interesting book: "how to DJ right"

Message

Yakov · #1 Post by **Yakov** » Wed Sep 17, 2003 1:27 pm

i saw a book at bnn, called "how to DJ right." it's mostly about "dance"/hip-hop DJing but the general advice section is interesting. sometimes it's unintentionally funny (imagine if a swing dj took the advice "nothing above 125 bpm before midnight!" to heart!)

julius · #2 Post by **julius** » Wed Sep 17, 2003 2:57 pm

why imagine when it's true?

*runs away cackling*

coreyj5 · #3 Post by **coreyj5** » Thu Sep 18, 2003 3:11 pm

I was waiting for that response.

kitkat · #4 Post by **kitkat** » Mon Sep 29, 2003 3:50 pm

to change the subject...

I didn't want to start a whole new thread for this question, so "How to DJ right" seemed like a reasonably close place to put my question.

You know how when you start lindy hopping, you get dizzy after about 3 swingouts in a row? And eventually you can dance a song...and after about 3-6 nights social dancing and some lessons, you simply don't get dizzy anymore?

I'm assuming it's something like that with the mental fatigue of DJing. So far I've only DJed till I was just too frustrated/tired/overwhelmed and had to say, "No more," and ask another DJ to take over.

What's your experience with how long it takes to stop feeling that and be able to do sets for as long as you want?

djstarr · #5 Post by **djstarr** » Mon Sep 29, 2003 5:51 pm

kitkat wrote:What's your experience with how long it takes to stop feeling that and be able to do sets for as long as you want?

Before I had my CD's labeled and when I still didn't have that many CDs to choose from I found it stressful to DJ - I'd sometimes play songs that I didn't want to or that had weird beginnings/endings.

It took me a couple of months of DJ'ing before I felt comfortable - by that time I had bought a lot of CDs to round out genres I didn't have, and had most of the CDs labeled.

The other thing I have found helpful, especially if you feel it's an important gig, is to prepare a little. I go through my book when preparing for a set and write down songs I think might fit the theme or mood of the night; I don't necessarily play all of them, but if I get stuck or panic in the middle of the set I have a cheat sheet to refer from. This is also good if there is something new you want to play so you don't just play the same songs out of force of habit.

gatorgal · #6 Post by **gatorgal** » Tue Sep 30, 2003 7:12 am

kitkat wrote:to change the subject...
What's your experience with how long it takes to stop feeling that and be able to do sets for as long as you want?

Right now, I'm in a stage where I, in my opinion, never have enough time to spin. I'm the "number 3" DJ, so I get about 20 minutes here and there to DJ, so I hoard my time like a miser. I never know from week to week how much time I'm gonna get so I'm reluctant to give it up.

I only know it's time to quit my set when my feet hurt.

Tina

gatorgal · #7 Post by **gatorgal** » Tue Sep 30, 2003 7:16 am

djstarr wrote:The other thing I have found helpful, especially if you feel it's an important gig, is to prepare a little. I go through my book when preparing for a set and write down songs I think might fit the theme or mood of the night; I don't necessarily play all of them, but if I get stuck or panic in the middle of the set I have a cheat sheet to refer from. This is also good if there is something new you want to play so you don't just play the same songs out of force of habit.

Great idea!

I've also taking to writing down set lists and looking over what I play so I don't get too repetitive. But some habits are hard to break.

Tina

Matthew · #8 Post by **Matthew** » Tue Sep 30, 2003 1:19 pm

I flipped through that book in Borders. I think there may be a few helpful tips, but I wouldn't buy that book new just to get them. Used might be fun - there are some interesting stories in it.

Lawrence · #9 Post by **Lawrence** » Tue Sep 30, 2003 2:06 pm

kitkat wrote:You know how when you start lindy hopping, you get dizzy after about 3 swingouts in a row? And eventually you can dance a song...and after about 3-6 nights social dancing and some lessons, you simply don't get dizzy anymore?

I'm assuming it's something like that with the mental fatigue of DJing. So far I've only DJed till I was just too frustrated/tired/overwhelmed and had to say, "No more," and ask another DJ to take over.

What's your experience with how long it takes to stop feeling that and be able to do sets for as long as you want?

I still remember feeling INCREDIBLY proud that I could DJ a New Years Eve dance (I think it was 1997) for five hours without repeating a song once. Because the entire Chicago scene was so neophyte at the time, that was my main criteria and the "high" standard I had to meet: just don't repeat any songs.

The obviously best way to grow out of your "dizziness" stage is to listen to your CDs ahead of time and "rate" the songs for danceability. It makes selecting the next song FAR easier while DJing, which I suspect is the main cause of your "dizziness" and frustration. I ended up developing a five-star system, with anything above 3 stars meaning that it was something I could see myself playing at a dance, and 5 stars meaning it was ideal, Basie-like perfection. (The only relevant difference between 2 and 1 star being: how BADLY does this song suck for dancing?) Put them on a slip of paper with the disc, and you are set.

When I later started developing CD-R compilations of danceable songs, the rankings also made it MUCH easier for me to make compilations of all the danceable songs from each artist. Because I had all the work of selecting every danceable song from that CD already done, I just copied all songs with, say, more than 3 or mor than 4 stars. Of course, as things go, the natural tendency was to only play 5-star songs thereafter. Also, I have revisited some of those "rankings" several years later and changed my mind quite abit, so don't assume they should be set in stone thereafter.

After that, as with dancing, it depends how much you DJ: the more you practice, the easier it becomes.

Matthew · #10 Post by **Matthew** » Wed Oct 01, 2003 12:49 am

Lawrence wrote:The obviously best way to grow out of your "dizziness" stage is to listen to your CDs ahead of time and "rate" the songs for danceability. It makes selecting the next song FAR easier while DJing, which I suspect is the main cause of your "dizziness" and frustration. I ended up developing a five-star system, with anything above 3 stars meaning that it was something I could see myself playing at a dance, and 5 stars meaning it was ideal, Basie-like perfection. (The only relevant difference between 2 and 1 star being: how BADLY does this song suck for dancing?) Put them on a slip of paper with the disc, and you are set.

Almost exactly what I've done. I use a five-star "toe tap" index, which is customized for the tastes of the local dancers. Very, very useful thing. If I'm not going to preview a song, the index helps me decide what to play.

The main problem that I have with the index is that it's not sensitive to time, place, and person. There are times when a particular two-star song (not all of my two-star songs are bad - they may be unusual) may be exactly what I want.

On the whole, though, I think that it's a great system.

kitkat · #11 Post by **kitkat** » Wed Oct 01, 2003 7:05 am

Yeah, similar system.

Right now my markings are in pencil, with the track # circled if you can lindy to it.
The circle gets thicker/heavier the more the song makes me feel like I have to dance.