Set craft
Guest mix
A guest mix is a recorded mix made for someone else’s platform — a label’s series, a radio show, a podcast, another DJ’s channel. It reaches an audience that has not chosen you, which changes how it should be built.
In practice
Somebody else’s audience, already assembled and already trusting the host. Sound like the series and like yourself.
Listen to three previous entries before you start and match the length and the general register, then make your half of it distinctive within that. Deliver on time and deliver everything they asked for — tracklist, artwork, a short blurb — because the thing that gets you asked back is usually being easy to work with rather than the mix itself. Include one or two records nobody else in the series would have played; that is the part people remember.
3
Previous entries to listen to
On time
What gets you asked back
1–2
Records only you would play
Where these come from: Promotional practice, not a catalog figure. For what we can measure, see the version that is yours.
Why it matters
It is the most efficient promotional thing a DJ can do, because the audience is already assembled and already trusts the person hosting it. A good guest mix on a series people follow does more than a year of posting to your own followers.
That also sets the constraint: it has to sound like the series and like you at the same time. A mix that ignores the host’s audience gets skipped, and a mix that is purely an imitation of the series gives them no reason to remember your name.
Frequently asked
How do I get a guest mix slot?+
Usually by being visible to the people running one — playing their nights, releasing on the label, or being recommended. A cold approach works best when you can point at something they already know.
How closely should I match the series?+
Closely enough that their audience does not skip it and loosely enough that they remember your name. Listen to three previous entries before you start.
What gets a DJ asked back?+
Delivering on time with everything they asked for. Being easy to work with counts for more than most people expect.
Related terms
Mixtape
A mixtape is a recorded, continuous DJ mix released as a piece of work in its own right rather than as a document of a gig. It is arranged for listening rather than for a dancefloor.
Promoter
A promoter books the acts, hires the room, sells the tickets and carries the financial risk of a night. They decide who plays, in what order, and for how long.
EPK
An EPK is an electronic press kit — a single page or file holding a DJ's bio, photos, mixes, links and contact details, sent to promoters and press instead of a scattered set of messages.
Mix licensing
A recorded DJ mix contains other people’s recordings and compositions, so putting it online is a use that needs permission. Some platforms hold blanket licences covering it; others do not, and the difference decides what happens.
Explore: DJ press kit template · Planning a radio mix · EPK · All DJ terms