TranceAddict Forums (www.tranceaddict.com/forums)
- DJ Booth
-- For people who play out...
Pages (2): [1] 2 »

For people who play out...

Is it really that hard to get people dancing? Got an event coming shortly, main set. I'm thinking of the worst thing that can happen which is no one dancing.

Really, how difficult is it to get them to dance? Are there crowds that are 'tough' like when a comedian's jokes are not laughed at?

Fraid so. Probably not what you want to hear right now, but let me put it another way - if no one dances, the chances are it's not because you suck, so don't worry if they don't. Hopefully if it's a peak-time set then they should have enough drink in them to get them to move, but don't be surprised if the floor clears every now and again while people run off for drinks.

Obviously try your best to get them moving, but don't be too hard on yourself if you find it difficult.

What kind of event is it - club? bar? house party? outdoor rave? big? small?

in my three years playing out, i have had two events where people weren't dancing.

In my experience djing hip hop, music selection has a bit to do with whether or not people wanna dance...no matter how talented you are...people don't appreciate a dj if he is not playing "good" music. But see, edm is different. EDM lovers are more open minded about what they listen and dance to. therefore, i guess what i am trying to say is don't worry and have fun....you can't really satisfy everyone.

the worst thing that happens when no one dances, is no one stays on the dancefloor, and thus the club looks empty and people who are thinking about entering decide to leave

vicious cycle

the majority of people even if they think they care about the music, really don't give a shit. most people are there to flirt, show off, or get wasted and high, probably a combination of all of those.

There could be several reasons people don't dance:

1. They are tired
2. They want to wallflower and just chill
3. They are too embarassed to dance. So they either A. Don't dance at all B. Get wasted then dance or C. wait until it gets crowded so nobody can see their embarassing dance moves
4. They are watching other people dance
5. It's too crowded
6. They are watching other dancer(breakdancer, poppers, glowstick ravers, etc.)
7. They don't know how to dance
8. The old guy in the Hawaiian shirt is coming on to her/him
9. They are getting drunk
10. Try to pick up a girl
11. Try to plug in those tricky earplugs(that's me)
12. They are watching the go-go dancers(Mmm)
13. The stupid ring acrobat has to have the floor cleared to perform

I always prefer to play later in the night... More alcohol and other substances have been consumed.

It's always the way...

It all depends on when you play sometimes I think. I once played a set where my intention was for everyone to relax and just chill out for a bit. I was playing at 11 and the guy and girl who opened up were banging out drum n bass as the opening slot. So as soon as they were done I started my set at 126 and played groovy tracks in the minimal/tech house genres. While no one was really dancing I saw a lot of people just laying back, sitting down, or talking while their heads were bobbing. And when it was over, a lot of people said it was great and just what they wanted to hear. So don't worry about if people will dance or not because sometimes they'd rather wait till later on in the night so not to tire themselves out too quickly.

quote:

Originally posted by spdandpwr EDM lovers are more open minded about what they listen and dance to.

I would have to disagree with that, strongly.

havent had a problem getting anyone to dance- pretty easy in fact


play good songs that make people want to dance... and in my experience.. they will

quote:

the worst thing that happens when no one dances, is no one stays on the dancefloor, and thus the club looks empty and people who are thinking about entering decide to leave

a-fucking-men

quote:

havent had a problem getting anyone to dance- pretty easy in fact play good songs that make people want to dance... and in my experience.. they will

yeah exactly, it's really not rocket science

quote:

Originally posted by Stu Cox Fraid so. Probably not what you want to hear right now, but let me put it another way - if no one dances, the chances are it's not because you suck, so don't worry if they don't. Hopefully if it's a peak-time set then they should have enough drink in them to get them to move, but don't be surprised if the floor clears every now and again while people run off for drinks. Obviously try your best to get them moving, but don't be too hard on yourself if you find it difficult. What kind of event is it - club? bar? house party? outdoor rave? big? small?

