I compiled a lot of what I've heard other people say or write into something that makes sense to me as a design professional... its still just a rambling draft as I'm still a newbie at all this... but for any academic types, here's my thoughts, for what they're worth...
Swing DJ’ing as a Design Art
The more I think about being a Swing DJ, the more I’ve realized, it’s just a design problem. Like interior and landscape designers, the goal of the swing DJ is to create an inviting environment where our clients (the dancers) feel comfortable.
While interior decorators may work with fabrics and furnishings and gardeners with plants and stone, the creative medium that swing DJ’s work with is music. But, as with other design professions, there remain 5 key areas a Swing DJ needs to address to ensure a successful evening:
1. KNOW YOUR CLIENT'S NEEDS - Are the dancers a high energy bunch of seasoned aerialists looking to showcase mad fast Lindy skills or is the scene new dancers looking to master swing outs before their knees give out?
Ask the client to give you a sense of what they expect you to play. Some people will give you very helpful guidelines (notice I said guidelines, not rigid rules).
2. PERFORM A SITE INVENTORY AND ANALYSIS - what you play will be affected by the physical conditions of the room. Here's a few things that may not be immediately obvious.
Surface - Is the floor a fast cushioned wooden surface or a rough, jarring patch of concrete? Your dancers’ knees (especially the follows) will thank you if you recognize the difference.
Temperature – Fast moving bodies on a crowded dance floor generate a lot of heat. If you notice most of the dancers are outside fanning themselves and sucking down water consider slowing the tempo’s down… or plan on staying slower early on to keep the room cooler to begin with.
Time of Day - Is it a blindingly sunny afternoon in a public park or a dark, late night in a historic 1930’s night club? Are we looking for a happy, light summer music mood or are we creating some smoky atmosphere?
Scale – In a tiny venue a handful of dancers doing something esoteric and unique can provide a brief moment of entertainment. But the same small group would be lost in a huge ballroom full of onlookers waiting for you to “play something danceable”.
Are you DJ’ing for a bunch of beginners in a small venue? Be careful with tempo’s and styles that encourage BIG swingouts where things may look more like a pachinko machine more than a dance floor.
Be aware that some music may sound great in a small room but get muddy and distorted in large venue with a lot of echo. Listen to how your music sounds in different venues.
Know the local favorites and what was played earlier in the evening– Ever play a great tune and wonder why the dance floor has emptied until you here people grumbling that you’ve just hit the most overplayed song that venue’s got? Ask your client if there are things that people think they don't hear enough of, or they're sick and tired of hearing.
Ever find out you're the 3rd person to play Shiny Stockings in the same night? Or maybe the person before you was playing a mix of Cheap Trick, Black Eyed Peas and 8 count Icelandic folk songs and the crowd's dying to dance to something very familiar and traditional. Know your surroundings!
3. APPLY GOOD DESIGN PRINCIPLES TO CREATE A COHESIVE ENVIRONMENT –
Unity - Create a sense of continuity where things all flow into each other. Maybe its something lyrical, maybe its something in the trombone line, or you’re comparing styles across 50 years of time or maybe its just that you like the way 2 songs go together. As long as there’s some rationale that lets the dancers know they’re not listening to the “random” feature on someone’s IPOD.
Variety - Include accent points and enough variation in style and tempo that dancers don’t think they’re listening to the same song for 2 hours. Beyond the obvious issue of tempo, experiment with mixing vocals (male/female) vs. instrumental… large ensembles vs. small groups, heavy, obvious beats vs. more subtle sounds, versions of a song that aren’t always the best known standard.
4. PERFORM REQUIRED MAINTENANC
Despite all our best preparation, sometimes you need to improvise in the field or even through your entire game plan out the window and start from scratch. Don’t just set up a play list a week early and walk away to let it play no matter the effect on the crowd. If you see things working, tweak it to keep it going.
Come equipped and be prepared with other options if things aren’t working
5. DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT
Keep a record of what worked and what didn’t. Make sure to include an assessment about why. Sometimes a song will bomb one night but work great a week later... maybe there's a reason you can find, maybe not. But you’ll want to refer back to your notes to help you fine tune your play list for future gigs.
Just some observations from the mind of...
Bill Speidel
Norfolk, Va.
Swing DJ’ing as a Design Art
Moderators: Mr Awesomer, JesseMiner, CafeSavoy
Swing DJ’ing as a Design Art
In a similar vein, has anyone here done sound for restaurant or other commercial settings. I was having lunch the other day in a nice restaurant and they were playing "Be-Bop" on the sound system, a little too loud for my tastes too. My inclination was to ask the owners if they would like some nice Oscar Peterson or Ernestine Anderson or anything other than Be-Bop! (I didn't) The same thing in some up-scale grocers, they play the weirdest stuff. I'm curious as to what the logistics of offering canned programs would be.
The worst has to be any home building supply store in Wisconsin.... Country, loud and on tinny speakers. (Except when the Packers are playing and guess what's on then.)
The worst has to be any home building supply store in Wisconsin.... Country, loud and on tinny speakers. (Except when the Packers are playing and guess what's on then.)
