Everyone has an opinion on Djing. Whether or not they have specific ideas of orchestra, period, style etc., that they like to listen to, they certainly know that they want to dance to music that inspires them to move and continue moving. Otherwise, what is the point?
So then, what are some factors that influence whether or not people will want to dance to a given song on a given night?
An analogy to djing might be the preparation of a seven or twelve course meal. There are factors one must consider within as well as between courses. Within the course there is flavor, texture, temperature etc. Between courses there are more overall considerations: one does not serve desert before the main course nor do the courses come out randomly There is a direction and purpose to each course.
Djing is similar in that there are considerations between and within tandas. Within the tanda considerations of style, orchestra, mood, direction, duration etc. are considered. Between tandas the overall direction and flow of the evening, energy level of the dancers etc all must be balanced.
I hardly claim all the answers, but here are a few things I tend to think about when creating a setlist: Familiarity, Flow, Direction.
First of all, Familiarity. Many dancers will not want to dance to a song they have not heard before or of a style that is unfamiliar. The reason is simple: unless you are in the mood to take a few risks with your dancing or in exploring a piece (and that will depend on who you are dancing with and where), a new piece of music is a chancy proposition. Where are the accents? syncopations? Does the rhythm change unexpectedly half way through? Do you even like it? These are all unknowns which can persuade many dancers to simply sit down and wait for a song they know and like before they dance. This applies across category: nuevo tango, golden age, alternative: makes no matter. Thus I tend to play more familiar than non-familiar tunes throughout the night and bracket the unfamiliar with tunes they’ve heard before.
Next, do the tunes flow nicely from one to the next within the tanda and does the tanda flow nicely from one tanda to the next? Within a tanda the transitions need to be smoother than between tandas since the cortina serves to break the flow. However, if you are trying to establish the “groove” for your dancers, you don’t want to make too much of jump….necessarily. This of course depends on the mood of the room (context is important as well). In traditional tango djing, within tanda transitions tend to be more straightforward since there are established conventions: same orchestra, same type of music (vals,milonga, tango), same period within a tanda etc. When djing alternative music those transitions are trickier since it is rare that there are three or four songs from a single non-tango artist that you would want to play back-to-back.
Lastly (for this post at least), is there a direction to the mood/energy level of tunes within tandas, and do the tandas also provide direction and movement? The worst sin a dj can commit is to take great music and make it boring by playing it badly. Without movement within and between tandas the music, no matter what music is being played, is boring. The dancers fall asleep, sit down, give up, go home. You go to dj hell. It is not enough to simply recognize the mood and energy of a piece and then put all the songs with the same mood together. In fact, that will kill the dancers’ energy faster than almost anything else. Once you’ve identified a few songs, arrange the songs so that the energy goes either up or down across the tanda. Then arrange tandas as the evening progresses to bring the mood of the room either up or down, cyclically, throughout the night.
It makes for a simple heuristic: Familiarity, flow and direction. Do the dancers know the song? They will probably dance to it. Does the song flow from the previous one? They will be able to stay, “in the groove.” Is there a direction to the flow? Then the dancers can gather energy, stay focused and reach toward tango nirvana. And you go to dj heaven.
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