Planet Angel - Live an Ordinary Life in an Extraordinary Way

As a Social Enterprise, Planet Angel aims to make a social and environmental profit not a financial one. A great way of doing this is to share valuable information and here we’re starting a new series if in-depth features about various aspects of DJing.   This is priceless experience that has been gathered over years by the very talented people that make up the Residents, it’s also an insight into how seriously we take the issue of getting the music right at our events!

For our first in the series Planet Angel Resident Jurrane - who is currently enjoying considerable success with his own productions - takes you through the art of the warm-up set: one of the most difficult sets for newcomer DJs to get right.

(if you would like to see a Hints n’ Tips series on a particular subject, please get in touch)

Warm-up sets are usually the first bookings that beginning DJs are given (not always at Planet Angel but we like to do things differently). Unfortunately they’re often the hardest sets to get right and are the most important to the overall success of the party. Why? Because they set the tone of the party, dictate the pace of the night and influence what all the DJs afterwards will play.

If you’re the warm-up DJ and you play too loud, hard and fast, the crowd will be tired before midnight. Hammer the anthems and everybody will be bored of hearing them once all the other DJs have played them as well. A good warm-up set takes skill, control, patience – and a bit of psychology. This article suggests a few ideas to help you play that perfect opening set.

Set the mood. Mood is very important because very few people arrive at a party and start dancing immediately. They want to meet their friends, have a drink, chat, check out the surroundings, put their coat away; all manner of different things until they want to have a dance. A good DJ recognises this and doesn’t go for the big tracks from the start in an effort to fill the dancefloor. Instead, he or she recognises the need to create a welcoming mood ready for partygoers when they start dancing.

Next time you get to a club early, watch the dancefloor. People don’t just rush on to it straight away; they often stand on the edges, chilling out, chatting and getting into the mood for dancing. Nodding and foot tapping are the signs they’re appreciating the music and, to the warm-up DJ, these non-verbal signs are the equivalent of those 3am “hands in the air” moments for the peak-time sets. Why? Because it means those people on the edges of the dancefloor are enjoying what the DJ’s doing and they’ll be dancing soon enough.

Keep the volume and BPM’s down. One of the most intimidating things you can find in a club is an empty dancefloor pumping out relentlessly fast music at an ear-splitting volume. At the beginning of the night, people want to be gently welcomed onto a dancefloor, not scared away from it.

Because of this, slow is good for a warm-up set. No-one rushes on to a dancefloor and starts stomping away full-pelt. People respond to gradual increases in energy, particularly at the start of the night. It’s also a good idea to keep the volume levels relatively low as well, so people can still hear themselves talk. As more people arrive on the dancefloor, you can slowly bring the pace and volume up.

Don’t worry about the crowd. Playing a warm-up set can be a little daunting because you’re often playing to an empty room to begin with and, if people don’t start dancing straight away, newer DJs worry they’re doing something wrong. Remember: people don’t start dancing in clubs immediately and just because they’re staying away, it doesn’t mean they don’t like your music. Instead, they’ve got other things to do before they start dancing. As the DJ, it’s your job to welcome them on to the dancefloor when they’re ready.

You may also find that at the start of the night people arrive on the dancefloor, dance for a couple of tracks and then head back to the bar. Again, this isn’t a comment on your music: it’s just a sign they’re not ready to stomp away for the rest of the night. They’ve shown they want to dance and they’ll be back.

Slow and steady wins the race. The secret of a good warm up set is a gradual increase in momentum and energy. Think of the set as a gentle upward energy curve. One you’ve got people on the dancefloor, gradually up the pressure levels with each track. Your aim should be to get people’s heads nodding, toes tapping and groove going until they can resist no longer and can’t help but start dancing. So many Planet Angel parties have started this way with the warm-up DJ increasing the momentum barely perceptibly, gradually drawing people on to the dancefloor until it’s full and then plays a “let’s go!” track – and the room’s set for the rest of the night.

Just remember: don’t do this too quickly or you’ll wear the dancers out. Often a truly great warm-up set is all about holding back. You’re looking for a patient, controlled set that reaches its peak only when the dancefloor is full and ready to go absolutely crazy.

Play music people recognise. Familiarity is a powerful thing in music. If you want to gently entice people on to the dancefloor, lure them in with stuff they’ll know. One of the great ways to get people dancing is to make them realise “wow… I haven’t heard that for years!” or “hey, I know this…. and it’s really good!” Vocal tracks are often also a good bet, for this very reason.

Remember: you’re starting the party. If you’re the warm-up DJ, you’re getting the party started - literally. If the crowd is small to begin with, engage with them personally. Make eye contact, smile, and show them you’re having a good time. Enthusiasm and enjoyment is infectious: if you're having fun, so will your crowd.

Enjoy yourself! Many experienced DJs will tell you the warm-up set can be the most rewarding set of the night to play. It’s no easy thing to start with an empty club and transform it into a heaving dancefloor full of up-for-it party people. Any DJ can take over a packed room at 3am and hammer out the anthems. Pacing a set slowly and carefully takes real skill and craft, and you get a real sense of achievement in building a full dancefloor from scratch. Just remember: above all, have fun!