is this considered "cheating" as a dj?

i was just wondering if its considered "cheating" if ive been practicing and find songs that work great together one after another and write them down on a set list that i would later use live. i think its great because i can almost pre-plan where i want to bring the crowd musically but on the other hand i kinda lose that connection with the crowd in way by not knowing how theyre going to react on what i play.

what do u guys think?

 

Yes. You must choose songs that key-clash, are of different genres and wildly different bpms (preferably different time signatures!) and mix them without beatgridding or headphones.

Hang on, no. No it is not cheating. Just remember that if it ain't working for your crowd then you're gonna have to go off piste.

 

i have a few tracks, that fit so much in pairs that i really love to play them together more or less all the time. as long as you're not playing the same SET every night, such things can also be your personal signature.

 

I think, much worser would be to deliver an easy and average mixing style...Did you hear what is doing Axwell a day before he is performing? He is looking for acapellas and preparing edits..Preparing a set is a sign of every proffesional.Do you think that the top jocks do not care about the energy of a track or its key?

No one will tell you bad things if you show that you have a feeling for some particular playlist. It will later define your sound for the crowd and they will expect it from you to play it again the same way as they have heard it last time. Next time you can play it a little bit differently and keep your efficiency in terms of crowd-entertainment.
Peter

 

This is actually how I first learned to DJ, I figured out what mixed easy with what and practised with them. Not a bad idea for starters because it can be an easy way to string 2 or 3 records together without to much effort. Be careful though because, as mentioned earlier, if your pre-selected tunes aren't working with the crowd then you will need to know how to mix "outside the box", so to speak.

Nobody likes a DJ you can set your watch by, so don't plan an entire nights set and then keep using that same set again and again. Be unpredictable.

 

wow thanks alot guys! u guys really made me feel more confident now and totally changed my way of going about this! : )