Start with the job
Before choosing any tracks, ask a few questions:
- How long is the set?
- Where is it, and who will be there?
- Are you opening the night, playing the busiest slot, or closing?
An opening set should warm the room up, not peak in the first ten minutes. A peak-time set needs energy. A closing set should land people gently. The same tracks can work brilliantly or badly depending on when you play them.
Give the set a shape
| Part | What it does | What to play |
|---|---|---|
| Start | Sets the mood and draws people in | Tracks with space and groove, often a little lower in energy |
| Build | Raises the energy step by step | Gradually stronger, busier tracks |
| Peak | The high point of the set | Your biggest, most reliable tracks for this crowd |
| Ending | Brings it home and leaves a good last impression | Something memorable, often a track people know |
Energy doesn't have to rise in a straight line. Small dips give the crowd a breather and make the next build feel bigger.
Keep BPM and key flowing
- BPM: change tempo gradually. Small steps between tracks feel natural. Big jumps are possible, but they need a planned transition.
- Key: tracks in compatible keys blend more smoothly. Most DJ software shows the key of each track, often using a number and letter system that makes matching easier.
- Genre: moving between styles works best when something links them, like a similar tempo, groove or mood.
Organise your music into crates
Crates (or playlists) are folders of tracks in your DJ software. Good organisation means you can find the right track quickly, even under pressure. Ideas that work well:
- Crates by energy: warm-up, build, peak and closing.
- Crates for a particular gig, with everything you might play.
- A small crate of reliable tracks you know will work if the floor goes quiet.
Prepare more than you need
A one-hour set might be around 15 to 20 tracks, depending on how long you play each one. Bring a lot more than that. You can't know exactly how a room will feel until you are there, and having options lets you change direction when something isn't working.
It also helps to plan a few transitions you know work well, while leaving room to react. Fully planned sets can feel stiff. No plan at all can feel lost.
Practise the set
- Play through the start and the peak a few times.
- Record a full run-through and listen back for dips in energy.
- Swap out any track that slows things down without a reason.
- Practise a couple of back-up routes, in case the crowd wants something different.
Learn to build sets properly
Every one of our courses ends with a live graduation set that you build with your mentor. If you can already mix and want to work on track selection, energy and set structure, our Selector course is made for that. More experienced DJs can look at Headliner.