Playing somewhere new...be prepared!!!

Aloha fans of rhythmic sonic waves!

As some of you may have read, I played in El Paso Texas a few weeks ago. (Great show by the way!) I had never played there before and wanted to play well and connect with the crowd...you know make them shake what the good Lord gave them.

I had a few things in mind to hopefully accomplish this objective. First, if you are anything like me, getting comfortable behind a new DJ set-up is essential to having fun and playing well. When playing somewhere new there are always new challenges; equipment you are not familiar, awkward placement mixer/turntables/CD decks, the booth monitor position and many different factors. The fun is trying to overcome those challenges and rock the party!

Personally for me, the position of the booth monitor and being able to hear everything is my first priority. I cue (listen) to the incoming track in my right ear and listen to the booth monitor out of my left ear. I find most people are opposite. The sooner my ears adjust and I can balance the volume in my ear and the headphones the sooner I can get into my groove.

So here is my solution...I build a mini 5 track set to start. Before the gig, I will dial in the bpms, tempo settings and mix in timing. This provides some direction and confidence to start my set.

Yet here is a huge factor to consider...knowing what the crowd wants to hear. You ask, "Geoff, how can I know what the crowd wants to hear before I even get there, especially if the gig is out-of-town." Well I ask the promoter to tell me about the event, what style the other DJs will be playing, and what time slot I have. If you are a peak hour DJ and the promoter is booking you for one of the opening sets, either you need to prepare some early evening, warm up tracks or you might ask the promoter why he wants peak hour music early in the evening. The more you know about the theme of the club or the expectations of the promoter will help improve your enjoyment of time behind the decks. Of course this is irrelevant if you where solely booked for your particular style.

So you nailed the first 5 mixes and the crowd is going crazy... job well done. What if after your first 5 prepared tracks the crowd isn't quite jumping for joy. This is where you have to start throwing some new sounds at them to find out what direction to take the crowd. I prepared primarily a progressive set for my gig in El Paso yet the place wasn’t quite feeling it. I decided to play some housier tracks and suddenly the dance floor was filled and I had them in the palm of hand. From there I was pulling the funkiest house tracks and was able to put smiles on there faces and mine.

Being prepared and being flexible will make the difference between a good set and a great set. I am excited about my experience in El Paso and what I learned. I hope this as been informative or at least entertaining.

Saved by grace,

Geoffrey