DJ Z-Trip and the art of the mini set

Z-Trip is arguably one of the most simultaneously talented and underrated DJs on the job today. His skills and talent are matched only by the humility and reverence he brings to the table. He’s one of those guys that a couple of fans can easily bond over, just as a local performer named Mr. Sperken and I did at Everyone’s a DJ the other night.

I mentioned a book called On the Record in a post the other day, and I promised at the time that I’d return to it. Z-Trip was all over this book, and that’s one of the many reasons why it was such an informative and inspiring read. Here he is on the importance of the mini set:

“My trick is that, no matter what I’m playing, I always have five or six mini sets planned out. Even if you research the crowd and the venue things can go wrong – a crap warmup DJ, an awful sound system. But if you’re prepared with your mini sets and each one has a different vibe, you can pull out of almost any situation.

“If I start to lose the dancefloor I just go to one of my crates or Serato playlists and play the first track from another mini set. If that doesn’t work, I’ll hit up the next set I have. Just organize your records, CDs, or MP3s so that they’re divided in that way, and you’ll do fine.

“The funny thing is that it makes you look like this amazing guy who can cook something up on the fly, but really you’ve been ready all along.”

When I read that, I realized that I’ve doing this sort of thing for years – on a lower level, of course, and mainly out of habit. Once you’ve been spinning for a while, you start to build a mental library of tracks that work well together. It’s important to keep things fresh, and you wouldn’t want to play out the same progressions again and again, but the point is that it’s a way of thinking that you learn to adopt.

The difference, of course, is that Z-Trip’s doing it consciously. At a gig, he’s moving from one mini set to another in the same way that other DJs might move among tracks. There’s a lot to be said for that way of thinking, that level of preparation, and the versatility they encourage.

Not only that, but within the context of Everyone’s a DJ, where you’ve only got twenty minutes in which to do what you do, it’s helpful to have a few self-contained sets up your sleeve. I have to admit that I’ve shown up to the past few parties without a plan, perfectly ready to improvise based on the tenor of the night. That’s all fine and good, but it doesn’t compare to this higher level of preparation.

There’s a lot more to come on the Everyone’s a DJ front, by the way. September’s going to be a big one, and October’s going to be a transition of sorts. And frankly, I had a bunch of great conversations on Saturday night – and a couple of not so great ones – that I’m eager to share in this space. So stay tuned for more, including details on getting involved in the next party.

Posted in Uncategorized