Good Set Programming

[samba]

In the general opinions of y'all... How is good set programming achieved?? :?: What sre the fundamentals as well as the nitty gritty. Cheer to the cheer! ;)

[scienceofuse]

If you always know what record you're going to play next. If you can mix two records in your mind, you can easily think two, three records in advance. My experience is that the flow of the mix is broken only when I can't think of a tune to go with the one I'm playing... So knowing your tunes inside out definetly helps.

[eyes without a face]

yeah for sure, knowing what track to play next thats it basically i think, obviously where u mix the tracks in etc is important but it all comes with practise anyway!

[fatcollective]

yep its all about knowing your tunes, your set could go drastically wrong if you dont! once you know your tunes...dig in and have some fun with the mixer!

[S/E]

Its all about knowing your tunes inside out.

[gumpy green]

programing a set depends on what type of set your dealing with...

seeing as your in the hard section i take it yer on about hard techno sets.

One approach (my fav) is to have the set flow from the start to the end building the ngr more and more throughout......

nrg out of 10 in the nxt paragraph..

ill usually start very high nrg to grab the crowd attetion (nrg=8) then fade it back a little(nrg=4) then build up again(nrg level 6), drop it back again to 5,, back up to 8, back down to six, back up to 9, maybe chill it a little then build al the way from 7 til 10........

for the chills/low nrg in my set i usually like to do some turntalbist shite like cutting over non techno beats-hiphop/electro...

just one approach. i think it works really well as the crowd gets a little drop back now and then to regaing strength b4 you take it higher plus the set flows from startto end...

[Mindful]

Yeh man its all about the energy bang bang bang bang for two hours solid is a bit boring its all about that journey building energy droping it giving little hints that some sort of climax is coming being patient and not just going straight for the big hit so when it eventualy comes it stands out so much more.
I like to play realy pecussive for about 45 mins with little break downs on the way to give little breathers from the madness then play somthing with the most awsome breakdown known to man or a wicked electro tune,The Prodigy whatever.
Then your off people have been locked in that groove for so long that when the pay off comes its just so much better.So now you can take them almost anywere rip the shit out of the floor or i personaly prefere to go in to all my deeper trippy sorta shit.
Watch how a film builds and peaks and creates tension or a good book or how Barry White probably made love(what the f**k am i on about)but im sure he dindnt just stick it in and bang away like a hammer drill he would probably give her compliments take her to dinner stroke her hair lay her down by the fire put on some smooth music kiss her all over some fore play get up a good constant rythm build the lady in question up to a climax then BANG! slap on some gabba and bang away like a mad man and perform his freakyist shit(seriousley what the **** am i on about) :oops:

AND KNOW YOUR TUNES INSIDE OUT

[Mindful]

Sorry i get carried away sometimes :lol:

[gumpy green]

SteMindful- yav got it ther.........too mant djs just bang everytrack start to finish....that aint a musical journey...that just been stuck on the motorway fo 2 hrs... i wanna see some nice countryside too...maybe a flock of sheep and a run over fox.

now what am i on about now

;)

[Mindful]

some club goers get bored very quickley tho (some fool asked me to speed it up once and said "i thought u were supposed to play hard stuff")and an inexpearianced dj will do just that bang it out so as not to get any complaints somtimes it can work tho depending on the way the night has been built by djs before them(usualy the residents)but ive seen some guest djs turn up with about 30 freinds kick the shit out of the dancefloor all their mates goin woooooooooooooooooooooooooop yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh weeeeeeeeeee then pi**ing off leaving everybody else goin "what the f**k just happend" :shock:

[Mindful]

thats not a dig at guest djs by the way :nono:

[samba]

ahahahahaahaha 'Oh Barry, take me home and pummel me with gabber till dawn'

cheers for info its all great hearing everyones thoughts. cheer!

[Louis Theroux]

I agree, it is all about planning your set & knowing your records but as I am only a bedroom/house DJ I am really impatient & want my audience to hear all my latest music without waiting on the playing the next record to the end.

I have built up some sets, all in different genres (hard MZone trance, techno, house etc) If I list my records could you put them in order for me?

Could be interesting????

[MangaFish]

patience is a virtue.

all my best sets have been mixed when i've taken my time and not rushed tunes into the mix purely because i like that tune. a well timed and thought out mix will always stand out from a pack of anthem-based sets

[scienceofuse]

patience is a virtue.
all my best sets have been mixed when i've taken my time and not rushed a well timed and thought out mix will always stand out from a pack of anthem-based sets

:clap:

[Tiptoe]

these days i start off with tuff tribal stuff and then work it into my dark stuff like go hiyma indigo kenedy makaton then into the more industrial stuff like bmb surgeon mulero ect.

