Shingo Nakamura, one of the world’s leading talents in the melodic and progressive house space, is celebrating the release of his new single, “Foggy Morning,” on Monstercat Silk. With his globally renowned skill sets on full display, Shingo fuses soft impressions from his main analog synthesizer to create a dreamlike feeling inspired by walks in early, foggy mornings.
Shingo has composed chart-topping music as a full-time musician, landed guest mix features on radio shows like ‘A State of Trance,’ and more. This year, he’ll play at Creamfield Japan, Tomorrowland, and will make his anticipated return to the US for the first time in 9 years this May, with more details to come soon.
Curious about the secrets to DJ success? Find out in ’25 Essential Pieces of Advice Every DJ Wishes They Could Tell Their Younger Self’ – learn more here.
To celebrate the release of his new music, a single called ‘Foggy Morning’ on Monstercat Silk, Shingo shared his top five tips for better progressive house DJ sets, showcasing his unique approach to production and live performances. With his highly-anticipated 2021 album ‘Glow’ receiving widespread acclaim, Shingo’s tips will inspire aspiring producers and DJs to take their sets to the next level.
Note From The Editor: Shingo is a non-native English speaker, and his answers to these interview questions have been translated for his English-speaking fanbase(s).
Stream The Song Below And Support The Single Here
Make Sure To Tell A Story
Since the style is progressive, it’s essential for the set to feel like a journey from start to finish. This means finding a great intro song that starts slow and begins to build the energy patiently. The energy of the remainder of the set should slowly build further. Just having a collection of records that you think are incredible isn’t enough in this genre; they all need to blend seamlessly into a set that “makes sense,” which is where a lot of the artistry comes from in this music.
Always remember how the music you play in your set contributes to the larger story, and you’ll be well on your way to creating an amazing progressive house DJ set.
Cast A Wide Net
It’s nice to have a variety of artists represented in the mix to showcase different shades & styles of melodic & progressive house. I usually play less than 30% of my tracks in my sets. Every artist in this genre worth playing has their unique way of writing music, designing sounds, and producing music. Collecting a wide range of these styles and vibes will make for a more memorable DJ set.
Ever wondered how the past shapes the future of digital DJing? Explore ‘The Future of Digital DJing: Mixing the Past with the Present’s Technology’ – get the full scoop here.
Make Sure The Music Is Well Made
Try to avoid songs that hurt the energy or momentum of the set – songs that are too slow or don’t have enough low-end, for example. Progressive house is on the rise in popularity, which means there have never been more tracks to add to your collection and DJ sets. But that doesn’t mean that all of them are good enough to perform well from a technical standpoint.
Even if the music sounds good, improper bass mixing, mastering, and poor attention to detail in the production process can completely kill the energy of a track, which you want to avoid.
Use Vocals (…But Sparingly)
It would be best if you always tried to include at least a few tracks per hour with vocals. This gives the set a more dynamic quality, and fans often recognize vocal tracks more easily. They give your dance floor something to latch on to and can make for truly memorable moments in your set.
That being said, too many vocal tracks can be exhausting or even boring for fans. Remember, we’re talking about dance floors and DJ sets here, not casual background listening on Spotify while you work. While vocal chants and atmospheres might sound amazing while relaxing, they can get old quickly if used too often in a live DJ set.
Find Clever Ways To Reuse Your Sets
Always share your sets on social media and tag artists you include in your sets so they know the support. You put a ton of energy and emotion into crafting that DJ set, and while many DJs might think that it was all for only those who were on the dancefloor that one evening, I always try to get as much mileage out of my music as possible.
Share your mixes on social media, make playlists of the tracks you’ve been playing in your sets, share them on social media, and tag the artists you’re supporting. They will reshare the posts half the time and bring even more attention to what you’ve made!
Intrigued by how introverts excel in DJing? Read ‘An Introvert’s Guide to DJing: Advice on Stage Presence for the Shy Selector’ – gain unique insights here.
Will Vance is a professional music producer who has been involved in the industry for the better part of a decade and has been the managing editor at Magnetic Magazine since mid-2022. In that time period, he has published thousands of articles on music production, industry think pieces and educational articles about the music industry. Over the last decade as a professional music producer, Will Vance has also ran multiple successful and highly respected record labels in the industry, including Where The Heart Is Records as well as having launched a new label with a focus on community through Magnetic Magazine. When not running these labels or producing his own music, Vance is likely writing for other top industry sites like Waves or the Hyperbits Masterclass or working on his upcoming book on mindfulness in music production. On the rare chance he's not thinking about music production, he's probably running a game of Dungeons and Dragons with his friends which he has been the dungeon master for for many years.
