I can only relate my experience. Djing for a dancefloor/club is very
different than mixing for lounge, radio, in-between bands, tape, etc. Here
are a few suggestions...
Know how to beatmix. - But don't do it ALL the time. You don't have
to/can't beatmix everything. Personally, I dislike mono-tempo dj sets. The
truly nice djs throttle up and down and rarely plateau for too long.
Conversely there are some great djs that can't beatmix by numbers, but are
master selecters; well they'd be even better if they learned. Scratching
(used sparingly) will also serve good use.
Mix familiar with unfamiliar. - This is probably the most important advice
I can give. People come to a club to have fun. It would be unfair to
assume that you are the all-knowing music guru and all others be damned.
Sometimes you gotta give a little and gain their trust. It's partly your
responsibility to know your crowd. Play that accappella they can sing/rap
to with that other crazy instrumental b-side you just found. Play an
original break that is often times funkier than the new song that sampled
it. Throw down another version/remake of a song (did someone say
dancehall?). Be creative. You have to carefully structure this weaving in
and out of the familiar. Don't crossover so much that you feel ripped off
after your set. Over time (weeks, months, years), your crowd will trust
you and you'll be able to drop almost anything.
Bring the funk as backup/floor-filler. - Soul has many different
guises. You might want to carry a few soul/funk no-brainers. You know, the
tracks that always get the people open. These are classic songs that
everybody knows but hasn't been played to death any time recently. Of
course in some locales, some of these classics are played out so you might
have to dig a little deeper. Or if the crowd is truly devoid of funk,
try some classic Prince, or disco, or new-wave.
Don't bring records you absolutely don't want to play. - This sounds
obvious, but think about it.
Don't rely too much on a preset set. - You can and should prepare, but the
dancefloor is a moving target. It's hard to preprogram for that.
Slow jam = secret weapon. - Know what to drop and when, but not too often.
Floor is packed, you have them in a frenzy... then you brake and cut to
the slow jam(s). Dancefloor grinds to a halt, then bump and grinds.
Hope this helps anyone starting to dj out. Sorry for the long post.
Gerry (I have a mix disc) V