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Topic: ------A CLUB & ROCK situation.

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Ok, I could use some help....I'll try and make a long story short but heres the deal.

I'm a CLUB/HOUSE/HIPHOP/MASHUP DJ by preference and style.

I read crowds and cater too whom and what i see in the club both when i start and when i finish, I also start off with 80-90 BPMS first hour or sooo and work my way up towards the end of the night ect. Now i've got plenty of ROCK mashups but mostly AC-DC old schhol mash ups that i would throw in the mix ect....

Now the situation...I have too follow the club owners instructions and the CLUB OWNER dose not understand completely how a DJ has too work and read crowds take request all night ect but he doesn't care if there is 99% hommies or 99% fist pumpin champions in his place he still wants me too override the crowed and play rock..... its really what he wants i mean he hands out the paycheck soooo i got too try and go out of my comfort zone for him. In short he wants me too play mostly top 40 hiphop and Rock but he wants it CONSISTENT from start too end meaning example he wants me too do 2 hiphop then 2 rock all night long and not just play rock early and then no rock at the end. Bands he's aiming at are..

Dropkick murphys
sublime
greenday
nickleback

ect ect....

As far as this goes its going too be hard for me too play these bands all night long knowing most of the crowed will not be happy as he is AIMING for a different crowed so he wants too override who's in there and do it anyway i need some advice and ideas too make this whole transition successful and also a place where i can pick up ROCK REMIXES and MASHUPS with these bands as stated above...whats your take? and whats the best possible way too handle going against the grain with the crowed....

Thanks
 
Posted Tue 23 Mar 10 @ 7:38 pm
hey dj where are you from in the uUSA and sounds to me like you work at my old place of residence...
DJ JAMM
 
Bottom line is , you do not agree with what he wants, You have to sit down with him and go over play lists that he will approve and since he seems to know what he wants it will be his choice when it dies out or gets betterr, your job is to just make it work. if you have the right type of crowd you will be able to play your music.. make sure the market is where you are for the type of music then you need to get with him on marketing the format also attracting that diverse crowd and use the right music at the right time to keep the people happy and play the music he wants and no matter what you have to seriously try and make it work.. just some thoughts good luck , just use your own judgements and take the advice of others that you feel will work for you. if your good enough you will find a way to at least save face, no matter what its how you play your cards

DJ JAMM
 
From Springfield, ma Bar is located in Peabody, Ma

Thanks for the words brotha...
 
ouch. yet another case of the owner trying to be the dj. i deal with it nightly, and the business suffers for it each and every time.

good luck.
 
Start looking for another job..
The owner wants to revamp the clientelle, and may use you as the 'fall guy' if things don't work out..

If he's willing to bring in a promoter and do same serious advertising, it has a chance of working.. If not.. then things can go really bad.

Advice: do one of two things.
1.) get in there and find out exactly what he wants and help him get it.. IE: become his promoter for his "new idea".. If it works, you look awesome..
or
2.) start working on your exit stragedy.
 
I'll give it a 1 night shot too feel it out but i wont be that guy if i don't get any progression...

Where can i pickup REMIXES in these bands? I can find rock remixes of the 90's rock.....
 
I've dealt with the same thing, and I see lots of good advice here already. Let him know that the clientèle shift he's looking for won't happen by changing the music alone. At my old residency, the bar owner was more than happy to pay me to spin rock to an empty bar to keep "those rapper kids" out, but changed his tune when I had a top 40 night and his sales jumped 5X.
 
Why does he have such a hard-on for rock? I'm finding the stuff that works best right now is the top 40 pop stuff like Lady GaGa, Black Eyed Peas, Pitbull, Timbaland etc. The tempo for most of that type of music is around 120 to 130, has mass appeal, doesn't start fights, and keeps out the gangstas. I find most popular Hip Hop right now is gloomy sounding 70 bpm crap. But I were to bet if you played mostly top 40, a little bit of older non-threatening Hip Hop anthems (Mo Money Mo Problems, Ghetto Superstar etc.) and some rock dance remixes / mashups you would weed out the 'unwanted' clientele. In short, play for the ladies. And for the record, most rock does not have a good track record on the dance floor, so he's out of his mind if he thinks you can fill a dance floor playing that stuff. And limiting you to only 2 genres is bulls**t. Nowadays you have to play a bit of everything to keep a full dance floor.
 
I'm assuming that running remixes is NOT what the manager wants..
You should ask him exactly what kind of crowd he is looking for..

to be honest, I'm out of touch I guess, because I have NO IDEA what he is aiming for with bands like Green Day & Sublime etc..

and you REALLY need to talk him out of the stupid two & two idea.. a 5 and 2 I could survive, but not a 2 & 2..


