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Track Placement Question

So yeah just a general question, where do you guys normally place your "best / favorite" tracks. The ones that you know will get the audience moving and what not. I always want to put them at the start of a mix, because I have the feeling that if I don't go all out at the start, then they wont be interested and just stop listening to the mix or what not.
So yeah just a general question.

For a demo/mixtape I like to place the tunes that I feel make the peak of my sets in the middle and at the very end of the set. I'll also put some energetic tracks at the beginning of the mix to grab the listener's attention.

When playing live I like to space out my big tunes. Maybe I'll play a couple of attention-grabbers early on in the set, but its better to tease the audience and play the anthems between some lower-energy tracks.

My favorite tracks go wherever their energy levels allow. Not all of my favorites are "banging" and not all of them are chilled. I don't place my favorites in a certain spot every time, I just put them wherever they fit best as I go (assuming I even play them).

make your opening track your 'second best' track...gives the crowd a feel for your set immediately...

I tend to try and throw out something to grab attention straight away - not normally one of the biggest tracks of the set, but usually a track with quite an original groove, particularly something quite different from what the previous DJ was playing (although hopefully not so different that it stops the flow - the idea is for it to be distinctive when it comes in)

I'd then try and put something pretty big within the 3 or 4 tracks, then (as the Dojomaster said) I'd usually try and put some other big tunes about half way through and towards the end, although unless it's a closing set I usually try and avoid ending on the biggest most impressive tune in the world - it can work quite well to take things down a notch then let the next DJ build up from there.

Of course it depends on the length of the set - the longer the set, the more "anthemic points" I'm likely to put into the set.


Most of the above applies to demos as well as club sets.

Obviously a warm-up's completely different... actually having said that, maybe it isn't - the big tracks aren't peak time anthems but there will be tracks which have the kind of groove that draws people onto the dancefloor etc, so I suppose they're likely to be put in similar places (apart from a catchy track to start with of course, just build from the ground up)

I always play my favorite track in position number ´seven´. I like to call this the ´lucky seven track´.

Unless the track has an odd number of 32 beat phrases or the title starts with the consonants groups z, zh, st, sb, sp, or sk. Then it goes in the coveted spot of ´penultimate´track.



all my tracks are my favorites. why would i buy something i dislike

quote:

Originally posted by nefardec I always play my favorite track in position number 'seven'. I like to call this the 'lucky seven track'. Unless the track has an odd number of 32 beat phrases or the title starts with the consonants groups z, zh, st, sb, sp, or sk. Then it goes in the coveted spot of 'penultimate' track.

quote:

Originally posted by nefardec I always play my favorite track in position number ´seven´. I like to call this the ´lucky seven track´.

Tell ya what though, have you ever noticed that track 6 on just about any album is always one of the better tracks, but rarely the most popular?

quote:

Originally posted by nefardec all my tracks are my favorites. why would i buy something i dislike

I think the point was more aimed at the tracks which are most likely to go right off... but I agree it's not the best wording, most of my favourite tracks at the moment are deep groovers I throw in between the uplifting anthems.

quote:

Originally posted by Stu Cox I think the point was more aimed at the tracks which are most likely to go right off... but I agree it's not the best wording, most of my favourite tracks at the moment are deep groovers I throw in between the uplifting anthems.

yeah that is what i meant..sorry i do stink at wording things

If you're doing a longer set.. 3 or 4 hours.. you gotta save the best bombs for the last hour man!

First track is key. I start sexy.. vocal.. background.. get them drinking. When the energy is picking up and the room starts filling, I love throwin in 20 minutes of dirty bass..

You just have to learn how to read the crowd. Some people are listening, but most aren't lol - it's the ones that ARE listening who give energy to the rest of the room - chain reaction.. it picks up from there.

But all in all - save your bombs for the end!! Build it up ;-)

If you are referring to a live set then you can never answer this question with the same answer everytime. If 10 people are standing in a room that holds 500 then obviously you would want to wait to play your huge tracks until the room fills up. It really all depends. That is what the difference between a good dj and a not so good dj is, simply knowing what track to play and when.

And as for demo/mix cd's it is sort of the same thing. What direction do you want to take throughout the mix? It's easier to do this on a mix cd then in a live setting I think because when playing live, just because you want to shift a mood in the club doesn't mean that everyone else out there is ready for it. But when I pop in a cd in my car or at home it's easier to just sit there and wait to see where the mix goes and take me for the ride.

I guess my point is - this question seems to be slanted towards the opinion that the best tracks are "bangers" or "slammin�" or "huge".


This leads to sets that have a couple big tracks that everyone is playing, and then subpar "filler" (see other recent discussion).

My point is that maybe all of your tracks should be favorites, no matter what the mood is, and when and where you place them in a set is determined by your own creative instinct and intuition.

