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Sujet: Blue collar DJ

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I DJ part time at a private club two nights a week in a college town. The crowd is so Top 40 Hip Hop + R&B it's not funny. I am an old school Hip Hop head just trying to keep up. Sometimes I have fun and just kill it and the crowd goes wild, but most of the time I feel like my creativity is stifled by this format. On those nights (like this one) it feels like I am just punching a clock. This is not what I signed up for. I'm the only guy in town using videos, but i feel like something is missing. I had big plans and tried a few of them but the reception is usually cold. It seems I can't keep the people dancing unless they know the words and the genre. Does anyone have any suggestions for breaking the monotony of the grind? Or do I need to find a new town? I'm leaning towards the latter.
 
Posté Wed 20 May 09 @ 4:18 am
I think I understand what you mean. It is similar with me. I'm a Black Music (Video) DJ here in Berlin (Germany), and notice a trend towards house and electronic music. More and more party organizers require charts and electronic music. For me with video meanwhile it´s ok, but audio-only bookings I reject.
I also have many ideas that I implement with VDJ. Often it fails at the locations, technology of the clubs or organization.

But if it needs to play the latest black music tracks and a bit of charts, I think it's an easy way to combine it with your style.
Check all playlists / chartslist of your local radiostations. Put the top 40 of them in your music set, create (or download) some mashups and mix and scratch it like your hiphop stuff. It will sound realy new to the people if a dj mix and scratch charts and hiphop style in one set. There are a lot of mashups, transitions and partybreaks out there wich makes your life so easier.
Let me know if I can help you ;o)
 

Well all I can say is if you are not enjoying it, then look around for a new venue. Thats what I would do.

Try and find somewhere that allows you to do your "thing"
 
Depending on the location, not always easy or possible.
 
Darth Crossfader wrote :
I DJ part time at a private club two nights a week in a college town. The crowd is so Top 40 Hip Hop + R&B it's not funny. I am an old school Hip Hop head just trying to keep up. Sometimes I have fun and just kill it and the crowd goes wild, but most of the time I feel like my creativity is stifled by this format. On those nights (like this one) it feels like I am just punching a clock. This is not what I signed up for. I'm the only guy in town using videos, but i feel like something is missing. I had big plans and tried a few of them but the reception is usually cold. It seems I can't keep the people dancing unless they know the words and the genre. Does anyone have any suggestions for breaking the monotony of the grind? Or do I need to find a new town? I'm leaning towards the latter.


This is NOT a function of your town and most probably no reflection on your talent. Hip hop & Top 40 has gotten so stale that people just aren't dancing as much as they used too. There is also a developing trend that people do not go to clubs to dance anymore, just mingle, watch the videos and get drunk. I have really noticed this in the upper crust clubs and lounges in Scottsdale and Orange County where many of them don't even have dance floors anymore!

I attribute part of this trend to so many bad Djs over recent years playing bad mashups, scratching and too many effects that people can't and don't want to dance to and the music is just evolving to be background (look how many clubs are VERY successful that don't even have Djs, just pre-mixed music or satelite music). Another contributing factor is that in a lot of clubs you CAN'T dance because the clubs are not spending the money for all the required government licenses and permits required for venues to allow dancing.

If you are a scrict hip hop, house or country club or a large venue designed to be what I call true nightclub then the crowd's primary reason for going is to dance so there should be no problem with a competent and experienced Dj. In the more traditional top 40 and variety clubs (especially if you are a restaurant club or lounge) such a diverse cross section of demographics means a wide range of customer agendas and not everyone is there to dance and some will only dance to that one really great song (to them) that they have been waiting all night for.

This is where reading a crowd comes in to play. When I think the crowd needs more entertaining and less into dancing I insert movie clips, stand-up comedy clips or interesting (but not considered danceable) videos. I will also do more rock and old school videos as that always evokes the "WOW I haven't seen that video since college" exasperations. These things will keep your crowd entertained until they are ready for their next little burst of dance floor energy.

I learned a long time ago when I was training as a Dj in 1982 for Black Angus....watch the door, not the floor....translation, keep your crowd happy and entertained so they will stay and drink even when they are not dancing. The will have more fun, come back more often and your club will be more successful.

