Before the floor is going, look for any movement: nodding heads, tapping toes, etc. When enough people are showing signs of being infected by the rhythm, try some party starters. If it gets going, roll with it. If not, back off and try again in a couple of songs.

Once the floor is going, just watch the energy of the ladies on the floor. Bring energy in waves, and try to build to a peak near the end of the night...

No joke, but a little ethnic (or age) profiling always works for me to get things started.

Look around, what kind of people are there? Cater to them first and then go from there.

Always cater to the ladies. They are the ones who are not afraid to get on the floor. When you lure the on to the floor with a good song, keep them there with another song that has a similar flow. Keep the ladies on the floor and the guys will follow. When you see a decent girl to guy ratio, hit them with a party break and then drop a heater.

If you're a headliner then just play your stuff. They hired you for a reason - and it's usually because of your style, name, and musical tastes.

Otherwise...

If it's a club there are two ways to approach it -

1. ASK. Are they changing the format/demographic at the club? In other words WHY DID THEY HIRE YOU? Is the existing guy getting stale? Look for a major departure from what's going on now...

2. Go to the club a couple nights (or more) before you are due to play there. Look around and see what type of people are there. Straight? Gay? Hoods? Age? Listen to what's being played and look around for what works and what doesn't. Think about what's working and try to figure out why...

Now take the information you've gathered and you should have a feel for what's happening at the club. Rather than taking what works put a twist on it. If they're dropping dancehall for example, instead of jumping right into the heaters start with something that's a precursor to that - maybe a reggae remix. Start slow and build.

Once you get them going listen to requests (sort of). If you're getting requets for a specific type of music they know where they want to go. Take them there.

Managing a dancefloor takes time. Think about being on the dancefloor and what you like to dance to. Think about what works as a dancer and what doesn't work. Always have 3-6 songs in your head that can work after your current one, and another 3-6 that can work with any of those. Think ahead.

And just because you get a request doesn't mean you have to fulfill it right now... add that to the tracks your path comes through. Make it a natural transistion.


And if none of this makes sense, read 'Last Night A DJ Saved My Life' and read the section about David Mancuso and 'The Loft' a couple of times. Now read 'How to DJ Right' by the same guys. And then read 'How to be a DJ' by Chuck Fresh.

Those last two books have some great information on working a dancefloor. Specifically the things that 99% of the DJ's let their ego get in the way of. They want to pack the dance floor all night - instead work the energy in the room. Take it up and down. If you have lights use that to add/remove energy in the room.

Reading a crowd and working the dancefloor doesn't have to be difficult... but understanding the WHY part of you being hired and also what they're currently doing can help a LOT. Understanding how various parts of music playback affects energy, and even how key signature can affect mood helps to understand what you're doing to a higher level.

If you walk in thinking you're going to just drop heaters then you need to dig deeper into the profession and your approach to it. Take some music theory courses, and listen to music and how it impacts you.

And remember - BPM can go up and down throughout the course of a night. SO CAN VOLUME! They do go in a direction other than UP!

Are you saying you shouldn't pack the dancefloor the whole time? Why not? I know if it's a club they have drinks to sell, but what about say a school dance?

Let's look at a school dance...

You pack the dance floor with heaters for the first 2 hours of a 4-5 hour dance. The kids get tired and go home - success or not?

I saw NO. You have to bring them up and down. Not everyone wants a 4 krunk set. You have to turn it over and appeal to the entire group.


The only way packing out the dance floor all night works is if everyone pays a fat cover and they're on crank so they don't get tired out. Ok, there is one other way - if the place is so packed the bar can't keep up with the drink orders. At that point you need to rotate the dance floor but the problem isn't you - it's at the bar. And a good club owner should realize that.

A good "FLOW" is important to me, some dj's style are like STOP and GO...
I blend similar "ENERGY" songs together.. i can play, How will i know by Whitney and Sweet child of mine during the night to the same crowd, but i wouldn't play them after each other.
If i get a request and i know it wont work at that time I'll think 5 songs ahead and adjust the songs to meet that request i find it a challenge to play all requests...
One night i was asked to play mustang sally!!..I did and it went well too.

it can get tricky man. but one thing i know for a fact is teasing definitely works.

the release of emotion you feel from the floor when you drop that big record after a 1 hour build-up is pretty palpable. you can feel that shit. people scream, put their hands in the air, and dance their ASSES off. follow it up with 3 more heaters and you're the musical equivalent of great sex.

break it up, restart the groove, and build up to another climax.

volume modulation definitely makes a difference. it dictates energy level. you trained musicians might call it dynamics.


so adjust the volume in relation to where you're at in your set. groover, banger, etc.

i' used to be pretty naive in thinking that i can play 4 hours straight bombs and keep people excited. since there's no contrast, after 30 - 40 mins of obvious bombs, people tend to get bored.

i think it was Francois K that said great DJ's can play 30 years worth of music and make it work.

something to that effect.

so watch people's faces. do they look like they're having a good time?

do they look like they could use a quick breather?

do they need a kick in the ass?

what about that one girl in the corner who's been dancing to your shit since she arrived 2 hours ago?

sometimes, if the crowd is wack, i focus on those who are actually enjoying, and vibe with them. and usually, the rest of the room feeds off that energy and moments later, you've got an entire floor dancing.

hit records are great. but even greater when used correctly. knowing when to drop it and planning 3 - 6 songs ahead and build up to it.

but i really think that it is the unseen that makes the ultimate difference between good DJ's and great and or experienced DJs.

feeling and emotion. if you're feeling your shit, people pick up on that right away.

your sets tend flow effortlessly and the right songs just seem to flash in your head at the right time...

so i try to be clear headed and just focus on stuff that gets me movin' first - as a warm up.

once i'm rhythmically loose, i start thinking about the crowd and the approach.

I leave the rest to God.

^^ Listen to this guy... He knows what he's talking about.

Teasing is huge to me. AND sometimes the crowd will just be WHACK. Period. Some people are coked outta their brains, some are too high to even know what's going on. One fact I know is that girls come to DANCE, guys come to hopefully get laid by one of those girls. Unless I'm on some underground shit, I focus on the girls. Like JP said, when you have people that are enjoying it, fuck with them. Try not to take shit too seriously or personally and do your thing the next set.