Playing what you consider to be some great stuff to an empty floor surrounded by people talking and drinking. Do you:

 

Carry on and just play what you want to hear

 

Panic and start looking for sure-fire stuff in your box

 

Get on the mic and berate the crowd for their lack of taste

 

Burst into tears, storm off stage and vow never to DJ again

 

or...?

Get down and dance yourself! I've seen that happen. Ade

I used to play R&B time, E Rodney Jones, and point out that if they've forgotten how to dance, there are instructions in the record.

Playing what you consider to be some great stuff to an empty floor surrounded by people talking and drinking. Do you:

 

Carry on and just play what you want to hear

 

Panic and start looking for sure-fire stuff in your box

 

Get on the mic and berate the crowd for their lack of taste

 

Burst into tears, storm off stage and vow never to DJ again

 

or...?

As a Dj surely your there to play what the punters want not what you want to hear.

Steve

You are either at the wrong event, or you are a shit Dj. 

You are either at the wrong event, or you are a shit Dj. 

 

Or just looking for amusing stories. Like Tony Rounce at the 100 Club sometime the early 80s

 

'You lot need your legs chopped off if you won't dance to this!'

 

Or a bloke who actually went and sat on the dance floor as some sort of protest at lack of interest.

Has to be "Panic and start looking for sure-fire stuff in your box " but without the panic. 

 

Berating the audience is not a good idea and bursting into tears is just unseemly.

Put an oldie on.

Playing what you consider to be some great stuff to an empty floor surrounded by people talking and drinking. Do you:

 

Carry on and just play what you want to hear

 

Panic and start looking for sure-fire stuff in your box

 

Get on the mic and berate the crowd for their lack of taste

 

Burst into tears, storm off stage and vow never to DJ again

 

or...?

 

The last one !

You change direction because obviously what your doing isn't working  A DJ playing with vinyl is a live act trying to please an audience you can have a million records you only have usually 60 minutes to play them you have a job to do to the best of your ability and that  sometimes means not being too selfish playing for yourself and a few friends and maybe trying to impress other DJ,s.Soulies still love a good night out .Be yourself if your lucky  find a style that allows you play the tunes you love as long as your audience thinks the same.Always remember on the soul scene in particular you can't please everybody all the time but you can have a good try. If you can get half a dance floor up its better than none at all then you can build on that.God knows why some DJ.s keep on playing to empty dance floors. it's as if they think that some SOULIES are not as advanced in music as they are so they are having what they are playing no matter what. Or is it God forbid they can't change direction and they've become one trick ponies?Im sure other soulies and Dj,s have their own opinions this is my own and I stress humble opinion

God Bless Mick L

Or as a certain DJ used to say I think, "Dance ya fu**ers!"

‘Panic’ ……..‘Burst into tears' (Internally)……’Carry on and just play what I want to hear’……then - 'storm off stage and vow never to DJ again’……

 

……..Until the next time……..   

 

All the best,

 

Len ‘I may have a window’ Dopson

Edited February 27, 201510 yr by LEN

As a Dj surely your there to play what the punters want not what you want to hear.

Steve

ooooh Steve - that's just a jukebox!...

As a DJ you've been hired to play the great records in your box - as a punter I want to hear what the DJ has got....hopefully something a bit different and unexpected - they're the best nights   

I normally gets snacks from the bar and have a relax

Borrow Butch's box

You still gotta know how to play em  

 

Len  

Edited February 27, 201510 yr by LEN

Or as a certain DJ used to say I think, "Dance ya fu**ers!"

sounds familiar.

You still gotta know how to play em  

 

Len  

Pull the best 20 or so out, place them in any turn on the turntables.... "And give it em"

I would love to see a DJ burst in to tears

You are either at the wrong event, or you are a shit Dj. 

or both

I would love to see a DJ burst in to tears

What time are you on tomorrow night?

What time are you on tomorrow night?

 

I've said it before it isn't always the DJ's fault.  You/they could be booked to play a particular type of set but it is totally worng for the crowd, or much of the crowd but it is what the promoter wanted.

as an oldies dj ive always try and revive forgotten items from all eras

 

ive promised myself to play more of the records i have in my collection and balance with the requests i get 

 

every 'new' tune im championing i turn round very slowly to see reaction

 

some are not instant others go ok

 

but if you dont try youll never know

 

atb

 

mark 

Edited February 27, 201510 yr by wiganer1

ooooh Steve - that's just a jukebox!...

Stu. That's called reading your crowd mate

Steve

I would love to see a DJ burst in to tears

 

....Watch this space.....  

 

 

 

 

 

Len  

Edited February 27, 201510 yr by LEN

I've said it before it isn't always the DJ's fault.  You/they could be booked to play a particular type of set but it is totally worng for the crowd, or much of the crowd but it is what the promoter wanted.

 

Halleluiah! that's it - 'Focus' Len........  

Len  

Edited February 27, 201510 yr by LEN

I agree with chalky the promoter should know his club and his audience,pointless booking djs that dont fit the bill.But equaly, good djs should be able to react to most crowds on the soul scene.

Pull the best 20 or so out, place them in any turn on the turntables.... "And give it em"

 

........Still may not work - You still need that 'somat else'  

 

Len  

Just take out a stanley knife and begin carving Norther Soul Rools in your forearm. Can't lose...

