Second mixā¦ever? Iāve read somewhere on this forum that if you can play for 3 hours without any noticeable mistakesā¦then you are ready to play out. But a 50 minute set with 10 tracksā¦and is only your 2nd setā¦Iād go back to practicing if I were you before Iād get to gigging.
Just for reference, the longest mix I have ever made is 2 hours and there were a couple mistakes so I am definitely not ready to play out either.
There are DJs that couldnāt string a 15 minute mistake free set together that have regular gigs. Iām not saying start before youāre ready, and Iām definitely not saying it doesnāt matter if you play a hit set, but thatās not a āruleā that Iāve heard before and I donāt think itās valid.
Bear in mind that the first gig you should probably be aiming for is likely to be about half an hour to an hour, and itās not going to be in the biggest club in town.
If you donāt think youāre ready, fine. But if you think you want to give it a shot, donāt feel you have to wait until you never make a mistake, because youāll probably be waiting a long time. Everyone makes the odd mistake, but the honest truth is that 9 times out of 10 the only person who notices is the DJ.
The reason I say that is because doing a 50 minute set is much different than if you have to do letās say a standard 3 hour set. I donāt know of many gigs that get you 30 minutes of warm-up, playing time in a clubā¦that seems really inefficient because they would need like 5-6 DJs to come in and change their gears just for warm up. In fact, Iāve never heard of a 30 minute set periodā¦that can be 4 songs if you want it to. If you know of places that allow DJs to come in and set up their gear to play for 30 minutes then leaveā¦I would really love to be informed because I was unaware that it existed.
But anyway, itās not a āruleā to play for 3 hours with minimal mistakesā¦you can do whatever you like obviouslyā¦however I do agree that itās a guideline that will ensure a successful set. Also, I believe a mod/highly-respectable poster made that comment so itās not just from some random noobie.
That being said, if you do have to warm up letās say for 2-3 hoursā¦itās way different than a 50 minute set. 50 minutes is relatively easyā¦just take your top tracks and thatās about it. Planning is straight-forward and simple. Once you get to 2-3 hoursā¦thatās when things get tricky because you really gotta plan things. You have a variety of tracks of different energy levels. You canāt have letās say 15 playable bangersā¦and then 2 low-energy tracks. Itās not going to work out just in terms of the time you have to fill.
I remember when I first started DJingā¦I literally wanted to get a gig in the 1st week. That was the first thing in mind: get a gig as soon as possible. Now that Iāve been doing it for a bit over a year nowā¦I realize how noobie that was. Itās like joining a martial art such as taekwondo and wanting to do jumping flying side kicks in the first weekā¦aināt going to happen. Heckā¦I feel actually LESS ready to gig than I did when I started DJing because I see how comfortable you really have to be to do it, and how much knowledge you have to deal with all different sorts of possible scenarios. What happens if the sound goes out? What do you do ifā¦etc.. You just wonāt have that knowledge in your first couple months of DJing. Keep in mind that people are listening as wellā¦so itās not like you are playing with no audience at homeā¦there is pressure.
Sorry to that I am not being the optimistic one saying āgo for itāā¦but reallyā¦if this is your 2nd mix EVER (is it really? Iām sure youāve done more)ā¦I wouldnāt play out. Just being honest and realistic.
Something to note thoughā¦if you are just playing at a friendās house or a house party I see that as totally fineā¦actually I think itās a great transiton to clubs. Thereās no huge pressure at house partiesā¦if you mess up so whatā¦etc.. However if you are trying to make money from DJing and going to clubsā¦your reputation is on the line and messing up isnāt optional if you want to be a successful DJ.
Just my opinion, you can do whatever you like of course.
Nice work man!!