Planning=cheating?

I'm new to dj'ing still and every mix ive recorded I have planned out as in picked tracks that fit well and put cue points where i thought the song would transition into the next the best. I thought that everyone did this until someone accused me of doing it all wrong. Do any of you do this before a party or anything?

HAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA to the person that said you were doing it all wrong !

There is no wrong or right way !!! As long as you rock the party !!

Prep away - I hate prepping i love to just play thats why i am still a bedroom hobby dj.

I think prepping is definately ok!

EDIT: I know one of the UK's premier hardcore techno (Gabber) dj's and he definately preps his sets ... so go figure. The difference maybe though that he could also rock out still if he was caught unaware and had to play blind! but still you prepping is not something i see as an issue!

Planning isn't cheating, and if it is, then the best DJ's in the world are a bunch of cheaters cause they had the best plans, and look where it got them. Just because you have a plan doesn't mean you can't improvise and throw something crazy in, but at least you know that you have something that works ready to go. The accuser doesn't know what they are talking about.

IS NOT REALLY CONSIDERING CHEATING i know famous dj that plan their gigs ahead im not gonna said name so ppl dont start bothering him but he's in the top 5 djs in the world lol i laready said to much but yea there is nothing wrong with that ass long ass the ppla are having fun is cool......maybe is not the best idea cuz u never know how the ppl are going to react to the songs you are playing so the best advice JUST READ THE CROWDDD;)

I don't think there's any way I could've done a half-decent job on my first gig had I not planned beforehand, it just puts your mind at ease.
When I first got on and realised that I was basically in control of them, it just hit me, blood rushed to my head, and without the playlist I might've messed up real bad.... but once I eased in, I ended up throwing in a few tracks I thought they'd like based on their previous reactions

Basically, it's just a safetynet. You wouldn't trapese between skyscrapers without one now would you :)
But hey, that's just my opinion

We have talked about this before and it was pretty much the concencus that its best to have a mixture of preplanned and on the fly mixing.

If you have a large collection of groups of 3 of 4 songs that you know go well together and then you can move in between these groups on the fly then you will be reaping the benfits of both pre-planned super tight high quality mixes and being able to redirect your set if need be to suit the dancefloor.

Its important that we be able to change our sets to suit the situation, as what you planned in your bedroom in your set and what it best for the dancefloor/crowd at that point in time can be two different things.

Thanks everyone. I dont plan on playing anywhere worth mentioning for a long long time, but if i get to play at any house parties I dont want to feel like i cheated my way into it.

I think if you go into a set without some kind of general plan of where your headed, you'll find yourself in trouble. That doesn't mean you have to decide exactly what tracks you'll use and precisely when and how you'll transition between them.

I just like to think ahead of time and get a general idea in my head.

Playing preset playlists is a brilliant idea for beginers - if will certainly help you perform alot better under pressure compared to if you wernt prepared at all and it will just generally help get your confidence up so you feel more confident about changing things up live.

So while what your doing i think is completely legitimate you should be aiming at being able to change the directions of your sets though the night. Just take your time and keep practicing, get yourself some mixing experience in front of people and it will all come eventually :)

Prior Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance