Best DJ Sets of All Time: 30 You Can Hear

The sets everyone names, and the ones you can hear.

Search for the best DJ sets of all time and you get lists that name the same few nights: a Space Ibiza closing, a Plastic People goodbye, a Time Warp floor. What most of them leave out is that you often cannot hear the night they name. Many of the most famous sets exist only as bootlegs, or as a CD you cannot stream, or not at all.

So this page works the other way round. It starts from what you can press play on, from the DJ's own channel, the festival's, or a broadcaster like Mixmag, DJ Mag, Cercle or Boiler Room. Where the named set has no official copy, you get another set by the same DJ, and the write-up tells you which kind it is.

There are thirty, in seven groups by sound. Ignore the order and start wherever the music interests you; the last section suggests five places to begin.

How these 30 were chosen.

I read the lists that could be fetched: Skiddle's best DJ sets, Play House Sound, Techno Airlines, blondish, Wedding DJ Pool, Mixmag's best DJ mixes of 2010 to 2019, the Red Bull Music Academy's guide to Frankie Knuckles, Four Four and DMY's lists of Essential Mixes, and UKF's drum and bass Essential Mixes. Several of these copy each other, so a set named by five lists is not five independent votes. Reddit threads, Resident Advisor's lists and several other pages could not be read, and I have not claimed anything from them.

Then one rule: a set only gets in if an official upload exists, from the artist, the festival or the broadcaster, and it plays. A set that exists only as a bootleg re-upload stays out. No more than four are from Boiler Room, and no DJ appears more than twice. Carl Cox and Fatboy Slim are the only two who appear twice, once each alone and once together.

Each pick carries one of three labels. Named means a list I read picked this set. Substitute means a list picked the same DJ, but the set it meant has no official copy, so this is a different set. Editorial pick means no list I read named this set, and it is here on my judgement. Years are the year in the recording's own title or the year it went up on the channel. Anything the sources disagreed about is left out.

House: Chicago, New York and Detroit.

Marshall Jefferson, The Lab NYC, Mixmag, 2015

Marshall Jefferson is one of the founders of Chicago house, and this is his set in Mixmag's New York studio. Editorial pick: no list I read names this set.

It runs 114 minutes. Start here if you want a founder playing records rather than telling the story.

Todd Terry, The Lab London, Mixmag, 2013

Mixmag filmed Todd Terry in its London Lab and titled it a classic house set. Editorial pick, and one of the weaker cases on the page: no list I read names it, and it is here for the New York house sound.

An hour long, from the New York end of house.

Louie Vega, DJ Mag HQ, 2018

Louie Vega played DJ Mag's own studio in 2018. Editorial pick: no list I read names it.

It is 61 minutes, from a New York house DJ, on the DJ Mag channel.

Kerri Chandler, Mixmag Live, 2017

Kerri Chandler's Mixmag Live set runs 174 minutes. Editorial pick: no list I read names it.

Choose this one if you want a house DJ given the time to build a night.

Theo Parrish, Boiler Room #29, 2010

Theo Parrish played the 29th Boiler Room, in 2010, and Boiler Room put the recording online as audio. This one is audio only, about 45 minutes. Named by at least one list of Boiler Room sets that I read.

It is early Boiler Room, number 29 in the series, and the Detroit house set on the page.

A hip hop aside: DJ Jazzy Jeff, Boiler Room Philadelphia, 2017

DJ Jazzy Jeff is the one hip hop DJ here, and the only set that is not dance music. Boiler Room filmed him in Philadelphia in 2017. Editorial pick, and one of the weaker cases on the page: it was chosen because DJing is a craft that hip hop built, and no dance music list I read names it.

At 115 minutes it is the longer of the two Boiler Room sets, and has been watched more than four million times.

House now.

Black Coffee, Mixmag Live London, 2015

Black Coffee's spiritual DJ set at Mixmag Live in London is 182 minutes long and has been watched more than ten million times, the most of any house set here. Named: it appears on Mixmag's list of the best DJ mixes of 2010 to 2019.

It is the clearest example on the page of Afro house played at club length.

Solomun and Kollektiv Turmstrasse, Diynamic ADE showcase, Mixmag, 2014

Solomun played with Kollektiv Turmstrasse at Mixmag's Diynamic showcase during Amsterdam Dance Event, and it runs 183 minutes. Substitute: three lists name Solomun, but for his Boiler Room set in Tulum, which is on our Boiler Room guide, so this is a different one.

