Tips for finding the right 'next song' in the heat of DJing

[Haydn]

But when I do mellower gigs (I've done some afternoon sets for families at Spiegeltent), I'm not sure how to work the energy in the room. Crazy arse, manic energy lindy doesn't really work when you're playing for a mixed afternoon tea crowd of lindy hoppers, kids, grandparents, parents and teenagers (even if they're all up and dancing). Nor if you're playing for a calmer, Monday evening post-class group who're really interested in drinking and chatting and catching up as well as dancing.

Here's my question:

If you're DJing a mellower gig like that, what do you aim for, in terms of 'vibe'? What sort of songs would you play? How do you choose songs to develop a particular vibe, and what sort of vibe do you aim for? How does it change your approach to 'the wave', in Russell's sense especially?

I've played music at a few events outside the mainstream lindyhop scene. One was at a free outdoor festival, others were in a cafe/bar. I found it quite relaxing to be able to play music without feeling like a failure if people aren't dancing. And it's a great way to share your music with new people.

My approach at the cafe gigs was to emphasise tunes more than rhythms, and not to play too loudly. I tried to pitch the volume so that people near the speakers could hear the music properly, and those at the other end of the room could talk comfortably. I also started taking requests, which helped to build rapport with the crowd, and give me an idea of their tastes. At the outdoor festival, a couple of dancers came along and did some freestyle dancing to some 30s tracks, which went down really well.

I think I would aim for a lower average tempo, say around 140bpm instead of 165bpm, and include a lot of well-known tunes.

Examples of 30s/40s tracks:

Begin the Beguine by Artie Shaw
Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen by The Andrews Sisters or Ella Fitzgerald
The Dipsy Doodle by Ella Fitzgerald
Tuxedo Junction, Pennsylvania 6-5000, Chattanooga Choo Choo and In The Mood all by Glenn Miller
Jeeper Creepers by Louis Armstrong
On The Sunny Side Of The Street and Yes Indeed by Tommy Dorsey
Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby and Banana Split For My Baby by Louis Jordan
Blue Skies, Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea, Love Me or Leave Me and The Flat Foot Floogie by Benny Goodman
Honeysuckle Rose and All That Meat And No Potatoes by Fats Waller
Walk 'Em, Be Careful and No More Love by Buddy Johnson

Or if you're into a 50s/60s feel, late Basie, Sinatra and Bobby Darin.

If it's a relaxed, mellow gig rather than a full-on high-energy dance then I think the 'waves' are less important as you're not dealing with so much energy. But it's important to stay focussed on the crowd and adjust to them because they might quickly change from sitting and chatting to dancing.

[Haydn]

One tip that helps me remember/find songs:

I use iTunes as my library and associate the CD cover as an image to the relevant songs. This gives me a visual cue in my memory and in iTunes to particular CDs. Also you can set a "flip through CDs" sort of view on your search area. Then can get the best of both worlds - the visual association of CDs and the seach capability of the computer.

Yeah, that's one problem I've found with using a computer. My brain gets overloaded with a torrent of words, tempos and playlists, and I sometimes can't function properly. So any way of using pictures would probably help.

[lipi]

My approach at the cafe gigs was to emphasise tunes more than rhythms, and not to play too loudly.

i don't want to derail this thread, but i feel like ranting a bit about how ungodly loudly many dj's (and bands) play their music.

RANT. turn it down, people. o.k. that's all.

[remysun]

Or "one-time"/"two-times" shortcut to listening "critically"--dance to it while listening to it!

Yes, you'll never truly know it works until you try to dance to it, no matter how many times you've listened to it before.

[djstarr]

a few late chimes in from the peanut gallery - I've been off this board for a while.

It's always good to have some tried and true songs so if you pick the next "wrong" song you can go back to something that will get people dancing again.

I find in reviewing my set lists that I have a very subconscious association going with my sequence of songs; if I play a version of a song that multiple artists have covered, I may play the next artist - i.e. if I play Jonathan Stout's "Minor Swing" then I may play a Boilermaker song such as "It's DeLovely" next since they also covered "Minor Swing".

I can sequence MUCH better with my computer since I can easily choose a song that is 20 or 30 BPM higher [if I'm climbing the ladder], or float between genre/artist etc.

And Louis Armstrong and Count Basie are great transition artists, easy to flow between genres with them.

[Haydn]

a few late chimes in from the peanut gallery - I've been off this board for a while.

It's always good to have some tried and true songs so if you pick the next "wrong" song you can go back to something that will get people dancing again.

I find in reviewing my set lists that I have a very subconscious association going with my sequence of songs; if I play a version of a song that multiple artists have covered, I may play the next artist - i.e. if I play Jonathan Stout's "Minor Swing" then I may play a Boilermaker song such as "It's DeLovely" next since they also covered "Minor Swing".

