The best. request. ever.
Moderators: Mr Awesomer, JesseMiner, CafeSavoy
-
- Posts: 984
- Joined: Mon Mar 31, 2003 1:29 pm
- Location: dfw - a wretched hive of scum & villainy
- GemZombie
- Posts: 772
- Joined: Wed Nov 20, 2002 2:46 pm
- Location: Alpharetta, GA (Formerly SLO, CA)
- Contact:
Ok, so I got one guy who's a Neo fanatic. Keeps asking me for neo stuff, and Occasionally i'll humor him with something that fits his tastes (what can I do, i'm in a small scene). But he knows my feeling about playing the music since the venue I run is billed as a Swing/Lindy Hop venue, so he came in a couple weeks ago with tons of requests, and all of it was classic stuff. I was amazed, impressed, and happy with his requests.
Since then, week after week, he comes back with some decent requests... he's been doing research and finding what he likes that fits with our normal night of music. Very cool.
Since then, week after week, he comes back with some decent requests... he's been doing research and finding what he likes that fits with our normal night of music. Very cool.
-
- Posts: 661
- Joined: Wed Nov 20, 2002 2:52 pm
- Location: Saskatoon, Canada
One of our newest DJs is still a bit flustered when it comes to requests. Instead of giving just the name of a song, one of our long-time members gave a few requests last night that included the CD name, track number, BPM, and song style to our newest DJ, based on the DJ's collection. Both were pleased with the results.
I was going to post this story, but Andy beat me to it. It was a nice challenge trying to figure out what she wanted that ended was pleasantly suprised with the answer. Morso since she had never been swing dancing before and had very little knowledge of the music.Toon Town Dave wrote:I love this line too:This is nice, but it's something my dad would listen to. Could you play something with some punch? Something that makes you want to jump around?
jerry
-
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Tue Jan 11, 2005 8:47 am
-
- Posts: 251
- Joined: Mon May 31, 2004 12:57 pm
- Location: Los Angeles, CA
- Contact:
Here's an odd request situation. I was DJing in Hawaii for the after hours at HiLx, and I get a request for "Tuxedo Junction" so they do the Shim Sham. I've hated that song for so long, and ordinarally, I would have tried to get around it. But I'd decided to give the Erskine Hawkins original a spin, and to my surprise...I really loved it. I always thought the song was way to square, but listening to the clarinet and trumpet solos, I realized I was wrong. Not often does someone's request make you reconsider a song for the better.
"I don''t dig that two beat jive the New Orleans cats play.
My boys and I have four heavy beats to the bar and no cheating!
--Count Basie
www.campusfive.com
www.myspace.com/campusfive
www.swingguitar.blogspot.com
My boys and I have four heavy beats to the bar and no cheating!
--Count Basie
www.campusfive.com
www.myspace.com/campusfive
www.swingguitar.blogspot.com
- GemZombie
- Posts: 772
- Joined: Wed Nov 20, 2002 2:46 pm
- Location: Alpharetta, GA (Formerly SLO, CA)
- Contact:
Tis the only version i'll play. I have him doing the really long ass live version, not bad... have that one? It's on an album called "Holiday for swing"Campus Five wrote:Here's an odd request situation. I was DJing in Hawaii for the after hours at HiLx, and I get a request for "Tuxedo Junction" so they do the Shim Sham. I've hated that song for so long, and ordinarally, I would have tried to get around it. But I'd decided to give the Erskine Hawkins original a spin, and to my surprise...I really loved it. I always thought the song was way to square, but listening to the clarinet and trumpet solos, I realized I was wrong. Not often does someone's request make you reconsider a song for the better.
- The Peanut Vendor
- Posts: 23
- Joined: Tue Dec 21, 2004 12:24 pm
- Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Yeah, that describes an experience I had to the tee. Never had anyone come up to me with a CD, though.
Excuses I use:
"Let me see if I can find it"... later "I've been busy, let me look" ... later " I can't find it".
"No, sorry, but how 'bout this song?" (Put on a song that doesn't annoy me too much but makes them go away."