This is essentially the foundation of deejaying. No one can really tell you where to place tracks, because then you will be missing out on the act of deejaying itself. There are computer programs that can follow suggested playlists.

I don�t play anything I don�t like. When I start to dislike my music after some time (this does happen), I buy different music.

I listen for good music for any occassion or place in a set. Often that is exactly what I am listening for when I preview tracks in a record store or on beatport - that is, I am listening and imagining the perfect vibe, the mood, the space, the crowd, etc whatever it evokes to me. The records speak and have a life of their own, as creations of creative people, and so you have to sort of catch on to that and re-present their creative ideas and that musical power in such a way that the power and mood inherent in that track constructs something new in the context of everything else you are doing.

I know I am writing about this maybe even academically, which I can now while I am sitting in this internet cafe typing, but this shouldn�t be a cerebral process really, and it just comes with talent, experience, time, etc. I mean you listen to other deejays, you go see the world, check out clubs, meet crowds, live different lives, and when you start to accumulate these experiences of musical moods and what not, it helps you to see your tracks in all of their potential.

quote:

Originally posted by DOOMBOT If you are referring to a live set then you can never answer this question with the same answer everytime. If 10 people are standing in a room that holds 500 then obviously you would want to wait to play your huge tracks until the room fills up. It really all depends. That is what the difference between a good dj and a not so good dj is, simply knowing what track to play and when.

I totally agree but tbh I think this is quite obvious, so (correct me if I'm wrong) I felt Oreoh was more after a general idea of "when do you generally end up playing the bigger tunes?"

You could answer just about every question on this forum with "do what you think's best", "let the music guide you", "it depends on the situation and knowing is what makes you a good DJ" sorta thing, but that doesn't help anyone unless it's particularly obvious that the person starting the thread thinks that there is just a formula and it's a case of being told what that is.

But, to actually be a bit more productive, I thought giving some ideas of when the bigger tracks tend to get played in my sets.

quote:

Originally posted by nefardec My point is that maybe all of your tracks should be favorites, no matter what the mood is, and when and where you place them in a set is determined by your own creative instinct and intuition. This is essentially the foundation of deejaying. No one can really tell you where to place tracks, because then you will be missing out on the act of deejaying itself. There are computer programs that can follow suggested playlists.

Completely agreed. A good DJ will define what the 'anthem' in the set is by setting up the mood for that track to be the climax of the set. If I'm playing a Deep House set that is full of moody instrumentals and dubs, then I'm setting up a Blaze vocal, for example, as the track that I want to stand out. Similarly, if I'm playing a set later in the night and I'm creating a real dark Tribal-ish mood, then something light and funky will stand out.

The point is that you can make almost any track you have the focus of the set by playing around it. Set the crowd up to be surprised when you play that one song and change gears.

The best tracks in your set are 'bangin' or 'slammin' or 'huge' when YOU, the DJ, put them in that position to be 'bangin', etc.

quote:

Originally posted by Stu Cox I totally agree but tbh I think this is quite obvious, so (correct me if I'm wrong) I felt Oreoh was more after a general idea of "when do you generally end up playing the bigger tunes?" You could answer just about every question on this forum with "do what you think's best", "let the music guide you", "it depends on the situation and knowing is what makes you a good DJ" sorta thing, but that doesn't help anyone unless it's particularly obvious that the person starting the thread thinks that there is just a formula and it's a case of being told what that is. But, to actually be a bit more productive, I thought giving some ideas of when the bigger tracks tend to get played in my sets.

The way I see it, you should look at your tracks as tools in your set. If you are good enough, you should be able to pick out a perfect track for each specific moment in the night. For example, I got into a little debate with some people about Gaiser - Withdrawal. To me, it is a very huge track. To everyone else I was speaking with, it wasn't. They were saying there was no way they would play this track at a "peak hour" and would only open a room with it. I disagreed. I think if the time was right at "peak hour", this track could do wonders in the room. But that doesn't mean I would play this track at the same point in every set I play or even close to the same point.

I think for someone who is beginning to dj, then yes you are right, it's best to go by the method of waiting until later in the night or set to play your "banger" tracks.

quote:

Originally posted by Dojomaster26 Completely agreed. A good DJ will define what the 'anthem' in the set is by setting up the mood for that track to be the climax of the set. If I'm playing a Deep House set that is full of moody instrumentals and dubs, then I'm setting up a Blaze vocal, for example, as the track that I want to stand out. Similarly, if I'm playing a set later in the night and I'm creating a real dark Tribal-ish mood, then something light and funky will stand out. The point is that you can make almost any track you have the focus of the set by playing around it. Set the crowd up to be surprised when you play that one song and change gears. The best tracks in your set are 'bangin' or 'slammin' or 'huge' when YOU, the DJ, put them in that position to be 'bangin', etc.

Exactly!

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