It’s very easy to look at some of the biggest names in the DJing scene, and to have the desire to emulate them. Playing the biggest tracks, and having the best set time at every show are just some of the attractive aspects of headlining. But, climbing that ladder takes time. Unless you have a lot of money to start with, that process may be difficult, and typically begins with time as a resident DJ. We were able to talk with British DJ duo Son of 8 ahead of their summer residency at Judge Jules‘ legendary Judgement in Ibiza. We talked about what it takes to be the ideal resident, and they provided the perfect set of rules. Study up!

Know your headliner.

First things first, you’ve obviously got to tailor your set to the tastes of those who have come to see the headliner. Most importantly – don’t play their big tunes! Take pride in filling a dance floor, for us there is nothing better than going from an empty dance floor to a packed out club without playing any track that will mess up the DJ on after you. When we first started I always wanted to make a warm up tape (as they were back in those days) called “Doing your own Smoke” because as the first DJ on, that’s what you had to do: every 10 minutes keep your finger on the smoke machine to make sure the club looked busier than it was!

Be prepared.

You might think that being prepared means to work out your set before you go to the club but that’s the last thing a good warm up DJ will do. You never know how quick the club will fill up or even if the crowd actually want the certain style that you originally thought. You might have to play for longer / shorter, or even play two very different sets at short notice – make sure you have tunes for every part of the night.

Be professional.

You’ve got an important job to do, but remember this isn’t necessarily your show. People and guests will remember what happens on stage and behind the scenes, you’re representing the brand, this shouldn’t just be a weekly party for you.

Know your tunes.

Read the crowd, start slow and build it up – nobody wants to walk into a club playing full-on hardcore at 10pm. Have the main volume of the club at a low level to start off with and raise it as and when the club gets busy. There is nothing worse than walking into an empty club and you can’t hear yourself think.

Record/promote your sets.

If you want people to be coming down to the club early to hear your sets, make sure that you’re showing them exactly what is you’re playing! Some of the biggest DJs started off as club residents and built up a cult following through their expertise behind the decks.

Look after your workplace.

This is your office – it might be an unconventional office but it’s a workplace all the same. keep the DJ box tidy, if the headliner wants an empty booth then make sure there aren’t loads of hangers-on in there, and don’t leave it full of empty cans and bottles. Part of your job is to make the headliner feel welcome at the club.

Dying Art:

All in all, the art of doing the warm up feels like it has been completely lost on many of today’s up-and-coming DJs. Many don’t understand any of the above and it’s a real shame. We honestly believe that the majority of DJs (like ourselves) that learnt their trade on vinyl, wipe the floor with the ones that didn’t. People could perhaps argue that the modern day DJs are technically better and we wouldn’t argue with them on that front, but in our honest opinion you can’t beat a DJ that grew up on a set of 1210’s or in our case, a pair of belt driven turntables and a Made 2 Fade mixer. Try keeping two tracks going at the same speed when the rubber belt has warmed up because you’ve kept the record held for too long! (You won’t get many who will even understand what that means, and therein lies the problem.

Most importantly though, above everything else and all moaning aside: Have fun 😉

The Son of 8 guys mentioned you must “know your tunes,” and we just want to make one quick recommendation. Son of 8 themselves collaborated with TAI to bring “In & Out” to Armada Deep, and this track is the perfect summer tune. Emotional vocals, strong use of piano, and the perfect portion of bass make this tune a must-play in the summer.

You can catch Son Of 8 at Judgement every Friday this summer in Ibiza!

About Thursday Thoughts:

At Dance Rebels, we strive to bring our readers as close to their favorite artists as possible. One of the best ways to make that connection is to discuss a wide range of topics with the biggest names in the dance music scene. If there is an artist that you think we need to talk to, reach out to us on Facebook or Twitter!