|
i have been djing for some time and i can tell you how things work now, is quite different now because you have endless records.
I agree with the idea of removing the shit to find gems, this really makes a difference, a guy who listen to music 4 hours (and it's important to become effective with this, if you need more than 30 seconds to judge a track check your method) it's more likely to pick better tracks and hence be a better dj.
I was a narrow mind before i went to see Armin van Buuren. Why this go is so successful without any impressive djing and productions skills? The way he builds his set isn't top notch either but he manages to have all the room dancing to his vibe.
He plays very very well known tracks, you'll rarely see him dropping exclusives , he make mash ups with other songs when he feels that some tunes are overplayed to add some slight difference (although his mashups are usually melodic track + acapella but people get nuts) ASOT is his set promotion tool he makes fashionable the tracks he wants to play.
I have realized recently that for people New = Worst, back in May i saw that Swedish House Mafia - One could be a hook track and started incorporating it in my sets, possibly i was the first guy in my city that played it and most people didn't care about it. Now you can hear it twice in the same club as all the djs play it and people over react...
So i was thinking... how i could make my sets more catchy for a broader audience? After trying many things i have made it stand under some pillars:
- Never play a track that is more than 3 months old (the count start when the track has massive plays) unless more than a year has passed. Some times i play at 12 o'clock sometimes at 4 am, this late i often have freedom to do whatever i want but at 12 o clock you've to be mainstream.
For example at 12 o clock playing David Guetta - Sexy Bitch or Memories is failing, this tracks are way too overplayed but Swedish House Mafia - Miami 2 ibiza is quite new (please don't ever think that i like this) so is the moment to play it, people know it but aren't tyred of it yet. Whereas playing David Guetta tunes like the world is mine or Love is gone is right, because EVERYBODY knows the track but they haven't heard it for years. Playing this kind of tracks is key, better than whatever shit is breaking the charts at the moment.
So in conclussion follow the trend but don't let it absorbs you. If you only do this you're just being another crap dj.
- Make edits, mashups , play other remixes than the original everybody is playing. This adds your personal touch to the mix, make you stand away from the other dj's also which is very very important, to get bookings you don't have to be like the dj who actually plays at the venue, you have to be different and attractive for the people, fresh is the word, even if your mixing skills aren't that good you'll get more bookings with this. Promise.
- Classics, i don't consider David Guetta or SHM tracks classics, it's canned crap but playing real classics is really handy for the same reason and foremost there are techno classics, trance classics and house classics that could be dropped in a set at the same time, ideally a 3 hour [Insert style set] should become boring at some point if you don't make some turn and twists, adding other style tracks will make the set more entertaining, doing it with recent releases is more dangerous because people may disconnect from the set thinking (Oh no, weird style incoming i wanted house!) but if you play something well known and that has the public approval you'll add again your touch and keep people entertained.
- And some random realizations:
- Vocals > Instrumental
- Groovy > Melodic
- Cheesy > Underground
As i said this applyes for a random audience, if you are playing late and in a decent club you should know what to play and yes, i'd laugh in the backstage if at 4 am someone play this.
Good music is often found by accident that Fatboy Slim remix you recently posted is now on a cd i'm sure we're going to have a lot of fun with it 
If i had to choose new or classic i'd choose classic but generally people at late hours in clubs have some love for EDM and possibly follow new releases or could appreciate when a track or a set is good or bad.
Wow so long post i must have lost the thread twice at least.
|
