DJ Mode (Guest DJ)
Audience: End users and technical evaluators Last Updated: 2026-04-05 Version: 2.0.0
Overview
DJ Mode automatically extends your playback queue with intelligent track selection based on your current listening context. Choose from multiple DJ personalities, each with unique music selection strategies. Let Llamafin take the wheel and discover music that matches your mood, artist, or era.
Key Concepts
What is DJ Mode?
DJ Mode is your personal auto-DJ that:
- Monitors what you're currently playing
- Automatically adds tracks when your queue is running low
- Uses smart selection strategies based on your chosen DJ personality
- Remembers your preference across sessions
How It Works
The Flow:
- You select a DJ personality from the Guest DJ menu
- You start playing music normally
- As each track plays, DJ Mode evaluates the context
- When your queue has 5 or fewer tracks remaining, DJ generates 5 new tracks
- New tracks are seamlessly appended to your queue
- Playback continues without interruption
- Process repeats when queue nears end again
Track Markers:
- DJ-generated tracks are internally flagged for identification
- Visible in your queue with a special indicator
- Count toward your play statistics
- Treated the same as manually-added tracks
Available DJ Modes
Llamafin includes 7 DJ personalities, each with a different music selection strategy:
Implemented Modes (Ready to Use)
| Mode | Strategy | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| No Guest DJ | Disabled - plays your queue as-is | Manual queue control, no auto-generation |
| DJ Groupie | Keeps queueing tracks from the same artist | Deep artist exploration - hear more from your favorite performers |
| DJ Twofer | Inserts another track by the same artist after each track | "Two for one" - double the artist experience |
| DJ Contempo | Keeps the mood going with tracks from the same era | Period-specific listening - stay in the decade |
Planned Modes (Coming Soon)
| Mode | Planned Strategy |
|---|---|
| DJ Stretch | Inserts a short Sonic Adventure between each pair of tracks |
| DJ Gemini | Inserts the most sonically similar track after each track, when possible |
| DJ Freeze | Keeps the mood going with sonically similar tracks to the current one |
How DJ Mode Works
Activation
Setting Your DJ Mode:
- While playing music, tap the disc icon in the playback controls
- The Guest DJ menu opens showing all available DJ personalities
- Tap any DJ to activate it immediately
- Your selection is saved automatically
- The menu closes and DJ Mode is active
Your Choice is Remembered:
- DJ mode is saved across app sessions
- Automatically restored when you reopen the app
- No need to re-select each time
- Easy to change whenever you want
Track Generation
When DJ Mode Triggers:
DJ Mode activates automatically when:
- Queue has 5 or fewer tracks remaining
- DJ mode is active (not "No Guest DJ")
- Currently playing track provides context for selection
How Each DJ Selects Tracks:
DJ Groupie
Strategy: Similar tracks
- Analyses the current track's characteristics
- Finds sonically similar songs
- Uses Jellyfin's similarity algorithm
- Considers genre, artist, tags, and musical properties
- Result: Discover related music you might not have found otherwise
DJ Twofer
Strategy: More from the same artist
- Identifies the artist of the current track
- Fetches additional songs by the same artist
- "Two for one" - double the artist experience
- Result: Deep dive into your favorite artists' discographies
DJ Contempo
Strategy: Same era/year
- Extracts the release year from the current track
- Finds songs from the same time period
- "Contemporary" music from the same era
- Result: Immersive decade-specific listening experience
Queue Extension
What Happens Behind the Scenes:
- DJ analyses the current playing track
- Selects 5 tracks matching the DJ's strategy
- Appends tracks to the end of your current queue
- Marks the queue as "autoplay" mode
- Playback continues seamlessly
- Process repeats when queue nears end again
Smart Behaviour:
- DJ works alongside album autoplay
- DJ takes priority when active
- Both extend your queue automatically
- You can still manually add tracks anytime
Use Cases
Party Mode - Keep the Music Going
Setup:
- Enable DJ Groupie mode
- Start with a diverse playlist
- Let DJ extend automatically
Result:
- Continuous varied music
- Discovers similar content
- No manual queue management
- Keeps energy flowing all night
