DJs at the club

[Devil Marlena Nylund]

So, the club I usually go to on Saturday nights once in a while has a DJ who plays the tunes.
Now, this club has a Friday night where techno music is usually played (techno and house and that sorta thing. The actual real stuff.) I think it's the same DJ.
And on Saturday it's more Top 40/dance type stuff like 'Promiscuous', 'SexyBack', 'Dirrty', 'Buttons', 'Faster Kill Pussycat', 'Oh My Gosh', Madonna, and that sorta stuff.

Recently, we haven't been enjoying the music as much because he'll often go into playing like 15 minutes of straight Madonna songs, usually every week. 'Hung Up' is a gauranteed play and often 'Sorry' and 'Get Together' too along with old Madonna, usually the 80s stuff. And he also throws in some 80s Whitney Houston on a regular basis as well as some other 80s stuff. That 'Everybody Dance Now' song is also played every week (I don't like that song at aLL!!!)
He quite often doesn't play the big hits of now. I went last night for about 2 hours. From my experience, he usually plays the hit songs at the moment like 'Promiscuous' and 'SexyBack' would have gotton played around midnight. Then he goes into more technoish songs past 1pm and I don't recognize most of the stuff after 1 and if I do, it's 80s Whitney or a Madonna-thon or just some average song that I don't mind but don't care for.
And apparantly he doesn't do requests often. Well, he does but only if he wants to. I've requested songs a few times and they sometimes get played. But he refuses to play 'Dirrty' because he doesn't like Christina (He sometimes now plays 'Ain't No Other Man' tho) from what I've been told but everytime 'Dirrty' got played, the floor would fill up! Certain songs make the floor completely full. 'Dirrty', the remix of 'Since U Been Gone' and whatever the songs of the moment are (right now would be 'Promiscuous', 'London Bridge' and 'SexyBack', for example).
And I would think these songs should be played at the heart of the night (which, imo, based on the number of people there, around 1am is the busiest part of the night. Most people will show up just after midnight.)
So anyway, it got me wondering. When a DJ is playing to a fairly mainstream crowd and Saturday nights are advertised as playing prodomenantly Top 40 dance and other fairly mainstream dance music, how much say should the DJ himself have?
Obviously, being the DJ, he has the final say of what he plays and what he doesn't but should his goal be to play songs he enjoys and songs he wants to play, play songs that the audience themselves want (even if they do get overplayed) or play to fill up the dance floor, even if it means playing the current hottest dance songs that he probably doesn't want to.

Here are the songs he's chosen for his DJ Top 30, so the type of songs we should hear for the most part on a Saturday night:

1 Sexy Back - Justin Timberlake
2 Deja Vu - Beyonce ft Jay-Z
3 Promiscuous - Nelly Furtado & Timbaland
4 Same Man - Till West & DJ Delicious
5 Buttons - Pussy Cat Dolls
6 Get Together - Madonna
7 The Glamorous Life - T-Funk ft Inaya Day
8 Me & U - Cassie
9 Dutty Funk(We Can Do) - Timmy Vegas & Barbara Tucker
10 Ain't No Other Man - Christina Aguilera
11 Drop The Pressure - Mylo
12 Always & Forever - Chocolate Puma
13 You Gonna Want Me - Tiga
14 Never - Harrison Crump ft Dajae
15 Faster Kill Pussycat - Oakenfold ft Brittany Murphy
16 London Bridge - Fergie
17 Crazy - Gnarls Barkley
18 Jump - Madonna
19 Stupid Girls - Pink
20 Hush Boy - Basement Jaxx
21 Turn It Up - Paris Hilton
22 Put Your Hands Up For Detroit - Fedde Le Grand
23 I Don't Feel Like Dancing - Scissor Sisters
24 Say You Will - Cajmere ft Dajae
25 Move Aside - Bugz In The Attic
26 SOS - Rihanna
27 Get Up - Ciara
28 True Skool - Coldcut ft Roots Manuva
29 Who's Your Daddy? - Benny Benassi
30 Dreams - Deep Dish ft Stevie Nicks

[Chelsea Press 2]

themaxonline said:

Here are the songs he's chosen for his DJ Top 30, so the type of songs we should hear for the most part on a Saturday night:

1 Sexy Back - Justin Timberlake
2 Deja Vu - Beyonce ft Jay-Z
3 Promiscuous - Nelly Furtado & Timbaland
4 Same Man - Till West & DJ Delicious
5 Buttons - Pussy Cat Dolls
6 Get Together - Madonna
7 The Glamorous Life - T-Funk ft Inaya Day
8 Me & U - Cassie
9 Dutty Funk(We Can Do) - Timmy Vegas & Barbara Tucker
10 Ain't No Other Man - Christina Aguilera
11 Drop The Pressure - Mylo
12 Always & Forever - Chocolate Puma
13 You Gonna Want Me - Tiga
14 Never - Harrison Crump ft Dajae
15 Faster Kill Pussycat - Oakenfold ft Brittany Murphy
16 London Bridge - Fergie
17 Crazy - Gnarls Barkley
18 Jump - Madonna
19 Stupid Girls - Pink
20 Hush Boy - Basement Jaxx
21 Turn It Up - Paris Hilton
22 Put Your Hands Up For Detroit - Fedde Le Grand
23 I Don't Feel Like Dancing - Scissor Sisters
24 Say You Will - Cajmere ft Dajae
25 Move Aside - Bugz In The Attic
26 SOS - Rihanna
27 Get Up - Ciara
28 True Skool - Coldcut ft Roots Manuva
29 Who's Your Daddy? - Benny Benassi
30 Dreams - Deep Dish ft Stevie Nicks

The majority of those are really great tracks. But some of them are so ova!