I can sequence MUCH better with my computer since I can easily choose a song that is 20 or 30 BPM higher [if I'm climbing the ladder], or float between genre/artist etc.

And Louis Armstrong and Count Basie are great transition artists, easy to flow between genres with them.

Thanks Brenda. But can I ask - unless you shortlist in advance, how do actually make sure you find a suitable following song in the few minutes that one is playing? (My mind sometimes just gets overloaded with songs, playlists and details, while trying to 'watch the floor' at the same time, that I fail to find something suitable, and end up trying something unsuitable, or panicking when I find I have 10 seconds to find something and just click anything I can find.) Just wondered how you might get over this problem?

[djstarr]

I think it's part organization, part experience. I do, now that I'm on a computer, short list - I work ahead 2 or 3 songs, but I've found if I go more than 3 songs I'll lose the flow a bit.

As long as you aren't being too distracted I think 3 min is enough time to find the next best song, as long as you have enough tags in your library or notes on your CDs.

If it's a very important event to me, or one where I'm playing a lot of music I normally don't I will have a playlist prepared to pull from in addition to the music library - for example I worked a formal dance for New Year's Eve and had a playlist with foxtrots and waltzes in it.

Hope this helps! And sometimes the perfect next song is just not available.......

[dogpossum]

I really don't think there's any substitute for practice - you get used to the 'pressure', the technology, your music, the way dancers respond, etc etc.

I don't think there's anything wrong with starting with a shorter list of songs when you first DJ, especially if they're songs that you know dancers already like. A lot of new DJs start with the idea that they're going to 'expose' dancers to a whole lot of great songs that 'no one ever plays'.
Sometimes there are really good reasons why no one ever plays them.

I usually have a few songs in my playlist ahead of time - I mightn't play any of them, but they're there as ideas or possibilities. Working up a full playlist can mean dying a slow death while DJing - I find it's better to take a punt than pre-plan too carefully. I've also found dancers are really very patient and tolerant if they know you're a noob and if the gig isn't a hardcore dancing night.

At the end of the day, you're going to make 'mistakes' when you're first learning, and then you're still going to make the occasional mistake later, when you've got more experience. Part of the challenge is learning how to recover from mistakes, and how to avoid making massive blunders.


The thing I'm now finding really challenging is keeping my music 'current' - not just playing the latest cool song but knowing what musical and dance styles people are into; not just playing the same old songs that I know work; dancing enough myself to keep connected to what songs actually make good dancing; collecting new music to keep me inspired, then finding enough time to get to know it properly; understanding the technology I'm using well enough to solve problems and really make my music sound great; and developing the skills to do really great sets - you know, beyond passable and on the way to really really great and inspirational.
That's what I'm working towards - being able to do the sorts of sets that have the entire room dancing like fools and really having a wonderful time. Playing new and interesting songs and artists that are really great for dancing, not just stunts. Being able to achieve really great sets under any conditions.
And I'm finding that this is taking lots and lots of practice.

[Haydn]

I really don't think there's any substitute for practice - you get used to the 'pressure', the technology, your music, the way dancers respond, etc etc.

Is there any way to practice getting used to the pressure APART from doing gigs. Is that what you mean by practice - gigs - or is there an effective way that you can simulate the pressure when practicing at home?

[fredo]

I'm not sure practicing at home will really help, other than help you to listen to your music more critically. KitKat has suggested dancing to your own music at home, but I dont really see a way of simulating a dance floor atmosphere where you have an unexpected crowd, with unpredictable mood swings and requests. I suppose you could have some friends over for a small party, but that's not really much pressure (unless your friends are really harsh).

I would consider dance gigs as practice, so long as a diverse group of people are dancing and you are left to your own judgment to decide what to play. For what we do, it seems like practice and performance are happening simultaneously-- each set its own experiment. Sure, some gigs will be more pressure than others, but when you're dealing with an unpredictable dance floor, there's no time like the present.

[Platypus]

I totally agree with the list thing, especially if you are using a computer.

The best advice anyone ever gave me was that if I am in doubt about the next song, ask myself if there is something about the next song similar to the current song. A few examples:

- keep the tempo approximately 20-25 beats different from the current tempo. It is enough to feel different, but not enough to feel like a jerky change.

- keep instrumentation similar. If the song ends low and quiet on the piano, start the next song with a piano.

- if you want to move from slow to fast quickly, keep a list of songs that change tempo.

- keep a list of "bridge" songs that sound good next to a variety of styles. For example, Alberta Hunter, "Sweet Georgia Brown," comes to mind. I would love to hear other people's ideas for "bridge" songs.

[djstarr]

I really don't think there's any substitute for practice - you get used to the 'pressure', the technology, your music, the way dancers respond, etc etc.

Is there any way to practice getting used to the pressure APART from doing gigs. Is that what you mean by practice - gigs - or is there an effective way that you can simulate the pressure when practicing at home?

