DJs: How do you deal with it when...

Every gig I've done I've done for free

may I ask why? I'm presuming it's your equipment you're using?

I've always been paid whether it be the smallest of pubs to a large BBQ gathering - even whyen I've just done it for free i.e. small festivals / mates house parties etc I've had drinks all night with other "bonuses" thrown in.
 
may I ask why? I'm presuming it's your equipment you're using?

I've always been paid whether it be the smallest of pubs to a large BBQ gathering - even whyen I've just done it for free i.e. small festivals / mates house parties etc I've had drinks all night with other "bonuses" thrown in.

Just because I'm playing afterparties (and competitions to do bigger sets, all of which I've won :)). However I'll be paid for my set at the O2, and I do usually get free drinks and cigs from mates :)
 
i guess i am then :D although Ferry Corsten & Armin van Buuren never used to be any good from memory. not much better than bedroom DJs.

i see all this beat counter and autocue stuff and it reminds me of singers who need autotune. oh well. i guess vinyl has died out now :( sad times

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcfZnzL2U6I

While Armin mostly uses CDJs I seem to remember he was pretty good with vinyl to.
 
While I wish I could afford cdjs, I don't think I'd get them. Being able to have all your music on a laptop and controller is so much easier than having a ton of CDs :)
 
Simply print a few sheets before hand and if you get a numpty hassling you, hand them the sheet:

Before requesting songs, making comments, or asking questions of the D.J., please... Check below for your request
Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: 5 minutes
Here's How:

Play something good...something we can dance to!
The D.J. has to play for more than one person...so, what you may hate may be another's favorite song and everything played here can be danced to one way or another.

Would you play something with a beat?
Be Serious! We know of no songs played in a club that don't have some sort of a beat!

I don't know who sings it and I don't know the name of the song, but it goes like this...
Please don't sing for the D.J.! They have to put up with smoke-filled rooms and dangerous decebal levels all night. Do them a favor and don't give them a rendition of your favorite song!

Everybody wants to hear it!
Oh sure, you polled everyone in the club and, as their spokesperson, you are requesting the song.

I can get laid if you play it!
If you are good enough, you can get laid to anything!! (also been known as "buy the album and get laid for a month!")

I want to hear it next!
The only people who can get away with that statement write the D.J.'s paycheck!

I don't know what I wanna hear.. what do you have?
It's a lot easier for you to go have another beer and figure out what you want to hear than it is for the D.J. to recite the name of every record in the booth!

Hey man, nobody can dance to this!
It is not advisable to say this when the dance floor is packed (but, some people do anyway)! However, even if there is only one person on the floor, it still contradicts the statement.

Everybody will dance to it if you play it!
The D.J. won't...I guess that blows a hole in that theory!


Tips:

If you ask for a song and the D.J. says he just played it, don't say, "Well, I just got here." It makes absolutely no difference.

Don't say, "Is this the only kind of music you play?" If you go to a Chinese restuarant, you wouldn't ask for Italian food. Rock clubs play rock, alternative clubs play alternative, discos play disco, etc., etc., etc...

If you ask for a song, be specific. Don't say, "I wanna hear something, anything but this!" Try going to the bar and saying, "I wanna drink something, anything but this..." You can't complain if you're not specific.

However, if you are specific and the D.J. says he doesn't have the song, don't say, "What?!! What do you mean you don't have it? What kind of d.j. are you? Why don't you get into the wonderful world of fast food! You obviously don't know what you're doing as a D.J.!"... He may shoot you!!!

Give the D.J. a break! The next time you request a song, stop and think before you speak. And above all, if the Dj has one hand on the mixer, one hand on a turntable/CD player - wearing headphones, Don't bug him. he's mixing!!!
 
Wear below T-shirt.

SlNIU.png
 
Went well then did it?!:D

Yeah the set went really well! There was someone who works in fabric and loves drum and bass, and said as a live set I could probably play in fabric :)

:( If you don't value yourself, who will?

It's also a good way to get myself known :) when someone calls up their mate and tells them to get to the set it feels pretty awesome :)

Wear below T-shirt.

SlNIU.png

Where would I procure such a thing? I actually want that :)
 
... Someone asks you to play music which is nothing like what you have been playing and clearly specialise in?

Short story:
I'm not a DJ but I'm embarassed to say that 1 month ago somebody tipped me over the edge, I ran from the stage and proceeded to take the lad outside and got my band barred from the pub losing around 4 gigs a year :(

Longer story:
We are basically an ACDC tribute band who put other major rock classics in between.
Virtually everybody who comes to watch us knows exactly what they're getting but this 20 year old asked me earlier on if we could play some Beatles :confused:
I told him what we are and what we did and there was no chance.
All through the first spot he kept shouting for The Beatles and eventually he rubbed me up the wrong way so I snapped verbally.
At half time he asked all my band and all said no.
About 3 songs into the second half I decided to ask him what song he wanted and he couldn't name one Beatles song :eek:
About 7 songs in I made an announcement to the Landlord asking him to get rid of him or I would deal with him because he was ruining it for everybody but nothing happened.
8 songs in I asked again but nothing.
9 songs in I asked again and then said that if the lad uttered one more sound, looked at me funny, mouthed obscenities or used rude signs at me I would floor him so please get him out - nothing happened.
He then called me a w****** and did the sign at me so I raced from the stage, knocked him over, offered him outside and the Landlord finally did something before I laid into him.
Anyway, it's the first time in 42 years I let a heckler get to me.
Funnily enough his 4 mates all said 'He deserved that' because they were well into the gig.

At the last few gigs since then everybody is now shouting Beatles at me :D
 
I think the usual Proud2 customer base is the typical RnB/Rap listener judging by the regular line ups so it's probably some moron going there without checking the line-up and clearly not expecting whatever it was you were playing.

Don't ever change what you are playing, if you don't like what you are playing then it's time to do something else.
 
I think the usual Proud2 customer base is the typical RnB/Rap listener judging by the regular line ups so it's probably some moron going there without checking the line-up and clearly not expecting whatever it was you were playing.

Don't ever change what you are playing, if you don't like what you are playing then it's time to do something else.

Yeah, I guess.

Although I'm probably going to be playing every Friday at the su club next year, so they are going to have to deal with it :D
 
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