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-- Problem with venue... ready to quit...

Problem with venue... ready to quit...

Progressively the place I spin at has been wanting me to play more and more hip hop. I am reluctant about it but I play it with some house sets in between. But now they don't even want the house.

The guy who runs the lounge doesn't talk to me, instead his assistant acts as the middleman in a game of telephone.

I was playing a Kylie Minogue remix when only a couple people were there and the assistant goes, "Is this hip hop?!" in a condescending tone. That was it. I put on an old hip hop cd and just walked around flirting with the barstaff. I didn't even mix, so there was a pause between each song that was really obvious. Yeah I know it's not very professional but they weren't being professional either.

People started coming and my integrity was on the line so I spun hip hop for the remaining 3 hours. The crowd had a good time during the 2 hours I played my "peak" hip hop, which I would have played anyway in between some mainstream house. I'm not a hip hop DJ to play it all night. Plus I start at 6PM, so they want me to play hip hop for 6+ hours???

I'm not dependent on this gig so I'm ready to walk. It's not fun at all for me. I've proven myself at this place to handle DJ'ing well, and many people come only on the nights I spin, asking for me. The gigs are great because of the extra money, but I would love to not spin and hang out with my friends or just relax too.

Anyway, at the end of the night the assistant pays me and I told her my concerns:

"First I can only start at 8PM from now on, including this Saturday. 6PM is too early because I don't have time to do things. And second, I can't play all hip hop. I feel like a jukebox, and I didn't become a DJ to play just hip hop. If you trust me as a DJ that will keep the crowds and play a mix of half house and half hip hop, then I'm cool with that. But I won't just play hip hop." I didn't say it in a mean tone, just straight-forward.

I'm still compromising with the half part. They will call me tomorrow with their decision. I know what they are going to say to each other, "We pay this guy and he won't play the music we want him too? Who does he think he is?" Well like I told her halfway through my set tonight, "Maybe you guys really need a hip hop DJ."

Thoughts??

How much money do you make from it?

Re: Problem with venue... ready to quit...

quote:

Originally posted by roosh I'm not dependent on this gig so I'm ready to walk. It's not fun at all for me.

Based on this statement I would tell them where they can stick their gig. Seriously, what is the point of keeping a gig that you don't need that isn't fun for you to do anymore. I would understand if you really needed the money, but to sit their and play shit that you don't like for 6 hours straight for your enjoyment and a bit of extra cash is crazy. I know that the DJ is responsiible for playing what the people want to hear, but the venue is responsible for getting a DJ that plays that type of music. They shouldn't get any DJ and then expect them to spin hip-hop or whatever. I would just drop the gig all together, you don't have fun doing it and you don't depend on it for income so why do it at all?? Chances are there is some hip-hop DJ out there looking for a gig that would be very happy to do what you're not happy doing.

quote:

Originally posted by AndskiSpeed How much money do you make from it?

My asking price per hour, so no complaints there.

Wraith: I was pretty miserable for much of the night yesterday, thinking about other things I could be doing. I'll see what they say though.

im suprised you even have to think about this. why would you stay at a gig thats asking you to play a genre you dont play, thats just silly.

I'm assuming you have a full time job doing something else, and DJing right now (or at least this gig) is for some extra money on the side and the fun of it.

If that's true, quit. You don't want this gig ruining your fun with DJing. If I had a job and was DJing on the side, I'd DJ only stuff I enjoy - I already got a "real" job sapping my lifeforce, I don't need DJing to do that too!!!

im just a beginner but advice is advice

first off you arent enjoying it... theyre wasting your time, especially if you dont really depend on the income

if you can find another place to spin, go for it...i imagine you dont want to stop playing, so dont... find a house friendly venue and see if you cant get a gig there

you said it yourself, you're ready to walk

your time is too valuable to be wasted doing something you dont care to to...

If your not enjoying it then quit. Its not worth being miserable for hours especially since it is just a side job and you don't need it.

If you dont need it, and dont like it, then quit it.

But my god i wish i had a job like that.

You have to remember...youre still getting paid to play songs. Probably more than the bartenders, or waiters or whatever there is where you work. And i doubt they enjoy their jobs.

and you think you have problems....

http://www2.tranceaddict.com/forums...40&pagenumber=1

quote:

Originally posted by Special_K im suprised you even have to think about this. why would you stay at a gig thats asking you to play a genre you dont play, thats just silly.

right on

i feel where ur coming from completely, but i suppose u could also look at it as paying your dues while coming up

what he said

I think it sounds like they know what they want and the sort of people they want to atract.
Given the convo you had with the assistant, if the DJ bizz where you are is anything like it is where I'm from you don't have a DJing job there anymore. They can easlily get some half wit to bang out shite and for less money too.

On the other hand, you don't need it if it makes you miserable. Most Hip Hop crowds you see tend to have a chip on their shoulder mentality anyways which is totally different in dance music. Bottom line is that you don't need it.

Pursue the dream and leave that club even if crowd experience is valuable... you don't need to feel down from it.

Best of luck man


Cheers
Nem

I see both sides.

