The Structure of a DJ Mixset

Taking your audience on a purposeful journey

By BRENT SILBYCopyright © Brent Silby 2007DJs have been producing mixsets for decades. On the technical end, themixset requires the DJ to use technology and skill to blend a range of songstogether to create a continuous "suite" of music. In effect, the DJ is producingone long song out of a large collection of individual songs. Artistically, thisrequires the DJ to select tracks that sound nice together and suit the generalstyle of music. The art comes in recognizing features of songs that make themfit into the mixset. For more on this, see my article "Is a mixset a piece of Art?"Now, as with all musical creations, a good mixset has a "form" or "structure"underpinning its construction. Obviously a mixset is not simply a randomcollection of tracks. Nor is it a mere collection of songs the DJ (and crowd) likes. There are good mixsets and there are bad mixsets. Interestingly, manybad mixsets actually contain very good songs. The problem arises from theorder in which they have been mixed by the DJ. In many cases, these badmixsets fail simply because the DJ has not put any thought into an overallstructure. Its all well and good playing a bunch of nice tracks that the crowdlikes, but if the set does not take its audience on a meaningful journey with apurpose, the DJ may as well simply use iTunes Shuffle.The purpose of this article is to provide a framework upon which a "theory of the mixset" can be established. This is just a start, and I welcome input fromother experienced DJs. I realize that many DJs will naturally go through theprocess outlined below, and I am not attempting to tell people how to do their job. What I am trying to do is to establish, in writing, the structure of a good

Structure of a DJ Mixset Brent Silby 1

mixset. This information will be useful for DJs who are learning, and it will alsoprovide a language which can be used to review and discuss DJ mixsets.A good mixset needs to take its audience on a journey. It makes no differencewhether the set is being performed live in a club, live on radio, or pre-recordedfor the internet. The important thing is that the DJ makes meaningful decisionsabout the tracks to be played, and their placement in the set. In live clubsituations, the DJs decisions will be made through collaboration with theaudience, as track choice and placement will be decided, in part, from thereaction of people on the dance floor.

The Structure of the Journey

There are three major sections to the mixset. These are Introduction,Development, and Resolution. In order to describe the theory, I will refer toHouse music and its sub-genres. I do this because House is my genre of choice. The theory will, of course, work with other genres.

1 Introduction

The first track of the introduction should, wherever possible, start with nobeat. In House music, find a track with an instrumental (perhaps piano)introduction. A piano intro of up to 1 minute would work very well as it easespeople into the music. Then when the beat kicks in, people know that businessis starting. From here, work through a range of easy going melodies with lotsof nicely sung vocals and pleasing harmonic progressions.Towards the end of this Introduction section, the DJ should attempt to raisetension by shifting the musical key up (further from the starting key). This canhappen song-by-song, but requires the DJ to know what key each of his songsis set in. It is a nice touch to move towards tracks with a "searching" feeling.

Structure of a DJ Mixset Brent Silby 2

2 Development (Conflict / Relief

)Here we have the "main argument" of the mixset. In this section the DJ hasfound his groove and focuses on a range of tracks that fit that sound. Thetension left from the introduction is relieved by ensuring the key stays muchthe same--perhaps moving down, then up again but with no continuousupward trend.The DJ sustains this for several tracks (the length of time depends on thelength of the entire set) before introducing conflict. This conflict comes in theform of a song (or two) that have a slightly different (perhaps harder) sound,which points to where the DJ is taking this part of the set. For example,moving from "funky house" to an "electro house" or "tribal house" sound. Thistransition creates tension, which is then relieved when the DJ movescompletely to the new sound.The DJ then continues with the new sound for several tracks before hintingback towards the sound featured at the start of the development section. Thisis done by sampling vocal aspects from the earlier sound into the hardersound. This builds anticipation, which creates a new tension to be resolved inthe resolution section.

3 Resolution

The end of the set is signified by a return to the style of music containedtowards the end of the introduction and start of the development section.However, here the DJ needs to decide whether to leave the set on a high or alaid back sound. If the DJ wants to complete the set on a high, he needs tocreate a short transition from the harder sound in the Development sectionback to the up-lifting sound from the beginning of the development. Thisshould be done by finding a suitable up-beat track that is set in a minor key,