My set is peak time (first peak slot ever)

It is a club/bar party (self promoted) somewhat small right now, as I don't have a large following.

you can blame it on the opener

in all seriousness though, my technique live is usually to play tantalizing tracks which are just slow enough so that most people want to dance but don't feel comfortable and just enjoy listening. a few very comfortable people will dance and break the ice. gradually you build intensity but keep below the flashpoint until the crowd is large enough where when people start dancing they will feed off of each other

when you feel the room is just ready to blow up you play one track which is irresistable to dance to, and at a key moment you cut the lights out and slowly turn up the volume.

people usually have had the urge to dance and you've toyed with them for a while preventing them from letting it out on the floor. personally I think a good way to get people to dance is to play with their feelings like this, using tension to create desire and then triggering the release of that building tension carefully. after a point you will have the crowd hooked and then it's a free ride. my only tactic after this point would be just to raise the bar with every track you play and fuck with their minds and bodies as much as you can (figuratively)

if you're playing a peak time set you have to adjust this based on how good of an opening set was played

i usually like to open for myself

i think if you're good enough, it doesn't matter who opened...


and yes, i prefer to play the whole night as well, gime 5-6 hours im happy give me more im ecstatic

It really just comes down to playing catchy, groovin' tracks that people can move around too. Yes, I said groovin'.

Well I leave in 1-1.5 hours.

Either I come back alive or...

quote:

Originally posted by miamitranceman It really just comes down to playing catchy, groovin' tracks that people can move around too. Yes, I said groovin'.

the groove is the most important part.. without a groove a record is useless

quote:

Originally posted by Allied Nations the groove is the most important part.. without a groove a record is useless

Especially if it's a vinyl.

quote:

Originally posted by Mr.Mystery Especially if it's a vinyl.

ba dum tshh

quote:

Originally posted by DOOMBOT It all depends on when you play sometimes I think. I once played a set where my intention was for everyone to relax and just chill out for a bit. I was playing at 11 and the guy and girl who opened up were banging out drum n bass as the opening slot. So as soon as they were done I started my set at 126 and played groovy tracks in the minimal/tech house genres. While no one was really dancing I saw a lot of people just laying back, sitting down, or talking while their heads were bobbing. And when it was over, a lot of people said it was great and just what they wanted to hear. So don't worry about if people will dance or not because sometimes they'd rather wait till later on in the night so not to tire themselves out too quickly.

Yeah but that depends on the venue. That's great stuff for lounges and bars though. Just because people aren't dancing doesn't mean they're not enjoying it.

well, good luck. just play some good tunes and have fun and people will dance. the only times i've had trouble making people dance is when the club was very slow, but don't let that discourage you because things usually pick up later in the night. the more people inside the club the easier it becomes to make them dance.

quote:

Originally posted by miamitranceman It really just comes down to playing catchy, groovin' tracks that people can move around too. Yes, I said groovin'.

You see this is what I don't get about the many many people (particularly here in the UK) who either play floaty prog trance in a warm up or say that's what they like to hear as a warm up.

Yeah some of it's got a groove, but most of it just hasn't. I think people think "I like prog trance and it's softer than uplifting trance so it must be suitable for a warm up!" - it's kinda like a scaled down version of hard dance DJs thinking peak-time trance is warm up material for their nights... "but it's slower so it must be right!"

And as you say - a track needs a groove to get people moving in the first place. Once they're dancing you can throw in some euphoric stuff but euphoric breakdowns played to an empty dancefloor rarely work.

The lot art of warming up, eh...

quote:

Originally posted by Stu Cox And as you say - a track needs a groove to get people moving in the first place. The lost art of warming up, eh...

Groove is the keyword. Doesn't have to be pounding danceable tunes. But does have to be a constant flow of groovy goodness. A dose of head bobbing and swaying of the body.

Or so I've observed

quote:

Originally posted by EvilTree Groove is the keyword. Doesn't have to be pounding danceable tunes. But does have to be a constant flow of groovy goodness. A dose of head bobbing and swaying of the body. Or so I've observed

No it's totally true man. As soon as people start swaying a little and tapping the feet you got em hooked (if the rest of your tracks build from there, that is).

i say we start posting examples of effective warm up sets...

Powered by: vBulletin
Copyright © 2000-2021, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.