Should You MR MRS DJ Make a Play List for a Set and Stick to It?

0:00 I mean, how simple is that?

Alright guys, why is it not a good idea to get a playlist together for a gig? Why? I mean, but it's a good idea because you know what you're going to play. You've got a set list and all you've got to do is play track 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and so on. I mean, how simple is that? Wouldn't it be a great idea because it saves the hassle of finding tunes during the night. It saves the worry of wondering what to play. You don't have to stress over digging for that track that someone wants or finding that song that you know is going to mix in because it just sounds so good. Isn't it great to have a playlist because you can just sit back and go... No. Making a playlist is potentially one of the worst things you can do. Let's imagine this. Imagine you've got 10 tunes and you have to play, because you've got your playlist, track 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, all the way up to 10.

1:21 You've got to play track 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10

You play track 1, track 2, track 3, the dance floor is bubbling. Track 4, all of a sudden it starts to disappear. By track 5, the dance floor is clear. You've got to play track 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10. You've got no other option because that's your playlist. Track 6, 7, 8, 9, no one's interested. Track 10, you're starting to look an absolute muppet. In other words what's happened is while you're at home, away from the club, away from the dance floor, away from the sweet 16 party, away from the 60th birthday party. You're not even close to getting to the wedding yet. You're compiling your playlist based on how you feel the night will run. You're compiling your playlist in your room, by yourself with no atmosphere. There's no dancers, there's nothing. It's just you and that computer screen or you and your CDs or you and your vinyl, doesn't matter.

2:45 You need to move with the night and the night moves with you

When you're there in front of the crowd. You're getting the vibe from it. The vibe from the crowd, the energy from the crowd. The crowd could be dancing and could be so much enjoying the vibe from that certain style you're playing. They want more. Yet in a playlist, you may be only playing three tracks of funk and going into something else. Whereas the crowd may be enjoying that style, that genre so much they want more. But your playlist you set and you got together earlier is only three of that genre. And the fourth track is a completely different genre. So the crowd are like, yeah we want more of this and you're like, sorry I've got to change it. It's on my playlist. That's no good. You need to go with the flow.

You need to move with the night and the night moves with you. The crowd work with you just as much as you work with them. So getting a playlist together before the night and sticking to that playlist is a very bad idea. Because that playlist could be their best thing since sliced bread. Night one. Night two. It could be average. Night three. It could be absolutely frigging shit and it won't work. You will die a death. A good DJ will turn up to the event, will look at the crowd and play for that night. Will go with the crowd, work with the crowd. It's a nice motion. And I have talked about this before. But someone asked me about a playlist. And really this video is for them as well as everyone else out there.

So, playlist, no. Go with the flow. Practice and enjoy, thank you.

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