Your Questions: How Do You Get A Low-Key Party Started?

Digital DJ Tips forum member Sergio writes: “I’m DJing a wine tasting party, what’s the best way to open the dance floor for events like this? Do you start with slow, low energy tunes, or do you try to slam club and dance tracks to get them moving straight away? Plus right before my party set, I’ll be spinning for two hours while guests drink and eat.”

Digital DJ Tips Says:

There is no universal right or wrong way to open your set for a gig like this, but I’d advise you to speak with the event organiser beforehand to know whether or not he or she wants high energy, pumping floor fillers right after the programme ends and your DJ set starts.

Keep in mind that songs that’ll get the crowd moving will depend on the music policy of the event. If it’s a chilled / laid back party and there’s a “no EDM / loud music” policy, you can still play dance tracks that are on the mellower side – think Balearic house or music from the Cafe del Mar series for instance. If the organiser wants you to get the crowd going, then by all means bring out the bangers.

You should also use the two-hour warm-up set to get a feel for your audience – think of it as crowd reading ahead of time before your actual party set.

Here’s what our forum mod DJ Vintage has to say:

“Play hip-shaking, foot-tapping, head-bobbing music during your two-hour warm-up, then it’s entirely up to you. Usually, you agree with the event organisers on what they want to happen during the dance portion. If they want the party to start right after your warm-up set, then floor fillers are in order, perhaps even getting on the mic to officially kick off the party.

“You can try to ease into it. At the end of your warmup, start picking up the pace by increasing the tempo of your set as well as the energy. Watch your crowd carefully: try to figure out who the people dancing are and who are reacting to what you’re playing. Once you pinpoint the dancers (they’re usually the ladies), you start playing to them to get them on the floor. Once the other guests see them moving, they’ll follow naturally.”

How do you start a DJ set for an event like this? Would you start it mild and slowly build to a crescendo, or would you rather start off brazenly? Share your style with us below.