Need some suggestions as a warm up DJ

**Mikeyw** · 01-18-2011, 08:15 AM

Hey all,

I've got a 90min slot just before a headliner on the 28th. Never opening for a headliner asked him if there was anything specific he wanted from me, his answer "warm up music".

Thats about as helpful as a french dictionary in spain.

Its a house night (which i know is hugely vague nowadays), what i do know is there isn't going to be any dutch or tech.

Obvious choice i thought was to go down the progressive route, but i didn't want my 90mins to be filled with elevator music, nor to i want to over step the mark. So any suggestions?

1 more questions, this will be my biggest gig to date, theres 3 dj's. New guy, then me, headliner, then back to me. Surely shouldn't the Dj's submit a tracklist to each other?

Ive had to in the past but there hasnt even been a mention of it here (bulgaria)

Cheers for the help in advance guys,

Mikey

**djchriswoods.co.uk** · 01-18-2011, 08:34 AM

either light prog, some deep or take the funky/hed kandi'esque road - play what you would at that time, if you were doing the whole night urself

as for playlists, ive never submitted one ever, because i never know what im going to play until i start.

**Nesquigs** · 01-18-2011, 08:42 AM

+1

flying by the seat of your pants always works better. cause then you and the crowd are on the same level.

i do ocassionally drop some preplanned mixes into my set, which i feel is legit to do depending on how the crowd is doing, rather than just hitting them right in the face with it as soon as i press play. so anything i thought id play (in a premade playlist, i probably wont (atleast not right away).

**fullenglishpint** · 01-18-2011, 09:32 AM

Originally Posted by djchriswoods.co.uk

as for playlists, ive never submitted one ever, because i never know what im going to play until i start.

+1, I like your style.

Minimal House and Prog, build up a bit of energy in the last half hour?

Filterkat · 01-18-2011, 09:32 AM

lol ive written several posts on this subject recently... haha.

When he says, start off light, he means, dont go out and play a whole bunch of bangers. like chris woods said, stick to progressive house, deep house, maybe tech house, dutch house if you wanted and just plain house, but make sure you dont play too many "big" tracks, because there are "big" tracks in all these genres regardless. A couple might be fine, but be sure to bring the mood back down a bit after you do. Theres nothing worse for a headliner to come on right after an opener or support whos gone all out, its f*cking frustrating, beleive me.

If you think of it like a book or a movie, your basically going to be the middle few chapters or the part in the movie just before everything is about to go down. The opener should be playing all the real toned down stuff before you, so you should have a little more leeway. pick things up little by little, but dont go crazy.

You should leave enough "headroom" for the headliner to be able to pick up the pace from where you left him. If you go all out before he comes on, hes got nowhere left to go. So just try and find a happy medium between the more downtempo "elevator music" like you say, and the full blown bangers... theres a middleground, you just gotta stick to that.

If your playing after him aswel, hopefully he ends on some bigger tracks, which will give you the creative freedom to throw in a few of your own big tracks at the start of your second slot, before winding things down.

**fullenglishpint** · 01-18-2011, 09:34 AM

Oh, and watch the levels! No need to rupture eardrums too early on

**Nesquigs** · 01-18-2011, 09:50 AM

Originally Posted by fullenglishpint

Oh, and watch the levels! No need to rupture eardrums too early on

i thought red meant i was doing it good-like

ahhaha

**djchriswoods.co.uk** · 01-18-2011, 10:11 AM

also, i should of also mentioned to start by continuing the vibe created by the new guy, then take it from there, then gradually build the energy up to just below where you think the headliner will start from, this will help ensure he'll get a warm reception from the crowd when he starts off with more energy, and he'll thank you for it...maybe not out loud...