Djing for LONG periods of time
Djing for LONG periods of time Posted on: 04.06.2013 by Laurice Huval Id like to get some input / tips from anyone here at DJTT . I booked a GIG djing an obstacle race , all ages event , obviously TOP40 and High Energy music with some MCing, but my question has anyone done something like this? It is a 12 hour event , if you have; what are your thoughts on approaching the music? I was probably going to do 3-4 hours of programming then just vary it up as the crowd will cycle in 2-4 hour waves. | |
| Celestine Porebski 06.06.2013 |
Originally Posted by djproben
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| Laurice Huval 04.06.2013 | Id like to get some input / tips from anyone here at DJTT . I booked a GIG djing an obstacle race , all ages event , obviously TOP40 and High Energy music with some MCing, but my question has anyone done something like this? It is a 12 hour event , if you have; what are your thoughts on approaching the music? I was probably going to do 3-4 hours of programming then just vary it up as the crowd will cycle in 2-4 hour waves. |
| Celestine Porebski 06.06.2013 |
Originally Posted by djproben
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| Danae Dumler 05.06.2013 | bring lots of snacks |
| Ramonita Atwell 05.06.2013 | Stool or chair is a must. Just did the Voodoo Jam Flatland BMX event here in NOLA this past Saturday (everything but the finals), DJ'd for a little over 9 hours 9 AM - 6:15, and wish I would have had a chair. A lot of the riders had their own songs so that part helped out with the length of playing so long, but was digging quite deep. Figured out I had some gems. Biggest thing was trying to keep it clean for so long, as I don't do very many mobile gigs anymore, and the riders were digging a lot of the trap music which I didn't have enough time to prepare for and make clean edits of everything. |
| Darlene Strohbeck 05.06.2013 | Use the "cruise" feature on Traktor for sure. I'm doing a similar event for charity, but probably not doing the full 12 hours. |
| Xavier Ponce 04.06.2013 | A stool is critical - keeps you still at about mixing height, and doesn't make it look like you're hiding behind the decks. I personally love mixing for extended amounts of time - any chance I can get to not be looking through playlists but instead browsing by my entire library and finding old and new tracks alike is like crate digging in my own collection. A few key tips: • Let great songs play out longer before starting the mix - what's the rush? It's not the same as if you're in a club. • Don't be afraid to let a song end completely (especially if it's got a fade out and not a hard stop) to allow you to change tempo or genre dramatically. • Bring a friend! Know anyone else who you'll enjoy mixing with? Friends make these long sessions way more fun. |
| Jerica Salava 04.06.2013 | make sure your table is tall enough |
| Arnulfo Morten 04.06.2013 | oh maybe by some Crocs ahah them things are hella comfortable when standing for long periods of time. My Doctor wears em :P or if you don't want to look like a goof ball maybe an anti-fatigue mat you can get em at home depot |
| Yong Aptekar 04.06.2013 | Record a few mixes, and play them as breaks as others have said. A few 20 minute mixes should get you through your 12 hour shift. Give your ears a break every 2-3 hours. |
| Doreen Schurle 04.06.2013 | You could always just play 12 hours worth of Daft Punk - Get Lucky remixes and get yourself into the Guinness Book of Records |
| Arnulfo Morten 04.06.2013 | 12 hour gig? if they paid decent. hire 2 other dj's ... any which way it's all about programming. separate the gig into time slots and make playlist according to that time slot so you have some direction in your set. |
| Doreen Schurle 04.06.2013 | A chair. Even when I'm expected to mix for like 6 hours, I'll make sure I've got some sort of chair or stool to rest on between tracks, especially if it's Top 40 stuff where there's a lot of waiting around for the tracks to play out. |
| Nedra Fresneda 05.06.2013 | I'm with 3 heads on this one. Maybe have some rough playlists to gather some tunes you want to play in no particular order and don't be afraid of repeating the hits every now and then. Take it easy, it's a long run and nobody will be likely to care if you are pulling mad skills on the decks, remember the people are there for the race. Don't forget to avoid explicit lyrics as well, it's a family event One last thing, try to have someone else come with you to watch over your stuff when you need to make a pee run and avoid attendees to go all wiki wiki on your gear. |
| Celestine Porebski 05.06.2013 | Well, maybe the type of event and music demand a different strategy, but I approach sets of all lengths the same way: I have an idea for the track I want to open with and then just start playing - and don't stop until the fat lady sings The only annoying thing about long sets are the necessary toilet breaks, but everything else is so much more awesome than with short sets |
| Breanne Penge 05.06.2013 | iTunes playlists in between when you are actually mixing? Alternatively if there is a net connection, load up something like Songza. Or bite the bullet and mix for 12 hours. :P |
| Latia Sotak 04.06.2013 | i did an event a few years ago on New Years Eve, where I was DJing from 10pm to 5am. .....not as long as yours, but still a fair old slog. I did the bulk of it live, but I also had a couple of pre-mixed half hour mixes that i popped in to the evening to give me a couple of breaks. |
| Cassie Sangermano 04.06.2013 | I can imagine that the way you suggested will be the easiest, unless you have a massive library and feel like crate digging for 12 hours. It's gonna be a struggle to keep motivated for that long though!! Although you could find some good tracks that you haven't played for years if you do go crate digging, I'm always doing this at some of my longer gigs (5+ hours) and always come across some gems that I love! |
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