Any advice on being the opening act before the headliner. Should we just set the mood? Is building the set/mood important or is it better to keep it low key and just chug along? Any help would be appreciated from both those who headline and those who have opened.Thanks Again

Re: How To Be An Opening DJ

Well I always thought playing nice moody house vibes would set the tone for any headliner. I dont know if it depends on what the "headliner" person would be playing, but you can never go wrong with lushy house. Build it up nicely were people begin to start dancing so when the main dj comes on he's got people on the dancefloor already. :p

Re: How To Be An Opening DJ

[quote=jaam]Any help would be appreciated from both those who headline and those who have opened.[/quote]

well i do both so i think that qualifies me to answer ;)

RESIST ALL TEMPTATIONS TO PLAY YOUR BIG RECORDS!!

if you do play some big stuff, DON'T finish on a big record, the main dj will hate you and not think that much of you.... if the crowd are up for it and you wanna chuck a few larger records in then do it at least half an hour before you finish and then bring it back down

like bureone said, moody house vibes. some quirky shit maybe. a good warmup dj will have a floor full of people all nodding their heads but not going at it

Re: How To Be An Opening DJ

^^^^Yeah....u dont want the crowd worn out by the time the headliner comes on. Keep it chill but interesting. Its a fine line between keeping the crownd into it w/o becoming bored. Of course it also depends on what the headliner is playing. Just fill your record bag w/ the right choons and the temptation to drop the dancefloor destoyers wont be there cause, well, you didnt bring them.

These are the little things that get promoters to book you again and again. LOTS of people have the technical skills but playing to the crowd and your time slot is what will seperate you from the rest.

Re: How To Be An Opening DJ

I just want to know how to get booked as the opening DJ in the first place :(

Re: How To Be An Opening DJ

[quote=groffhibbitz]I just want to know how to get booked as the opening DJ in the first place :([/quote]

do what xeb did. keep recording and making your mixes public. send them out to clubs, promoters, other DJ's, etc etc./

soulseek is a valubale tool. myspace as well.

keep recording, expanding and practicing.

Re: How To Be An Opening DJ

Yep, and get to know a few of the bigger dj's in your town, hang out with them and see if eventually you can take a half hour on the decks at one of their shows.

Re: How To Be An Opening DJ

I can't thank you guys enough. I think I was on the same page as you, but its always reassuring to hear it from those in the biz. The tip about not bring any big tunes was also clutch. Thanks again

jay

Re: How To Be An Opening DJ

always play Iio - Rapture

Re: How To Be An Opening DJ

[quote=Caley Martin]always play Iio - Rapture[/quote]

John Creamer and Stephane K Remix !!!!

:D

Re: How To Be An Opening DJ

Deep Dish is where it is at... ;)

Re: How To Be An Opening DJ

if you've got middle eastern/southeast asian women in the crowd, they will love you if you play that song.

Re: How To Be An Opening DJ

love you long time even

Re: How To Be An Opening DJ

[quote=Caley Martin]Deep Dish is where it is at... ;)[/quote]

Re: How To Be An Opening DJ

I like that song, although it's too played out to, uh, play out.

Re: How To Be An Opening DJ

hell I play out Flashdance every so often and people still go crazy for it. I like it but it has worn down on me.

Re: How To Be An Opening DJ

Jennifer Beals is rolling in her grave.

Re: How To Be An Opening DJ

isn't that the girl in the movie...is she gone from this earth???

Re: How To Be An Opening DJ

no, but let's pretend that she is.

Re: How To Be An Opening DJ

Im in the same position as u are..But i record and send mixes all over..Clubs, Djs I sent even a promo to a Radio here in Amsterdam... Allway Try It....Allways :D

Re: How To Be An Opening DJ

Last year I started a thread at GU about "opening dj's"... this is it: [url]http://www.globalunderground.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=29528&highlight=[/url]

it, in my mind, covers all the bases from my original post to the responses that follow... It's not a guide mind you but just a discussion.

Cheers, Geoff

Re: How To Be An Opening DJ

i would have to agree with the deep house vibe. i love walking in to a club and hearing those sounds knowing that the night can only get better.

Re: How To Be An Opening DJ

drumnbass at 33rpm is always good

Re: How To Be An Opening DJ

well i must say it was cool reading your views here

im thinking recently about doing a promo set for a local club here that stands for progressive but also play electro and due to the end of the night it can also reach psy-progressive

my idea to open a night like this is starting with the deep house stuff with groovey bass play every few tunes a vocal tune and cause we are probably talking about a new dj that no one knows before that night playing one-two known tunes in maybe darkwer remixes can be helpful aswell

cheers!

Re: How To Be An Opening DJ

[quote=Caley Martin;327749]always play Iio - Rapture[/quote]

Hilarious!

The Deep Dish mix is still dope as hell, but reading your comment made me laugh out loud.

