SwingDJs

Hey all, I am going to start DJing periodically starting this new year and I'm very excited at the prospect. Following the advice of many on here, I have tried to expand my collection- over 400 songs at last count (not many relative to some long-term DJs, I know, but better than just 3 CDs!). However, this has almost led to another problem: I have too much to chose from! Should I try to keep it to the classics/standards, stay the music that's typically played in my scene, play whatever people dance to, mix it up, only throw in a few new songs, what?! Part of the "problem" is that most of the dancers here don't seem very picky- they'll dance no matter what. What do you do if everyone sits out a song- continue playing it, fade it out and try something else? Should you follow it with something you KNOW will get _everyone_ on their feet or slowly build the energy back into it? How many songs ahead do you plan? What do you do if something goes awry with said plan (for example, in the middle of your planned set everyone stops dancing)? Any and all advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

My opinion would be to start with a core selection of music locals normally dance to and work out from there. Jumping in with something totally different is akin to jumping into a pool without first checking if it's filled with water. By all means work in new stuff but start off easy, see what people dig and what they don't. It sometimes takes a while (months or more) to warm the audience up something different, for example if your local crowd dances mainly to neo-swing/jump blues it will take a while to slowly introduce more and more classic swing.

If the dancers in your scene aren't picky, that'll work to your benefit and you can take a few more chances. If something bombs, then follow it up with one of the fail-safe standards everyone in your scene digs.

As far as planning ahead, I pretty much fly by the seat of my pants. The farthest I plan ahead is one CD playing, one queued and one I'm waiting to preview before I queue it. Sometimes I might have something I want to work into the set later on (eg new music I want to try) but I treat it like I would a request and try to work it in. When I started DJing, I would plan out about an hour of music before starting however I soon stopped since I rarely followed the plan becuase it usually wasn't a good fit for the crowd that evening.

As far as fade outs, I don't like them but sometimes it's the best way to gracefully move on. I believe there is a discussion of that exact topic elsewhere on the forum.

Good luck ... BTW, what kind of music do people in your scene normally dance to?

A little story. Got my first job 30 years ago. I got it because my small record collection was better than the other guy who applied.

I then started to learn. My advice -: Watch and listen to other DJ's. Watch your audience. Always take note of requests you don't have and get them. Promise the asker that you will have it next time.

Always relax and enjoy yourself. Experience will bring all the answers.

Chris

First, remember that your ultimate goal is NOT to exclusively play music that you (or your friends) like as if you are at home listening to music. If you want that sort of monopoly over musical preferences, stay at home listening on your stereo. Granted, it is ideal if your tastes overlap the crowd's tastes, but don't presume that they will. The worst newbie DJs are those who either play whatever they want without regard to whether it works or who refuse to play soemthing outside of their preferences, perhaps even because they have an "agenda" of enlightening the scene. You won't enlighten anyone until you gain their trust.

That said, start playing what makes you want to dance because its what you know. But if that doesn't seem to work, start trying to play what makes other people want to dance.

Second, pay attention and adjust. The biggest mistakes of new DJs are 1) not realizing that what they are playing isn't working and 2) not being able to adjust on the fly to make it work.

Along those lines, NEVER fully plan a set ahead of time: that's a recipe for disaster. You can (and shoould) develop ideas and preferences ("I'd like to try these songs next time...") but you MUST always be willing and able to react to what is happening on the floor and completely trash your plans.

That is the biggest and really only task of a DJ: watch the floor so you can react. Doing so also gives you experience with what works and allows you to learn to subtly understand why it works. Sometimes a "new" song won't work the first time and you just need to learn how to introduce/preface it before playing it next time. Sometimes a "new" song shouldn't be tried ever again because it shouldn't have been tried, in the first place.

Third, relax and have fun. A nervous DJ tends to not pay attention enough, overreacts to small things, and plays odd stuff as a result. Along those lines, try to have the next song ready and cued up with more than one minute left to go in the previous song so that you will have time to relax. Don't bother trying to search for a slightly-better or more-perfect song; once you find something that will work, the time spent relaxing, enjoying things, and watching the floor is more important than searching for a slightly better song.

As for fading out songs, I have faded out complete disaster songs, but only rarely and only if I feel as if they are "experiments gone foul." Otherwise, it could just be that the floor needs a breather after you just played five incredibly successful songs in a row.

You can narrow down the pack of wannabe DJs by giving preference to:

* people who want regular slots with the understanding the this is a committment, not a "do it when it's convenient" thing.

* people who don't want/get regular slots but agree to be "on call" and available with sufficient advance notice (over people that only want to DJ when they get into the mood at their convenience).

* people who agree to take on the responsibility of equipment transport, set-up, and break-down. It's real easy for a DJ to just show up with the music - and a lot more work and responsibility to have to deal with setting up and/or breaking down the event.

Hey everybody,

I read this thread AFTER I made my DJ debut on Sunday evening here in Portland, OR. Fortunately, I actually did a lot of the things in the advice so I'm guessing it's a case of : use your common sense alongside your musical knowledge.

It was a great thrill, and I got really positive (and genuine, I believe) feedback on the night and since via emails from local DJs and promoters.

I'm sure I will have questions a-plenty going forward, so can I start with one that will demonstrate how green I am at this.

What is the view on playing a song, say Jeep Jockey Jump, that has been captured from a performance, complete with background clapping, cheering and whistling? If I think it has great energy, more so than clean studio recordings of the same song, and the music itself is not rendered virtually inaudible by the background sounds, would that be ok, or is it just a complete non-starter for other reasons?

