bagpuss
This Saturday I have a gig at one of the most prestigious clubs in the south west of England, the manager tells me he's looking for someone who can "play a bit of everything like it's a wedding", basically this is a club known for its younger 'clubbers' with a commercial taste, like national radio the club night usually consists of commercial: Urban, Pop, House, Dance, Rock etc with more enthuses on recent 'classics' than those before the 90's.
I've visited this club numerous times and typically the DJ doesn't do much beatmixing (like radio), so it's certainly not a "Come to watch the DJ (clubbing experience)", it's a "come and have a dance to the songs you all know and love". As a DJ the concept of not mixing makes me feel like a jukebox, it doesn't make me feel particularly good about myself, but when in such a vast commercial club, full of clubbers with divided tastes, it's going to be hard to beatmix (on every occasion) when needing to make such drastic changes in tempo, from R'n'B to House, Rock to Pop, Pop to Dance etc. I'd just like to ask how you personally approach such a night? what ratio of each style you favour etc, and delivering the sort of performance that you feel keeps your credibility in tact whilst keeping the floor jam packed.
I've visited this club numerous times and typically the DJ doesn't do much beatmixing (like radio), so it's certainly not a "Come to watch the DJ (clubbing experience)", it's a "come and have a dance to the songs you all know and love". As a DJ the concept of not mixing makes me feel like a jukebox, it doesn't make me feel particularly good about myself, but when in such a vast commercial club, full of clubbers with divided tastes, it's going to be hard to beatmix (on every occasion) when needing to make such drastic changes in tempo, from R'n'B to House, Rock to Pop, Pop to Dance etc. I'd just like to ask how you personally approach such a night? what ratio of each style you favour etc, and delivering the sort of performance that you feel keeps your credibility in tact whilst keeping the floor jam packed.
Posted Wed 17 Jan 07 @ 9:52 pm
paulettecerra
Stay away from club/Techno style music…If it don’t have words, don’t play it. If you don’t think your mother would dance to it, Don’t play it.. If it’s a new song your trying to brake and you think they will love it,, Don’t play it… Don’t be afraid of playing Motown, 60’s, oldies… Pick a them song. I used for the last song of the night, every night, Summer Wind by Frank Sinatra.. The Management loved it…
http://www.freedjamerica.com/Top_Wedding_and_Party_Songs.html
http://www.80sretromusic.com/index.htm
http://www.freedjamerica.com/Top_Wedding_and_Party_Songs.html
http://www.80sretromusic.com/index.htm
Posted Wed 17 Jan 07 @ 10:10 pm
DJ Marcel_1
Sounds a Lot like the Club I work at.
Roll it in sets.
1/2 hour top 40
1/2 hour modern rock
1/2 classic rock
and so forth.
Try having fun with yourself (not that way you pervert), Try to Beat match rock songs or if changing from say club music to Rock try this one: Beatmatch the Club version of Black betty (older version from BLow soundtrack) and as the music swells slam over to the Spiderbait version of black betty (loud moderized rock/metal version)
Roll with the music have fun with making the crowd guess what you are going to lay next. Hell I've been known to play something off the beaten track (by modern standards) like JIMI Hendrix, or Paint It Black by the Rolling Stones.
Sounds like the kind of place I'd have a Blast in.Very Similar to the Club I work at.
Check Your attitude at the door and Get PISSED, perhaps even laid.
DJ Marcel
Purple Onion NightClub
Roll it in sets.
1/2 hour top 40
1/2 hour modern rock
1/2 classic rock
and so forth.
Try having fun with yourself (not that way you pervert), Try to Beat match rock songs or if changing from say club music to Rock try this one: Beatmatch the Club version of Black betty (older version from BLow soundtrack) and as the music swells slam over to the Spiderbait version of black betty (loud moderized rock/metal version)
Roll with the music have fun with making the crowd guess what you are going to lay next. Hell I've been known to play something off the beaten track (by modern standards) like JIMI Hendrix, or Paint It Black by the Rolling Stones.
Sounds like the kind of place I'd have a Blast in.Very Similar to the Club I work at.
Check Your attitude at the door and Get PISSED, perhaps even laid.
DJ Marcel
Purple Onion NightClub
Posted Wed 17 Jan 07 @ 10:11 pm
paulettecerra
Any one remember the thread with the dj that was going to play for a Boat Cruise..
Posted Wed 17 Jan 07 @ 10:44 pm
djkizzle
I agree with these guys. one way to get an idea of what to play, listen to top 40 radio stations and play what they play. as far as beatmixing, there is no "perfect" to mix songs with totally different bpms from different genres. the best way to tackle that is play like you are djing a wedding. make transitions smoothly (use the breaks).
I am actually leaving in a month to go dj aboard Disney Cruise Line.
I am actually leaving in a month to go dj aboard Disney Cruise Line.
Posted Thu 18 Jan 07 @ 1:53 am
bagpuss
Thanks for the feedback so far guys, would anyone here happen to know where I can get Extended Rock versions? (DJ versions), either a CD series or by download, thanks.
Posted Thu 18 Jan 07 @ 10:36 pm
paulettecerra
Posted Thu 18 Jan 07 @ 10:40 pm
bagpuss
Thanks Paul but I already use Ultimix, I've only seen Rock/Indie hits on their older collections and I wont be able to get anything delivered by Saturday, guess I could do with a download service.
Posted Thu 18 Jan 07 @ 11:21 pm
pdnmusic
Bren, sent PM and mail.
Just check it.
Just check it.
Posted Fri 19 Jan 07 @ 1:51 pm
asymptote
Bagpuss
Have a great night and don't get hung up about not mixing very much. Just tell yourself that' that's the way it used to be. I never mixed very much until 1993 and then usually only for a 40 minute slot in a particular night. Imagine 20 years of djing and never mixed. We used to call it segwaying.
Please don't get pissed either, just my opinion, but you'll probably be high with the buzz of the night anyway. Be surprising if you didn't pull on a night like that though.
Good luck again.
Have a great night and don't get hung up about not mixing very much. Just tell yourself that' that's the way it used to be. I never mixed very much until 1993 and then usually only for a 40 minute slot in a particular night. Imagine 20 years of djing and never mixed. We used to call it segwaying.
Please don't get pissed either, just my opinion, but you'll probably be high with the buzz of the night anyway. Be surprising if you didn't pull on a night like that though.
Good luck again.
Posted Fri 19 Jan 07 @ 2:15 pm