I apologise if these questions have been asked before.

How do you suddenly go from playing "background" music to getting people to dance? Do you turn the volume up, pick a certain track to play, do you announce yourself at this stage? Do you also increase your lighting etc?

What track do you pick to get people up and moving?

Do you end the night with slow songs or a fast track?

Depends what you mean by background music! I try to avoid playing non dancey tunes as background music but sometimes it is a good time to get the not so good pre gig requests out the way. I know peoples opinion will probably differ but I prefer to start them dancing ASAP as it helps to get them in the mood.

I start at a lower volume and gradually build it up.

As always every gig is different. To start with you may just have some kids on the dance floor chasing gobo's and I'll play music to keep them entertained. Often their parents will join in. Week before last I played the whole high school musical CD while I was finishing setting up and while the guests were arriving. Sometimes (often) it will be a group of females that start to dance first so I'll play whatever keeps them on the dance floor. When they get tired and sit down, change the genre perhaps to something the older ones will dance to. Just watch the crowd, see who is reacting to what and if they haven't requested anything, try and keep a genre going for a while that keeps some on the dance floor.

Once the drink hits, the requests start flooding in and they'll pretty much dance to anything plus the males will start staggering around the dance floor too.

There is no right or wrong answer. We'll all have our own ways. I have a couple, but the start is usually very similar.

Generally I use a mastermix or something similar early evening. Depending on the crowd it varies, but it's generally something older - maybe a motown mix (I should point out that I generally play wedding functions), some light 80's stuff and occasionally if it's the right crowd a grandmaster 2005 or 6 maybe. I use this time, if possible, to have a little mingle. It's really useful to pop to the bar, or outside with the cancer crowd and have a chat - find out how the days gone, who everyone is. You always get someone who does the "you the DJ - you gotta play some XXXXX".

It's really then a case of reading the room to get a feel for when to start. Some gigs, your happily playing background stuff and there up and dancing. Others it's a huge struggle. For me, when it does happen, I generally up the volume a little and do a bit of a "hello, welcome" patter. let everyone know who I am, what time I'm there until, any special specifics for the night - for example, tonight we will mainly be playing songs from the Icelandic middle age period and it's also a good time to let people know that they can make requests.

Depends on the room, but I usually kick off with something upbeat and lively - commonly Scissor Sisters, Amarillo that kind thing.

I never bother trying to get people up until the buffet is out of the way (if there is one).
I also tend to only have a few of the disco lights on and the house lights on, then after the buffet get the speaches out of the way, my lights full on, house lights down and get some decent tracks on.
Works for me.
But also it isn't set in stone, you play the crowd.

Jim

As for what to finish on: I always finish the night with a few slow dances followed with a good upbeat or sing song to send them home singing and happy Apart from from School disco's where I like to calm em down at the end before I release them on unsuspecting adults

Exactly, horses for courses.

Every night is different, every crowd is different.
What worked last night can be a lead balloon tonight.

There is no magic track or formula, only tracks that you feel this crowd will respond to.

Thanks for all your suggestions and ideas I really appreciate them.

Can I ask what you do if you put on a song that's the kiss of death? Do you fade it out and change it quickly or let it finish and then move into something completely different?

Depends how bad it is! If you get screams of what on earth is this and the host make the "cut it sign" with their finger across their throat then it may be a good time to cut it. If its not too bad, it gives the dancers a chance to have a fag/drink break or rest before hitting them with the next floor filler or gently fade it into the next track.