[eyes without a face]

of course it all depends where and what time ur playing.... ive seen many djs playing the warm up slots banging it out.... i recall at atomic jam once Tony Work dropped "Dj Boss - Parameter dva" on Kne Deep at around 10.30pm.... extremely hard track and a stupid time to drop it

im going to get some records tommorow and im gonna make sure its stuff that will go down well in the first couple of hours.... im playing Voodoo in november and il b on first, so i cant exactly take all the Glenn Wilson records over with me haha

[Stella Boy]

im playing Voodoo in november and il b on first, so i cant exactly take all the Glenn Wilson records over with me haha

Nice one squirrel. I'm really hoping to get down in November so, hopefully, I'll get down to hear your set. I'd leave the Wilson stuff at home aswell :lol: , just drop some Wunsch & Mulero and I'll be happy :lol: :lol: .

Anywho, I never plan my sets anymore. OK, I plan the first 15 minutes and drop 2 or 3 different styles to see what the crowd are up for but once I know then it's basically off the cuff. I really need to feel the rawness and freshness that the crowd get. I used to plan my sets, down to the T, but I found myself getting restless and wanting to drop other stuff in but because it was so rehearsed I felt I couldn't get away with it, for fear of screwing up and making a dogs dinner of a mix. These days, after playing in clubs for a few years I have the confidence to drop what I feel sounds good at the time and the majority of the time, it works. When it doesn't then so be it, at least I've tried to do something a bit different and I think the crowd, the majority of the time, appreciate that. :crackup:

[eyes without a face]

haha yeah, i think il be playing something like half 10 - half 12, and judging by the crowd at Voodoo last week then from about half 11 il have no troubles playing some reet ass shakin stuff...... ive got some really nice more chilled out stuff to spin whilst people are filtering in, but it was more than half full last week by half 11 which was nice to see, made me a little less anxious over how tough id be able to take it in november.....

i try and get the first couple of records in my head then see what happens from there haha

[tioneb]

the hardest thin is that when u have many records and various kindoff stuff, u have to decide what to bring to this or that party, vor playing at this or that time (the most pissing is that when youre asked to change playing time at last moment)

then once in the party if u have done a good selection its not really hard to choose whatytoull play, its instinctive =)

[eyes without a face]

thats very true, i often find at gigs that when ur going thru ur bag looking for the next record u just sorta KNOW what to pull out next.... strange haha

[Stella Boy]

haha yeah, i think il be playing something like half 10 - half 12, and judging by the crowd at Voodoo last week then from about half 11 il have no troubles playing some reet ass shakin stuff...... ive got some really nice more chilled out stuff to spin whilst people are filtering in, but it was more than half full last week by half 11 which was nice to see, made me a little less anxious over how tough id be able to take it in november.....

i try and get the first couple of records in my head then see what happens from there haha

I must admit, I really do like playing warm up sets. You have so much more range to play with and depending on what the crowd is like, then, you can take it to another level. I guess it's all about knowing your crowd and knowing when to take it to the next level sh*t, which with some warm up dj's is impossible because they start off with that next level sh*t. :lol:

[eyes without a face]

yes definately.... some good points there mate..... alot of people seem to start off with some of the more tribally stuff which is great, but often a little too fast so pitching them down a bit can be cool as alot of tracks seem to take on a new lease of life when this happens, basslines get that little bit groovier, the percussion seems to be that little bit looser etc etc

all good stuff tho haha.. im playing Subsonica the night before so il be able to play a bit tougher there haha

[Stella Boy]

all good stuff tho haha.. im playing Subsonica the night before so il be able to play a bit tougher there haha

Oooh, hark at you, Mr Travelling DJ :lol: :lol: . Good luck for the Subsonica night, that night looks a corker aswell, just a wee bit far for my ageing legs to travel. I'll be enjoying the detroit sounds of Young & Rolando that night :cool: .

[eyes without a face]

believe in it mate, 2 gigs in 1 weekend, ive made it! haha ;)

yeah itl be a good weekend for sure, not much sleep i imagine but hey, small sacrafices hey

[djshiva]

heyas...i'm a newb to the site, so...umm...hi...

as far as programming goes, i think many djs forget that composition is key. just as you would compose a song, knowing how to bring the flow up and down is essential...

too many djs are just so damn linear, with no attention to peaks and valleys so to speak...

linearity...just straight ahead with no breakdowns from the dj themselves, just bores me to tears...

that's the beauty of techno...the breakdowns are your job when the records don't do it all for you...

[Mindful]

well said Shiva :clap: