Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2003 11:57 am
I guess it's just me then. I find him so annoying. His voice just bugs me.
OK, whatever, I didn't hear the song. Also, not to be anal (ok, I'll be anal) I'm pretty sure polka music is 2/4 rhythm. Play that one Andrews Sisters song. I think the dance uses triple steps though.Lawrence wrote: No, I'm talking pre-swing traditional jazz with a 2-beat feel that did not use a swing rhythm and used a Tuba as the main element of the rhythm section. Polka rhythm is in triplets.
A few tips:KevinSchaper wrote:for anybody who wants to play swing-era stuff in a mostly post-swing-era scene, what're are good baby-step kinda songs?
I try to work in blocks, easing from one style to another. At first these blocks might be short and infrequent. Given time, these blocks grow larger and more frequent throughout the night. This has been very successful for me.KevinSchaper wrote:Does it work better to work in blocks of stuff from the same era or jump back and forth?
agreed - well said.main_stem wrote: Seattle loves a mix of good swinging jazz music. Assumeing one way or the other handicaps a DJ. Yes there are certain venues here geared in specific ways, but by no means does that mean the whole of Seattle is one way or the other.
I'm reading the thread aren't I? I guess time will tell whether I'm actually paying attention! And yes, these posts are quite instructional, maybe this forum should be required reading before giving anyone a set to spinmain_stem wrote:Brenda as a new DJ yourself I hope you will pay attention to all these posts about new DJs.
I've actually been forcing myself away from this philosophy lately, and jumping around more, so I was actually gonna post the opposite (in reply to myself, of course :) ) - I think it's harder to still sound right, but it does good things on the floor.. I dunno if it's the unpredictability, or just that the contrasts make people perk their ears up a little more or what..JesseMiner wrote:I try to work in blocks, easing from one style to another. At first these blocks might be short and infrequent. Given time, these blocks grow larger and more frequent throughout the night. This has been very successful for me.KevinSchaper wrote:Does it work better to work in blocks of stuff from the same era or jump back and forth?
That's where I am, for sure, with Atlanta. But, I've actually found it relatively easy to bounce around in era, recording quality and genre without having the set get too herky-jerky. I don't mind the lack of a perfectly smooth flow, especially in terms of genre or era. I'm a bit more mindful of hitting brick walls with energy level of the tunes, however.KevinSchaper wrote:... this philosophy lately, and jumping around more...
The tough part of this for a DJ is that if you wanna get more of one genre of music in your scene without a lot of violent upheval, you gotta like and play the stuff that's everybody's bread and butter.. then work on how you can make the stuff you want people to dance to fit in as every 3rd or 4th song, or less, I guess..
i very much detest this pilosophy. I hate it even more now that almost every DJ has adopted it.JesseMiner wrote:I try to work in blocks, easing from one style to another. At first these blocks might be short and infrequent. Given time, these blocks grow larger and more frequent throughout the night. This has been very successful for me.
Jesse
if there are blocks, wouldn't that be several long songs?falty411 wrote:
i very much detest this pilosophy. I hate it even more now that almost every DJ has adopted it.
its this philiosophy that at least to me, bores me and makes the evening sound like one big long song.
i knew your brain wasnt on idle anymore!CafeSavoy wrote:if there are blocks, wouldn't that be several long songs?
Yo KS got my back!!! And yes Nathan, I do believe that he is kidding when he said "brutalizing". I think the larger issue is that some of us feel that pre-war/swing era music is been pushed aside for the post war stuff, which quite frankly sounds better when amplified for the masses. It might be a technology issue but the fact remains that the post war ear (as a whole) does not tolerate the old stuff. We all have been afflicted by this in some form or the other. I for one will not for one second consider using a 386 pc to do anything.KevinSchaper wrote:The local austin discussion about George viciously brutalizing the scene inspired this topic...
for George, and anybody else who wants to play swing-era stuff in a mostly post-swing-era scene, what're are good baby-step kinda songs?
Does it work better to work in blocks of stuff from the same era or jump back and forth?
...comments on going the other way are worthwhile too..
Like I said in the other thread, dancers vote with their feet. On the night in question there was some stuff that worked and other stuff that did not. I noticed the stuff that worked and the stuff that did not. I totally disagree with the notion that dancers will dance to anything.Lawrence wrote: Nathan is trying to be too diplomatic because we both like George, personally, and don't want to slander him. George was not viciously brutalized, and yes, some "people" danced because they came to dance and will dance to anything. They could wiggle off-beat to bad music just as giddily as they wiggle off-beat to good music.
Good suggestions. Every single one of them. And they work too. The thing with those suggestions is that they take time. Austin is the kind of town that does not dance to a lot swing era stuff. If they do dance to that kind of music it is usually a modern rendition of the song. Austin will change. They will never totally accept the pre-war swing era stuff (as in that is all we play). To do that the whole scene would have to be over hauled. I do not want that. What I do want is to introduce them to the wealth of music that have been left behind for us to enjoy.JesseMiner wrote: 1. Slowly introduce songs -
2. Play some bridge material -
3. High-quality token songs -
4. Vary the tempos -