Two DJs trading records for three hours is a different thing from one DJ's hour.

Honey Dijon, The Lab Miami, Mixmag, 2016

Honey Dijon in Mixmag's Miami Lab is 49 minutes long. Substitute: Mixmag's decade list picks her Resident Advisor podcast, which is not a filmed set, so this is her filmed set for Mixmag instead.

A short, fast hour for people who want the house of 2016 without a commitment.

The Black Madonna, DJ Mag Pool Party Miami, 2018

The Black Madonna played DJ Mag's pool party in Miami in 2018, 51 minutes. Substitute: Mixmag's decade list names a different Black Madonna mix.

A Chicago-rooted house DJ at a Miami pool party.

Dixon, Cercle Festival, Ariane stage, 2024

Dixon played the Ariane stage at Cercle Festival in 2024, 88 minutes, filmed by Cercle. Editorial pick: one list I read names Dixon, but for his Innervisions work, not this set.

It is the most recent house set.

Techno.

Carl Craig, Detroit Classics set, Mixmag Live, 2012

Carl Craig played Mixmag Live in 2012 and the channel titled it a Detroit Classics set. 112 minutes. Substitute: two lists name Carl Craig, neither for this set.

Carl Craig is a Detroit techno producer, and the channel's own title says what the set is.

Joey Beltram, The Lab NYC, Mixmag, 2018

Joey Beltram's hour in Mixmag's New York Lab is 59 minutes. Editorial pick.

An hour, from a New York techno DJ.

Sven Väth, Time Warp 2D2S, 2023

Sven Väth played Time Warp's 2D2S edition in Germany in 2023, on Time Warp's own YouTube channel. Substitute: two lists name Sven Väth for other nights, including Love Parade.

A founding figure of Frankfurt techno, on the festival's own channel.

Nina Kraviz, Time Warp, 2017

Nina Kraviz played Time Warp in 2017 and ARTE Concert filmed it, so the recording sits on ARTE's channel rather than the festival's. Substitute: three lists name Nina Kraviz, but for other sets, one of them from 2018.

It is the Time Warp set on this page that comes from a TV broadcaster.

Adam Beyer, Awakenings Day One, 2016

Adam Beyer's set on the first day of Awakenings in 2016, from the festival's own channel. Substitute: one list, Techno Airlines, names Adam Beyer, but not this set, so this is one of the weakest cases on the page.

Festival techno, in the room it was meant for.

Tale of Us, Time Warp, 2016

Tale of Us played Time Warp in Mannheim in 2016, filmed by Mixmag, 117 minutes. Substitute: Techno Airlines names Tale of Us for an Afterlife set, and blondish for other nights.

Melodic techno, played to a festival floor.

Charlotte de Witte, The Lab NYC, Mixmag, 2020

Charlotte de Witte's 54 minutes in Mixmag's New York Lab. Substitute: Techno Airlines names her Tomorrowland sets, and no official copy of those turned up.

It has been watched more than three million times.

Marathons and closing nights.

Carl Cox, Space Ibiza closing, Global 700, 2016

Carl Cox closed Space Ibiza in 2016, and he put it online himself on Mixcloud as four parts. This is part one, and it is audio only. Named: four of the lists I read name it, more than any other set here.

The same night exists on YouTube, but only as a re-upload by someone else, so it stays out. The official copy is the Mixcloud one.

Four Tet and Floating Points, the last night at Plastic People, 2015

Four Tet and Floating Points played the final night of Plastic People, the London club, in 2015. Floating Points uploaded it to SoundCloud, so it is audio only. Named: two lists name it.

A club's last night is a different kind of set, with the room as much a part of the music as the records.

Carl Cox b2b Fatboy Slim, Saatchi Gallery, Mixmag, 2019

Carl Cox and Fatboy Slim played back to back at the Saatchi Gallery in London in 2019, 118 minutes, filmed by Mixmag. Editorial pick: both DJs are named by lists, but not this set.

It has been watched more than nine million times.

Festival floors.

John Digweed, Time Warp, floor 1, 2014

John Digweed's set on Time Warp's first floor in Mannheim in 2014, filmed by BE-AT.TV, Time Warp's archive partner. Substitute: three lists name Digweed, for Sasha and Digweed nights that have no official copy.

Progressive house from one of its best-known names.

Seth Troxler, Time Warp, floor 4, 2014

Seth Troxler on floor 4 of Time Warp in 2014, also from BE-AT.TV. Editorial pick.

