What was your worst djing experience?

[omsuperhoops]

Hey all, I was curious what kind of horror stories you have from your dj sets. I haven't dj'd as often but I did have a horrific experience my first set, a couple years ago.

I played a song and was asked to dance, so I queued up another hit and I went to swing-out. During the song, I heard this and was mortified! I am the only american in this Korean bar and everyone is looking at me...I didn't know how to explain that my computer is slow and will take time because again, I do not speak Korean, so I had to pick a random song from my Imachine at the time. Only to realize, it was a rip from online that I had not previewed and it just cut before that song ended as well...Needless to say I was distraught...
*Lesson*Always update your computer before you DJ, and always have a back-up music source.
What were your scary experiences in your careers?

[Platypus]

A guy trying to pick me up even though I clearly stated I was the DJ and MARRIED, not a part of the singles group that had joined our dance for the night. He wouldn't leave the booth even though I pointedly told him to go. and then ignored him. What happened next? He slapped me on the rump.

Otherwise, the usual communication gaffes - like having two DJs show up at the same shift or once, when I DJed off of CDS, bringing the wrong folder and only being able to play music by artists whose last names were between N and R.

[StrangeFlow]

So, i have a good one.. I had an online gig for the better part of a year, and I had just moved, so I didn't have a good internet source for a little while right as I was getting settled and figuring things out.... So I went to a starbucks to play with headphones and laptop <<SIGH, BIG SIGH>> needless to say, the internet wasn't working properly. It was terrible. Really awful. I should've just said I was sick or something! LoL.

[dogpossum]

A guy trying to pick me up even though I clearly stated I was the DJ and MARRIED, not a part of the singles group that had joined our dance for the night. He wouldn't leave the booth even though I pointedly told him to go. and then ignored him. What happened next? He slapped me on the rump.

Otherwise, the usual communication gaffes - like having two DJs show up at the same shift or once, when I DJed off of CDS, bringing the wrong folder and only being able to play music by artists whose last names were between N and R.

O LOL. Except not-so-lol, because I've been stuck in the DJ booth with a bloke who thought I was A Bit Of Alright, and there's

NO ESCAPE

[lipi]

I had an online gig

Wait, what? Tell us more! This is the first time I hear of online gigs. Was this for dancers or a radio show? In either case, I'm curious (and, uh, interested to have your job). :o)

[chrisbe]

Wait, what? Tell us more! This is the first time I hear of online gigs. Was this for dancers or a radio show? In either case, I'm curious (and, uh, interested to have your job). )

I did a virtual DJ gig earlier this year. I was in Zürich Switzerland while online spinning for a dance crowd in Barcelona Spain.
Here is the blog post about the gig: http://shuffleprojects.com/2012/virtual ... ona-spain/

[Haydn]

Hey all, I was curious what kind of horror stories you have from your dj sets.

Not a DJ set as such, but I remember I was playing the music for a lindy hop dance demo I'd arranged at a local outdoor summer festival. It was a hot sunny day, there was a good crowd there, the dancers turned up looking great. I introduced them to the crowd, and played the first song, and the crowd was really enjoying it. I think it was in the second song that things started going wrong. The sound suddenly cut out in the middle of their performance. Before the performance, I had been introduced to a sound man who would be available to help - and now he'd mysteriously vanished. Anyway, I looked behind me to the amp. I think it had switched off, so I found the switch restarted it, and started the song again. About 1 minute in, it happened again. It just cut out without warning. Still no sound man or anyone to help. So I switched the amp back on and started again.

After a few more times, the promoter yelled at me to turn the laptop down as I was 'overloading the sound system'. I think I tried turning the laptop output sound down, but whatever I did made little difference anyway as by this time, I couldn't get more than about 30 seconds of music to play at one time. Fortunately, the dancers were brilliant - after a while they just carried on dancing and asked the crowd to clap along on the off-beat while they did the rest of the routine. Thanks to them, it turned out OK. Lesson for me: don't expect to go into a tent in 30 degree heat at 5pm in the summer and expect sound equipment to work properly

[trev]

I once had the police radio come through the sound system during a dance at a local bar. Everyone was looking at me and I just had to shrug.

[omsuperhoops]

I love these stories...@HAydn. your dancers seemed better then the ones i dealt with...the were largely just angry with me

that was a cool blog post @CRISBE, would be interested to see this idea catch on...

[Toon Town Dave]

After a few more times, the promoter yelled at me to turn the laptop down as I was 'overloading the sound system'. I think I tried turning the laptop output sound down, but whatever I did made little difference anyway as by this time, I couldn't get more than about 30 seconds of music to play at one time. Fortunately, the dancers were brilliant - after a while they just carried on dancing and asked the crowd to clap along on the off-beat while they did the rest of the routine. Thanks to them, it turned out OK. Lesson for me: don't expect to go into a tent in 30 degree heat at 5pm in the summer and expect sound equipment to work properly

Ah. Breakers are typically designed to heat up with the current drawn through them. The more current the faster they heat up. If they draw too much current (turned up to high), then they trip.

If they are operating in an environment where the normal amount of heat produced by the amp isn't taken away fast enough, the breaker will heat up from that and trip. I've had that happen with a long time ago at a gig where a home stereo amp was used to power some nice big speakers in a fair sized space. Had to take frequent breaks to let the gear cool. It was a Saturday evening so there was no place to get better gear. Not fun. I think that organizer rented powered speakers for special events after that evening.

I've had lots of other minor technical glitches and faux pas.

Speaking of double booking DJs, the only horrible gig was when I was scheduled to split a band break shift with another DJ. Not only did the organizer split an already short (3-4 recording) band break shift but the band was taking short breaks. I just offered the entire band break to other DJ the whole time (he accepted) and I just danced. Thankfully more organizers are pretty good at scheduling DJs or delegate the task to someone who is.

[Haydn]

I love these stories...@HAydn. your dancers seemed better then the ones i dealt with...

Mine were Francois Bechu and Moe Sakan- they were just brilliant on the day

[Platypus]

Another time - aeons ago (in the cassette and early CD age) - the electricity went out. A dancer ran to their car and grabbed a boombox. A second grabbed batteries and cassette tapes. We set the bar's candles along the edge of the dance floor and danced in the candlelight until the lights came on.

A friend was at a live band event in Houston the night of Tropical Storm Allison, which stalled over Houston. Water unexpectedly flooded the place, about a foot deep. No one could go home. They rolled up their pants, kept serving the beer, playing music, and partying until the water receded enough for people to get to their cars.

[Mr Awesomer]

Another time - aeons ago (in the cassette and early CD age) - the electricity went out. A dancer ran to their car and grabbed a boombox. A second grabbed batteries and cassette tapes. We set the bar's candles along the edge of the dance floor and danced in the candlelight until the lights came on.

A friend was at a live band event in Houston the night of Tropical Storm Allison, which stalled over Houston. Water unexpectedly flooded the place, about a foot deep. No one could go home. They rolled up their pants, kept serving the beer, playing music, and partying until the water receded enough for people to get to their cars.

These don't sound like bad experiences

[Mr Awesomer]

My worst DJing experiences involve being sent albums that are terrible and then being asked for a review.

[dogpossum]

My worst DJing experiences involve being sent albums that are terrible and then being asked for a review.

Oh, I've had this experience a couple of times. I want to be honest and helpful (ie actually do reviews where I look at something which isn't so great and explain why), but I figure the lindy hop world is just too small I couldn't do it.