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Getting people to dance (pg. 2)
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| Dervish |
I know it sounds dumb but yeah play tunes the crowd like. Perhaps something they even know (that is possibly mainstreamish or older stuff)?
Remember your not trying to impress them with your white labels and underground stuff (unless it's a remix of something they know) your trying to get them to dance.
As for the people who say "play your stuff if the crowd don't like your 'sound' tough" you'll have been hired as a professional dj you are getting paid money to do a job.
And that job is to give the people the best night they can possibly have (playing music they can dance to). If you can start on their stuff (the stuff that gets them started dancing) even if you think it's and work into your own style ok good but if not you have to stick it out. It's not the crowds fault the promo guy has ed up.
If you find that in a given place the crowd isn't into exactly the same type of music you don't bomb the night because of some weird "dj integrity" thing. You just make sure you don't play that crowd again.
[sorry went a little off topic there :toothless] |
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| Mr.Mystery |
| quote: | Originally posted by Palladium
are u so in serious ??
i won't play reggaeton tunes... |
Yes, I am serious.
If the crowd doesn't like the tunes you play then you shouldn't be playing the venue to begin with. |
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| sandstorm03 |
| breaks seem to work sometimes |
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| sr126 |
| quote: | Originally posted by Abhay
How do u do it?
It always starts with maybe just 1 or 2 people. the biggest problem is, geting that first "group" of people to dance. When that 1% of the party starts to dance, then how do u get MORE people to join in... especially if the music isn't tooo much their taste... |
the right crowd helps a lot.
i think a big problem here in LA is the what i call "the hollywood crowd". -the kind of people who only go out just so they can be precieved as cool, "in", look like they have a life. these are the kind of people who go to your party, just to be seen. all they will do is walk a few laps around the club, have a couple of drinks, talk on their cell phone in the middle of the dancefloor (so the person on the other end will hear that they are in a club, and think that the person is cool, and hip), then socialize and treat you the dj, like a cd player or something. -you're just their to provide background music. everyonce in a while, you will get someone will drink enough to think he/she has some moves to show off so he can be precieved as hip... but this is a really ty crowd to play to. no matter what you play, these people are NOT there to party.
unfortunately, these poeople exist in great numbers... it's just one of the things you will just have to accept, and get too bent out of shape over. i have seen many excellent dj's just crash n' burn in front of these kind of people. while infront of good crowd they just kill it.
if you get the right crowd, it shouldn't be difficult to get people going. unless the promoter booked the wrong dj for night he's having... or you forgot to ask what kind of music to bring (assuming you are not personally fimiliar w/the event). then again, warming up may not be your thing. who knows... there are some things that are case by case, and others, only you can answer your self. but don't let it get to you.
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i don't think you should force youself to play stuff you don't like.
i think it's good to play stuff to please people, but don't suffer while trying to do it. if people see that you dig you stuff you play, and are having a good time doing it. it will spread into the crowd. |
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| FirstBorn |
A few thoughts:
Think very carefully about the sort of tracks they like - perhaps go to the venue on a different night and see what's working then. You may have to adapt your style slightly... but if you're having to completely change your sound (ie. playing musical genres you don't like or have), you might want to question whether this is the right gig for you.
Try to get the girls onto the dancefloor. If the girls start dancing, so will the guys. I don't want to generalise too much but girls respond well to vocals and basslines. Play some tracks with funky or distinctive bass patterns, or catchy vocals.
Play some classics that the crowd will know and love. People respond to familiar stuff, especially if they like it. Or, instead of the obvious classics, get people dancing by getting them to think "wow... I haven't heard this for years".
Don't go too big, or too quick, to begin with. If you're warming up should aim to gently coax people onto the dancefloor and not go for the big tracks too quickly. There's few things more intimidating than an empty dancefloor pumping out demonically fast tunes.
