Dj Playing the Same Song Again in Set

Residents and other DJs that play regular gigs oft fall into the trap of playing similar sets week after calendar week, reusing transitions, and playing the aforementioned mixes and mashups. While the average guild goer may have no idea, the regulars and the staff certainly observe. Being an open format DJ or a DJ who never plans their sets doesn't protect you lot either; In one case you notice that Song A transitions perfectly into Song B it will cement itself in your brain whether conscious or not. Going forward every time you play Vocal A that perfect transition volition become forefront in your mind and yous'll be likely to pull out Song B. Overall, these go to transitions aren't in themselves a bad thing but it becomes a problem when regulars and staff can predict your next five songs the 2nd y'all hit play on a runway.

You may be request yourself what exactly are you supposed to do when every bit a regular you accept no choice but to play the hot new tracks. How can yous go on things fresh and set yourself apart when you lot accept no choice merely to play the latest Bieber runway whether y'all want to or not? The answer lies in what you play between the must plays, in how you source your music, and in tracking your sets week to week.

Keeping Things Fresh

The get-go step is admitting y'all take a problem.

Let me get this out of the way before annihilation else, I am simply as guilty every bit the next guy or gal. I spent years playing every single Friday and Sat and have fallen into routine countless times. The following tips and techniques are things I have done personally to break free from predictability but even now it'due south something I have to work at.

Stride one. Recognize the problem

Being aware of the last fourth dimension you played your tracks is the easiest manner to identify the problem. While DVS software like Traktor and Serato and fifty-fifty RekordBox USB drives all maintain a history, it'southward only useful if you look at information technology and compare your sets calendar week to calendar week.

To combat the fact I never look at the history when I was playing regularly with Serato I added a column to my crates that I didn't use for anything (Grouping in my case) and used it to track my plays.

1. The first day I started tracking I marked every track I played with "a1" in the Group column.
2. The second day I marked every rails with a2 overwriting the a1 if I was playing the same track.
3. I continued a3, a4, etc. until reaching a9 and switched to b1 the next day.

If today was Saturday and the tag I was using was "c3" I knew annihilation marked "c2" had been played the dark before. I also knew a track marked "b4" hadn't been played in a few weeks.

At that place were iii immediate benefits to this arrangement;

1. Right in the crate I was enlightened of how much overlap there was betwixt what I was currently doing and my terminal few sets
2. If I was in a pinch and had no idea what to play side by side I could search for the tag from the previous night and intentionally cull something I knew worked recently.
3. If I wanted to play something I knew I hadn't played in a while (or ever) I could search for an onetime tag or tracks with no tag at all.

USB DJs volition need to rely on the play count or reviewing history between gigs every bit I haven't plant a better method since switching to USB (if y'all have a method for USB sticks please share in the comment.) That said, depending on the model and generation of CDJ you should be able to view the history from the unit which could exist useful.

Step two. Forge a less predictable path

Once yous've developed a way to identify the songs you've played recently yous volition demand to brand a conscious effort to stop following the predictable paths. As you attain for the 10th time for a track yous played the dark before expect instead to a dissimilar remix or amend yet something different entirely.

Periodically I would even challenge myself to play an entire hr without using a unmarried track I had played earlier. Which I might add, is harder than it sounds. We tend to convince ourselves if a song is in our crates for months and we have never played it that at that place must be a reason but information technology'southward more often we didn't accept an opportunity early on, it was forgotten, and and so we choose the rubber tracks we know have worked earlier. In that location are probably gems hiding in your library right now that you've never played; You downloaded them for a reason, give them a shot.

To help yourself, role of your excavation strategy when sourcing music should include downloading multiple remixes of the same song and downloading all of those "I might play this" tracks and not just the "I have to play this!" ones. To that terminate, y'all should choose music sites and record pools that offering lots of selection and value for your dollar.

Tip: Delete transition comments from your library

Countless tips online state that you should use the annotate tag on your tracks to note good transitions. For example, it may be recommended that on Song A you add together the comment "GoodTransitions: Song B or Vocal C" when you find particularly good transitions. The thought is that in a compression your comments tin pb you to another track that has worked in the past if you don't know what to play; However, what actually happens is people don't just use those comments to become themselves out of a bind, they follow them as a DJ-by-numbers pattern every time they get behind the decks.

Go into your collection right now and delete any tags that are there to direct you to the next track to play.

Tip: "Mixing in key" could be function of the problem

Don't misunderstand, harmonic mixing is incredibly important if you want your transitions to sound good. What isn't good is scanning your entire library with central detection software and then sticking religiously to 1A -> 2A -> 2A -> 2B -> 3B -> 3A -> 4A style transitions. When you are limited by what is in your library, limited past what is appropriate for the venue, express by what the dance floor is responding to, and then further limit yourself past post-obit basic harmonic "rules" you lot're more than probable to homogenize your audio.

