how long for a live set?

sweetjesus · Post by **sweetjesus** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 3:56 pm

switching from mashing up and 'djing' with ableton live to actually performing a full electronic live set... what kinda duration are you guys pushing for with your full live sets?

Johnisfaster · Post by **Johnisfaster** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 4:16 pm

depends on the show quite a bit, but for a little show I'd say 35 to 45. but if it's a bigger show where people are actually coming out just to see you then I'd say an hour +

sweetjesus · Post by **sweetjesus** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 4:19 pm

you're the second person who said 45 minutes john... anyone go on marathon 3 or 4 hour sets for pure live stuff?

compositeone · Post by **compositeone** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 4:22 pm

I will never put together a Live set (as in my own music not "Djing") for less than 1 hour, but I'm aiming on sets being up to about 3 if I can get a promoter to let me play that long.

Coming from vinyl DJing I always found that an hour was never long enough but unfortunately that is the de facto time that any DJ gets these days, in drum and bass anyway.

sweetjesus · Post by **sweetjesus** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 4:50 pm

pretty diverse opinions here

!

Tone Deft · Post by **Tone Deft** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 5:26 pm

I just put all my stuff into one set, so I have all my ideas and cut up parts of songs. I get tired of some, don't use them for a while, get into new ones then rediscover the old ones.

Given that you can make huge sets why limit yourself? Requests are verboten in some styles of DJing but it's a factor, no?

nathan m · Post by **nathan m** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 5:36 pm

I like to keep my live(in front of people, not ableton) sets relatively short. under 30 minutes. generally speaking if i go to see a performance with two-four performers i like it when they all keep their sets under 40 minutes. unless the event is advertised as being a show where one performer will be doing something for a long time.

i wonder if the genre of the performance has anything to do with peoples answers?

I do a very minimal, processed field-recordings set most of the time.

compositeone · Post by **compositeone** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 5:59 pm

nathan m wrote:
i wonder if the genre of the performance has anything to do with peoples answers?

I think this could be right in that when ever I have done something on my own I always feel like I could keep going where as when I used to be in more of what I would broadly term a band situation then it seems to be shorter. I guess this is the collective energy not being greater than the some of its parts.

I would like to try doing a live thing though with one other person either on there own lappy or maybe sharing the controllers. I think then maybe 2 of you like that could probs go on forever!!!

Also I guess it makes a big difference as to the setting. At a venue where you are playing to a dark, sweaty dance floor you can probably get away with going longer than a place where the audience sits and watches your every move.

Machinate · Post by **Machinate** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 6:07 pm

Traditionally, at least in denmark, a music set by a band is 45 minutes, and headliners play 2-3 sets (4, if they're jazz players or techno maniacs;) ). A dj is anywhere between 3-5 hours and upwards. Some bands, esp. bands just starting out, only have 30-35 minutes, and that's accepted too

So, as you can see, it all really depends on how you label yourself as a performer, and where you see yourself fitting in. I'd go for as long a performance+djing set as possible, that way you can be flexible - event-people love flexible