First off you are no Tiesto,Van Buuren, Picotto or any other big name... therefor people pay to goto the club, not goto the club and see just you. When you DJ you are at the mercy of the club owners (i know because I dealt with it for 4 years). So you play for the masses and its top 40 and hip hop. So what. You are a DJ. You play for the people. What is the point of sticking to one genre your whole career. Expand a little and enjoy it. Learning and knowing more than just trance and progressive wont kill you. How many big DJ's got to where they were playing only their one set style and how many got to where they are from the bottom up, pleasing the masses and then slowly filtering in their style.

quote:

Originally posted by _Nut_ I see both sides. First off you are no Tiesto,Van Buuren, Picotto or any other big name... therefor people pay to goto the club, not goto the club and see just you. When you DJ you are at the mercy of the club owners (i know because I dealt with it for 4 years). So you play for the masses and its top 40 and hip hop. So what. You are a DJ. You play for the people. What is the point of sticking to one genre your whole career. Expand a little and enjoy it. Learning and knowing more than just trance and progressive wont kill you. How many big DJ's got to where they were playing only their one set style and how many got to where they are from the bottom up, pleasing the masses and then slowly filtering in their style.

You have a good point and I think that there are two ways to look at it. (1) you can suck it up and play hip hop/mainstream/top 40 which may get more people to dance depending on the type of venue and you can get some valuable experience. (2) stick with your guns and try to get a gig elsewhere that has more of a trance/house following, and play what you love

I'm kind of in the same situation so what Nut says makes me think that you kind of need to work your way up to playing what you love to a big crowd. but is that really what you need to do? I know that you need to start somewhere but do you really need to be a jukebox first?

One last concern about playing mainstream: buying the records. If you are going to play mainstream, then that means that you need to totally revamp your record box, right? if you only have prog. trance records then you need to go out and stock up on new ones that fit the mainstream. This will cost a sh*t load of extra money especially if you want to also keep buying prog. trance records. How do you deal with this problem as well?

Update:

She said she'd call by Friday but she didn't, so Saturday afternoon went by and I figured it was done. I made plans with friends to have a fun night out. 9PM I get a call from her and she left a message saying "Uhh are you running late? My phone hasn't worked for 2 days." She was lying because she said she would call me for Saturday because they had to make a decision. What happened was they tried to find a hip hop DJ but they couldn't and called me last minute. I called back... she didn't answer so I left a message saying, "I thought you guys passed on me since you said you would call on Friday, so I scrambled and am spinning at a house party tonight." My story was a lie, but I'm not going to be on standby for them. I think this venue is done with... they want hip hop, I don't spin that, so time to move on. There's tension now between me and the owners so I can't imagine this being fun to spin at anymore.

As for posters saying I should stick around for crowd experience, it's a good point but this place doesn't even have a dancefloor. Sometimes people make their own dancefloor but I just look if people are bobbing their head or not.

quote:

Originally posted by _Nut_ So you play for the masses and its top 40 and hip hop. So what. You are a DJ. You play for the people. What is the point of sticking to one genre your whole career. Expand a little and enjoy it. Learning and knowing more than just trance and progressive wont kill you.

I agree with you, which is why I play a mix of house and hip hop. People really like the house I play and I constantly get compliments. When I play hip hop they ask for house, so this isn't an hip hop crowd. I know what these people want.

Thing is the owner wants me to play ALL hip hop, which isn't expanding or enjoying it as you describe.

quote:

Learning and knowing more than just trance and progressive wont kill you.

Duh, but just playing hip hop will kill me.

Maybe the owner wants a Hip Hop club for whatever bizarre reason.

There is still value in what you are doing as you can still learn a lot. It would be bad though if you got recognised for playing a certain type of music as it's quite hard to shake that off.

If it's making you unhappy though, you have to question if it's worth it. Think if it like this, you are DJing but it depends on if you love DJing enough to play anything or if you love DJing because of your music in which case look for more suitable clubs.

Personally I think music policies can suck ass and they can make a good DJ seem crap sometimes because you just don't feel motivated if your hearts not in it. But the owner ultimately pays the bills for the club at the end of the day so they will run it how they see fit, even if it's wrong.

Don't give up though, stick with it and use it as leverage for something else.

Cheers
Nem

quote:

Originally posted by roosh I agree with you, which is why I play a mix of house and hip hop. People really like the house I play and I constantly get compliments. When I play hip hop they ask for house, so this isn't an hip hop crowd. I know what these people want. Thing is the owner wants me to play ALL hip hop, which isn't expanding or enjoying it as you describe.

My thoughts on this. (and there are 2 sides to it as well.) All clubland DJ's that arent big time have to deal with the owners.. it is after all their club, their money, their sound system. After time the owners should see what you can do and eventually trust your decision. The first time I stepped upto the decks I thought I would rock it. My boss (the head DJ) let me spin @ peak hours on the first night. What did I do? Bomb.... it was all planned. I didnt know that crowd, I didnt know that club, I didnt know that atmosphere. So I started from the bottom... being a light guy. Then came time to open. By then I knew what made the crowd tick, the owners knew me. After a year I was a full res DJ. The owners saw and trusted my thought process in music. Yes they still had say in what was played but it was mixed with my flavour.

Now on for the real meat. When you say "they ask for house" is that a select few that come up to the booth begging for it, or is it a constant stream of people? Ive played in many cities and each places varies. The only place that I have seen as receptive to house is my hometown, Chicago. This is a hip hop driven country, sad to say... and that is what drives most smaller clubs. It doesnt sound like where you are playing is very big.. if there is no dance floor and you are looking for "the head bob" The club where I was a res @ was at fire code when we had 1500 people. That happened nightly.

If I were in your shoes, I would get out of the small club atmopshere and move on to a bigger venue. I never realized before how teeenie your club is....

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