I wanna get some input on Set building.

How do you guys build a set - how do you select your records, how do you classify your tracks.

I've been actively thinking alot about this lately and have changed from just stringing together tunes to trying to elicit a little bit more out of my sets. Ive been listeingin to alot of live sets and trying to take notice of how the pros select and drop their tunes.

I started by thinking about the tunes I have - i now classify them accordig to the type of emotion they convey - uplifter, euphoric, intense, moody, and also label some as calssic, cheesy etc. Some tracks i label as classic - these are tracks that will stand the test of time, and wil be instantly recognisable by punters.

Now - when I build my set I try and mess around with the crowd feeling a bit. eg - start out with proggy slightly moody trance at 138 or so bpm, then tone it down tempo with some more intense tracks (mix in a few techy sounding trancers) sometimes I like to use a third cd deck just to lay down some background techno percussion, then slowly start building tempo to around 140- start mixing into some uplifters still building the tempo to around 142 and raise the volume about 3%. WHile building up I like to play snippets of the latest cheesy tracks going round - enough to cath peoples attention, but not the whole track - enough for people to build some anticipation. I then drop a euphoric bomb (or two) at around 144bpm with the volume up at about +6%. coming out of this I like to drop a classic - sometimes something like 'sweet dreams' or 'lovin you' (you KNOW what i mean!)- by this time the crowd is absolutely grinning their heads off - hands in the air and the place is pumpin. They are putty in your hands. Sometimes following this I jump into some tribal, but still mixing in snippets of the same cheesys or bombs from before, keeping an element of the happiness you have built up in the crowd.

now - i wanna know how other people approach their sets. How do you put together a 1/2/4hr set - do you use samples? what rules do you apply to your sets? (eg - I NEVER play more than 1 'classic' track in a 2 hr set). Do you use mainly new tunes, mixture of old/new. What do you keep in reserve in case the crowd just aint diggin it? When you hear/buy a tune how do you analyse it? I nowdays instanyly try and fit it into a set somehow. The tracks become part of something bigger. I tell you, it makes selecting tunes easier - I dont spend so much anymore, I dont have tracks that dont fit into anything.

over to you..

i skimed your thing so i might miss af ew things, well i play house and trance and what i do is i start out wiht some chillout stuff groove armanda and what not then when i decide im gonna bring it up i drop like some classic old song and bring in something really up beat after it, the best way to play i find is to give people suspense make em wait for what they wanna hear but not so much that they get bored. give the crowd what the want but remember your their captian and they go where you want em to go

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I have seen different approaches to how some djs build up sets. Some are more tactical then others. Personally, I don't like thinking about it too much and try to let things come to me naturally. Picking out records from the record box instinctively. The main thing though is that when you do it this way, you really have to know your records. For example, the good mixing points on them, how many verses it has and outros, intros, etc. Im not saying write things down, but more or less be aware of them. I honestly believe that building up sets based on instinct usually comes after you really get everything else down on Djing. Once you have played long enough, you should have already developed a style and a way of building up your sets.

Keep in mind that not everyone goes the instinctive route. Some ppl like knowing what they will play ahead of time and so on. Or they label their records with bpms or different things to help them sort it out. I personally feel that takes out some of the art of djing, but that is just my opinion. On this subject, keep in mind that the less you use your instincts as you play live, the less you will be good at it. More you do it, more you become aware and you in a sense get practice at using artistic and instinctive abilities.


Cheers,
Ricky

When I have the opportunity to do a longer set, I generally try to start out fairly chilled, and build things as I go.

The interesting aspect of this is that when I'm doing that, it's often built up by the energy of the tracks alone, as opposed to just their BPM. I have a pretty clear idea as to what's in my crate, what sort of sound each track has, etc.

I personally spend a lot of time listening to my own mixes for the purpose of analyzing the transitions and such, but a side benefit is that it helps to greatly increase my knowledge of the tracks.

That said, I don't have the luxury of playing long sets at the afterhours club I'm playing at, only have a 1 hour timeslot each week. Because of the time restrictions, I usually have to jump in and start things bangin', without too much time for builds. The afterhours crowds locally generally prefer their trance harder as well, as much as I would like to play the more melodic stuff.

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DJ Kibon



Click below to download my most recent trance set:
DJ Kibon - August 2004