First Gig, have some questions!

[javaTN]

My first gig in public will be in a little less than a week!!! (December 12th at 7 PM!).

The event is my high school semi-formal dance... i'm a senior.

99% of the people in my school don't know a thing about real DJing, and my goal (since this will be my first time doing something live and in public) is to emulate a club experience.

One of my friends suggested I have silence in-between a set of like 5 songs mixed together, with the goal being to give the people on the dance floor a time to unwind from dancing and take a short rest.

Is this really proper; should I listen to him? Ever since I started mixing music (4 years ago- in my bedroom) I thought my goal as a DJ was to make sure there was no silence at all for the duration of the mix (or in this case: party).

I am also curious what you might use for a technique to go from an upbeat song to a slow song. Do you backspin the record and then start playing the slow song (because BPMs are a really far range)? Do you have silence in-between?

I really would appreciate any help!
-Tom

[Bodega Brad]

Easy...get an MC to help you out for transitions, especially for a gig like this...or you can use some effects here and there(if you have) There are a lot of tricks to transitions but it all depends on the songs. Good luck with the gig.
Oh...and I would let people decide for themselves when they need a break. It's not the 50's/60's where people stop and clap after every song... My goal is to have the dancefloor as packed as possible for as long as possible.

[javaTN]

Easy...get an MC to help you out for transitions, especially for a gig like this...or you can use some effects here and there(if you have) There are a lot of tricks to transitions but it all depends on the songs. Good luck with the gig.
Oh...and I would let people decide for themselves when they need a break. It's not the 50's/60's where people stop and clap after every song... My goal is to have the dancefloor as packed as possible for as long as possible.

thanks for the reply bodegabrad!

my transitions during mixes arent half bad, its only going to be those like 4 or so times that I play slow dance songs. i guess you would also suggest keeping music playing throughout the night, and try to avoid any silence between songs?

-Tom

[Be-Ne-Dek]

hey man, i feel ya on this one, im a senior too, and i just did the same exact type of dance your about to do... i learned a lot and im gonna pass it on to you, so you can be a DJ hero at your school like i ended up becoming after my performance haha.....

i know it sucks, but the best thing to do is microwave it most of the time (play/pause), the reason for this being that, im guessing most of the kids at your school grind when they dance with each other?, if this is so, they most likely wont be on one girl/guy all night, so generally, people hop around based on the start or end of a song, and if you keep it constantly flowing (mixing, transitions, etc.), people are stuck with that one person and its hard for them to change partners

dont be afraid to mix a little, but for the most part, microwaving it is your best bet, these gigs are more to just get your name out there than anything else, unfortunately highschool kids arent gonna care about that sick controllerism routine youve worked on forever, keeping finetuning it and one day youll get to show it off in a club...

MAKE SURE ALL YOUR TRACKS ARE CLEAN! principals and school admins will cut your nuts off if they arent! haha

out of curiosity, is it themed? what kinda music do you guys play at dances in general?

[javaTN]

sweet! thats so awesome! thanks for this great advice Be-Ne-Dek!

the dance is themed, it is "Circus".

most music people around my area like to listen to is hip-hop, rap, r&b, etc. lil wayne, you know the deal.

-Tom

[misha_val]

Be-Ne-Dek I disagree with your post. Grinding will happen no matter if the music is continuous or not. Since javaTN is a DJ and not a cd player, he should do what DJs do and mix.

Good luck!

[Phormula1.8T]

Be-Ne-Dek I disagree with your post. Grinding will happen no matter if the music is continuous or not. Since javaTN is a DJ and not a cd player, he should do what DJs do and mix.

Good luck!

+1. No dj stops a song and waits a sec and plays another, thats what iPods are for. Silence in between songs isnt really a good thing ever. There are times when ur set is over and theres silence between you and the next dj but thats about it. Dont be afraid to let some songs play out for the majority, just make sure to mix in the next song in some manner. Like you said these kids wanna hear the songs they like so sometimes ur gunna wanna leave some songs alone (kind of.) Best of luck.

[Be-Ne-Dek]

Be-Ne-Dek I disagree with your post. Grinding will happen no matter if the music is continuous or not. Since javaTN is a DJ and not a cd player, he should do what DJs do and mix.

Good luck!

of course it will, im just saying that high school kids like it better if you microwave it...

[javaTN]

+1. No dj stops a song and waits a sec and plays another, thats what iPods are for. Silence in between songs isnt really a good thing ever. There are times when ur set is over and theres silence between you and the next dj but thats about it. Dont be afraid to let some songs play out for the majority, just make sure to mix in the next song in some manner. Like you said these kids wanna hear the songs they like so sometimes ur gunna wanna leave some songs alone (kind of.) Best of luck.

sounds like good advice as well! i guess only time will tell... as in, the night of the dance, what i decide to do and figure out what works!

i really appreciate all the help everyone has commented back!

[DvlsAdvct]

It might be a good idea to MC, though. Makes it easier to break it up from the constant beat to a slower song (it is a dance after all). No need for fancy tricks when going from the club slammer to the slow R&B sexified romp when you get on the mic with some of that smooth soul.

or whatever