One of the most important, yet often under appreciated, jobs for a DJ is that of the warm-up set. In fact, it’s a crucial role for any DJ worth his salt and is usually where most of the big names we know and love today earned their stripes. Playing a warm-up set typically takes a higher level of skill than most headline sets – ask any DJ and they’ll tell you, it’s no mean feat striking that delicate balance between luring ravers onto the dancefloor and keeping them there, while making sure you don’t overshadow the headliner(s). Maintaining a good, strong energy but not peaking too early. Of course, there are stringent rules to playing a warm-up set, you will always need to gauge the crowd – but, generally speaking, it must be said that slow and easy is often the best and safest way to begin.
Everyone in front of you is there to party, that’s a given, but the party really gets started when the peak time sets are played. As a warm-up you often begin with a very slow, tentative approach to your set, easing your audience in with some uplifting yet not too “hands-in-the-air” tunes. Peaking too early is a cardinal sin, as is overshadowing whoever comes after you. Working up from the slow start, it’s sometimes useful to whet the clubbers’ appetites with some more familiar tracks – injecting some energy, yet not pushing it too far. As the set progresses you’ll want to keep the energy levels solid, each step of the way considering the fact that the night is only just beginning and it’s your job to start off the evening in the best way possible. Keeping a frim hold on how the crowd gets down is imperative to your job, the temptation to let loose and throw down some big tunes is always going to be there, but you have to keep reminding yourself that it’s early and there is a lot more to come.
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