The Zen of DJing
Not just your typical DJ
There are a lot of DJs out there. The bad ones are usually the ones remembered.. What distinguishes a good DJ from a bad one? I've encountered countless wedding receptions, school dances, and other big celebrations that have been ruined by an arrogant, mic-hogging, and lousy DJ.
Determined that I have what it takes to be a great DJ, I wanted to take a different approach to DJing. The most important thing is- what do the people think? Even before I began doing my own events, I would go to many parties and functions and note not only what was going on but how the crowd was reacting. I began forming a list of important critiques and praises from as many people as I could. I bought a book How to be a great DJ and put the advice to work, adapting my own personal style and techniques. As I gain more and more experience, I am constantly improving. It matters to me what other people think. "Did everyone have a good time?" "What could I have done better?" are a couple important questions that I make sure I address at each event.
Beginning the party
The first half hour or hour of an event is when people are first arriving and mingling. Maybe they haven't seen some of their old friends and acquaintances in a long time, so
they want this time to talk and catch up on all times. Now is not the time to play dance music! I carefully choice subtle background music or try out
a few newer songs not yet made popular but a low volume so that people can enjoy the music and talk without yelling at the same time. Since each party is
unique, I don't stick to the same unchanging playlist but there are a few favorites that I tend to play during this time.
- My favorites: U2 Beautiful Day, Frank Sinatra Young at Heart,
The Cure Friday I'm in Love, Bill Withers Lovely Day,
Citizen Cope & Santana Son's Gonna Rise, Jack Johnson Sitting, Waiting, Wishing,
Israel Kamakawiwo'ole Somewhere Over the Rainbow, O.A.R. Love and Memories,
The Troggs Love is All Around, Diamond Rio Beautiful Mess,
The Music
As I've mentioned before, the volume of the music is critical. It is important to read the guests at all time and determine if the volume should be softer (for carrying on conversations) or louder (are people wanting to dance). I frequently circle the room just to make sure that all the people are able to hear the music but at the same time not get blasted away. The placement of the speakers and where I set up my DJ booth are also important - central location where people can easily get to me and make requests, and proper placement of the speakers so that the people in the front of the room aren't going death and those in the back can't hear anything.
I take requests. I have a lot of good suggestions but my goal is not to show off "mixing/scratching skills". I play good music in hopes that it will spark a memory of a song you really like, then after you make your request I play it. If someone is out on the dance floor having a good time and wants to hear a specific song, I want to play that song because that means that their friends also want that song as well and the more people having a good time, the better the DJ. However, there are few ocassions when someone will request a song I'm not familiar with, and after previewing it I have to make the decision whether this particular song would be appropiate and at which part of the party I should play it at. After, I am the DJ, not just merely a CD player. Sometimes it is best to save a song for later on in the night and play or even not play it at all.
I get to know the guests at the party. Does it look like everyone is enjoying the music? Have I played too much of one genre, are the country lovers being fairy represented? Are the people on the dance floor tired? Should I slow things down a bit? Are people ready and wanting to dance? Are the lights blinding? I am always making adjustments and determining what needs to be done to make the party even better.
I am not a remix-scratching club DJ that manipulates songs and making loops and special effects. I have nice equipment but I use it to make smooth transitions from one song to the next. If a song is very long and the crowd seems to be losing interest, I will cut it short by fading it into another song, but I will generally play the original or most popular version of the songs you love without cutting them short.
Things a good DJ should avoid:
- Who's party is it anyway? Each party is different. it is ipmortant to have a starting point and know whats popular and what people respond to but this is not the DJ's party!
- Are they dancing? Do they look like they like the music? Who's dancing/sitting out?)
- The people didn't come to the party to hear the DJ. They came to be entertained and have fun. Depending on the nature of the event it can be beneficial to get on the mic from time to time and encourage
requests/dancing/announce certain things, but a mobile DJ is (and should be!) different from an obnoxious radio disc jockey
- I have already touched on this subject, but one of the biggest complaints of a bad DJ is that nobody could hear the music or the music was too loud that you couldn't hold a conversation. Often the phenomenon of too loud music
is accompanied by too soft music due to poor speaker placement.
- The most important thing is the music. A good DJ should research who will be at the event, what the host likes, and choose songs accordingly. I play a variety of music and see how the people respond.
This gives everyone a chance to have a good time and not just whoever is currently on the dance floor or whoever is making the requests.
- Because the original version is 9/10 times the best version :-)
- Why cut it off early? People want to listen to their favorite music not sample hundreds of refrains.
See photos of past events