DJ guidelines

Before the Sunday

• Send a mix link (Mixcloud or SoundCloud) that shows a full arc, not just a peak.
• Send a short bio, your social handle, and one photo we can use on the flyer.
• Tell us your setup — CDJs, controller, laptop — and anything you need from the booth.
• Share the event with your people. A full floor is what makes the exchange work.
• Arrive 45 minutes before doors for load-in and sound check.

Arrival music

From doors until breathwork, the room is filling. This is ambient scaffolding, not a warm-up set.

• Soft, slow, spacious. Nature textures, drones, gentle percussion.
• Loud enough to hold the room, quiet enough for two people to talk at normal volume.
• No build, no drop. Nobody should feel late to something.
• Pause cleanly when breathwork begins — the facilitator has the room from there.

The 90-minute arc

Doors, breathwork, dance, closing circle. Your set carries the middle and hands the room off intact.

• Open slow. Dancers land in their bodies before they move big — give them ten patient minutes.
• Build through progressive house. Melodic progression is the point: a journey, not a playlist.
• Earn the peak. One clear apex, not four false ones.
• Make room for the full spectrum — grief and tenderness belong on the floor as much as joy.
• Bring it down with intention. The last two tracks land ambient so the room can integrate.
• End on time. The closing circle is part of the medicine, not an afterthought.

What plays well here

• Progressive house as the backbone, with organic, world, and downtempo textures around it.
• Light lyrics — English vocals pull dancers back into their heads.
• Rare over familiar. If it charted, it probably breaks the spell.
• Independent artists, and cultural sources honored rather than costumed.
• Nothing glorifying violence, prejudice, or substances. This is a sober floor by design — that includes what the music celebrates.
• Keep it PG. All ages dance here.

Mixing craft

• Beat-matched, gapless transitions. Silence between tracks breaks the journey.
• Read the floor live. A prepared set is fine; an unadjustable one is not.
• Mind the levels — this is a full-length dance, not a club night. No ear fatigue at minute 70.
• Play live. No pressing play on a pre-rendered file unless we've agreed to it in advance.

The floor agreement

Same agreement every dancer makes. It applies to the booth too.

• Sober floor: no alcohol, no substances.
• No talking on the dance floor during the set — including from the booth.
• No phones or filming on the floor without asking Rich first.
• Shoes off. Consent-forward, everyone dances their own dance.

Booking and exchange

• Booking terms are worked out with Rich directly, case by case — it depends on the date, the set, and the room.
• You'll get a slot in the closing circle to name what you're offering out in the world.
• Break down right after closing circle so we can clear the space on time.
• Optional and free: the pro foosball clinic a block away afterward. Most of the crew goes.