Crowd Reading: How to read the dancefloor as a DJ

A well-known, highly respected techno DJ plays in a warehouse club in East London – and empties the room until only the bar staff remain. London DJ Mikey Four described this on Digital DJ Tips, and the story shows what crowd reading is all about: The man played a pre-planned, dark, oppressive set, even though the audience came directly from a festival and had danced to exactly that sound there. People voted with their feet – and filled the adjacent room with party DJs.

At a glance

• Digital DJ Tips asked its community what separates good DJs from great ones: Over 600 responses came in, technical skill was rarely mentioned.
• The most frequent answer was: read the room instead of the playlist.
• A crowd shares a common mood – and that can change from night to night, even in the same club.
• Rule of thumb: If the dancefloor isn't full, play for the people on it. If it's full, play for those on the sidelines.

Why the perfect plan can fail

The article names the headliner's mistake: He had a laptop instead of a crate of vinyl, he could watch the warm-up DJ and had time to read the crowd – and yet stubbornly stuck to his plan. That's precisely the advantage of digital DJs: You can arrive with a set in mind, observe the people, and put together a different one without much effort.

That doesn't mean you have to give in to every request. But if Beyoncé is constantly being requested, that tells you something about the room. The art is to build a set that picks up on this taste and still sounds like you.

The signs on the dancefloor

The obvious thing is: people are dancing. But if you're playing early in the evening, no one is dancing yet. Then you pay attention to the small signals from the article: nodding heads, tapping feet, relaxed faces – and a movement towards the dancefloor. Those standing around the floor react to your music, often without even realizing it.

His second tool is the game "Find the Problems": Is the music off, too loud or too quiet? Is the light too bright or too dark, is the security too gruff, are the drinks too expensive or the waiting time at the bar too long? None of this is your fault – but all of it changes the mood you're working with.

„Their ability to quickly understand what the crowd in front of them need at any moment throughout the night. Moving a dancefloor is not only about the music but also the emotional state you create.“

— DJ Triple X, zitiert bei Digital DJ Tips

Building energy instead of continuous fire

The Digital DJ Tips community survey reveals a clear structure: Every set has a beginning, middle, and end, and you get everyone on board before moving on. After that, you think in terms of highs and lows, instead of nailing the energy at one level. Technically, beatmatching and phrasing will carry you – techniques that club DJs, according to Wikipedia, use to maintain energy on the dancefloor. You can read how to make clean transitions in DJ Mixing: Perfecting Your Transitions, and tonally appropriate changes in Harmonic Mixing with the Camelot Wheel.

You don't have to choose between entertaining and challenging. Some DJs play crowd-pleasers in the first half and then become bolder, while others mix familiar and challenging tracks depending on what the room allows. A third way: remixes of tracks people know, in the style you actually want to play.

How to prepare for your gig

The article recommends three steps before every booking: Arrive early and spend time in the room, as part of the crowd. Observe and listen to what the signs look like in that particular venue. And talk to the promoter and with DJs who have played there before.

FAQ

What does crowd reading mean when DJing?

You recognize the audience's mood and adjust your tracks and the energy flow of your set accordingly, instead of stubbornly playing a prepared list.

How do I know my sound is working before anyone dances?

By nodding heads, tapping feet, relaxed faces, and people moving towards the dancefloor.

Do I have to play every music request?

No. However, if requests accumulate in one direction, it's an indication of the taste in the room, which you can incorporate into your own set.

Source: Digital DJ Tips – How To Read A Crowd, Digital DJ Tips – What Separates Good DJs From Great DJs?, Wikipedia – Disc jockey