Chapter 1: Warm-Up
Purpose: Set the tone. Build trust. Set the mood. Create space.
This is where a lot of beginner DJs get it wrong. They start too strong, too soon. A proper warm-up creates space. It invites the crowd in gently, hints at what's to come while holding back just enough.
How to build it:
- Filter by feel. In Djoid, narrow your selection to House tracks between 123–126 BPM. Keep energy levels under 7. You’re looking for depth and space - you don’t necessarily want to start off with ‘a bang’.
- Start with two tracks to set the tone. Choose two tracks that feel like true openers—nothing aggressive, just tracks with opening character with room to grow.
- Use ‘Matching Tracks’. Djoid’s Matching Tracks tool recommends songs that flow naturally from your selection, either taking the entire playlist into consideration, or with a focus/emphasis on the last track added in the playlist.
- Length of the chapter is up to you: Depending on how long you’re playing, you might end up needing more, but 5-7 tracks is a good place to start. When selecting your tracks, Remember: You’re setting the foundation, not making a big statement.
By the end of this chapter, the room should feel dialed in. You’ve established a mood and left space to grow.
Chapter 2: Peak Time
Purpose: Drive momentum. Lock the dancefloor in.
This is the driving force of your set. But back-to-back high energy bangers alone don’t necessarily make it peak time. What matters is control: building tension & providing release. If every track is at 10 in energy, nothing hits.
The arc of this chapter needs to evolve with purpose, keeping in mind where you’re leaving off the warm up from, and where you’re leading to with the closing.
How to build it:
- Raise the pace. Aim for 125–129 BPM. Set your energy minimum to 4, but allow room to breathe.
- Select two anchor tracks. These set the tone. Don’t start with your heaviest weapons—save those for impact.
- Visualize your arc. Use Djoid’s Graph Playlist Flow to visualize your chapter’s flow. Shape the momentum of the set with aid from The Graph’s track recommendations, each designed to keep the rhythm of your set feeling natural.
- Edit mindfully. If a track doesn’t push the chapter forward, cut it. This is about building momentum, maintaining control, and deliberate movement; selecting your tracks with intention and care.
This section should feel like lift-off. You’re in control, and the energy is peaking without flatlining.
Chapter 3: Closing
Purpose: Resolve your journey in a meaningful way.
The last chapter is your final statement. It’s not just a cooldown, either - it’s the last chance you have to say what you want with your set. You can choose to either wind things down, or go out with high impact. What matters most is that it feels intentional.
The closing chapter should either soften the energy of the Peak Time or hit hard with emotion. But it should always feel deliberate, not as an afterthought.
How to shape it:
- Filter your tracks. Look for house tracks in the 125–128 BPM range, energy between 4–7. Enough drive to stay connected, but with space to shift the tone.
- Autogroup the filtered selection. Use Djoid’s Auto Group to cluster tracks with similar audio characteristics. This helps you zero in on a specific closing mood.
- Add sparingly. Fill any gaps with suggested tracks that complement your arc—not distract from it.
- Refine with Magic Sort. Organize your chapter not just by BPM, but by emotional and harmonic resolution. Let the set resolve like a story.
Leave the floor with something to remember. Your final track should feel inevitable. The kind of ending that stays with people long after the lights come on.
Final Notes
Great sets don’t rely on brilliance by way of unplanned ‘luck’. They’re built on thoughtful preparation that also allows you flexibility for spontaneity when it counts.
Chapters give you structure without locking you in. They help you stay creative and in control under pressure, not frantically searching for your next track as the current one comes to an end.
When DJing, you’re just playing tracks. You’re telling a story and taking the dancefloor on a journey. Building something that hopefully moves people.
And it’s not about what you play. It’s about when you play it—and why.
Chapter 1: Warm-Up
Purpose: Set the tone. Build trust. Set the mood. Create space.
This is where a lot of beginner DJs get it wrong. They start too strong, too soon. A proper warm-up creates space. It invites the crowd in gently, hints at what's to come while holding back just enough.
How to build it:
- Filter by feel. In Djoid, narrow your selection to House tracks between 123–126 BPM. Keep energy levels under 7. You’re looking for depth and space - you don’t necessarily want to start off with ‘a bang’.
- Start with two tracks to set the tone. Choose two tracks that feel like true openers—nothing aggressive, just tracks with opening character with room to grow.
- Use ‘Matching Tracks’. Djoid’s Matching Tracks tool recommends songs that flow naturally from your selection, either taking the entire playlist into consideration, or with a focus/emphasis on the last track added in the playlist.
- Length of the chapter is up to you: Depending on how long you’re playing, you might end up needing more, but 5-7 tracks is a good place to start. When selecting your tracks, Remember: You’re setting the foundation, not making a big statement.
By the end of this chapter, the room should feel dialed in. You’ve established a mood and left space to grow.
Chapter 2: Peak Time
Purpose: Drive momentum. Lock the dancefloor in.
This is the driving force of your set. But back-to-back high energy bangers alone don’t necessarily make it peak time. What matters is control: building tension & providing release. If every track is at 10 in energy, nothing hits.
The arc of this chapter needs to evolve with purpose, keeping in mind where you’re leaving off the warm up from, and where you’re leading to with the closing.
How to build it:
- Raise the pace. Aim for 125–129 BPM. Set your energy minimum to 4, but allow room to breathe.
- Select two anchor tracks. These set the tone. Don’t start with your heaviest weapons—save those for impact.
- Visualize your arc. Use Djoid’s Graph Playlist Flow to visualize your chapter’s flow. Shape the momentum of the set with aid from The Graph’s track recommendations, each designed to keep the rhythm of your set feeling natural.
- Edit mindfully. If a track doesn’t push the chapter forward, cut it. This is about building momentum, maintaining control, and deliberate movement; selecting your tracks with intention and care.
This section should feel like lift-off. You’re in control, and the energy is peaking without flatlining.
Chapter 3: Closing
Purpose: Resolve your journey in a meaningful way.
The last chapter is your final statement. It’s not just a cooldown, either - it’s the last chance you have to say what you want with your set. You can choose to either wind things down, or go out with high impact. What matters most is that it feels intentional.
The closing chapter should either soften the energy of the Peak Time or hit hard with emotion. But it should always feel deliberate, not as an afterthought.
How to shape it:
- Filter your tracks. Look for house tracks in the 125–128 BPM range, energy between 4–7. Enough drive to stay connected, but with space to shift the tone.
- Autogroup the filtered selection. Use Djoid’s Auto Group to cluster tracks with similar audio characteristics. This helps you zero in on a specific closing mood.
- Add sparingly. Fill any gaps with suggested tracks that complement your arc—not distract from it.
- Refine with Magic Sort. Organize your chapter not just by BPM, but by emotional and harmonic resolution. Let the set resolve like a story.
Leave the floor with something to remember. Your final track should feel inevitable. The kind of ending that stays with people long after the lights come on.
Final Notes
Great sets don’t rely on brilliance by way of unplanned ‘luck’. They’re built on thoughtful preparation that also allows you flexibility for spontaneity when it counts.
Chapters give you structure without locking you in. They help you stay creative and in control under pressure, not frantically searching for your next track as the current one comes to an end.
When DJing, you’re just playing tracks. You’re telling a story and taking the dancefloor on a journey. Building something that hopefully moves people.
And it’s not about what you play. It’s about when you play it—and why.
