How do mediocre DJ's get gigs?

[djeternal]

There are people that argue that the non stop club style transitions prevent people from dancing. there are a handful of people out there that want to dance to one song. they want to approach someone to ask them, they go up for one complete song, and then leave the floor.

I am not saying I agree with the guy that does not transition, I am suggesting it is his style.

Good point allen. I guess it depends on the crowd and the event. I'm a big fan of transitions because it has worked well for me. When I see people dancing I'm trying to keep them on the floor for as long as possible. I did a set this past Saturday where I had a high energy crowd of people dancing. I played Party Rock Anthem, I Got a Feeling, Boom Boom Pow, Scream and Shout, and more. The BPM's are very similar so it would be silly not to mix those songs. And then there was another set with Tootsie Roll, Doo Doo Brown, Hydrolics and similar fast songs.

As I think about it I realize that in many ways I want people to leave the dance floor when I decide they should leave the dance floor. Am I too controlling?

[DJ Matt]

DJeternal, you cant be DJing that long if you think transitions make a difference with a mobile DJ getting booked for gigs

there is more to life than techno, dance music, house, EDM whatever you want to call it.

as i said before, your time would be better spent working towards getting where you want to be, than worrying about others. we all have good and bad days. maybe it was an off night , or maybe there are some things he is doing right that you have overlooked. we cannot say, because we are only going by what you tell us about him, which is not much other than you didnt agree with his mixing style, and presumably felt you could have done a better job. you will get your chance

[djeternal]

DJeternal, you cant be DJing that long if you think transitions make a difference with a mobile DJ getting booked for gigs

there is more to life than techno, dance music, house, EDM whatever you want to call it.

as i said before, your time would be better spent working towards getting where you want to be, than worrying about others. we all have good and bad days. maybe it was an off night , or maybe there are some things he is doing right that you have overlooked. we cannot say, because we are only going by what you tell us about him, which is not much other than you didnt agree with his mixing style, and presumably felt you could have done a better job. you will get your chance

I don't mind the criticism but since you went there let's compare - I've been DJ'ing since 1995. How long you been DJing?

As far as transitions go I'll try an analogy. Some DJs will suggest that you don't need a sub for many gigs. We know that you can do a good job and please your crowd without a sub. But let's be honest - a lot of DJs don't use subs because it's more money and effort. Basically they are kinda lazy. I've been there. When I started out I was one of those lazy DJ's who did not bring a sub to many gigs because it was easier not to lug a big ol sub around. Nowadays I almost always bring a sub. For very small gigs I may not bring a sub but for most gigs the sound is much better with a sub. We all know that.

I think 8 times out of 10 good transitions are better then no transitions. The lazy DJs who can't blend or mix well like to suggest that transitions are not important. Let's be real - almost every DJ software out there helps you determine BPM and organize your music by BPM. For example, the DJ I am talking about had a Pioneer DDJ-SX. How can you do lousy transitions with that controller? Also it so happens that his song selection was bad. If he at least did a good transition he would not clear the dance floor so fast.

Anyway at the end of the day I know that DJ'ing is hard work so I'm trying not to be too harsh but the guy said that he's been DJ'ing since 1989. Let's not make too many excuses for mediocrity. Sure maybe he had an off night but if you're playing for almost 400 people and you've been in the game since 89 should people expect a decent performance?

[djeternal]

Another way of thinking about it - mobile DJs in many ways are trying to recreate the club environment. For example, we bring good sound systems and lights if we can because we want clients to feel as if they are in their own private club for that evening. I can't recall hearing bad transitions at a club. There's a reason for that. If you read your crowd well you should be able to keep them on the dance floor for at least 4 or 5 songs in a row.

[DJ Boom Bap]

NOPE! Good song choice keeps people on the floor. Not once in my career did someone come up to me and say, "dude I loved your beatmatching right there!"

Really, I get that quite a bit. A lot of people appreciate a good mix/beat match.

[DJJDGator]

I dj'jed a Christmas Party this past weekend and the coordinator of the event came up to me at the end of the night and praised the fact i blended songs together and actually read the crowd. It was odd to me because i feel those are at least the basics of dj'ing. Everyone will have their opinion but in my market once people get a chance to experience a good mobile dj company there is no going back to mediocre djs.

[J5k]

We need examples. Examples of bad transitions, examples of poor song choices and, examples of songs people did dance to. Every crowd is different. Some times you can mix flawlessly from one tune to the next but if your crowd (the ones who want to dance) only care about country line dancing tunes or songs they know, it doesn't really matter. You can go from something they know and like to something they don't know and completely lose them, regardless of how epic your transition was. Other crowds simply feed off of the energy in your mix/selection and will dance to songs they don't know as long as you don't break the flow.

[allensmusic]

As I think about it I realize that in many ways I want people to leave the dance floor when I decide they should leave the dance floor. Am I too controlling?

I would say my methods are similar to yours, although I try to be extremely controlling, particularly at bar gigs. I try to do breakdowns that will give the high energy dancers a moment to go to the bathroom, have a cigarette, buy drinks, have a quickie in the parking lot, etc.
When I see the high energy dancers looking tired i change to something slower, depending on the crowd it might be a slow dance, R&B, country, etc.

[djeternal]

We need examples. Examples of bad transitions, examples of poor song choices and, examples of songs people did dance to. Every crowd is different.

Good question. I think there are 2 ways to define a bad transition:

1) It clears the dance floor and some people in the crowd give you an annoyed look.

2) The blend is choppy (beats clashing) or the change in songs is abrupt and throws people off.

I've had my share of both and sometimes it still happens but I pride myself on being able to play at least 5 to 8 songs in a row that keep people on the dance floor. The past few weeks I've averaged between 8 to 10 songs that keep people on the dancefloor. Probably because I've organized my music better and started using Serato's crates more consistently. I keep the hits for different genre's grouped together. Also they are organized by BPM.

Here is a specific example - the DJ played the Cha Cha Slide and there were a good number of people dancing cause you know people like that song. This was a mixed crowd (black and white). He let the song end and then switched to a song that I did not recognize and most people did not recognize. It goes without saying that everyone left the dance floor. For that crowd I would have gone from the Cha Cha Slide to a song like Blurred Lines because they are both popular and have similar BPMs.

[electricsmooth]

I dj'jed a Christmas Party this past weekend and the coordinator of the event came up to me at the end of the night and praised the fact i blended songs together and actually read the crowd. It was odd to me because i feel those are at least the basics of dj'ing. Everyone will have their opinion but in my market once people get a chance to experience a good mobile dj company there is no going back to mediocre djs.

Often, the layman will interpret a crossfader slide from one track to the next as "good blending". I get that "compliment" every now and then, even if I'm not beatmatching. The clashing is not very noticeable if you drop the new track on the first beat of the current track and make it fairly quick (some bass eqing also helps)

All you can do is your best. Try to beatmatch when you get a chance or if two consecutive requests just happen to line up.

Another tip I guess when taking requests is to try and bunch the requests together. I don't like jumping from 90s hip hop to EDM to rock in a span of 4 songs so I'll tell people making requests that I'll play their tune once I'm done with the current theme.