opinion on playing multiple tracks from one artist during a set

[marcin]

I'm still very new to this and just messing around. I was wondering what you guys thought of using multiple tracks from one artist in a set or even back to back. not thinking more then 2 or 3 at most. It just seems like some producers have a great sound and their stuff goes really really well with their own stuff. idea would be to kind of build up through their sound for 2 or 3 tracks and then change direction slightly. It could be just my inexperience with picking music still.

It would be in a techno set.

thanks
m.

[DvlsAdvct]

I'm not a fan of repeating artists in a set, let alone back to back, and I think there are enough techno tracks that you can find things that mesh, but I know a lot of people that do it. :-)

I wouldn't do it, not saying you shouldn't.

[tekki]

It all depends on the mood and setting you want to create with a mix.

If tracks work well together, go for it, if they don't... too bad.

[DJdesolous]

I've been guilty of playing artists too closely in a set. I'm usually never thinking about who makes the track but rather, the BPM and where I want to take my set. Take for example, I played a popular track by Modulate (dvlsadvct knows which song I'm talking about LOL) which was fine, but I also played a relatively unknown/unplayed track off their new album that just dropped a few weeks ago. Because most people would not be familiar with it, I figured no harm no foul.

Usually though, it's a no-no to play the same artist within 45minutes to 1 hour of each other, unless you are doing an artist megamix/retrospective, or it's part of the night's CD release party for the artist.

[djalexlaine]

it really depends. i played 3 tracks by spencer and hill and 2 tracks from vandalism(back to back) in the same set the other night. because i wanted to keep that mood and theme going. it did the job it was supposed to do. the only thing that i tend to say in mixes is making sure you arnt playing all old tracks. i try to keep my promo sets and and radio show sets and such to the last 2 months, 3 and most. keep stuff pretty fresh. but playing live, a 4 year old track might be just what the doctor ordered.
that is the real hard part of djing. knowing what to play when and reading the crowd. i could teach a monkey to beatmatch, you cannot teach crowd reading. that is something you have to just get experience with.

a lot of times DJs forget that we play music for people. if your in a club and you play 2 tracks by the same person back to back and it goes off great, awesome. but there will be some idiot DJ who is more concerned with your track selection and that you broke an unwritten rule then the fact that the crowd just went nuts.
think of it this way, you play a track that is less known. for examples sake we will say to the beat (sydney blu remix) and that causes the crowd to go, "oh i love this song, but you know what i really want to hear? Give it up for me!" then you drop give it up for me, which you already intended to do. that is both reading the crowd and guiding the crowd at once.

[tekki]

[..]

Usually though, it's a no-no to play the same artist within 45minutes to 1 hour of each other, unless you are doing an artist megamix/retrospective, or it's part of the night's CD release party for the artist.

I really don't know that rule...

One of my best back 2 back sets was mainlining two artists, amongst a few others.

We started off with 3 tracks by Ricardo Vilalobos, and throughout the mix we used 5 John Tejada tracks and 1 other Ricardo Vilalobos track.


Playing multiple tracks by an artist all depends on mood and setting you want to create during your set.
Apart from creating settings and mood, all's allowed.

[DvlsAdvct]

See, this is where Desolous and I come from a very different scene. I have seen sets by techno and house DJs where they are comprised of very few artists. Granted, no one would know. In the Industrial dance scene (all 15 of us) there is this unspoken rule about repitition. I think a big part of it is to keep things from being overdone, which can happen very quickly to a fickle crowd. Hell, I spun a rare remix four times and people were telling me it was overplayed. 4 times! I'm the only DJ in NYC that has it.

But, then again, the industrial dance scene is pretty silly on a lot of levels.

[nemo]

[Rant]If I happen to have 2-3 tracks from one artist that go well together, then I play em together. I could not care less for some stupid dj rule that you have to play all mixed artist. I call it snobbish and stupid to follow that stupid rule![/Rant]

Sorry, I just had to.

[JesC]

I'm guilty! I do it all the time, but hell when you play 80s New Wave and you have to keep the dance floor going...Depeche Mode, New Order never fail! (even back to back)

All I have to really say about this topic is not to over do it, unless is a megamix/tribe that your doing for that night.

[steveboyett]

Gosh, I dunno. The likelihood of protests from the highly informed people on the dance floor would intimidate me.