SwingDJs

Like 15 minutes is enough time to judge a DJ!

Ron wrote:Like 15 minutes is enough time to judge a DJ!

Occasionally it is

Ron wrote:Like 15 minutes is enough time to judge a DJ!

Yeah with you we'd only need one song

Actually you can get 5 really good licks perhaps 6 in that amount of time. It's going to be tuff, but that's what makes it fun.

djstarr wrote:I've heard through the grapevine that each DJ will have 15 minutes to show off their best stuff, then after everyone has spun the winner gets to DJ the rest of the evening. Anyone care to confirm this?

I thought the concept sounded silly to begin with. Now, I really feel that way. How many songs can you play in 15 minutes, 3 - 5 songs. The rules above sound goofy.

Additionally, a lot of factors will influence the contest:
* The time of the DJs slot
* The order of the DJs
* The popularity of the particular DJ, not necessarily their ability as a DJ, but a measure of how friendly they are with the rest of the crowd.

If we were to do a similar contest locally, I can tell you that certain DJs would not have a chance regardless of their performance, simply because other DJs have more friends.

I just hope the winners/losers of this event don't take the results too seriously.

you guys need to cut each other. that's all there is to it.

if someone plays a song that you can top, you should.

just remember: low energy = DEATH.

falty411 wrote: I also think the audience members at HJDF will be a whole lot more educated than your typical "Dance Contest Night" at the local bowling alley.

One would hope..

The only other contest like this I've heard of was one in seattle, where the winner was a guy who's been playing the same mix lounge & jump blues for 5 years.

I think it'd be rad if the old timers voted.

Nate Dogg wrote: Additionally, a lot of factors will influence the contest:
* The time of the DJs slot
* The order of the DJs
* The popularity of the particular DJ, not necessarily their ability as a DJ, but a measure of how friendly they are with the rest of the crowd.

The other interesting thing about the schedule is that the Harlem night tour (i.e. bar hopping) starts at 9 on Sat. and the Battle of The DJ's starts at 10......coincidence? I think not...

main_stem wrote:Dude I'm thowing down for Reuben. Given the criteria I think he best suits it.

I agree, but Jesse and Rayned are masters at reading the crowd.

They are both loved on the east coast, but Jesse has the "I'm the most popular DJ in the country" advantage. After all, why else would so many DJs be lumped together as "Jesse clones"?

I'm hoping what might make this a little more interesting is that there will be European dancers present ...that takes some of the edge off of Jesse's undeniable popularity...

Whatever happens, going first sucks; you get the least number of dancers, no oppurtunity to watch the crowd response to previous selections, and nobody remembers the first competitor in any comp anyway.

I think it's going to be pure luck. 15 minutes & strict guidelines gets rid of most of the participants individuality, if you ask me.

Just curious what the "grapevine" is. Janice? Nicole? If we're gonna get all in a hussy over grapevine, then...

...I heard through the grapevine that Rueben and Swingboy are secret lovers. LOL

I also heard the Brooklyn Bridge is for sale.

At the end of the evening, whoever ends up "winning" will have played much more than 15 minutes worth of music. This I heard from Janice and Nicole. So I'm just wondering what grapevine you're talking about.

Swifty wrote:I think it's going to be pure luck. 15 minutes & strict guidelines gets rid of most of the participants individuality, if you ask me.

Do you call the below "strict guidelines"? If you do, then it looks like you need to expand your collection. I've kept specific track lately, and every set I've DJed in the past couple months fell into the category and I wasn't even trying (that is, with the exception of a few novelty pop westie tunes that I play once a night at most. And I definitely wouldn't play at this type event). What's so strict? Tell me, what part of your individuality at a regular dance you'd DJ at is considerably limited by the below guidelines?

a. 85% of the music played must be played or composed by African-American
artists.
b. No cartoon music. Period.
c. No West Coast music. Period.
d. No Neo-Swing. Period.

djstarr wrote: The other interesting thing about the schedule is that the Harlem night tour (i.e. bar hopping) starts at 9 on Sat. and the Battle of The DJ's starts at 10......coincidence? I think not...

Please excuse my ignorance; I'm really confused by this comment. Should the Harlem night tour be during the day instead? Or should it be Fri night or Sun night during one of the live band events? I don't think I get your point.

Shorty Dave wrote:

Swifty wrote:I think it's going to be pure luck. 15 minutes & strict guidelines gets rid of most of the participants individuality, if you ask me.

Do you call the below "strict guidelines"? If you do, then it looks like you need to expand your collection. I've kept specific track lately, and every set I've DJed in the past couple months fell into the category and I wasn't even trying (that is, with the exception of a few novelty pop westie tunes that I play once a night at most. And I definitely wouldn't play at this type event). What's so strict? Tell me, what part of your individuality at a regular dance you'd DJ at is considerably limited by the below guidelines?

a. 85% of the music played must be played or composed by African-American
artists.
b. No cartoon music. Period.
c. No West Coast music. Period.
d. No Neo-Swing. Period.

I think the pint of contention is this line here, "...come prepared to do the best job you can representing Lindy Hop music that you think shows off Harlem and its gifts to the world."

I don't know about you, but when I think of Harlem and dancing, I think of Frankie Manning. Isn't his favorite song Basie's Shiny Stockings? I also think of Allan Harris, one of Harlem's current great vocalists. I hope Rayned plays his version of "Just a Sittin and a Rockin'"!

I agree, the rules are pretty broad. They could be tightened by saying only songs composed by artists that played at the savoy or only artists who lived in NYC or something that you'd have to think about. The guidelines are pretty simple really.

Harlem's gifts to the world include a lot of music that doesn't fit the other guidelines, so that doesn't mean too much either...

Edit:
I just saw the "arm chair thread (I've been out of town and I haven't been cecking the board), so I just want to say that this is the most intelligent post on the topic so far:

GuruReuben wrote: As I said somewhere else (I forget where) Janice should have just said play 100% music by musicians (or composers) with a strong Harlem Jazz scene influence instead of playing a race card that could have gone without saying.

Well put and more to the point.