Set craft
Energy curve
An energy curve is the shape a set makes over time — where it starts, how steeply it climbs, where it peaks. It is the plan behind a running order, and the thing a crowd feels without being able to name.
Measured in our catalog
Hand-sequenced sets climb 55.0 → 57.3 → 60.7 → 63.2 across their opening, first, middle and last thirds, then step back to 61.7 on the closing track.
That is a rise of 8.2 energy points from the first track to the peak, spread evenly over the whole set rather than arriving anywhere in particular. Nobody is instructed to do this and the curve shows up anyway — which is the argument for treating it as the shape of the form rather than as a rule somebody made up.
55.0
Opening track
63.2
Peak (last third)
+8.2
Energy points climbed
518
Sets measured
| Position | Tracks | Mean energy | Median BPM |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opening track | 518 | 55.0 | 125.0 |
| First third | 1,752 | 57.3 | 126.0 |
| Middle third | 2,472 | 60.7 | 126.0 |
| Last third | 2,105 | 63.2 | 127.0 |
| Closing track | 518 | 61.7 | 126.0 |
Measured on 11 August 2026 across 518 flows of five tracks or more sequenced by hand on Mixgraph, machine-generated running orders excluded, every track analysed. Method: the full transition dataset and its chance baseline.
Why it matters
A set is a sequence of decisions that only makes sense as a whole. Any two tracks can be judged on their own, but whether a set works is a question about its shape — and the shape is the one thing you cannot hear while you are inside it.
It is also the most portable idea in DJing. The tracks change with every genre and every decade; the curve does not, which is why a warm-up in one room and a closing set in another are recognisably the same job done at different points on the same line.
In Mixgraph
The flow builder plots the curve as you sequence, so the shape is visible while you are still deciding.
Frequently asked
What is a good energy curve for a DJ set?+
One that climbs steadily and resolves. Sets built here move 55.0 → 57.3 → 60.7 → 63.2 through their thirds before easing to 61.7 on the last track.
Should energy always increase across a set?+
Almost always, until the end. The one reversal in our corpus is the closing track, which sits 1.5 points below the stretch before it.
How much should energy rise across a set?+
About 8.2 points on a 100-point scale, measured across 518 hand-built sets — spread across the whole running order rather than concentrated in any one transition.
Related terms
Warm-up
A warm-up is the opening stretch of a night — slower, quieter, and built to leave the next DJ somewhere to go. Playing peak-time records in a warm-up is the oldest mistake in the job.
Peak time
Peak time is the stretch of a night a set is built toward — the busiest hour, and the point of highest energy. It names a position in a night rather than a specific sound.
Closing set
A closing set is the last stretch of a night, played after the peak has passed. Its job is to land the room rather than lift it, which is why closers are rarely the hardest records of the night.
Energy
Energy is a 0–100 reading of how hard a track hits, taken from loudness, spectral drive and percussive weight. It is the dimension that decides where in a set a track belongs rather than what it mixes with.
Explore: Energy arc tool · Build a set · Planning a warm-up · All DJ terms