SwingDJs

Surreal wrote:As a dj, I play music for people to dance to. There are some songs/artists that I don't care for, but they're good for dancing/requests/whatever, so I play them anyways. Is there something wrong with this?

Of course not... but that's what wedding DJs are for.

As a Swing DJ, I play music for people to dance to as well. However I stick to playing music that 1) is appropriate for the dance as it's been marketed and 2) I like.

I've always been pretty successful at keeping a room happy without compromising my standards and still adhering to the expectations of the promoter. As a recent example, most people wouldn't consider LindyGroove to be my bag, but I'm able to keep the room moving, playing the type of stuff they're expecting to hear, and it's still stuff I really like.

And you know what, if I don't have some song I really hate and don't think is appropriate... maybe the DJ playing an hour later has a different opinion about it and it gets played after all.

I love how this place automatically "downgrades" me to wedding dj (not that there's anything wrong with that). Goodness forbid we play non-era-specific/"acceptable"-shortlist-of-modern-artists' music for our dances.

So this makes Buble inappropriate for a swing dance? How about if instead of Buble I said that I didn't care for Glenn Miller? Should I cut out fast music from my playlists because I don't like balboa?

As a dj I try to play a wide variety of music, and that includes styles/atists/whatever that aren't my cup of tea. There aren't many here who dj, and I'm the only one who does with any regularity. If I only played the stuff I liked, well, I think that's doing a disservice and limiting to the dancers.

Meh, who are we to judge. My crowd/scene is different from yours. *shrug*

Surreal wrote:I love how this place automatically "downgrades" me to wedding dj (not that there's anything wrong with that).

It's not this place, it's just Reuben.

keither wrote:

Surreal wrote:I love how this place automatically "downgrades" me to wedding dj (not that there's anything wrong with that).

It's not this place, it's just Reuben.

Exactly.

Surreal wrote:Goodness forbid we play non-era-specific/"acceptable"-shortlist-of-modern-artists' music for our dances.

Personally, the list of eras, styles, recording years and artists I play from is huge.

Surreal wrote:So this makes Buble inappropriate for a swing dance?

What is "this?" I just think Buble sucks, that's all.

Surreal wrote:How about if instead of Buble I said that I didn't care for Glenn Miller?

That certainly wouldn't bother me any.

Surreal wrote:Should I cut out fast music from my playlists because I don't like balboa?

What would not liking Balboa have to do with cutting out fast music?

Surreal wrote:As a dj I try to play a wide variety of music, and that includes styles/atists/whatever that aren't my cup of tea. There aren't many here who dj, and I'm the only one who does with any regularity. If I only played the stuff I liked, well, I think that's doing a disservice and limiting to the dancers.

If that's your deal, cool... I just personally cringe at the thought of playing something I hate, or feeling the need to have something on hand that I hate in order to appease a few people in the crowd.

I was just throwing out vague examples there. No need to nitpick them.

Nowhere did I ever say that I "hate" something. There are plenty of songs/artists I don't particularly care for, but those garner more of a shrug than active dislike (well, except maybe for Get A Move On by Mr. Scruff, but my hatred for that song has mellowed out into a *headdesk* the past couple years).

As for my original comment, did I mention a side benefit to playing Bublé here is that the dj gets group hugs from the girls after playing his music?

Go on, impress me - is there a jacuzzi involved ??

Surreal wrote: As for my original comment, did I mention a side benefit to playing Bublé here is that the dj gets group hugs from the girls after playing his music?

That only happens when I bake cookies and bring them to the dance.

Being able play music that both the you and the crowd likes, won't always happen for all DJs. It depends on the taste of the crowd and the DJ and how wide those tastes are - which will vary for DJs and venues. (to paraphrase Abe Lincoln - all DJs can play music they and the crowd likes some of the time, some DJs, aka Rueben, can do it all of the time, but all DJs can't do it all of the time)

Back to the original point of the thread though - has anything recently heard anything seriously groan-worthy recently?

penguin wrote: Back to the original point of the thread though - has anything recently heard anything seriously groan-worthy recently?

Not recently, but a few months back, at a Lindy weekender, I heard someone incorporate Gangsta's Paradise into one of their sets.

I find it ... difficult ... to articulate my feelings on this.

CountBasi wrote:Go on, impress me - is there a jacuzzi involved ??

Well, there was a blues night/hot tub party we had once... Buble's version of Fever came on and the girls got excited. I'm not giving any more details than that

Heh. ANY version of Fever counts as the worst "I'm actually trying to play in the genre" song ever heard at a lindy OR blues dance.

keither wrote:Heh. ANY version of Fever counts as the worst "I'm actually trying to play in the genre" song ever heard at a lindy OR blues dance.

You have to play the tuba version.

Tuba you say? I'm intrigued. Who's it by?

Surreal wrote:Tuba you say? I'm intrigued. Who's it by?

Taj Mahal has a version with Howard Johnson on tuba.

Howard Johnson?!