Set Building? Where do you Start?

I am not sure if I understand this correctly. Are you asking how to program a set in a live environment or how to program a recorded mix?
Everything has to do with flow in both cases and there is no right or wrong way to do it. That’s what is called dj’ing: programming music in order to create an energy. That’s where the talent of the artist lies.
In the case of a live environment you have to apply your intuition as an artist to create a flow of music which will entertain the crowd in front of you. This can be done in an infinite number of ways. From your track listing above, one way could be to group tracks in similar genres or periods to create series. ie a few 80’s tracks followed by a few seventies tracks or a few rock tracks followed by a few disco tracks etc. This creates waves of different energies by immersing the public into a vibe which changes periodically. Another way to program could be by bpm like you mentioned. By doing so you can easily cross genres by creating continuity in the tempo of the music. Beatmatching is not necessay nor really feasible since most of these tracks are not quantized. But the mere fact that each song is around the same tempo creates a hypnotic feeling.
Another way is programming music by playing with the emotions of the songs. Some songs are sad, some are happy, some melancolic etc. Understanding music is understanding the emotions that it perpetrates. You can create subliminal peaks and valleys in energy by playing with emotions. For example going from a sad record to a happy record will create an amplified feeling of euphoria without the listener even realizing it. That’s where the power of music lies.
More or less the same techniques can be applied to a recorded mix. Try to put yourself in a position of the dj performing in front of a crowd and condense your set into an hour or more recording. Think of the flow of the recording. How do you want to lead your listener into your mix? Is it a story with a beginning and an end? A snapshot of an hour or performance, say in the middle of the night? Do you want to induce your listener into a journey of rare and obscure old stuff? Do you want to educate him or her by displaying your musical sensitivity? It’s a good idea when doing a recording to think of a concept and develop it. Don’t try to cram to many ideas into the mix. If you want to do that you can create series of theme recordings.
So to answer your question there no do’s and don’ts just your intuition, your musical sensitivity, and your ability create energy by using music as the medium.

[quote quote="stephanluke":2wlt3v7h]I am not sure if I understand this correctly. Are you asking how to program a set in a live environment or how to program a recorded mix?
Everything has to do with flow in both cases and there is no right or wrong way to do it. That’s what is called dj’ing: programming music in order to create an energy. That’s where the talent of the artist lies.
In the case of a live environment you have to apply your intuition as an artist to create a flow of music which will entertain the crowd in front of you. This can be done in an infinite number of ways. From your track listing above, one way could be to group tracks in similar genres or periods to create series. ie a few 80’s tracks followed by a few seventies tracks or a few rock tracks followed by a few disco tracks etc. This creates waves of different energies by immersing the public into a vibe which changes periodically. Another way to program could be by bpm like you mentioned. By doing so you can easily cross genres by creating continuity in the tempo of the music. Beatmatching is not necessay nor really feasible since most of these tracks are not quantized. But the mere fact that each song is around the same tempo creates a hypnotic feeling.
Another way is programming music by playing with the emotions of the songs. Some songs are sad, some are happy, some melancolic etc. Understanding music is understanding the emotions that it perpetrates. You can create subliminal peaks and valleys in energy by playing with emotions. For example going from a sad record to a happy record will create an amplified feeling of euphoria without the listener even realizing it. That’s where the power of music lies.
More or less the same techniques can be applied to a recorded mix. Try to put yourself in a position of the dj performing in front of a crowd and condense your set into an hour or more recording. Think of the flow of the recording. How do you want to lead your listener into your mix? Is it a story with a beginning and an end? A snapshot of an hour or performance, say in the middle of the night? Do you want to induce your listener into a journey of rare and obscure old stuff? Do you want to educate him or her by displaying your musical sensitivity? It’s a good idea when doing a recording to think of a concept and develop it. Don’t try to cram to many ideas into the mix. If you want to do that you can create series of theme recordings.
So to answer your question there no do’s and don’ts just your intuition, your musical sensitivity, and your ability create energy by using music as the medium.[/quote:2wlt3v7h]

stephanluke this is a great reply and truely shows your passion for music.
It is replies like this that make this forum as great as it is. I usually do my sets as though I was telling a story, usually based on my emotions at the time. From the first to the last track, it’s about bringing the listener into your world, your thoughts and feel your feelings.
Thanks for the advise and your suport. Have a great Christmas.
Take care
Val