After a really enjoyable gig on Saturday, I had a few revelations. I've been lucky that I've had some good hints and tips over the last year or so, Danny, Pauly P, Mart, Scott, Shoom and Debs to name but a few. Really appreciate them all.
Over the last 18 months I've been doing warm up sets, taking the opportunity to play some of the slo mo stuff that's around, starting at 95-100 bpms and then over the course of an hour or so, gradually building up to 120 sometimes even 125. This has been magic, not just because it's made me hunt out a huge range of music, but also because it's taught me a lot about the craft of set planning. On Saturday the revelation was that I've massively improved at this over the last couple of years, my mixing is getting better and better technically as well. It's not perfect, but it's not bad either.
What really slapped me round the face was how much craft is involved keeping a dancefloor interested once you've built them up. I think a lot of it is down to record selection, but you can't rely on the the bpms of the next track to aid that process. Once you have a crowd, you can take the mood up and down, but it's not as straightforward as relying on the beats.
So, would be interested to hear what the more experienced dj's think about the above. What do you employ to keep the dancefloor interested? Obviously vocals and piano can really heighten the excitement/mood. What do you do to 'bring it down a little', so you don't lose the energy but redirect it?
Over the last 18 months I've been doing warm up sets, taking the opportunity to play some of the slo mo stuff that's around, starting at 95-100 bpms and then over the course of an hour or so, gradually building up to 120 sometimes even 125. This has been magic, not just because it's made me hunt out a huge range of music, but also because it's taught me a lot about the craft of set planning. On Saturday the revelation was that I've massively improved at this over the last couple of years, my mixing is getting better and better technically as well. It's not perfect, but it's not bad either.
What really slapped me round the face was how much craft is involved keeping a dancefloor interested once you've built them up. I think a lot of it is down to record selection, but you can't rely on the the bpms of the next track to aid that process. Once you have a crowd, you can take the mood up and down, but it's not as straightforward as relying on the beats.
So, would be interested to hear what the more experienced dj's think about the above. What do you employ to keep the dancefloor interested? Obviously vocals and piano can really heighten the excitement/mood. What do you do to 'bring it down a little', so you don't lose the energy but redirect it?
Really must sort that out and get my mojo back tho! 