Sometimes as Dj's we get too involved in "spinning" and forget the crowd doesn't give one wooden nickel's care about our "mad skillz", they want to fullfil THEIR agenda for the night. Just remember not everyone is there to dance, some just like to listen to the music, watching the girls (and guys), take in the atmosphere, drink the drink, eat the food and just hang out with the company of other people.
 
I know exactly what you mean. It seems like the kool thing to do now is sit in the VIP sections around your bottle which you paid 10x's the retail price for and just hang out with your friends and bob your head to the music. As a DJ I feed off the crowds enegery. These new clubs and lounges have so much seating, like leather couches and bar top tables everywhere nobody wants to dance. I remember when clubs like Soundfactory and Exit in NYC had no tables or couches. They were strictly dance floors and bars. People had no choice but to dance or go home and forget about the $25 cover they just paid to get in. Get off your asses and dance. I'm not having fun unless the floor is packed and everytime you mix over to the next track you get an OHHHHH or Hell yeah from the crowd because the music keeps them moving. The occansional point at the dj booth works well too.
 
Fo' sho' man. Thanks for the advice guys. I guess it's good although kinda scary to know that things have changed everywhere.
dj-e-lectric wrote :

watch the door, not the floor....translation, keep your crowd happy and entertained so they will stay and drink even when they are not dancing.

I like that saying. I think that the movie and tv show clips you mention using is a good idea. I've actually been collecting them for a while but have been hesitant to use them. One problem is trimming the clip so VDJ isn't trying to load a 30 minute show for one little quote. I've used VirtualDub with some success but only on certain avi files. Any suggestions for other video editing software?
 
Sony Vegas is by far the best. They have a "Lite" version Called Movie Studio that is under $100 if you can't pop for the full $600 Pro version.
 
e-lectric,
"watch the door...not the floor" BRILLIANT!

Darth,
I also work at a bar/rest. in a college town during the early part of the week and I have noticed a trend where, like stated above, we are just the "backdrop" for the evening. In my case, it's split between a "townie" bar and a college hangout. I play a little bit of everything(Rock, Top 40, EDM, videos and music), and although I mix it up, sometimes because of the crowd one genre will dominate the night. Sometimes I feel as fustrated as you do - trying different things that worked for me at the dance clubs on the weekends only to get blank expressions and noone on the dance floor. It's fustrating. Don't take it personal if your floor isn't jammed from first note to last song, sometimes it happens. You can cut and paste a playlist tonight that killed a week ago and have the same exact crowd under the same circumstances and get nothing. Nature of the beast.

Last night was a great example. Now that college is out, people are returning home for the summer, so last night was kind of like a reunion of friends. Not really interested in dancing per se - although they did at times - but my focus was creating an athmosphere where the patrons could have the best time possible. We have a deck at this bar, and people spent a majority of the night outside (beautiful night) and I knew that ahead of time so I wasn't crushed when my floor inside was dead.

I like the idea of video clips. About 5 years ago I worked at a corporate restaurant/bar/arcade, and we used vid clips as "Ice Breakers" or transitions from one genre to another (no music vids at that time) and it worked out pretty well. I have been spinning videos for around 2 years, and in the beginning I was guilty of relying on my vid library for my entire show, which in retrospect I wouldn't do again. When I first started DJing one of the best pieces of advice I was given was "Don't be a slave to the beat, be a slave to the groove". If your crowd is groovin to a particular genre, run with it and have fun with it.

Have you thought about trying a promotion at the bar? for example, an 80's dance party from 10 to midnight...plenty of opportunity to flex your old school muscles, and a great video clip opportunity. Also if you do it early enough in the night, depending on when your bar closes, you'll still have a couple hours to play the current hot songs. Dig around the forums man. I bet you find posts from people in the same circumstance. Draw from their experience. I wouldn't recommend leaving your current gig - in this economy you either might not find work or you might not improve your situation. Good Luck.

-e
 
For me it depends on the gig. I have heard most of the music people want to hear about 10,000 times and you just have to remember you are playing for them, not yourself. However there are gigs I do for less than half price because I know they dont care if I'm a bit experimental (and/or they let me drink). Those are the nights where I get to have fun and remember why I got into this djing thing in the first place. The other nights its a job - albeit a very fun one ;)

When an owner asks me what I play, I say "whatever the crowd wants to hear within the boundaries set by whoever is paying me".
 


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