At a club: How much of a song do you typically play?
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  1. #1
    Tech Convert
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    Default At a club: How much of a song do you typically play?

    Went over my set from last night and quickly realized that my ADD kicked into high-gear around the one hour mark. Songs that I would normally allow to provide verse-chorus-verse were cut down to mainly just buildup-chorus and then I was out of there and into another song.

    I mix primarily Electro, Progressive House, and what I have styled 'Electro Rap' (think t40 crowd pleasers but with lasers... yikes), so I can easily move through 100+ songs in a 2-3 hrs set. How long do you guys let individual songs play for? When I'm doing a lounge gig it's obviously much longer, but is 60-90 seconds of a banging electro tune too short?

  2. #2
    Tech Guru djproben's Avatar
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    Too much quick mixing drives me nuts personally. There are parts of the night where it's appropriate but generally I'm a big fan of playing the whole song.

  3. #3
    DJTT Ninja Mod tekki's Avatar
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    I think it is too. I usually tend to let the track have it's way as to prolong the vibe I intend to set.
    On average you could say I'd take 4 to 5 songs in 20 minutes.
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  4. #4
    Tech Guru lethal_pizzle's Avatar
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    A lot of songs progress throughout the track and most music is based around repetition, and consonant phrasing. So to deny a track much air time means that it ultimately loses impact.
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  5. #5
    Tech Guru Chilly's Avatar
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    It all depends on your style man...I don't think is a right or wrong answer...

    Even some Top40 bar DJ's just let songs finish, then fade in another one...

    Some Househeads try to blend 3 or 4 songs together...

    That's where the creativity comes up as a DJ

  6. #6
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    I'm really thankful for the responses -- it's awesome to get some feedback from pro's who aren't trying to usurp your club night.

    I welcome the perspective that it's important to let a song develop and rock the crowd on its own terms. In many ways I use the quick mixes as a way to showcase my mixing skills and not as a means to provide the patrons with a better experience; upon review, this is not a good business model!

  7. #7
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    If the crowd has a short attention span I try and leave in a song for about 3 minutes or so. Otherwise I just go with the vibe.
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  8. #8
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    If it's your style and the crowd enjoys it I say go for it. Just as a test though next time let a couple tracks play longer and see if the reaction is different.

    Like Chilly said, no wrong or right answer.

  9. #9
    Tech Guru deevey's Avatar
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    but is 60-90 seconds of a banging electro tune too short?
    I dunno what the general consensus is, but I personally don't like short change mixing depending on the style of music (Prog / Trance / Tech House and charty stuff and retro).

    Generally I prefer hearing what the track is about .. mix > verse / chorus / verse > breakdown / chorus > next track. Techno / minimal being my exception to my rule, where I don't mind 1 or 2 minutes a track.... .mixing though a killer break is blashphamy though IMHO

    I was in a club a while back having a few drinks before hitting the floor with the GF at the first track we both liked "oh cool he's playing .......... whatever it was "

    By the time we got as far as putting down our drinks and making it to the floor to busta move, we were two tracks behind the DJ, he'd gone into some stuff we really didn't like and we were heading back to our seats already *sh1t happens* but it happened for the entire night and pretty much ruined it, just as we're about to get up we were back down.

    I guess if its done right and keeps up the NRG your doing it right... not everyone gets it.

  10. #10
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    Haha I had the same experience a few weekends ago....I live in a really small town and even when I get a few hours out its not a huge club scene. I went to the one "club" in another town and it was all top40 etc....then 'Hello' came on and I was pretty pumped just to hear not top40 so I got away from the bar and bang back into more top40...turned right around.

    I can't knock the 'dj', just the music I like isn't popular up here...but just to play a teaser like that is more disappointing than not playing the song at all.

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