Improvizing a set

Organize your library as well as knowing your tracks inside and out. I plan my sets before I go to a gig too, their is nothing wrong with that but the best sets are usually unscripted.

It’s certainly worth maybe having an idea what you’ll start with, say the first 3 tracks or so, just to get in the mood, but however after that, I’ve never, ever planned a set. As others have said, it’s about knowing your tracks and reading the crowd and practice at home. That is the primary function of the DJ imho. The best sets are always ad-hoc too I’ve found, you can tell either as a DJ or a punter.

This isn’t a criticism OP, just a general observation I’ve made about DJ’s learning the ropes – many are always concerned over the minutae of what do play, when to mix, what tech, what s’ware, shall I mix in key, what extra kit do I need to ‘go to the next level’…. keep it simple is my advice: Know your tunes, practice mixing/techniques, record and review every set, learn to read the crowd and don’t be fearful of mistakes, as they will happen whether a new DJ or an old hand . Other than that, the rest is mere bumfluffery getting in the way of playing tunage. Best of luck and enjoy 🙂

backtothefront, post: 36721, member: 1433 wrote: The best sets are always ad-hoc too I’ve found, you can tell either as a DJ or a punter.

I completely disagree with this statement, the rest is spot on. When done poorly everyone can tell, when done well they don’t have a clue. I’ve played entire sets that were pre-planned because the crowd was feeling the vibe and no one but me knew the thing was planned. If you know your crowd and you play underground dance music you can get away with this often. You always have to be willing and able to change direction if the crowd seems to want something different but not always.