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-- So what really IS a DJ's job?
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imo, its up to the promoters to do research into the kind of crowd they want and book the djs accordingly

quote:

Originally posted by nefardec Obviously it's easier to do this in a smaller city like Ithaca, NY, where there is a very diverse and international population of students.

Or in a big city like Montreal with is just bursting at the seams with talented creative people willing to collaborate and put time end effort into promoting new sounds they like.

The underground is strong

quote:

Originally posted by kadomony imo, its up to the promoters to do research into the kind of crowd they want and book the djs accordingly

I think it's the DJ's responsibility to throw their own parties, promote their own parties and take steps to understanf that side of the business, especially in a local scene which he/she is trying to penetrate. Me and my crews do all our own shit for out nights and it's fucking hard as fuck, but it's great. I'd much rather leave the bulk of the promoting to someoe else, but fact of the matter is no one really gives a fuck about me yet so I have to haul ass.

As for me, I try to find music which transcends beyond some scene and find music which can really bridge the gap and be enjoyed by people while still being fresh, innovative and interesting to the crowd. It's got to keep them dancing, but also push their musical knowledge. You need to be able to find stuff which translates to the venue you are spinning and which can be gotten crazy to, danced to, listen to, and maybe even respected by the people you are playing for.

a promoter's job is to bring people to the venue.
a dj's job is to keep them there, and make them come back next week.

Funny that I was having this discussion the other day. I agree with everyone saying that you have to distinguish between the different types of DJ's there are. The person hiring you must be aware of that but most problems start when the DJ is not aware of the venue's policies.

My advice is that if you're playing to a crowd that is expecting EDM, play your style even if the owner says "oh play breaks or rock etc...". Maybe you will get thrown out after 2 tracks, maybe you won't get paid for spinning for 3 hours, but atleast people will know who you are and who knows, maybe there is someone in that club that wants you as a Resident at a 1000X better venue.

sharing the music you love with people. Period.

quote:

Originally posted by SPANIARD Funny that I was having this discussion the other day. I agree with everyone saying that you have to distinguish between the different types of DJ's there are. The person hiring you must be aware of that but most problems start when the DJ is not aware of the venue's policies. My advice is that if you're playing to a crowd that is expecting EDM, play your style even if the owner says "oh play breaks or rock etc...". Maybe you will get thrown out after 2 tracks, maybe you won't get paid for spinning for 3 hours, but atleast people will know who you are and who knows, maybe there is someone in that club that wants you as a Resident at a 1000X better venue.

That's why you need to reach a clear understanding with whoever hires you BEFORE you even start. Saves you alot of trouble.

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Originally posted by nefardec true, but if you're a chef at bob evans you're going to be expected to make old man mcflanders' hash browns exactly the same every sunday morning or you're going to hear about it! some people have no 'taste'. they just want some fucking meat and potatoes

Right, but a chef at Bob Evans isn't going to be taken seriously within the profession - those that are taken seriously, and maybe own their own restaurant, have to show some ingenuity and flair in addition to basic cooking skills.

quote:

Originally posted by Ishkur

Hah. Oh wow I've never seen that pic before!

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Originally posted by Psy-T a promoter's job is to bring people to the venue. a dj's job is to keep them there, and make them come back next week.

A DJ needs to be out there getting in the scene and getting to know people. Maing friends, playing afterparties, sharing music etc.

quote:

Originally posted by Allied Nations I think it's the DJ's responsibility to throw their own parties, promote their own parties and take steps to understanf that side of the business, especially in a local scene which he/she is trying to penetrate. Me and my crews do all our own shit for out nights and it's fucking hard as fuck, but it's great. I'd much rather leave the bulk of the promoting to someoe else, but fact of the matter is no one really gives a fuck about me yet so I have to haul ass.

Being a DJ and a promoter are two different jobs and they take two different kinds of people. Some people can do both but you find they're better at one or the other.

quote:

Originally posted by Allied Nations A DJ needs to be out there getting in the scene and getting to know people. Maing friends

no, a dj doesn't need to do that. a newbie dj might need to do it to get the job, it's not part of the job.

quote:

Originally posted by Allied Nations playing afterparties

it seems like you're under some weird impression that afterparties are pro bono by all parties. if that's not what you mean, you just stated the obvious - yes, a dj does need to do his job, play music at parties.

quote:

Originally posted by Allied Nations sharing music etc.

errmm huh?

A DJ should play what the crowd wants, otherwise the crowd will not come to see him/her again.

However, it is also a DJ's job to EDUCATE the crowd, play them something a little left field, and if they like it, push them a little further.

At the end of the day, you will never please everyone in the audience. You need to strike a balance between pleasing your chin strokers/music aficionados, and idiots who want to hear you play the song that's been at the top of the charts for six weeks.

I don't think people should make requests.

Personally, I don't mind taking requests. It lets me gauge the kind crowd I am playing to and I adjust my music accordingly. If people make bad requests I just say "yes", then never play the track. Better to piss off one punter than all of them.

Also, I don't mind people requesting songs that I don't like personally, what really pisses me off is people requesting tracks that they have heard four hundred times, maybe even three times that night.
It's a wonder how the general clubbing population manages to ever discover new music. If it wasn't for DJs pushing them, playing them tracks they've never heard, they would never listen to anything new.

quote:

Originally posted by Psy-T no, a dj doesn't need to do that. a newbie dj might need to do it to get the job, it's not part of the job. it seems like you're under some weird impression that afterparties are pro bono by all parties. if that's not what you mean, you just stated the obvious - yes, a dj does need to do his job, play music at parties. errmm huh?

You really enjoy taking everything literally eh... I think you are wrong. A DJ should always be spreading his music. You might not quite understand how it goes in a big city like Montreal, but here you always have your tunes ready and on the go to just drop by some loft party or house party happening who knows where at whenever time. As for sharing music, I don't mean FILE SHARING, I mean SHARING. When ypu put on music that you have in your box and play it for people, that's sharing it with them. IMO anyways.

A DJ's job is to know his or her crowd and understand how to play to them. If a DJ isn't active in his or her scene and getting around, he won't know what's up. A DJ needs to know his/her colleagues, the venus, the sound systems, equipment, promoters etc. To properly play a gig and be the best possible DJ, he/she should be involved in more ways than just showing up and playing records.

Now you pick apart my post and I don't care.

quote:

Originally posted by Allied Nations You really enjoy taking everything literally eh... I think you are wrong. A DJ should always be spreading his music. You might not quite understand how it goes in a big city like Montreal, but here you always have your tunes ready and on the go to just drop by some loft party or house party happening who knows where at whenever time. As for sharing music, I don't mean FILE SHARING, I mean SHARING. When ypu put on music that you have in your box and play it for people, that's sharing it with them. IMO anyways. A DJ's job is to know his or her crowd and understand how to play to them. If a DJ isn't active in his or her scene and getting around, he won't know what's up. A DJ needs to know his/her colleagues, the venus, the sound systems, equipment, promoters etc. To properly play a gig and be the best possible DJ, he/she should be involved in more ways than just showing up and playing records. Now you pick apart my post and I don't care.

wtf are you on about mate?

i gave the most straightforward, concise answer to the question posed in the thread, to which you chose to reply with some irrelevant text of questionable validity for some inexplicable reason.

what dj doesn't have 'his tunes' ready at a moment's notice?

i understood what you meant by sharing music - what was so ineffable about it was the overwhelming redundancy of actually saying it - the "huh?" was giving you the benefit of the doubt, which i guess, especially in light of the quoted post, you didn't deserve.

and about taking things literally, you'd have a point... had you not used the literal effing meaning, that is.

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