any sense. it was just drop after drop. I would not have been happy If I was in that crowed. Because he was jus playing like the main parts of every hit edm song and then transitioning to the next one. but like I said it didn't make any sense. Sometimes when you are only playing what you think the crowd wants to hear , you end up doing the opposite. trying to cram 50 songs and mashups into 1 hour is not good. It doesn't make you like a better dj in my opinion. You can do that in your bedroom or for a promo /internet mix ...
but when you are out in public the vibe is so much more important, and i think filler tracks help create that vibe.
