We actually called up London Elektricity for a guide to playing the perfect festival DJ set. A bit like this one we did with N-Type last month. It quickly became apparent, though, that there was a more pressing issue bothering the Hospital Records boss this festival season: moshers!

“Unfortunately there does seem to be a problem with mosh pits at the moment,” he tells us. “I’ve noticed it’s spread over from dubstep and it’s not nice. All I can see from behind the decks is girls leave the dancefloor in their droves. That’s not cool! I’m currently on the quest to find the ultimate tunes that won’t just quench the mosh pit but actually humiliate the people who are moshing. I’m on the look-out, I haven’t quite found it yet. A good liquid tune or even a bit of Sinatra would do it but I’m sure there’s something even better. I’ll keep you posted.”

A jolly good ridiculing by the MC is a strong option. Do YOU have any solutions? Moshing is only misdirected enthusiasm, but if it’s clearing the dancefloor of girls something needs to be done. And it needs to be done STAT!

Moshing misery aside, London Elektricity’s got a fair few pearls of DJ wisdom. If you’re playing your first festival set this summer, bear these great tips in mind.

London Elektricity’s guide to the perfect festival DJ set:

“It’s very different to a club set. You’re often playing during the day time, for example, so it’s going to be light for starters. This affects the tunes you’ll be playing straight away. And expect anything to happen; it might be pissing down with rain so pack for all opportunities. Singing In The Rain is a good one.”





“It’s a mistake to make your festival set too sunny. Always remember the necessity of light and shade.”





“Remember that people are looking to celebrate their favourite tunes over the last year. Almost since the last festival season. Step back and take a broader look over the tunes that have come out over the last year. Not a classics set, but a broader, less specialist set perhaps. It would be a big mistake to go there with an hour of fresh dubplates that no one has ever heard before. People haven’t forked out a lot of money just to be educated. They are there to celebrate music and have a wicked time. But don’t be too easy on people – find that balance!”

“You might have a shorter set but don’t start mixing too quickly! Especially if you’re DJing off your laptop. It’s too easy to play 32 bars of every tune. I know how it is; you’re panicking, you’ve only got a short set and you want to cram in as many tunes as possible. Don’t do this! The crowd will love you a lot more if you let things breathe. Slamming in tune after tune after is a linear experience and you’ll lose your crowd. It’s a music festival; let people enjoy themselves and really benefit from the build ups. Festivals love build ups and breakdowns.”





“Bootlegs are great for festivals. Drum & bass bootlegs of big tunes are a strong look – you’re going to have a lot of people in your tent who don’t usually listen to drum & bass so it’s nice for them to hear tunes they already know but in a drum & bass context.”





“Format-wise CDs are the most robust format to play at festivals. Vinyl too – the good thing about vinyl is that you can spill beer on your records and they’ll be fine after a wipe down. The only problem is you do get situations where the needles are jumping over the place. MCs leap around when a DJ plays mp3 or CD, but if a DJ plays a vinyl and the MC starts leaping around you’re in trouble. I always have a word with them beforehand to make sure everyone knows the score.”





“Be flexible: whoever is playing before me will affect my intro tune. It’s about light and shade again; if someone before me is playing it really hard and nasty then I’ll completely contrast that. You have to make your mark!”

Catch London Elektricity and his Hospital comadres as they host arenas at Global Gathering, Lovebox, Beachbreak and Urban Art Forms.

And to warm up for this sunny season’s onslaught, head right here for their: Hospitality Summer Drum & Bass 2012 mix!