 
I worked at a place for 5 years that was known as a place that played hard rock. Bands that I routinely played were:
Tool
Korn
System of a down
Shocor
Metallica
Nickleback
Three days Grace
Marylin Manson
Rage against the Machine
Rob & White Zombie
Offspring
Green Day
Sub Lime
Seether
Papa Roach
Powerman 5000

Point is we also played Top40 / House/ Hip Hop even Classic rock. Hell Once at 12:30 am I played "Johnny Horton - Battle of New Orleans"
Don;t be so afraid to press play on a track, Don't judge your audience before you press play on the track either. I worked there for 5 years but the Club has been operating for 25 years. In a market where clubs average lifespan is about 6 years.

Your manager might know something about Rockers.....
They're LOYAL to a place once it's Firmly established that it plays ROCK there. It doesn't have to be a cover band or some really bad indy original act. IF it's top 40 rock they can Rock out to - they'll come back week after week, Year after year.

Another way to look at it is, Guys want to ROCK out and girls want to dance.
If you can Figure out how to play enough to keep both sides of the fence relatively happy - you'll be PACKED every weekend
 
Thanks Marcel for the positive outlook on it, He's definitely looking for quality over quantity and figures ROCK will be the deciding end......Ive also played things like zombie tool powerman ect for 6 hour shifts when i worked @ the strip joint in the bonnies...So im familiar with ROCK im just trying too figure out the best way to collide them together because i never tried too PLAY a house track and right after nickleback sooo im looking too make it work....even if it's just this night....he made a good point saying he grew up with things like sublime ect but he wouldn't request it too a DJ if he was at a club.....So he figures playing it will work with most off the people in the 20-30's age group but will also weed out the hommies from the rockers ect...
 
djstickittooem wrote :
Thanks Marcel for the positive outlook on it, He's definitely looking for quality over quantity and figures ROCK will be the deciding end......Ive also played things like zombie tool powerman ect for 6 hour shifts when i worked @ the strip joint in the bonnies...So im familiar with ROCK im just trying too figure out the best way to collide them together because i never tried too PLAY a house track and right after nickleback sooo im looking too make it work....even if it's just this night....he made a good point saying he grew up with things like sublime ect but he wouldn't request it too a DJ if he was at a club.....So he figures playing it will work with most off the people in the 20-30's age group but will also weed out the hommies from the rockers ect...


Sounds like the last 2 years of the Salty Dog in Springfield and the new one in Worcester, djstickitooem. They powers that be wanted to change up the music a little to compete with the dance clubs...the rock thing had kinda run its course there and they wanted to explore new options. Problem is it is very difficult to just play 2 songs of any genre and then switch it up to something totally different. Your rock crowd won't get it and your dance crowd won't get it. I've been there and it's fustrating. I sent ya a PM...you live in SPFLD and I live right outside of SPFLD, drop me a line I'd be happy to help.
 
Yea its definitely difficult........ive been on the decks all night practicing for it....just plain hard too go from house pumping music too a fukin rock track...It kills the VIBE but im trying too figure out ways too make it work...
 
Speaking from 25-30 years experience djing and moving from an urban area and background to a rural area you need to change your thinking if you want to stay at this place. Sounds like the boss wants more traditional sounds and songs as opposed to your house/hip hop/mashup style. Lord knows, I've tried to push my style left and right and when I ask folks I know are redneck/hillbilly/rocker what they thought, they say "it was great except for that (whatever you are trying to push on them) shit." A lot of folks, I know this is hard to hear, just want straight on music, not remixed, not scratched, not beatmatched. They just wanna hear they're songs as they know them. Thats my first bit of advice. Second, with the success of American Idol and Guitar Hero, my teenagers are into music I never thought they'd dig. Living on a Prayer by Bon Jovi, Dont stop Believing by Journey is so hot right now, Crazy Train by Ozzy. These are the new classics. Use them. Sweet Home Alabama, who doesnt know that song? What "rock" songs do you know and are willing to try? All it is now is trial and error. See what works. 90's and 2k rock? Nothing wrong with "Santeria" or "What I Got" from Sublime. If you cant find something cool to play from Green Day or Nickelback then djing might not be your calling. Do a search online for 90's rock and then hear them on youtube or itunes. Search classic rock and do the same. Just remember, FOCUS ON THE STUFF EVERYONE KNOWS. As you get a library together of stuff everyone knows and you can keep your bar customers happy then you can toss in a few mashups and experimental stuff here and there but keep your core audience happy. Good luck
 
dizzyrocks2001 is spot on also in my opinion
 


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