Britt Wetherald

I love a slow burn set. It balances tension and casualness letting the listener decide how to best use this energy slowly building and culminating into a release. Some Dj’s are masters of this tease, never quite submitting the frenzied will of the crowd but still keeping them fully engaged and moving through the set. A memorable moment of this in action was James Murphy doing a set in a warehouse (turned events space this is still post 2010) in brooklyn. The whole of the crowd was his but there was openness to the energy, you felt free to go get a drink, chat a bit with friends, have a smoke and talk to strangers or any other thing you do at a party that isn’t dancing. But there was dancing, a whole lot of it and it pulsed with every kick. People bathed in red light moving their limbs, everything seemed like a novel or a story you kept hearing from friends. One that you always imagine as a hazy romp and longingly wonder if you would ever be admitted to a party like that. That’s the magic of a slow burn set, you find yourself in the story all of the sudden with everyone else playing out whatever possibilities the night offers you. I’ve come to look at these kinds of sets as tailored to the experienced participant, one begging for a trip not just a destination.