How Important Is the Energy NRG Curve in a DJ Mix?

0:00 Yeah, I'm changing the bed and that is one happy pussycat

Yeah, I'm changing the bed and that is one happy pussycat. That's Bobby Socks. Mastering the energy curve in a mix. First of all, what is the energy curve? Well, it's the feel and vibe you will get in your set. Whether it be two songs, three songs or a five hour set. There still has to be. There is. There is and there will be an energy curve. Now that energy curve could be, if we looked at a picture of it, if we made it into a picture, it could be a rocky wobbly wall where you're tripping over all the time and you're clambering over uncharted territory. For example, you're trying to climb Mount Everest. Maybe not. On the other hand your energy curve could be a walk in the park. Just if you look at the view, it's very flat and it's interesting

But it's not really inspiring. On the other hand, your energy curve could be an outing with family and friends where you go orienteering and you've got your backpack on and it's exciting. It's invigorating and you're always alive and awake and you don't know what's around the next corner. That's interesting to me. But you see in your energy curve you have what's known as microclimates. All this is relevant. What is a microclimate? Well, let's say for example you want to go out fishing. You want to go out scuba diving, snorkeling, walking, kayaking, swimming, have I said that? Biking or you just want to pop next door to see your mate but you don't get wet. Well, you'll check the weather won't you? And your weather in your area will give you a rough idea of

2:10 Each track, curve microclimate, temperature

The weather that you've got in your area. On the other hand though, a microclimate is the climate in a tiny area and this could be, from a scientific perspective, it could be like one centimetre squared of ground. A tiny part of the ground because believe it or not when you go outside into your garden or anywhere you may have an overall temperature but then that temperature will differ very slightly according to the height you are and, you know, for example the temperature could be a fraction of a degree lower on the ground in the shade than it is two feet above it in the sunlight. So this is what we call a microclimate but how does that really have anything to do with the energy curve of a mix? Well, it's very simple because a mix is different tracks and each track

Has its own energy curve, its own microclimate. So if you're playing a song and it starts off low and builds and rises and falls at the break and builds, you know, big sort of hit you slam you in your face at the drop and it sort of releases again then it's got its own energy curve. So that is the microclimate but what we need to do, what you need to do, is put all of these microclimates together to form a good energy curve in your mix. So how the hell do you do that? It's by track selection. Each track has a feeling, has an energy so maybe try this. Choose your tracks first and again this is a completely big subject so I'm going to try and just mash it down into this video. Of course you've chosen your

4:09 Of course make sure they're in timephrase and key which is really impo

Tracks and then depending on how you want your energy curve to go fit the tracks in accordingly. Of course make sure they're in timephrase and key which is really important. Key is vitally important but then again if you want to just shake that energy curve up big-time and you do it intentionally, then by all means mix out of key because you will make the crowd go what the friggin hell's going on here? It will happen trust me. But if you want to keep the flow make sure it's in key and if you want to have an energy curve that rises and falls and goes with the flow then by the choice of tracks will help but also how the energy works in those tracks will help even more. Now that's great if you're doing a set at home or something online where you do not have people in

Front of you, but this is the dilemma when you start putting a set together in front of a crowd of people that's when the energy curve is very difficult. Because now it's a two-way thing, you've got yourself the DJ and you have the crowd. Now do not ever treat the crowd as millions of people or hundreds or no you need to treat the crowd as one person. Why? Because if you start thinking about the crowd as a hundred people then you're looking at a hundred different energy fields vibes and so on but if you treat the crowd as one person and you work the dance floor you will find that ten, twenty, a hundred people on the dance floor become one because the energy you're giving them in your energy curve stroke mix is acting with the oneness of all those people not

Individually which is what you don't want and if that happens you don't have them. You haven't got those people and if you look at a lot of dance floors you will see some people texting, some people drinking, some people talking, a few people over there dancing and you haven't got the floor. Even if you've got a hundred people on that dance floor you have not got that dance floor because they're not together whereas if you can really think about the energy curve and making your mix flow from an energy perspective then guess what? You should be able to have the dance

A bit deep but it does make sense. Practice and enjoy thank you

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