I would play whatever gets them on the floor 😉
Seriously though, when I follow another DJ I make sure that my set starts where they have left off – if they have done a deep house set then I would follow with some deep house/fusion/tropical house and then flow where I wanted to go – I would also not go too far down very specific genres if my set was anything less than 2 hrs – too difficult a handover then to the next DJ – and whilst you could say “none of my business”, giving them something to work with (Especially if they are a bigger name than you) will gain you respect and will get you noticed.
If the other DJs are playing similar genres as to what you want to play, then great, go for it – take them on a journey – but if they aren’t then be careful of 1) changing genre too fast (as this can kill the mood unless done really well) and 2) Only playing what you want to play – play what they want to hear. The real art of DJing is “Knowing what comes next”. Sounds simple but it really isn’t 🙂
To your second point – if you have been warned by someone reliable (and more than one person – so not just someone who doesn’t want you to play DnB as it isn’t their thing) then I would stay away – but if your set goes that way and they stay on the floor then keep at it.. And, of course, experiment – If you don’t clear the floor at least once in your set then you aren’t being adventurous enough 🙂 (Note: this is only advice.. I do not recommend deliberately clearing the floor and saying you’re being “Adventurous”..) Everyone makes mistakes though – learn from them when they do happen – when you play something you thought would fill the floor and it kills it – learn, carry on, get over it… 🙂
Good luck 🙂
bob6397
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