The party scene is constantly evolving, with the latest trend ‘silent disco parties’. As a DJ, adapting and evolving with the latest technology and club trends is indispensable to get ahead. When it comes to DJing at a silent disco party, there are key differences in dynamics and techniques compared to regular club DJing. Have you said yes to your first Silent Disco gig but have no clue how to silent DJ? No need to stress. In this blog, we will guide you through tips and techniques that help you in mastering your silent disco DJ skills.
A quick refresher: What is a silent disco party?
At a silent disco party, the traditional sound system takes a backseat as dancers are connected to the music through wireless headphones. The audience receives a pair of headphones that connect them typically to three channels of music. Every dancer can change channels, volume or even decide to take a break by removing them. Talking while wearing headphones turns out to be difficult. As a silent disco DJ, this unique setting gives you the opportunity to grab the focus of the audience to their fullest potential with your DJ set that you worked very hard on.
Silent Disco DJ challenges and how to overcome them
Being a silent disco DJ for the first time can be challenging. There is no PA/soundsystem or booth monitor to guide you with what the audience is hearing like in traditional Djing. Instead, you only have your headphones for verifying how you’re mixing sounds for the audience. These headphones will be your own headphones and not the wireless ones the audience is wearing. Also, small mistakes or poor sequencing of tracks will be more noticeable to the audience at a silent disco party since they have the music blasting directly into their ears.
Luckily there are some tricks and techniques that you can practice at home to overcome these Silent disco DJ challenges:
- Split Cue is a feature available on newer DJ mixers and software that splits two audio sources through your headphones. In this way, you are able to listen simultaneously and independently to the Cue channel and Master output. For example, the left side of your headphones would be the Master output, while the right side of your headphone the Cue output. The Split cue enhances your ability to beatmatch and execute smooth transitions during your silent DJ set.
- A Cue/Master knob allows you to balance the sounds coming from Master and Cue channel in your headphones. To prepare your next song during your silent disco DJ set, you can turn the knob more in the Cue direction. Important is that the volume fader of your next song is not yet turned on. Once your track is ready to go, switch the knob towards the master and increase the volume fader of your second track.
- Track selection will always be important for DJing. Silent disco being no exception. Establish a track list of classic and more experimental songs within your genre. In this way, you can switch easily based on the crowd reaction. In our experience, also high bpm genres do the job pretty well!
- Track sequence is more important than ever for silent disco DJing. Try to find songs that match together by mixing in key. In short, the key can be automatically determined by several ways including software (such as Pioneer, Serato, …) and by a simple google search of your song. The rule is to mix in tunes that have the same key, or an adjacent key as the song you are currently playing. You can use the Camelot wheel to help you switch tracks in key. If this is too technical for you, do not worry. Just trust your ears, which is already a great start to match songs.
Crowd interaction at silent disco DJ performances
Crowd interaction is a vital component of any DJ performance, and it holds equal or even greater significance at silent disco parties. The presence of three channels at a silent disco party implies that there will be two other silent DJs in the same room competing for the same listeners. Pay attention to the energy of the crowd and observe body language when playing your songs. This allows you to switch tracks or genres in case people are switching channels. It also helps to strongly express that you are having fun while playing so people will be triggered when seeing you and change to your channel.
Do I need any additional DJ gear as a silent disco DJ?
This one is simple. If you are not hosting the silent disco party, you only need to bring your headphones and USB stick with your favorite tracks. Now you are ready to play your ultimate silent disco DJ set.
Any further questions or advice needed?
In this article, we talked about the basics for becoming a silent disco DJ. If you follow any of these tips, you will do more than fine on your first silent disco gig. In the past we have organised events together with Fonkel, an organisation specialised in hosting silent disco parties and renting equipment. We hope to see you at one of our next Opendex x Fonkel silent disco events! Do you have any further questions or advice needed? Our Opendex Crew is there to help. You can contact us via email or via the website.
About Author