Having a dance which is low pressure where you can DJ at is really a benefit for practicing. We have a club dance where for a long time we didn't pay the DJs; it's where I first started DJ'ing and where I feel that I can practice, make mistakes, try out new songs etc. The venue started paying the DJs, but a nominal amount, and one of the ideas is to have it be a friendly place for DJs to get started. To me it's much different spinning there than at larger venues.

So perhaps there is a club dance or somewhere that you can volunteer at Haydn to get practice time in? You could always start your own dance

[djstarr]

- keep a list of "bridge" songs that sound good next to a variety of styles. For example, Alberta Hunter, "Sweet Georgia Brown," comes to mind. I would love to hear other people's ideas for "bridge" songs.

yes this really helps. mid-tempo by familiar artists; Louis Armstrong/Duke Ellington "Drop me off in Harlem", Count Basie's "One O'Clock Jump", Gene Krupa/Anita O'Day "Let me off Uptown" or "Opus One", Ella's "Ol Man Moses". just some suggestions.

[dogpossum]

That's useful stuff, djstarr and Platypus. Especially in regards to looking for similar styles/instruments:

The best advice anyone ever gave me was that if I am in doubt about the next song, ask myself if there is something about the next song similar to the current song.

(Platypus)

I tend to listen to the rhythm sections, and then match the stuff going on there - chunky old school, 'jank' (I like that term), shuffle.
I also match energy levels, or build them up and down.
And I try to find similar 'sounds', kind of in a 'mini-set' (that's another term I like) - little chunks of a particular style. We have such disparate tastes in Melbourne, I try to play a bit of everything in a set/over a few sets.
For example, I like to move between Slim and Slam, Fats Waller and Cats and the Fiddle (though I'm wary of overloading on that stuff, all in one chunk - it doesn't go down so well as a massive block with my local dancers, though I adore it).
I often move between new testament Basie, later Big Joe Turner, LCJO, George Gee - all nice, fat, hi-fi sounds with lots of great energy who play well together.

Campus Five, Mora's Modern Rhythmists/Swingtet are all nice for transitioning between people like Bechet, Spanier, Ory, Mike McQuaid's Red Hot Rhythmakers (an amazing Melbourne band) and newer stuff.

I use Savoy Blues (1945, Kid Ory and His Creole Band) far too often for moving between those guys and solidly swinging big band.



By practice, I mean actually getting out there and DJing to real, live dancers. Though I'm with Kitkat for dance-testing songs as well. I also practice DJing at home by myself as well - getting used to new technologies, practicing combining songs using a 'real time' time limit (ie I have to find the next song before the one playing finishes), checking to see how a particular song sounds on a bigger sound system (as opposed to tinny laptop speakers).

I find I need to practice quite often - I don't think about DJing or listen to my music enough to keep on top of it otherwise.

[Nate Dogg]

To find the next song, I run a smart view in WinAmp to find songs that fit what I am looking for in the next song (SmartViews are called Smart Playlists in iTunes, most of the MP3 players have a similar database function in them). Similar to what others have said, usually the tempo is not drastically different and there is something similar to the song before. However, sometimes I might want to play something radically different. The point is that I organize my collection to where I can find it very easily. I follow my system.

Typical comments inside the MP3 tag will look something like this.

SwingDJ: 130_139: FemaleVocal: Gospel: Piano: NewOrleans.

or

SwingDJ: 170_179: Lindy: Balboa: Insturumental: Essential

or

SwngDJ: 80_89: BluesRoom: Guitar: MaleVocal: Austin: Level3

imagine one hundred of other things I can track in terms of musicality, lyrical content, whether or not it is a proven dancer favorite and to what degree, geography, specific dance suitability, etc...

Typical query (SmartPlaylist) looks like this...
"comment has "lindy" and comment has "140_149"
or another one would be..
"comment has "balboa"

For example, if I just played Ella, and I want to play another female singer, I click on the playlist for female vocalists, I can sort within the query to get even more specific.

The idea is that I think in terms of my queries to guide me as I DJ. I am always working on making my tags more complete, refined over time. That makes me have better lists to choose from. If I get a new song or rediscover a lost song buried in my collection, I tag it well and it will pop up on all of the appropriate playlists instantly.

I don't believe in static playlists. Sooner or later, if you change systems, you will either loose what you have and you will have to manually rebuild it. If I change computers, I can rewrite all my queries in 45 minutes and reload all my songs in a few hours.

I keep the all my tags in the comments field. I realize that there other tag fields out there. But, not every MP3 player supports them. The comments tag field is pretty universal has worked great for a few years, no reason to change.

If I tag well and use saved queries, I don't have to rely on building lists before hand, previewing is not as critical (although still beneficial), I have no look at album covers to jog my memory, no need to randomly scroll through unorganized song lists in my library.

Nathan