When a DJ is playing to a fairly mainstream crowd and Saturday nights are advertised as playing prodominantly Top 40 dance and other fairly mainstream dance music, how much say should the DJ himself have?

As you know, I am DJ so I'll speak based on what I do. I do play a lot of currents and top 40 stuff. I usually play what is "in" at the moment, but I'll also throw in some stuff I really like and want to introduce the people to. But if I really want to do that with some of what is popular now, I'll play the particular song in a remix that either I did or a mix that I prefer that everyone else is not playing. I'll take requests throughout the event and then get them in. Of course, I won't play a 50 Cent song while I am playing some Offer Nissim or Cascada. I'll fit in a song when it is appropriate. I can't always get to all requests because either there's not enough time or I don't have that particular song.

It's always up to the DJ. Chances are if someone makes a request and they want it played "next", I probably won't play it unless the person requesting it is the person who is paying me to for that night's music.

When I do high school dances, I'll take requests all evening. I usually am able to fit most of them in because usually the songs being requested are things I would be playing anyway. But towards the end of the evening, I'll throw on one slow, one mid-tempo and one fast song at the end of each of their respective styles as songs that are for all the folks whose requests that could not be fit in. So far, that has worked pretty well.

Since I do all sorts of parties and events with different crowds, I can't play the same type of set at all the events. I have to "read" the crowd at the beginning of the event. Generally, I capture the feeling in the room and convey it in the music I play.

But when it comes to making requests, some DJs really hate it when people come up to them while they are mixing/cueing up songs. If they have headphones on and are getting a song cued, that is the worst time to make a request!

I put out a legal pad and pen/pencil near where I'm spinning so people can make their requests. I'll step away from the decks and then take a look at the requests.

[Devil Marlena Nylund]

Yah, certainly for me I wouldn't expect a request I've made to be played right away. But from what I understand is that this guy is getting alittle full of himself in what he wants to play and what it seems like the audience wants to hear.
And in the approx. two hours that I was there (from about alittle after midnight until 2am), I only heard one song of the Top 30 list that I recognized (which is about 16/30, LOL!) which was 'Faster Kill Pussycat' and he played 'U + Ur Hand' by Pink. Aside from those, it just seemed to be an 80s fest as it has been every time I've been there in the last while.
I'm not alone in the slightly frustrated part tho. I don't know how many people have actually said anything tho. Certainly, I wouldn't want to go too far with complaining because I don't know how many people probably like the stuff he plays and I mean, I don't like to critisize a DJ unless he's being obviously bad but DJing, I definately think, is a form of art and takes a lot of talent and skill to do. I was just curious as to what goals a DJ considers when doing his job and what his priorities are.

Anyway, we're considering another club this weekend so we'll see how that goes. I'll prolly be back in this topic on Sunday, LOL!

[spooky21]

I typically go out after midnight and the the best DJs at my fav lounge tends to mix things up in sets. They go from the danceble fast Top 40, to mainstream hip hop, to nostaglic dance 80, to some club stuff and it all just flows perfectly for hours and hours of dancing.

I can't criticize them as I've tried DJings parties i've held and did a horrible job even though i have every song known to man.

But I do agree that when DJ's can't find the pulse of the crowd and start playing only things they want, it ends up alienating a lot of people.

The best DJs are the ones who know how to combine the best of what is new and popular with classic jams and dance tracks.

Personally, I always try to avoid themed nights.

[Devil Marlena Nylund]

I won't say that the DJ I'm talking about doesn't mix things up but sometimes I get the feeling that maybe he's trying to avoid more Top 40 stuff that's all over the radio now because, well, it's all over the radio so why play it again. But for me, I'd probably rather hear those songs downtown because, as we all (should) know, the context that we hear a song in can effect how we feel about it.
And if he's going to do 80s stuff once in a while, I don't think it should be the same thing every time. I'm talkin' a Whitney song and some Madonna (Like A Virgin, Holiday stuff) and then there are early 90s stuff like that C&C Music Factory song. He *could* play 'Things That Make You Go Mmm' once in a while instead. Or play a Real McCoy song or whatever.
I think he should play today's dance hits as a top priority, play stuff from the 80s but just not always the same songs and mix in the most recognizable stuff with new stuff that isn't that known or even older more obsecure songs.

[Chelsea Press 2]

I would suggest going to some other clubs, if there are any. And if some big name DJs are going to coming in the near future, I would suggest going.

[britneyrules]

Me. I have playlists made for nights when I DJ at Rain, but I take requests.

HSD's are a given because you can already gurantee what they wanna hear. I'll throw in a few slow songs just to make em happy and the occasional "Back Dat Azz Up" and "Shake It Fast" so they can grind and have their mild oragasmic moments.

[Chelsea Press 2]

britneyrules said:

HSD's are a given because you can already gurantee what they wanna hear. I'll throw in a few slow songs just to make em happy and the occasional "Back Dat Azz Up" and "Shake It Fast" so they can grind and have their mild oragasmic moments.

For some of the hip hop tracks, those remixes with the slowdown in the middle work really well. There used to be this hot one for "In Da Club". I have been looking everywhere for that one.