I'd say play Zombie Nation 7 times in a row and make sure you wear a wife-beater. :D

Re: How To Be An Opening DJ

zombie. zombie. zombie. zombie. zombie nation

Re: How To Be An Opening DJ

Just keep it minimal .......some vocals would help to keep the crowd busy

Re: How To Be An Opening DJ

vocals with subliminimal messages..........

Re: How To Be An Opening DJ

:roll:

Re: How To Be An Opening DJ

:roll:

Re: How To Be An Opening DJ

Jimmy van M does it best with easy grooves and a final build up before the dynamic duo enters

Re: How To Be An Opening DJ

unless he decides to play the Top 40 tunes off of Balance Chart back to back

Re: How To Be An Opening DJ

[quote=soundsomething;342664]i would have to agree with the deep house vibe. i love walking in to a club and hearing those sounds knowing that the night can only get better.[/quote]

agree with you on that one. Gets the choices flowing.

Re: How To Be An Opening DJ

Bill Patrick does a good job as a warmie... A-Rod and Lance are also in my list.

Re: How To Be An Opening DJ

[quote=Mindstatic Pro;326908]^^^^Yeah....u dont want the crowd worn out by the time the headliner comes on. Keep it chill but interesting. Its a fine line between keeping the crownd into it w/o becoming bored. Of course it also depends on what the headliner is playing. Just fill your record bag w/ the right choons and the temptation to drop the dancefloor destoyers wont be there cause, well, you didnt bring them.

These are the little things that get promoters to book you again and again. LOTS of people have the technical skills but playing to the crowd and your time slot is what will seperate you from the rest.[/quote]

yeah but bring them in case the headliner is real late or does not show up ;)

Re: How To Be An Opening DJ

I think you are all wrong. The goal of being a DJ is to BE THE HEADLINER. If you EVER want to be in the position of poeple worrying about what they are going to play before YOU go on the decks then staying low key is the WRONG idea.

Surew you want to leave the headliner a mixable DJ friendly track but to dumb down your set so the headliner gets more attention is rediculous!!!! Most headliners at parties aren't much better if not worse than the best local DJs so why pretend.

You could either have poeple go home saying DAMN!!! that guy before the headliner fuckin owned the night!!! or Damn!!! that headliner was good but I was bored until he came on.

Tear it up as hard as you can before the headliner and leave them with a crowd just BEGING for more and the next time that promoter books a huge name you will be favored for the slot right before him.

THAT myfriends, is how you get YOUR name in bold letters on fliers and not in tiny letters on the bottom.

Re: How To Be An Opening DJ

yeah but the true art of a warm up dj is to build it up

Re: How To Be An Opening DJ

[QUOTE=hulkhuss;409274]yeah but the true art of a warm up dj is to build it up[/QUOTE]Every headliner is capable of tearin it up. You build it up and give them some energy to work with and they will throw a much better set. I know I play MUCH better when I down have to spend half of my set dragging poeple to the dancelfoor.

Re: How To Be An Opening DJ

[quote=victorgonzales;409271]I think you are all wrong. The goal of being a DJ is to BE THE HEADLINER. If you EVER want to be in the position of poeple worrying about what they are going to play before YOU go on the decks then staying low key is the WRONG idea.

Surew you want to leave the headliner a mixable DJ friendly track but to dumb down your set so the headliner gets more attention is rediculous!!!! Most headliners at parties aren't much better if not worse than the best local DJs so why pretend.

You could either have poeple go home saying DAMN!!! that guy before the headliner fuckin owned the night!!! or Damn!!! that headliner was good but I was bored until he came on.

Tear it up as hard as you can before the headliner and leave them with a crowd just BEGING for more and the next time that promoter books a huge name you will be favored for the slot right before him.

THAT myfriends, is how you get YOUR name in bold letters on fliers and not in tiny letters on the bottom.[/quote]

:roll: Nigga pleazzzz. I much rather prefer to be in tiny letters on some fucked up flyer than having it huge bold and shit.

I dont care for peaktime tunes. Do I have some, yes of course. Anyone can play the big tunes. It's easy, they're all banging and full of energy.

The true art is knowing how to warm up the club. It's a lot more difficult than playing banger after banger. Unless you've established yourself in the industry/world; then you can do whatever the hell you wanna do and play the big tracks.

I love deep house. It comes in all forms, lushy, dark, funky, melodic, techy and you have to know how to put them together. I much rather be a warm up dj. Im not for fame or fortune, it's a dope hobby.

....and I'll tell ya what, you can mix up a proper warm up set that'll have the dance floor movin and groovin just as much as any headliner at 2am (maybe not to a full on capacity cause no one's gotten there yet) but the'll be heads nodding and smiles on faces... It's a whole different vibe.

Re: How To Be An Opening DJ

Victor seems to me to be the dj who is opening up for dj's and then wonders why he doesn't get asked back to open again.