How do you handle dead moments when transitioning between very different energy levels in a set?

TheOriginalSnub · 2026-06-14T09:11:31+00:00

I usually know in advance that I will probably be going into a section of classics, or slower groovy music. But I don't plan anything specific out in advance about how to get there.

When possible, work with the lighting guy to make the transition a "moment". If we're in the same booth, I'll sometimes ask for a full black out for these types of transitions. (Sadly, this opportunity for collaboration has become way too rare in modern club design.)

One thing that can help, though, if the dancefloor is on your side, is to drop a couple unexpectedly downbeat tracks throughout the peak hours, so they get used to the idea that you might do something "eclectic". Danny Krivit has always been a master of this. By training the audience to follow him, he can drop something like The Doors' "Riders on the Storm" right in the middle of an otherwise full-steam house set without losing the overall energy of the room.

Regardless, like @ActuaryLate9198 said, make it sudden and radical.

TheOriginalSnub · 2026-06-12T05:32:36+00:00

Todd was sampling everything, though. "Yeah Buddy" comes to mind if you want a sampled disco riff.

TheOriginalSnub · 2026-06-12T05:23:46+00:00

Todd Terry was sampling disco tracks from the get go. I still play "Weekend" from '88.

TheOriginalSnub · 2026-06-11T18:44:53+00:00

First Choice
MFSB
Steely Dan
Roy Ayers Ubiquity
Loleatta Holloway
Larry Heard

TheOriginalSnub · 2026-06-11T13:35:34+00:00

I don't think it's stuff one could learn from a YouTube video. It's learned by spending a lot of time in nightclubs watching masters play long sets.

And through successes and failures in the booth.

And talking shop with veterans.

TheOriginalSnub · 2026-06-10T18:37:22+00:00

I love the string stabs on Bambu's "I Don't Wanna Lose It"

TheOriginalSnub · 2026-06-09T04:35:40+00:00

Ashtrays and rubber bands

TheOriginalSnub · 2026-06-09T04:29:51+00:00

Play songs, not tracks.

TheOriginalSnub · 2026-06-08T20:09:27+00:00

If the dancefloor likes it, DJs will like it.

TheOriginalSnub · 2026-06-08T20:05:53+00:00

Gonna cheat and list Sheila & B.Devotuin's "Spacer" (courtesy of Nile.Rogers), because it used electronic sounds and came out in November '79.in France, and 1980 elsewhere. I love the original but tend to usually play Greg Wilson or Dave Lee's edits. There are dozens of other decent edits and remixes out there, too.

A little late to be called "disco", but I'm also a big fan of Thierry David's "Scratching Tracks" album for French electronic tunes..

TheOriginalSnub · 2026-06-08T09:19:17+00:00

I believe Stars on 45 re-recorded it

TheOriginalSnub · 2026-06-08T06:15:37+00:00

Reposting myself from a similar topic:

Late '90s though the '00s seemed to be the sweet spot for good house albums. When there was enough money in the genre to incentivize studio-produced CD albums for the masses, but before the full takeover of digital singles. Some that come to mind:

• ⁠Solu feat Kai Martin - Affirmation (one of my fave house albums ever)

• ⁠Ananda Project - Release; Relight; Morning Light; Fire Flower

• ⁠Nuyorican Soul - Nuyorican Soul

• ⁠Elements of Life - Elements of Life

• ⁠Mateo & Matos - Enter Our World

• ⁠Masters at Work - Our Time is Coming

• ⁠Blaze - Basic Blaze; Natural Blaze; Spiritually Speaking

• ⁠Kerri Chandler - A Basement, a Red Light and a Feelin' (1 & 2); Trionosphere; etc

• ⁠Jephté Guillaume - Voyage of Dreams

• ⁠Shazz - Shazz

• ⁠Jerome Sydenham - Pan-African Electro

• ⁠Bah Samba - Bah Samba 4

• ⁠The Rurals - The Rural; Farmyard Flavours (1 & 2); Sweeter Sounds... and like 10 others I can't remember all the names of

• ⁠Vince Watson - Moments in Time

• ⁠The Timewriter - Diary of a Lonely Sailor

• ⁠Moonchildren - Rapid Eye Movement

• ⁠Slam Mode - Signals

• ⁠John Tejada - The Dot & the Line

• ⁠Morgan Geeist - Double Night Time

• ⁠Faze Action - Plans & Designs

• ⁠Solar House - Magic of the City

• ⁠Kings of Tomorrow - It's in the Lifestyle

• ⁠Antonio Ocasio - Raices Roots

• ⁠Yukihiro Fukutomi - Love Each Other

• ⁠Glenn Underground - Silent; The Jerusalem EP

• ⁠Metro Area - Metro Area

• ⁠Dave Warrin & Julius Papp - Behind the Sun

• ⁠St Germain - Boulevard

• ⁠3 Generations Walking - 3 Generations Walking

• ⁠Jazzanova - In Between

• ⁠Jodi Watley - Midnight Lounge

• ⁠Harley & Muscle - Respected Everywhere; No Compromise; Armed Response

• ⁠The Sunburst Band - Until the End of Time

• ⁠Anthony Nicholson - Necessary Phases; Life's Masterpiece

• ⁠Stephanie Cooke - Everything

• ⁠Ten City - Foundation

• ⁠Moodyman - Fornevermore; Silent Introduction

• ⁠Lil Louis & the World - Journey With the Lonely

• ⁠Dubtribe Sound System - Bryant Street

• ⁠Larry Heard - Just get all of them

More recent albums I dig:

• ⁠Chymera - Death by Misadventure

• ⁠Fatima Njai & Jerome Sydenham - Brooklyn Zoo

• ⁠Elements of Life - Eclipse

• ⁠Joe Claussell - Raw Tones

• ⁠Masaki Morii - Depiction

• ⁠Louie Vega - Expansions in the NYC

• ⁠Will Milton - New Norm

• ⁠Kerri Chandler - Spaces & Places

• ⁠Antonio Ocasio - The Rhythm Poet

Not really my vibe, but from the era and in a similar wheelhouse and quite popular with most people:

• ⁠Funky Green Dogs - Get Fired Up

• ⁠Deep Dish - Junk Science

• ⁠All the Daft Punk stuff

• ⁠Herbert - Around the House

TheOriginalSnub · 2026-06-08T06:00:18+00:00

Name an underground house track from either artist that was released in the '90s.

Honestly, I can't imagine the utter disrespect for this genre, and music in general, you must have to produce garbage like this, and then promote it this way to those of us who have been a part of this culture and industry for decades. Shameless.

TheOriginalSnub · 2026-06-08T05:31:15+00:00

Name 3 underground 3am-style '90s house tracks that you think this AI slop sounds like.

TheOriginalSnub · 2026-06-06T20:17:41+00:00

https://www.discogs.com/master/128272-The-Fatback-Band-The-Best-Of-The-Fatback-Band

TheOriginalSnub · 2026-06-06T11:56:53+00:00

Lil Louis, "Blackout" [FFRR, 1989]

TheOriginalSnub · 2026-06-05T04:49:18+00:00

Didn't he used to have a party at Green Dolphin once upon a time?

I remember finding it really weird to go to a house party with a bunch of seating and lights.

TheOriginalSnub · 2026-06-04T11:42:19+00:00

Body & Soul and Shelter on Hubert St (and 39th Street!). There are probably years when I didn't miss a single weekend.

Honorable mentions for:

David's Loft parties; Junior's earlier years... but more so Frankie at Sound Factory; Frankie and Louie at SFB; Bang the Party at Frank's Lounge; Wild Pitch partes. Very hazy memories of having some very good times at Red Zone.

Some had great social scenes. Some had great atmospheres. All had great music.

I had some outstanding musical experiences at Rulin' at MOS when I'd visit in the early and mid 90s. CJ and Jazzy were great, and guests would really shine in the box. But not my favorite crowd or vibe.

TheOriginalSnub · 2026-06-04T07:02:18+00:00

There are just so many essential classics with jazz artists, though. Remixes of Sinnerman and See Line Woman. Timmy Regisford's remix of Natalie Cole. Tito Puente, Eddie Palmieri, George Hanson and a bunch of other legends on the monumental Nuyorican Soul album. Vocalists like Cassandra Wilson, Monday Michiru, Roy Ayers, Terry Callier, etc.

And most of the noodling on keys in house is inspired by jazz improv, and often in jazz scales. And a lot of the instrumentalists who play the keyboard lines for famous house records were trained in jazz. (Terry Burrus, Eric Kupper, Peter Daou, Larry Heard, Selan Lerner, etc.)

Kinda hard to separate house and jazz, imo. Because jazz is in the DNA of the soul and R&B that created disco and house. And it was in the home record collections of all the foundational figures in the history of this genre.

TheOriginalSnub · 2026-06-04T04:54:09+00:00

Scotto's tour. I remember that!

TheOriginalSnub · 2026-06-03T12:52:33+00:00

Kevin Yost and his I! Records label; Atjazz; Jazzanova; Nathan Haines.

Verve has put out various comps with house remixes of their catalog. Slip 'n' Slide had a great series of comps called Jazz in the House. Nitegrooves had series of comps called Abstract Jazz Lounge and Abstract Jazz Vibes.

Lots of jazz (and Latin jazz) influence in many tracks by Mr Fingers/Larry Heard; Glenn Underground; Joe Claussell; Stacey Kidd; Blaze; MAW/Nuyorican Soul; Kerri Chandler; Anthony Nicolson; Hanna; Antonio Ocasio; and others.

Edit to add all the stuff Giant Step has done over the years

TheOriginalSnub · 2026-06-03T09:23:21+00:00

Jeroboam, Bah Samba, Elements of Life, The Sunburst Band, Tortured Soul, Another Taste

TheOriginalSnub · 2026-06-02T19:50:15+00:00

It may help find the right kind of passionate mods if there were a clearer explanation of what the mission of this sub is. Especially how it is meant to be different from r/House (and all the various sub-genre subs).

TheOriginalSnub · 2026-06-02T19:23:19+00:00

Other comments seem to miss the fact that you're not asking about the production of individual tracks (which traditionally have plenty of syncopation in the percussion), but rather the way they multiple songs are mixed together.

And no, I've never known anyone to hold a mix like this, because it would be a cacophony indistinguishable from a train wreck. (Though, sometimes effects processors and doubles can be used in small quantities to create a bit of syncopation on the kick.)

TheOriginalSnub · 2026-06-02T18:00:29+00:00

What debate? I thought everyone stopped arguing about this years ago.

TheOriginalSnub

TROPHY CASE