Some pop tracks are so short nowadays that people know them off by heart, right to the end – so in the instance of playing these two-and-a-half minute radio songs, you’d need a good argument not to play them right to the end.So once you’ve had the catchy first section, the breakdown, the build up, and the drop (the drop being the bit after the quiet breakdown/build-up where it all “goes off”), you’re probably free to mix out – the track’s just going to do the same thing again Many dance tracks have a “second half” which is similar to the “first half”. It wouldn’t make sense to mix out of a pop song before it’s even hit the chorus, right? Or a big vocal song before the vocalist has even sung a note? The fact is that songs have structures that mean when you play them, if you don’t let the song’s internal narrative play out, it’s a bit like interrupting someone who’s half-way through telling you something, or telling a joke without the punchline – pretty pointless. Has the current track “got to the point” yet? “Rotating the dancefloor” like this is a pro’s trick, so be somewhat patient before pulling the plug on a track you played for a reason.Ĥ. So give those who do like it enough time to get to the dancefloor and show their appreciation. In short: If they don’t like it, you may want to try something else, sooner rather than later!ĭon’t fall into the trap of panicking if you play a track and it clears the floor, though: You played it for a reason, and that reason is presumably because you felt some of your audience would like it. Later on we’ll talk about the importance of playing out regularly if you want this stuff to become second nature, because where you decide to mix in your track stems directly from the interplay between you and your audience. How is the current track landing with the audience? Typically, warm up DJs will play more of the songs, and peak-time DJs will be more likely to keep the energy higher by playing lots of songs, but only the “best bits” of those songs. What is your role in the event where you’re DJing? Is it to spend two hours warming up a venue as people arrive, or to finish off a wild night? Because the answer to questions like these will help to dictate the speed of your transitions. That means you need to know what you’re trying to do with the energy in the room. Learn to DJ with Digital DJ Tips: The Complete DJ Course Conversely, the less time you play your tracks for, the more likely the energy will change quickly (usually upwards), and the easier it is to hold the room at a higher energy level. What do you want to do with the energy in the room?Ī rule of thumb is that the longer you play your tracks for, the less they’ll affect the energy in the room. This is something you can figure out ahead of your gig – so take the time to give it some thought. What is the “norm”, as far as the venue, the crowd, and the music genre or genres you are playing go? I’ve picked two extreme examples here, but you see what I mean. If you’re playing a rave, with 15 DJs each playing a five-minute set, and you’re one of them, it’s vastly different to playing for eight hours in a beach bar. While there’s no “right” answer to this, these five points will help you make the best choice. So you’ve mixed in a song, you know what you want to play next, and now you’re asking yourself, “how long do I leave it before transitioning?” How To Decide How Long To Play A Track For Ready to finally figure out where the right place is to mix between your songs? Let’s get started… How to master these skills so they become instinctive.How and where to safely mix out from a track.How to know how long you should let a track play for.In this article, I’m going to blow the lid on how this is really done. Trying to mix quickly between every song (result: messy sets that wear out the audience).Playing every song end-to-end (result: boring, flat DJ sets).So here’s what many beginners end up doing: This free download covers vocal songs (pop, hip hop etc) and dance tracks (house, techno etc), and explains how they’re structured – a vital piece of the puzzle when it comes to learning how to do this essential part of DJing. To know where in tracks to transition, you need to understand song structure. Get your free DJ Song Structure Guide Sheet In this article, you’ll learn exactly how to do this. Knowing exactly where to switch from one song to the next would seem to be such a fundamental skill in DJing, it seems almost silly to be having the conversation.īut if you’ve ever watched a pro DJ instinctively blending tracks, holding the crowd exactly where they want them, playing just the right amount of each song, and thought, “How do they make it look so easy?”, you’ve already realised that there’s more to it than meets the eye. Get the free download: DJ Song Structure Guide Sheet
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