You are either at the wrong event, or you are a shit Dj. 

With a comment like that, you are a misguided unsoulful dick-face oldies fan ?!!

........Still may not work - You still need that 'somat else'  

 

Len  

Come on Len.... educate us all please!

In my experience over the years you would travel to hear tunes that certain djs would play.Now anyone can take a bunch of played out oldies & fill any dance floor.Surely the scene wasn't based on this ?or maybe it suits the masses.

Come on Len.... educate us all please!

 

I wouldn't know 'where to begin' my friend  

 

I just know that it works for some with 'seemingly' the same records, whist it simply does not for others - I couldn't explain why, but I know when I see it   

 

It's 'magic' init?

 

All the best,

 

Len  

 

P.s - Apologies if I come across as trying to be a clever tw*t - I'm so not, but I do know when it works.

It must be a Scottish thing !

Having grown up listening and travelling to see Keb Darge , Colin Law and the Walls Brothers I fully expected as a paying punter to be heckled, bullied and blatantly told to " Get on the f******g dancefloor " to which I duly did. , no questions asked !!!!

Can you imagine that nowadays !!!

It must be a Scottish thing !

Having grown up listening and travelling to see Keb Darge , Colin Law and the Walls Brothers I fully expected as a paying punter to be heckled, bullied and blatantly told to " Get on the f******g dancefloor " to which I duly did. , no questions asked !!!!

Can you imagine that nowadays !!!

 

I've heard 'these tales of old', and I envy those times. Jocko said to me once that he comes from a time when an empty dance floor was actually seen as a compliment - I fully understand that statement.

 

Good on ya mate  

 

All the best,

 

Len  

Edited February 27, 201510 yr by LEN

Simples. If you wouldn't dance to a record yourself don't play it

Steve

In my experience over the years you would travel to hear tunes that certain djs would play.Now anyone can take a bunch of played out oldies & fill any dance floor.Surely the scene wasn't based on this ?or maybe it suits the masses.

 

NO they can't. 

ML

Think Steve got the answer on No 4 of this thread.

I would love to see a DJ burst in to tears(nothing but tears)

Chalky

Would that Lee Roye's version,might be a good idea if your records you are playing aren't working   

Look forward to a rendition tomorrow night

Cheers

Martyn

Think Steve got the answer on No 4 of this thread.

 

No 4 - “As a Dj surely your there to play what the punters want not what you want to hear”

 

I say think again (meant in the nicest possible way) If anyone goes over the same ground (nice ground that it may be) over and over again, they will get bored of it in the end (human nature) So people trying to make things more interesting are just ‘trying to make things more interesting’

 

Whilst keeping it entertaining of course

 

Creativity is what makes things last.

 

All the best,

 

Len  

Simples. If you wouldn't dance to a record yourself don't play it

Steve

 

Mmm. OK. But my dancing wasn't anything that was a joy to behold. I'm too tall and gangly and for some reason I can't seem to co-ordinate that well to a fast rhythm, so the dancing thing was never that crucial to me. But I get your point...

 

Ian D 

Guaranteed to get a reaction every time

Guaranteed to get a reaction every time

Only at the Mecca.......

Playing what you consider to be some great stuff to an empty floor surrounded by people talking and drinking. Do you:

 

Carry on and just play what you want to hear

 

Panic and start looking for sure-fire stuff in your box

 

Get on the mic and berate the crowd for their lack of taste

 

Burst into tears, storm off stage and vow never to DJ again

 

or...?

 

 

 

or ?

 

Give Julian Bentley a ring as he has extensive experience of the phenomena you describe.

Guaranteed to get a reaction every time

 

Love it - Saw him live at The 02 last year! (FFS don't tell anyone though!)

 

 

 

Len  

 

P.s - Nina's Dad's Birthday treat, but he couldn't make it at the last minute so I used his ticket, and yes I enjoyed it! lol We did have a f*ckin' laugh - Couldn't help but dance!  

Remember Butch at Bretby clearing the floor with Dennis Edwards 'I didn't have to' then saying something along the lines of 'that's the best record you'll hear all year and you must be a bunch of dickheads for not dancing to it' - something of a tumbleweed moment 

With a comment like that, you are a misguided unsoulful dick-face oldies fan ?!!

How can I reply to such a well thought out and crafted post?

....Watch this space.....  

 

 

 

 

 

Len  

Len, make sure mesen, Mark and Kim are there as witnesses

Edited February 27, 201510 yr by ZootSuit

Borrow Butch's box

 

I didn't know he played cricket ... he never said   

Nothing wrong with an empty dance floor. DJs aren't slaves to the dancers. They should be pushing the envelope. I miss the days when DJs were people we looked up to, who played new sounds that we never heard anywhere else and we'd dance to for the first time, dare I say they 'educated' us.

 

The best spots I've heard are record after record of brilliant sounds I'd never heard before. I probably didn't dance to them all but that doesn't mean I wasn't having the best night ever.

 

It's all a bit cosy and predictable if the DJing is trying to guess what people want all night rather than concentrating on playing their A1 set. It's the pipe and slippers, and a comfy cardigan school of DJing.