Ending a set

[Haydn]

I've noticed that there is a tendency for DJs to end their sets on a favourite uptempto crowd pleaser. The aim seems to be to drive the crowd wild and go out on a high. But where does this leave the next DJ? What responsibility does the DJ have to the person taking over, and to the night as a whole?

[GemZombie]

I've noticed that there is a tendency for DJs to end their sets on a favourite uptempto crowd pleaser. The aim seems to be to drive the crowd wild and go out on a high. But where does this leave the next DJ? What responsibility does the DJ have to the person taking over, and to the night as a whole?

That DJ should consider it a challenge to keep the mood going

[Toon Town Dave]

Yeah, it's better than something from the worst songs ever list.

I think it's easier to keep the energy than try and recover it if the previous DJ played something that cleared the floor. Especially later in a night when some people are starting to think about going home.

[JesseMiner]

I've noticed that there is a tendency for DJs to end their sets on a favourite uptempto crowd pleaser. The aim seems to be to drive the crowd wild and go out on a high. But where does this leave the next DJ? What responsibility does the DJ have to the person taking over, and to the night as a whole?

When I am ending my set and there is another DJ following me, I always try to end my set in a way that makes it easy for the next DJ to start. I will take into account the tastes and talents of that DJ when selecting my ending.

When I am following another DJ, I just wait until their last song, and then I just pick a song that would make sense after it, keeping the dancers moving and making the transition smooth.

Basically, both DJs should be looking at the bigger picture, the entire evening, not just their individual sets.

Jesse

[GemZombie]

Aw, that's the nice thing to do.

Actually, I enjoy a challenge and if I"m good friends with the fellow DJ I usually try to feed off of them anyway. So I too would probably end up playing something that transitions, if possible.

[Lawrence]

When I am following another DJ, I just wait until their last song, and then I just pick a song that would make sense after it, keeping the dancers moving and making the transition smooth.

Although I agree in concept with the general sentiment of "playing nice," I don't think it is so necessary or even desireable to make sure that you never, ever disrupt the next DJ's vibe, or that you always change the beginning of your set to adjust to what the previous DJ did. Sometimes the crowd is dying for an abrupt change. It totally depends on how the dance is going. If I'm following a great vibe, I'll definitely try to keep it going. But I also don't see anything wrong with changing it up for a song between sets, if only to place a punctuation mark at the end of a paragraph or a chapter.

Same thing for the other DJ if he wants to punctuate the end of his set: no problem, it's his set to punctuate. Some people have accused me of trying to upstage the next DJ by ending my set with a Westie/Funky song, emphasizing that once you get the energy level that high, there is no recovering: as if playing funk or hip hop is "unfair" because it upstages the jazz or blues music we normally play. Playing something funky for a song does get most everyone on the floor and ends the set with a bang, but upstaging the next DJ wasn't the least of my intentions; so I started interrupting the middle of my own sets with the same sort of funky stuff (one song, not even a mini-set), pointing out with a smile, "What do you play to recover the vibe after you shake things up like that? You play some damn good music, like you always should do!"

The point is that if the music you are playing can't stand up to another style or can't handle and recover from a brief change of pace or energetic rush, then perhaps the music you are playing isn't worth playing, in the first place. If you can't "recover" from the previous DJ hitting a "high," then how do you recover when, if ever, YOU hit a "high," yourself?? Or do you never hit a high in your sets? It's very much the same thing. The vibe ebbs and flows. Viva la difference!

That said, I will tread lighter if the next DJ is a newbie, but I would consider it a sign of DISrespect if I thought the next DJ was so incapable of recovering that I should not end my set with the best bang I got. (which sometimes is a slow song.)

[dogpossum]

I quite like to do the birthday/welcome/engagement/embarassment dance as the last song of my set (or to follow a DJ who does that). It means the following DJ can pretty much start from scratch (which is often quite nice when you're following a DJ who has wildly different taste to yours) and you can introduce the next DJ/thank the last DJ without busting up people's dancing mood too badly.

This works at our regular social dancing nights (which are quite crowded and always have a birthday person or other victim) but I wouldn't necessarily pull it at a bigger event like an exchange.
In those sorts of cases I like to end on a high energy song - the climax of my set, so to speak. ...writing that now I realise it really depends on the room - I'd take a different approach if it was a super-mellow event, for example.