Look like you're enjoying yourself. As a DJ, you're a musical performer and how can you expect the crowd to be enthusiastic if you're not showing any enthusiasm yourself? If you're just keeping your head down and concentrating, staring at your decks and mixer, and doing the thing you've practiced in your bedroom, you're little different from a jukebox. Make eye contact with people, smile, and enjoy yourself. Enthusiasm can be infectious. If the dancefloor's completely empty, *you* should be the first dancer (from behind the decks, obviously ;)). If you're the DJ, it's your job to get the party started.
My favourite piece of advice: don't worry about trying to convert people who don't get your music. Concentrate on pleasing the ones who do.
Just my 2p worth. :) |
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| sr126 |
| quote: | Originally posted by FirstBorn
If the dancefloor's completely empty, *you* should be the first dancer (from behind the decks, obviously ;)). If you're the DJ, it's your job to get the party started.
My favourite piece of advice: don't worry about trying to convert people who don't get your music. Concentrate on pleasing the ones who do.
Just my 2p worth. :) |
true. i was kinda trying to say that, but said it much better than i did.
but the dancing part... when i start (warm up set) i'm usually the first one on the dancefloor, period. i'm grooving alone, dancing like a dork in front of everyone, not in the booth... maybe staying the booth is not a bad idea ;p hehehehe... |
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| Abhay |
Hey guys...
thanks heaps, that was really insightful...
this is my first real gig. I'm playing in front of about 100 international students from mostly HOnk Kong, and also Japan and china etc. (just generalyl that part of asia ;-)).
I told the organisers to give me as many Cds as possible before the event. so i should be getting them soon.
My plan is to play a couple of well reknowned asian dancey music (yeah, ti's like REALLY REALLY POPPY CHEESEY EURODANCE, from what i've heard), and throw in a bit of Ayu Hamasaki remixes. SOme of my favourite one's i'll throw in. I wanna see how people respond to it... Once i run out of Asian music, i'll just drop heaps of the vocal trance that i love, then flow over to harder and harder trance, withotu as much vocals.
A friend of mine might be DJing with me, and he can rave good, so I think i'll get him to stand out and dance in the front... but i'll have to play some hardstyle or something, becasue he dances psyco...
These people aren't image-conscious s. They're nice, down-to-eath people, from my experiences with them, and they're jsut out to be with friends and have a good time. YOu know the type that i'm talking about, if u go to uni etc. ;-)
Oh one more RELALY imporant thing. There's goign to be like this good rock band playing just befor me. this is making things a lot harder. THey're advertised... and so is a DJ. THe band is actually a bunch of amatuers, btu me and them are pretty much the only entertainment.....
how does that affect things.. should i start off differentyl because of things? |
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| Abhay |
| yeah... what would u guys do with such a crowd? |
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| Trance Nutter |
don't ramp it up to hard.
You said it yourself, they just wanna go have fun, party, have some drinks etc. Unless they really like trance, going hard is gonna up the night royally. They wanna party, not party to trance. Keep it light and vocally. |
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| Abhay |
| quote: | Originally posted by Trance Nutter
don't ramp it up to hard.
You said it yourself, they just wanna go have fun, party, have some drinks etc. Unless they really like trance, going hard is gonna up the night royally. They wanna party, not party to trance. Keep it light and vocally. |
I see ur point. But a lot of the more trancey asian stuff i've heard is really hard, and really fast....
I'm not sure if it's something they'll dig more because they're used to it....
maybe i'll just have to see how they react :D.... |
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| Trance Nutter |
| Play to the girls, when they are on the floor the guys will be there too and everynoe has a good time. Lose the girls and the night will die. |
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| Rob |
Yep, throw down some Ayumi tracks.
Ayumi Hamasaki - Kanariya (Surreal Dream Remix) is one of the best vocal remixes I've heard posted on these forums. Search for it in the Amature Producers section and download it. It's a MUST!!!
Ayumi Hamasaki - Unite! (Airwave Remix) should go down well too.
Ayu - M (A & B dub)
I say plan a track list for time you have allocated and post it. |
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