SwingDJs

Anyone out there have an opinion on using live recordings while DJing? Are things like applause at the beginning and ending of a song, or crowd noise that gets in the recording, etc. too much of a distraction, not a problem at all, or do you just make a judgement call on a song-by-song basis?

Matt
Moscow, ID

I definitely play live recordings. Applause isn't really distracting if you use it right. Think about it....If you were seeing a live band, people would usually applaud after songs. Sometimes I like to play a few live songs in a row, fading one applause into the next. I think it gives your set a live performance feel. If the applause at the end of a song is longer, definitely fade it out, even if your next song doesn't start with applause.

I play Live stuff. Just fade in and fade out as necessary. Live recording often have great energy, why not use it?

I love live recordings! Some of my favorite swinging tracks are live, and if the quality is great, I will gladly DJ them any day of the week.

A few favorite live albums off the top of my head that are chock-full of tracks I DJ:

George Gee - Swingin' Live!
Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra - Live At Swing City
Barbara Morrison - Live At The 9:20 Special
Count Basie - Newport '57
Frank Sinatra - Sinatra At The Sands
Count Basie - Golden '58
Duke Ellington - Newport '59
Helen Humes - Deed I Do
Bill Elliott - Live At The Hollywood Paladium
Jimmy Witherspoon - Rockin' With Spoon
Ella Fitzgerald/Billie Holiday/Carmen McRae - At Newport
Ella Fitzgerald - The Concert Years (a compilation but still worth mentioning)

These all capture some energy that you can only get when performing live. The crowd response is one of the best parts of live recordings!

When I include live tracks on my DJ compilations, I will usually trim out extraneous applause/intros/outros, only leaving those that add to the recordings, making the tracks easiest to cue up and play at dances.

Jesse

Live recordings are cool. Generally, if there's crap at the beginning, I usually cue up to remove it from play. I might let applause at the end of the track run out, if it's not too long. Usually, I fade it out at about 4-6 seconds.

Kalman

If I had to choose between two versions of a song, I would tend towards playing the live version (if the recording quality is good).
Live versions have that extra "something", the performers are having a good time, the audience is having a good time, there is so much more energy packed in live versions. I do skip the long intros and announcements etc. One resource that I have is a large collection of recordings from the Savoy Ballroom, and they have some very cool announcements, those I use sometimes while making compilations or while playing for a theme night or something.

cheers

What about tunes that have applause in the middle?

I just found "Andre Previn: Jazz at the Musikverein" A great trio recording in Viennas best music hall. Their opener, "Stompin' at the Savoy" is great, but the audience claps after every single solo. While they are silent during the rest of the playing, it seems a bit much to DJ with, but the energy is great and the sound quality just as good.

I think it would be fitting to play for a Jam circle, then the dancers don't have to keep track of how many 8s the current couple has danced, they just get applauded off.

Live recordings are great.

I don't think clapping effects the dancer's experience. Sure, there may be a recording here or there where the clapping obscures the music, but more often, the clapping enhances things.

Mystere88 wrote:What about tunes that have applause in the middle?

I don't see the problem, at all, and I use live recordings ALL the time. If dancers notice at all, the only thing I think they would think if they heard applause in the middle of a song (say, after a solo) is, "Hmm, this is a live recording," and keep dancing. It is not an unusual thing, at all.

There is one live Basie version of Blues For Stephanie that has applause in the middle of the recording that might mislead dancers to think the song is over. But that is a function of the musical false ending and reprise, not the applause.