University town Bar: Mainstream music vs real house/hip hop

[b.ill]

On a side note, do you guys always take requests or just if it doesn't completely throw off your set? I told about 10 people I would look for their requested track and never played it... erk

Use requests as a tool to keep the dance floor moving. If they are dancing (especially if they are female and dancing) you bet. If it's from someone who has been dancing all night the request usually makes sense. Requests from the sidelines - I'm very cautious about that sort of stuff.

You're going to have to put some time into this. Grid, cue, and edit your tracks. Look for remixes - especially for tracks that don't quite work on the floor. Work on combinations that build excitement. Otherwise you might as well not do it at all.

[Suprarick]

Unfortunately, mainstream bars (that dont have an EDM specific night) will always prefer mainstream top 40 and common hip hop that people know. I made the same mistake my first time at mainstream bars (playing festival remixs) and some of them didnt go so well. Save the festival type remix's for full-on clubs and keep minimal remixs and original top 40 for the bars.

[Dandruff]

Gotcha, nice to know you did the same thing. Thanks for the thoughts B.bill. Next time an overweight, overly obnoxious drunk woman asks for call me maybe, I'll throw it on and just before the chorus Ill slam in skazi then proceed to scream shit on the mic and flip everybody off........ Kidding but, I've got some great pointers, tips and advice from this thread. Hopefully someone reading will also,
cheers guys

[b.ill]

Thanks for the thoughts B.bill. Next time an overweight, overly obnoxious drunk woman asks for call me maybe, I'll throw it on and just before the chorus Ill slam in skazi then proceed to scream shit on the mic and flip everybody off........

Well there are limitations I don't take every request from the floor that's for sure. As for "Call Me Maybe" I did mix it in when it first came out, but haven't used any part of that track for at least a couple of months now - and I DJ every weekend.

No one seems to be missing it - especially me.

[LeFresh]

Why not just play remixes?
Top 40 house/electro remixes.

[Dandruff]

Why not just play remixes?
Top 40 house/electro remixes.

Yeah man, that's defintely a good idea. What I am doing for the up coming gig is playing top40, top40 remixes then a few relatively unknown tracks. People want to dance to what they know, Would you consider top40 remixes still in the "know"?

[nevin]

I recommend using my cheese to underground ratio which is worked on groups of 3 songs. I play mostly top 40
Gigs and this allows me to keep it interesting for everyone (including myself)

3 out of 3 mainstream songs
Best used at the start when people are sober or when you are struggling to keep a dance floor.

2 mainstream 1 underground
Bet used when testing a crowd. Playing 2 for them and one for you. This gives them what they want so they are having fun - they might also become more likely to stick around for a song they don't know but will leave of you play too much try don't know.

2 underground 1 mainstream
Now they are drunk and having a good time. I you have a raging dance floor you might be able to get away with this but you are keeping a mainstream song every third song to keep their interest.
After all they do love that top forty.


This makes it easy for me cos I can look at a crowd and judge whether they are a 1, 2 or 3 mainstream level which keeps it easy for me