Take a look at Avant-garde Key Mixing Techniques for DJs for other possible harmonic transitions if following the tags or follow your ears every now and then. Over time you lot'll know in your headphones whether or not a transition is going to be harmonic and can break costless from reliance on tags all-together.

Tip: Have some dissimilar gigs to keep yourself from getting bored

If you find that no matter what you just cannot bring yourself to introduce week subsequently week you may be headed for a burnout. If you play the same Firm music all the time expect for a gig that will allow yous to play something completely different. Taking even a week abroad to play something else tin can be plenty to infuse new life into your sets.

You might fifty-fifty find that the successes of the new gig will inspire you to bring things you did at that place to your regular sets infusing them with new life.

Finding Your Unique Sound

Things can go worse when all the residents at a venue play nigh the aforementioned music. When the regulars and the staff cannot tell the DJs apart from each other and each DJ is predictable. Monotony has become the proper noun of the game and that leads to colorlessness for everyone involved which affects the mood of the venue. Trying likewise hard to sound like others instead of yourself as well leads to playing what'southward safety every bit the music isn't speaking to you the way it should.

Retrieve, we are DJs not jukeboxes. Part of our chore is curating music through our own tastes and presenting information technology in our own means. Sure, playing at mainstream venues means you need to play the latest hits just you nevertheless get to choose the remixes and the way you mix the tracks together.

Step ane. Identify your tastes

It'south not uncommon for new DJs to idolize a select few big names and build a library of similar music early on in their careers; Nevertheless, over time it is of import to expose yourself to a wide selection of music and choose the sounds that appeal to you lot directly not just your desire to sound like a particular headliner.

If yous oasis't already, sign up for a streaming service like Google Play Music or Spotify and take every opportunity to let their algorithms testify you lot new music. As much every bit possible stray outside the "recommended for you" sections and expose yourself to as many possibilities as possible. (In a previous article I talked about how I personally use Google Play Music to discover music.)

Finish relying on the "top downloads," charts, recommendations, and other DJs equally the arbiters of what you select for your ain library.

Step ii. Shop around for music sources

Some other common trap is for people to sign up for the kickoff record pool or music site they find. Then they never shop around after that. To run across this in activity ask for advice on tape pool option on any forum. Y'all'll become lots of "I have been an UltraAwesome Record Puddle fellow member for 10 years" comments. The problem is that most record pools are heavily curated by their staff and present compatible content whether yous realize it or not. Recollect, a dozen Electro Firm remixes to choose from for every release isn't necessarily better than half dozen remixes to choose from if those six spans multiple genres (unless Electro Firm is what you're after). It also incommunicable to be unique if everyone uses the same pool with the same paltry choice.

I am not going to phone call out whatsoever pools by name every bit y'all tin go back through countless reviews here on DJ TechTools, many of which I wrote myself. Merely I will say that some of the most popular pools that I see recommended all the time lack real variety. They may mail service lots of music and the number of remixes and edits may be loftier but it all tends to sound the same. There are a few pools where yous can search for the latest hot rail and choose betwixt Electro Firm, Deep House, Techno, Pulsate and Bass, Urban, and other disparate genres when selecting a remix but they aren't the ones I see recommended on a forum because they tend to toll more. Y'all get what you pay for.

Brand sure you don't lock yourself into a sound through blind loyalty to a music source. Y'all may even need to sign up for multiple pools to truly diversify your pick.

Being Fresh = Happy DJs and Audience

Fifty-fifty if you don't care that the staff and regulars notice you lot play the same music dark after night have information technology from someone who has been DJing in clubs and lounges for over a decade: Do information technology for your own sanity. Keeping things fresh and being true to your own tastes volition cease DJing from becoming a job, or worse, a chore. Sometimes you lot may even need to accept unlike gigs to inject new life into your craft; I left the House/Tech-House lodge scene for several years to play NuDisco, Funk, and RnB in lounges. Stepping back into clubs now I feel reinvigorated having been abroad long enough that the monotony I wasn't always fifty-fifty aware of has dissipated.

Take some time to examine your habits in the DJ booth. Branch out when you become search for music. Take steps to make a pct of every fix different from the i before. The staff, the regular, and your own psyche will thank y'all.

Finally, even if you lot need to arrange to the general fashion of the venue, with experimentation it is possible to be venue appropriate and still unique. A DJ who is into what they're playing creates a positive feedback loop. The audition and they will follow you.

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Source: https://djtechtools.com/2017/09/04/regulars-notice-avoid-playing-dj-set-every-week/

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