"I'll see"
If it's jump, jive, and wail, I put on the Louis Prima version. heheheh.
If it's sing, sing, sing, I'll still play it, but not the swing kids version.
Excuses I use:
"Let me see if I can find it"... later "I've been busy, let me look" ... later " I can't find it".
"No, sorry, but how 'bout this song?" (Put on a song that doesn't annoy me too much but makes them go away."
"I'll see"
If it's jump, jive, and wail, I put on the Louis Prima version. heheheh.
If it's sing, sing, sing, I'll still play it, but not the swing kids version.
lindyholic wrote: I have had a lot of requests for latin music. There's been a few times when I'm DJing any good swing song and they'll say "Hey, can you play some swing music?" I say "This is swing music". They say "No, I want real swing music, you know, like Zoot Suit Riot". I just say "I'm sorry, I don't have that". Though there is the odd time I get them bringing up CDs as well. What do people do in those cases? One thing I say is "I already have a set list for tonight (which I don't) and I really don't like ruining the flow".
Harrison
I seem to remember some discussion about this perhaps in this thread or perhaps in another. Regarding the people who linger around the booth and talk to you nonstop while you are DJing, I think it would be funny to make a CD that has a track #1 that would fit almost anywhere into any set (like Splanky or something) and then make a label for the CD that says in large bold letters: "CD TO USE WHEN PEOPLE WON'T LEAVE THE DJ ALONE." When those people come up you can hand it to them and say, "Since you're talking to me, would you mind putting this in the CD player and queuing it up?"
-Jeremy
It's easy to sit there and say you'd like to have more money. And I guess that's what I like about it. It's easy. Just sitting there, rocking back and forth, wanting that money.
It's easy to sit there and say you'd like to have more money. And I guess that's what I like about it. It's easy. Just sitting there, rocking back and forth, wanting that money.
- wheresmygravy
- Posts: 145
- Joined: Tue Oct 28, 2003 11:24 am
- Location: Dallas
I had someone come up to me last night to ask me how to become a DJ. When I gave him the lowdown, he squirmed a bit, then asked how to get "known" music played for the beginners, like what is played at weddings. AH, the REAL motivation: music change. So, after doing the DJ coordinator soothing thing, I asked the guy to become my "beginner spy" and report to me regularly about the reactions to different DJs in the booth. He gave me an odd look and didn't give me a clear response. I don't think he expected to have me ask him to "work" when he came up to me.
So I'm DJing Saturday night in Chicago at a brand new gig. Right at opening at 9 PM about 15 Lindy Hoppers show up. About 1/3 are notorious slow dancers, 2 of them like great jazz music but from my experience dance at all tempos and the others I don't know what they like to dance too. So I do my normal gig play a couple slow songs hike up the energy and tempos, change music styles somewhere in here hike down the energy and tempos and repeat. Everyone would only dance to songs under 150 BPM no matter what I played. Everything over 150 no one danced. So I decided to keep it slow for a bit. 5 straight slow songs, everyone was dancing all the songs. I crept it up to around 160 BPM. 5 couples still on the dance floor and the first new couple enter the venue. I creep up the tempo again to around 170 BPM's, there were only 2 couples left on the dance floor.
Then the new couple who only heard 2 of my songs walks up to me and asks if I can play something slow. Geeze don't you think they would wait for a few songs before making that type of request? I then explained that I had jsut played 5 straight slow songs and while most people here want slow stuff there may be a few people who want faster stuff so I want to be sure to mix in a few, but I will play a slow song next. Which i did and everyone was back on the dance floor. I thought to myself "come on 160 and 170 is hardly fast."
Then the new couple who only heard 2 of my songs walks up to me and asks if I can play something slow. Geeze don't you think they would wait for a few songs before making that type of request? I then explained that I had jsut played 5 straight slow songs and while most people here want slow stuff there may be a few people who want faster stuff so I want to be sure to mix in a few, but I will play a slow song next. Which i did and everyone was back on the dance floor. I thought to myself "come on 160 and 170 is hardly fast."