So a few weeks ago I got my first legit club gig as the opener. I’ve heard that as an opener you’re not supposed to play a real heavy banging set. I’m an energetic guy and my set mainly consists of blasting the audience with high energy drops with the occasional chill techno/house song wedged in to give people breaks.
I ended just playing bangers for an hour and a half strait. I couldn’t help it, but people were dancing and having a good time. Afterwards, a promoter came up and asked me to open at a bigger club in town as an opener. It’s a big place that holds about 800 people and I couldn’t be more excited to play. He also told me that if my set goes well, I’ll get to play a set during peak time at the next event.
This place houses the most popular DJ’s in my city and I guess I’m just wondering that, as the opener again, should I be playing a really high energy set? Is there some unspoken code that I’ve yet to learn? I suppose I just don’t want to piss off the other DJ’s… it worked the first time, but that was at a small club. Let me know what’s up my friends!
it all boils down to this: be nice. talk to the guy playing after you and let him know you care about making the transition from your set to his set as smooth and easy as possible. as an opener, you might think you’re doing the dirty work, but in reality you’re playing a key role because it depends on you whether the people are sufficiently hyped up for the rest of the evening. some residents will regard you as competition and might act a bit like assholes, but that doesn’t happen all too often. if it does, swallow your ego and meet everything they throw at you with a smile
Maybe go all out at the middle of your set, (because that’s how you play) but then bring the energy back down? I’d be considerate of the other DJ, but at the same time, that guy is your competition, you know? Don’t kiss up too much. (Like playing boring music nobody dances to so that he sounds awesome when it’s his turn, which is essentially what you’re being asked to do.)
Get a feel for the audience. If they like it, go with it. They’re the ones that are paying for you and the next guy(s), and any possible “headliner” that might have been brought in. I’ve been to countless shows where the opener is just flat out better than the guest from out of town (or abroad). Not their fault. But, I think earlier in the night the music needs to be softer than in the early hours of the morning.
End all be all rule:
1: Ask the organizer of the event (or manager of the club if it’s not a special event).
2: Do what they say.
I’m DJing in the lounge room of a venue tomorrow. I asked if it needed to be “loungy” and the organizer simply said, “You can play whatever, but there are many beginner DJs [likely after me] so keep it to the standard 4-beat techno/house/minimal”.
If they asked you to open up at a really popular club because they heard you blast the floor, it seems silly to not do what they liked so much.
However, courtesy (and sense) dictate that you should talk to the event organizer/club owner/other DJs about what kind of set you should play. It’ll help you get off on the right foot with everyone else at the club, which is never a bad thing.
no, he isn’t - he’s another DJ playing the same night. if you’re humble and show respect, some people might abuse it, but generally it will come back to you in a good way after some time.
I think you have misunderstood what a warm-up dj set is.
the idea of programming the evenings timeslots in favour of the peaktime slots is less of a courtesy for the headliner and more of a courtesy to the audience.
it’s not about who’s ego is getting inflated or bruised, it’s about giving the audience not only what they want in music, but more importantly when they need it.
if the crowd is too tired to dance when the headliner comes up, you havnt done your job properly. it isnt about playing boring music and making the guy look good. it is about getting the crowds energy level to a play where the crowd is primed and ready to have a great time.
for instance, i went to the m-nus show at MoS in london a few months ago. the warm up DJ was on for like 3 hours, he started really chilled and progressively got more and more energy in it. the party really started off about 30 min before magda came on, which was exactly what he should have done.
always try and talk with the guy you are opening for before you go on. see what he is going to play and try to move to that, keep the BPM lower or at where he will be and DO NOT play any of their original stuff (unless you know he wont play it, nothing worse then having someone play out your current big track before you get on).
Thanks for the advice, guys! I guess the only reason I was concerned was because the event organizer booked me right after I played a real high energy set. Being one of those DJ’s that does just as much belligerent dancing than mixing, it’s going to be hard to contain myself. I’ll probably just start off with some more minimalistic techno or w/e. I’m gonna talk to the organizer too. It should be a great night though, I’m stoked as hell
not to highjack but its on topic with this thread so…
For a night were one may be sharring the booth with an other DJ for a sort of (I play edm for an hour then you play hiphop back and forth) what is considered good “etiquette” as far as hanging around or not?
Is it cool to hang in the booth since you’ll be up again in an hour anyway (assuming its not cramped)?
I guess I’m a little jaded because I’ve been burned warming up for people, I was playing really chill head-nodding tracks, then started bringing it up a bit and the main DJ jumped in because he saw the mood changing, making me look like a putz. (Oh, I see ya’ll want to dance, let me kick this lame DJ guy off.)
I think my personal rules (actual etiquette may vary) for opening are to keep the BPM lower, and don’t max out the volume. The nicer thing about opening is you can play weirder tracks because the momentum of the party isn’t riding on you yet. But seriously, don’t hold back anything because you’re “just opening.” Bust out that complicated 4 track set that makes the next DJ wish he had practiced a little more, but give him someplace to go when you’re done, not an exhausted dancefloor.