Again back to the common sense thing.

Usually have no problem with live recordings as long as the recording is good. I sometimes do it on purpose to use the clapping to lengthen the transition between songs to change up the mood a bit.

You want to be able to fade in/fade out the applause, though, especially if it goes on longer than you like. Loud applause that is just cut dead because someone arbitrarily decided that that's where the track ends can sound awful. Apart from that, go for it! The energy and atmosphere of live recordings can be amazing. Mostly I don't even mind announcements at the beginning of the song and things like that, it just adds to the "being there" feel - on vintage recordings in particular.

J-h:n wrote:You want to be able to fade in/fade out the applause, though, especially if it goes on longer than you like. Loud applause that is just cut dead because someone arbitrarily decided that that's where the track ends can sound awful.

And if you can crossfade a new song IN over top of the applause, it'll make for a VERY smooth transition.

(And speaking of applause, I love it when certain songs end, and people sort of naturally feel compelled to start clapping. Like they were *SO* moved by the music, they became a PART of it.)

But back to the OP:

For your first time out, depending on how long you'll be playing (Let's say two hours) for the first 45 minutes or so, I'd stick to the "tried-and-true" songs you hear all the time. People will start to think, "Okay, you don't suck."

Then you can push the envelope a little; mix in something more obscure, but still within the same general style(s) you're used to hearing. People who pay attention will think, "Neat! I've never heard THIS one before!" But only do that for maybe two or three songs at a time, and always settle back into the old familiars.

Long about the hour-forty mark, Zing 'em! Play something funky -- something fun! Make the crowd stand up and take notice. Then play ten minutes of your best stuff. Really killer material that will leave people thinking, "That was FANTASTIC!"

If it's the end of the night, I like to announce one "Last Song" that's slow and groovy. Give people a chance to get intimate with their significant others (or potential S.O.'s...) I always follow that up with one final upbeat, catchy encore that will get stuck in their heads while they're driving home.

It's especially important to mix up tempos and styles a little. Unless the night is advertised as such, don't play ALL Hot Jazz or ALL Jump Blues. Make people flex their entire range of dancing abilities... I'm not saying you should be all over the map, but be sure to add some variety.

Also, if you can, I'd say to chit-chat with some of the people who aren't dancing. If it's because of the music, they'll let you know (so you can adjust), and if it's just because they're sitting out for a song or two, they'll be happy to have company; they'll remember you for being friendly and personable.

Above all else, always make it fun. For the dancers *AND* yourself.

And let us know how it goes! (Post a playlist!)

J-h:n wrote: (And speaking of applause, I love it when certain songs end, and people sort of naturally feel compelled to start clapping. Like they were *SO* moved by the music, they became a PART of it.)

That happened on Sunday night - and it was the promoter who did it to me! He was so into Happy Feet he pointed right at me and said 'play that again'! I have also been so into a song by the end I spontaneously clapped in the DJ's direction. Maybe it was the first time I heard Blues My Naughty S G To Me, Bechet, not sure.

J-h:n wrote: For your first time out, depending on how long you'll be playing (Let's say two hours) for the first 45 minutes or so, I'd stick to the "tried-and-true" songs you hear all the time. People will start to think, "Okay, you don't suck."

lol - love your sense of humour. But yeah I know what you're saying is sensible too. That's what I did on Sunday, safe songs early on.

J-h:n wrote: Then you can push the envelope a little; mix in something more obscure, but still within the same general style(s) you're used to hearing. People who pay attention will think, "Neat! I've never heard THIS one before!" But only do that for maybe two or three songs at a time, and always settle back into the old familiars.

Long about the hour-forty mark, Zing 'em! Play something funky -- something fun! Make the crowd stand up and take notice. Then play ten minutes of your best stuff. Really killer material that will leave people thinking, "That was FANTASTIC!"

Amazing - that's pretty much what I went for. In fact, I even used the word 'zing' yesterday when I sent an email to the local swing group telling them what fun it was to play for them and what kind of energy I was trying to send their way!

J-h:n wrote: Also, if you can, I'd say to chit-chat with some of the people who aren't dancing. If it's because of the music, they'll let you know (so you can adjust), and if it's just because they're sitting out for a song or two, they'll be happy to have company; they'll remember you for being friendly and personable.

Bummer - I didn't do this. Makes a lot of sense - will do next time.

J-h:n wrote: Above all else, always make it fun. For the dancers *AND* yourself.

Yeah I tried to play stuff I would have danced to at various stages of my own progression from flat-flooted absolute newbie to mildly competent person no longer resembling a flailing alcoholic flamingo, as the session went on.

J-h:n wrote: And let us know how it goes! (Post a playlist!)

Oh great. No pressure then next to all you wizards. Posting my playlist is making me more nervous than I remember being before I DJ'd..

OK here goes.. as it was my first time, I was spinning 3s with a more experienced DJ from 8pm-10pm, hence the breakdown...

Here is the link to the list
http://swingout.net/index.php?act=ST&f= ... #entry6083

sleeplessinsale wrote:Amazing - that's pretty much what I went for. In fact, I even used the word 'zing' yesterday when I sent an email to the local swing group telling them what fun it was to play for them and what kind of energy I was trying to send their way!

Heck yeah! "Zing Dancing!" Hahahahaha!!

J-h:n wrote:Oh great. No pressure then next to all you wizards. Posting my playlist is making me more nervous than I remember being before I DJ'd..

Naw, man, love is love... We're all friends here!

Good show, bro! Keep 'em coming...

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:- Dabe