DJing is a job that comes with a wide range of shift times with some sets being thirty minutes long and others being five hours long. If a DJ is opening for another DJ or playing in a showcase, then he will have a short amount of time to rock the stage. However, many DJs playing in clubs and bars will be rocking the tables all night long. So how does one keep the energy flowing for such a long time? We have some general tips for you to keep your momentum throughout the night.

Each Set is a Rollercoaster

A tip that I always tell DJs who are new to longer gigs is to think of the set as one giant roller coaster ride. A roller coaster does not go up once and then straight for the rest of the ride. Like a roller coaster, a longer DJ set should go up and down. A continual motion of the energy.

Pacing yourself throughout the night is extremely important for most sets, especially ones that last from 10pm to 2am. By playing long sets, it gives the DJ a lot of space and freedom to really create a nice palette of music for the night. Here are a few things to try to keep the rhythm going:

1. Change Tempo - If you are playing electronic music, explore different tempos throughout the night and try blending different tempos together. Mix a song that is 70 BPM with a song that is 140 BPM. Changing tempos is great for build-ups and breakdowns.
2. Piggy backing of the last tip, try to vary genres in your set. If you play mostly house music, try playing some deep house or maybe nu disco. Be cautious and always keep your audience in mind as you switch things up.
3. Don’t waste all of your best tracks in the beginning of the night. Understand the crowd and when people arrive/leave. There is no sense in wasting amazing tracks when there is no one on the dance floor.

Don't Burn Out

I once DJ’d an all night walkathon for a philanthropy. That was six hours of DJing and surprisingly enough, I was the one who was burnt out by the end of it. Exhaustion in the booth is no laughing matter and a DJ should prepare for the long haul.

1. Similar to a factory worker or a farmhand, wear some shoes that you are comfortable standing in for an extended period of time. The dress shoes may look snazzy, but no one will see them when you are behind the booth and you will be fed up with them after a couple hours. Wear shoes that you feel comfortable in and that can support you for the duration of the gig.
2. Drinking isn’t forbidden during long sets, however you should be aware of how much you are drinking. While some DJs say that drinking helps them get through a long set, no one wants to deal with a killer hangover in the morning. Also, more drinks means more time away from the booth taking a bathroom break.
3. Speaking of using the bathroom, be sure to have a plan when you do need to use it. I would always keep a few ten minute mixes on my flash drive so I could play those while using the restroom, giving me enough time to refresh with a clear mind and bladder.
4. Have snacks ready for those late night DJ munchies and drink water throughout the night. If you are under a set of lights, this is even more important to avoid dehydration. (Let’s not forget what happened to Deadmau5 at the 9:30 Club)

Learn from the Crowd

A long gig is a great time for a DJ to work on his crowd reading abilities. Reading a crowd is extremely important for DJs who are playing for audiences that don’t come in expecting much besides dancing to music. Unlike a Coachella DJ, most will play music and watch for social cues from the crowd to figure out which direction to turn down the temperature of a set.

1. When taking bathroom breaks, have your ears to the ground to get a sense of how the night is going, but take the information with a grain of salt.
2. Be sure to understand that a DJ cannot maintain a dance floor for the whole night. The crowd will come in and out like the tide so be aware of the current trend and play accordingly.
3. Longer sets give you time to experiment with different music. Use this time to test out new material and get some feedback from the audience.

Finish Off Strong

When finishing a long gig a DJ should always keep the audience in mind. DJing can be seen as a job that one just clocks out from, but that attitude won’t guarantee a residency. Have a plan for the end of the night that will make people and the club promoter waiting for you to come back.

The biggest thing to help a DJ be wanted back is to leave the audience wanting more. Arguably, the best gigs are the ones where the club is telling the DJ it is time to close shop and go home. In order to leave the audience wanting more the DJ should keep the energy high up until the last second. What I see a lot of SF DJs do is they will bring the mood up with a classic or ultimate “banger” that gets people excited. It will be 2am and everyone will be pumped. Then the DJ leaves on the outro of the track and people are left on an epic cliffhanger of sorts.

Another option is for a DJ to wrap things up with a lower energy playlist that is more sentimental. I find this to be less effective for most DJs, but some can really pull it off. The ones who are successful build a cohesive set so when they ease out of the night it feels like a story is coming to an end. With either tactic, a strong finish will not only make the audience want a DJ to come back, but it will also give the promoter a reason to hire the DJ again.

Tell us your tips for surviving long DJ sets in the comments below!

Dean William can be found gallivanting about the clubs of San Francisco. He's on Twitter: @deanithon.