so following my thread a few weeks back, asking about the importance of song selection
i heard an interview the other day, with some oldskool US DJ (sorry i forget the name), who reminded me that it is the job of a DJ to show people what good music is.
this is somewhat of a large responsibility for a person, basically we as DJs are the driving force behind all music that doesnt have a band to play it, and all other music that would otherwise never be heard (mostly EDM). we as DJ basically shape the world of music
so i was wondering, now that we have established the importance of song selection, how does one measure how many popular/known tracks they play VS how many new/obscure tracks they should use to make up a set?
The ratio I always hear is 2 to 1. 2 known songs to 1 unknown song.
Sometimes I do 2 to 1, sometimes I do all known songs, sometimes I do all unknown songs. Depends on my mood, the crowd’s mood, and the style I’m spinning.
My goal, usually, is to hit the point with the crowd that no matter what I play they keep dancing.
From my point of view this question does not have a general answer either. It really depends on the kind of music you are spinning and also the kind of Dj you are. My way of thinking is that when you are starting you can´t force the crowd. The crowd is there not for you, but for the music you maight play and for the club or party. You may want to win the crowd, and this is made by giving them something that they like or something that they expect and try go one step further. Then you need to look at those “underground” tracks you have there, are you mixing them in just because you like them and want to sound very diferent? Or are they really bringing something important to your set?
If they complement your set you will be ok. You might want to smartly think your set if you are going to play very underground and diferent tracks, try to mix them with something familiar, ex: some a capella voice from a known track or some famous bass line. At the end of the day you can have very diferent crowds, depending on where you are playing. Some places will like experimental djs, other just want you to play big tracks.
There is no formula for djing that is why the formula you mentioned is not correct, the skill for reading the crowd must be considered also. The same playlist wont be a hit every night.
Personally i feel it is a DJ’s job to stay fresh. So this definitely means putting more obscure tracks into the mix that people havent heard. I love hearing DJ’s that play stuff i havent heard before(as long as im feeling it). Too bad not all the club crowds agree with that statement.
I like to mix it up, and play lots of unknown songs, then sample pop songs from the last 20-30 years on top of it. Half the time i get people coming up to me like “what remix is that”.
the only kind of DJ that this doesnt apply to is a top40 DJ but im not going into that for fear of offending half the people here
i think this might be relveant the music you play.feel free to tell us what that music that is
im suggesting that you mix the underground stuff because thats the only way people will ever hear it, what im sayin is that as a DJ you have the responsibility of telling others what is good. yes i am mixing them in just because i like them. im arguing that because im a DJ im supposed to like good music. im supposed to do hours of research into old/new/obscure music to find those hidden gems, because no one else has time to do it
there are not many things more important than teaching beauty to others
it is important to this thread (or to me at least ) to establish those differences and
perhaps i should have mentioned ‘within their particular genre of music’
) to establish those differences and