A second look at the same festival, a different room.

Fatboy Slim, Cercle, Brighton i360, 2018

Fatboy Slim played Cercle's show from the British Airways i360 in Brighton in 2018, 97 minutes, and it has been watched more than 43 million times. Substitute: Skiddle names Fatboy Slim's 2002 Big Beach Boutique II, which has no official copy.

Big beat, and the most-watched set in this guide by a wide margin.

Jungle and drum and bass.

Fabio and Grooverider, DJ Mag HQ, 2015

Two of the DJs who shaped drum and bass played DJ Mag's studio in 2015, 90 minutes. Substitute: Skiddle names their Glastonbury 2002 set and UKF names the pair, and neither has an official copy.

DJ Randall, history of jungle set, The Lab London, Mixmag, 2016

Mixmag titled this a history of jungle set, and it is 103 minutes. Editorial pick: no list I read names it, and it is here because the title is the brief.

Goldie and Ulterior Motive, The Lab London, Mixmag, 2017

Goldie and Ulterior Motive played drum and bass sets in Mixmag's London Lab in 2017, 127 minutes. Editorial pick.

Garage, footwork and radio.

Ben UFO, The Lot Radio, 2020

Ben UFO played The Lot Radio in Brooklyn in January 2020, 122 minutes, on the station's own channel. Substitute: Mixmag's decade list picks a different Ben UFO mix.

A radio set, filmed in the station's booth.

DJ Rashad and DJ Spinn, XLR8R Podcast 158, 2010

DJ Rashad and DJ Spinn made Podcast 158 for XLR8R in 2010, and it is on XLR8R's Mixcloud, so it is audio only. Named: Mixmag's decade list names it.

A footwork and juke podcast from 2010.

Skream, Alter Ego, UK garage, Mixmag, 2015

Skream's Alter Ego is a UK garage set, filmed by Mixmag and 64 minutes long. Editorial pick, and one of the weakest cases on the page: no list I read names a UK garage set at all.

Where to start.

If you have an hour, play Honey Dijon, Joey Beltram or Todd Terry. If you have an evening, Black Coffee at 182 minutes is the one that rewards it most. If you want the one the most lists name, it is the Carl Cox closing of Space, and it is audio only.

For more, the best Boiler Room sets, the best techno mixes, the best SoundCloud DJ mixes and where to watch live DJ sets each go deeper into one corner, and the Selector plays one recorded set at random.

Best DJ sets FAQ.

What is the best DJ set of all time?

There is no agreed answer. The set named by the most lists I read is Carl Cox's closing of Space Ibiza in 2016, named by four. Plastic People's last night, played by Four Tet and Floating Points, is named by two. After that, most picks rest on one list, which is why the picks carry labels rather than a ranking.

Why are some famous sets missing?

Because they have no official recording. Jeff Mills at Liquid Room in 1995 and Fatboy Slim's Big Beach Boutique II in 2002 are named by lists but exist online only as unofficial uploads. Some historic nights, like those at the Warehouse and the Music Institute, were never recorded for release.

Where can you watch the best DJ sets?

On the channels they came from: Mixmag, DJ Mag, Cercle, Boiler Room, The Lot Radio, Dekmantel and the festivals themselves. Every set here is an official upload, and the four audio-only sets are on SoundCloud and Mixcloud.

How were these sets chosen?

Each pick comes from published lists of the best DJ sets, plus a stated editorial criterion, and the pick says which of the two it rests on. Where a list names a set that has no official recording, the pick uses the best official recording of the same DJ and labels it a substitute.

Which of these sets are audio only?

Four. Carl Cox at Space and DJ Rashad and DJ Spinn play from Mixcloud, and Theo Parrish and Four Tet with Floating Points play from SoundCloud. The other twenty-six are video.

Sources.

Skiddle: The Best DJ Sets of All Time
Play House Sound: What is the greatest DJ set of all time?
Techno Airlines: The best DJ sets in techno history
blondish: Best DJ mixes
Wedding DJ Pool: Best DJ sets
Mixmag: The 20 best DJ mixes of the decade, 2010 to 2019
Red Bull Music Academy: Ten mixes by Frankie Knuckles
Four Four: 10 best old school Essential Mixes
DMY: 10 essential Essential Mixes
UKF: 6 of the best drum and bass Essential Mixes
Every recording was checked against the platform's own oEmbed record on 5 October 2026. Set lengths and view counts come from this site's catalogue of recorded DJ sets.