Artist Exploration - Deep Dive
Setup:
- Play any song by your favorite artist
- Enable DJ Twofer mode
- Let DJ find more tracks
Result:
- Deep dive into discography
- Discover lesser-known tracks
- Comprehensive artist view
- Automatic sequencing through their work
Time Travel Listening - Era Immersion
Setup:
- Play a track from a specific era (e.g., 70s rock)
- Enable DJ Contempo mode
- DJ finds same-period music
Result:
- Immersive decade experience
- Contextual listening
- Period-authentic playlists
- Discover contemporary artists
Casual Listening - Set and Forget
Setup:
- Enable your preferred DJ mode
- Play any single track
- Let DJ build the queue
Result:
- Music plays continuously
- No queue management needed
- Discover new music automatically
- Perfect for background listening
Configuration
Accessing DJ Settings
From the Player:
- Tap the disc icon in playback controls
- Guest DJ menu opens
- Select your preferred DJ personality
From Settings:
- Navigate to Settings to view DJ preferences
- View current active mode
- Change mode as needed
Understanding DJ Mode Options
No Guest DJ:
- DJ Mode is disabled
- Your queue plays exactly as you built it
- No automatic track generation
- Best for: Carefully crafted playlists, album listening
Implemented Modes (Groupie, Twofer, Contempo):
- Fully functional and ready to use
- Each uses different selection strategies
- Try each to find your favorite
Planned Modes (Stretch, Gemini, Freeze):
- Shown in the menu but disabled
- Tap shows "coming soon" message
- Will be enabled in future updates
Integration with Other Features
Player & Queue
- DJ Mode integrates directly with the playback queue
- Automatically extends queue when running low
- Works alongside album autoplay
- DJ takes priority when both are active
- Generated tracks marked for identification
Library Management
- DJ queries your full music library
- Uses Songs feature APIs for track discovery
- Respects library permissions and access
- Works with all your accessible content
Sonic Analysis (Future)
- Planned DJ modes (Gemini, Freeze) will use sonic analysis
- Audio fingerprinting for similarity detection
- More intelligent track selection
- Enhanced musical matching
Settings System
- DJ mode preference saved automatically
- Persists across app sessions
- No additional configuration needed
- Simple one-tap selection
Error Handling & Reliability
What Happens When Things Go Wrong
DJ Generation Failure:
- Silently handled in the background
- No interruption to current playback
- Logged for debugging
- Your queue continues playing normally
Unimplemented Mode Selected:
- Shows "coming soon" message
- No action taken
- Mode remains disabled
- Easy to understand status
Network Issues:
- DJ requires internet for track generation
- If offline, DJ cannot generate new tracks
- Your existing queue continues playing
- Try again when reconnected
Self-Healing Features
- Automatic retry: DJ attempts generation on next track change
- Graceful degradation: Queue continues even if DJ fails
- State persistence: Your mode selection is always remembered
- Validation checks: DJ validates all inputs before generation
Technical Specifications
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Total DJ Modes | 7 |
| Modes Implemented | 3 (Groupie, Twofer, Contempo) |
| Modes Planned | 3 (Stretch, Gemini, Freeze) + 1 disabled mode |
| Tracks Per Generation | 5 tracks |
| DJ Trigger Threshold | ≤ 5 tracks remaining in queue |
| DJ Persistence | Yes (saved across sessions) |
| Requires Internet | Yes (for track generation) |
| Works Offline | No (cannot generate new tracks offline) |
| Integration | Player queue, Songs feature, Library APIs |
| Storage Key | 'dj' (LocalStorage) |
| UI Location | Playback controls (disc icon) |
| i18n Support | 19 languages |
DJ Mode Comparison
| Feature | Groupie | Twofer | Contempo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strategy | Similar tracks | Same artist | Same era |
| API Used | Similarity search | Artist songs | Year-filtered songs |
| Best For | Discovery | Artist deep-dive | Time travel |
| Context Used | Current track | Current artist | Current year |
| Variety | High (different artists) | Low (same artist) | Medium (same era) |
Related Documentation
- Player & Queue - Queue management, autoplay integration
- Library Management - Music browsing and discovery
- Search & Discovery - Finding music manually
- Sonic Analysis - Future DJ mode foundations