While we festival lovers are pregaming, rallying the troops, or wrapping up that last shift before we head out to the festival for a long weekend, the DJs we are so excited to see are busy getting in their zone. While it may look like they can walk up to the decks and play the set of their lives, the reality is that all the best acts in the game spend an astonishing amount of time ensuring that the hour of music they play for you is absolutely perfect.
We wanted to peek behind the curtain and see what exactly these artists do to prep their USB sticks, mentally shift into gig mode, and shake off any nerves they may get in the moments before they play for thousands of fans.
With many of dance music’s top acts converging in Dallas this New Year’s Eve for Disco Donnie’s Lights All Night Festival, we decided it was high time we checked in with a handful of acts performing the festival to see what they do to prepare for such a massive gig. So we put out a call to some of our favorite artists, asking them what they do, and below is what they came back with.
So let’s dive into it…
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Anden
For over a decade, we slowly made our way up through the New York club scene, and always viewed each DJ set as a laser-focused musical expression of what we wanted to say. Whether we were opening rooms and setting the mood, closing and bringing the energy, or more recently headlining and playing the most “true” Anden set, we’ve always been intentional with the records we choose. We always ask ourselves:
- What’s the party like?
- What kind of crowd is it?
- How can we create friction between those sets that still make sense?
- Who else is playing?
- How can we create friction between those sets that still make sense?
To be intentional, before any show we normally sift through 500-1,000 new demos and recent releases. And it’s a fine sifter – we only grab about 5-10 tracks that make it onto the USB stick. We love this ritual of ripping through song after song to find diamonds in the rough. That “AH HA” moment when you find a demo that no one else is playing makes us even more excited for our show.
For Lights All Night, we’ll be sifting heavily to make sure the vibe is perfect for the early evening with plenty of “What is this track!?” moments for those at our stage.
Curious about where DJs find their killer tracks? Check out ‘Where Do DJs Get Their Music? The Complete Guide for Digital Crate Diggers’ – uncover the secrets here.
Prepare For Anden’s LIN Set With Their Sound Room Playlist
Jerro
My pre-show routine honestly changes from show to show and is pretty dependent on whether I am traveling alone or with my team. If my management is traveling with me for a certain show, we always have a team dinner to talk about the upcoming show and strategies for my project.
That is always really motivating and gets me excited to keep performing at my highest level in the studio and at my shows. We also like to have a couple of beers backstage and hang out to keep a calm and fun mood per show.
But, if I am traveling alone, I usually just keep it pretty chill leading up to my show. As I have been traveling a lot lately, I usually need some time for myself to rest and regain energy. But, I do like to explore different cities and eat at local restaurants. Being from Belgium, it is pretty uncommon to travel to the US, let alone so many different cities. So, I definitely try to appreciate my opportunity and take full advantage when I have the time and energy.
Curious about the secrets to DJ success? Find out in ’25 Essential Pieces of Advice Every DJ Wishes They Could Tell Their Younger Self’ – learn more here.
Prepare For Jerro’s LIN Set With His The Jerro Selection” Playlist
SYNYMATA
I’ve been looking forward to performing on the mainstage at Lights All Night for several months.
This will be one of the biggest stages that I’ve played on, and I really wanted to do something very special – I’m working on a set that will be composed of songs only from my own catalog of music, as well as several VIPs and edits that I’m currently working on. I’ve never put this much work into a set before, but I couldn’t be more excited to do so for Lights All Night.
Ever wondered how the past shapes the future of digital DJing? Explore ‘The Future of Digital DJing: Mixing the Past with the Present’s Technology’ – get the full scoop here.
Prepare For SYNYMATA’s LIN Set With His Latest Single
Maxinne
I usually prepare for my sets by having an idea of what the first few tunes and the last few tunes will be, and then I’ll vibe it out in between those.
For a festival set, I usually go for tracks with higher energy. And to feel energized and calm before I perform, I tend to drink and eat clean – some water and light food, which helps me to feel more focused and perform my best.
Want to avoid common DJ pitfalls? Dive into ‘Time-Wasting Traps All DJs Eventually Learn to Avoid: Reconsidering Your Off-Deck Hours’ – learn valuable tips here.
Prepare For Maxinne’s LIN Set With Her Latest Single
Will Vance is a professional music producer who has been involved in the industry for the better part of a decade and has been the managing editor at Magnetic Magazine since mid-2022. In that time period, he has published thousands of articles on music production, industry think pieces and educational articles about the music industry. Over the last decade as a professional music producer, Will Vance has also ran multiple successful and highly respected record labels in the industry, including Where The Heart Is Records as well as having launched a new label with a focus on community through Magnetic Magazine. When not running these labels or producing his own music, Vance is likely writing for other top industry sites like Waves or the Hyperbits Masterclass or working on his upcoming book on mindfulness in music production. On the rare chance he's not thinking about music production, he's probably running a game of Dungeons and Dragons with his friends which he has been the dungeon master for for many years.
