First of all I would like to remind you that the tricks and effects are good in moderation "Less is more". Don't try to over do, you need to give the feeling that the effects are natural in the track, like it was made in the music production itself. Turn to them only a few times during your set, and do it just in the right spot. Keep in mind that every effect has its own moment.
At the other hand, make sure to turn on the monitors at the booth to make sure to avoid any delay. The sound from the main room comes at you with a delay, which could be just enough to miss the timing of your track.
Tricks with EQ
The EQ gives you more creativity with three dimensions (Low, Mediums & highs). You can control the sound with the old school ways. When the mixers didn't have any incorporated effects.
1 - LOWS (Up & Down)
Cutting of the kick creates a vacuum on the dancefloor and keeps it in anxious anticipation until they kick off again. Thus you can use the low knob to cut the kick and the baseline on the last 2 or 4 beats of the preceding phrase. Put it back at the first mesure of the next phase and you will create your now mini-break that give back the energy that everyone is anticipating on the dance floor. This is much more effective on a big crowd with a fat sound system. You make people feeling thirsty and you fill them up with the juice of the low frequencies on the right time!
2- Using the channel fader
The trick is also an old school one. the goal is to create a small break to kick off the groove! Cut the fader in a strategic moment and move it back and forth.
Everything is based on the phrasing. You close the fader on the very last beat of a phrase preceding the track’s climax, and then open it on the first beat of the next one. This is working on all kind of House Music as soon as you make sure to choose the right moment of the hook. The best practice for beginners is to count beats for a few bars before the climax.
At the end of the day, you will need to feel the music and stop watching the screen to get better results.
3- Sing it Baby!
When you play a track with a familiar vocal hook, you can add some interaction to the process. As the hook begins to play, lower the medium knob so the guests can hear themselves singing while the bass sound is still in there to keep the groove. Pop singers are usually directing the mic towards the crowd to sing along to their song.
Some djs like to cut off completely the sound with the upfader, but I feel it more interesting when you keep the low and high frequencies running to keep the tempo for the crowd.
Simple old school tricks like these can be very effective into your dj set and give it a personalized flavor. Keep in mind to not overdo it!