yup have to agree with many of the comments here.......

the key to be a DJ is energy, knowing how to read a crowd and having fun doing and being professional about it....

and keep watching, someone once told me that when I'm doing a gig mobile or in a club, my eyes keep moving round the dancefloor and club etc watching people...


helps you keep on top of things!

You can teach anyone how to mix two records together, but learning how to read a crowd takes longer!

Another top tip is to watch peoples feet, if they are dancing slower than the music you are playing slow the tempo down, and if they are dancing faster than the music you are playing, play something faster....


Incidently whilst on the subject of people who started as mobile Djs, Pete Tong started out as a box carter for Chris Hill(legendary Soul DJ) long before he made it big, and he hasn't done too bad since then!


as Kazz says..egos......no time for it after all we are only people who play music made by other people!

Yes i am always watching the crowd sometimes to the point were some girls boyfriends keep giving me the evil eye thinking im staring at there girl friend this is just funny

interesting comments as always from Eskie I too watched the crowd from an early age(in fact I did my first club disco when I was 14 but thats another story!)

I learnt from watching the showbands/cover bands in Ireland, learning what songs worked what ones didn't..plus things like party games etc to get a crowd going etc etc

I'm with Eskie thats the way I work and I suppose I always will, I've been doing discos since 1974...so I must be doing something right!


And knowing your audience is a key to being a good or bad dj.......

and a good dj can make any crowd move....*S*

as to Eskie's point about no.1 hits etc not getting people dancing, certainly in Ireland I can name at least one......

Firestarter

never played it even when it was a top 10 hit, and Vindaloo.........never played......

As do the ones who just play what they "THINK" the audience want to hear!. This is also the main problem with some of the Younger D.J's when the graduate from doing kids parties to more Adult or Family orientated functions - if they continue to play what they themselves want to hear, or just the current top 40, then they will run into problems pretty quickly.

As Tony pointed out, a lot can be learned from watching people, not just from their reaction, but from their body language also , but if you bury your head into your mixer and just watch your VU's leap up and down, then you are likely to learn nothing

great points from Chris and Tony.......


yes body language is so important to watch, not only when doing discos but in general life as well!

but i do feel you can still learn a lot over the years about how to build your sets but as for the basics of watching the crowd and being able understand there reactions and turn that into playing the songs they want does indeed come natrally.

Sorry, but we'll have to disagree on this one Karen. I've seen people who are the shyest people you could ever meet in person, gain enough confidence to stand in front of an audience of 100's and entertain them with no problem at all, and I include myself in that statement!. Out of interest, How many D.J's here smoke? and find themselves smoking more than usual, or even admit to chain smoking as a form of comfort before / durng a gig to hide nerves?

It took me 18 months to gain the confidence to use a Mic and "work" a crowd, and in the face of several people saying that I would never make a success of being a D.J - now, after almost 16 years and with one successful business built on the back of another - I tend to disagree with what you've said.

Not every D.J is naturally outgoing, personality wise - and I am one of them , yet after this long and never having to actively advertise the roadshow for almost 7 years then I must be doing something right. Yet, in the early days I would never say in a million years that I was a natural D.J when I was training!.

Personally I now find it easier to wonder into a crowd of strangers at a nightclub with a Mic and find several "volunteers" and get them to do something risque' on the dancefloor than I did meeting you, Paula and Co at the Plasa - and thats the truth!.

We are all individuals and nobody knows what we are capable of until it's put to the test or we are shown how to!, how did we learn to walk and talk? - from watching and learning from others!.

Even some, now famous names, in D.J'ing and Showbiz started life doing menial work without any early indication that they would become famous, yet they made it, and some very quickly. What i'm trying to say is that sometimes it takes a bit of work and practice to come across something that you are good at, and may have never known about, should somebody have never given you the opportunity!, and the easiest way to destroy somebodies confidence in their ability in what they are planning to do, is to criticise them when they are learning how to do it or considering it!.

Sometimes people come across "skills" that they never knew they had, they could be 50, 60 or 70 before they discover a skill that they didn't think they could do, or think that they were capable of. DJ Trev is an older D.J who is still relatively new to the industry, but he's doing well and making a success of it!.

Hmmm, in your words this makes me unprofessional Karen. Again I disagree and circumstance plays a very important part in this statement. If you were to check the "How much do you charge poll" you will find the vast majority of people charging under what you charge, and therefore unlikely to be able to do it for a living, there are far more people here D.J'ing as a 2nd occupation than a full time one - looking at the stats.

Very True - who was it that said "To err is Human" and even as professionals some decisions are half chance!:)

LOL @ Dan

Probably for the best, maybe I read the post wrong, but according to Karen's philosophy - then I don't exist as a D.J, , non of you really know me as such, so you'll have to take my word for it!.

On another point Becoming a D.J also gave me confidence at dealing with people in person, and I did manage to overcome a lot of my initial shyness thanks to it as well, I also managed to conquer a slight speech impediment purely down to wanting to do something enough - would any of you have given me the same opportunity knowing this?? - I doubt it!.

I also recall a thread where Karen was offering to let a 14 year old watch her at work, surely this is an indication that you, yourself, believe that somebody can learn and benefit from watching what you do? and what is involved?, otherwise you'd be wasting your time!.

I know this i was joking as i normally take eskie's comments the wrong way! hence the smiley.

I'd say a big "yes" to point one, and a half "yes" and definate half "no" for "bonus" in point two.

It depends on the age group thait you're entertaining, but scratching will empty a dancefloor of anything other than teenagers, if its done at much more than an extra instrument EG: fader/volume of scratch at no more than 15% of the other tune, which is being left to run unmolested.

Huh? ah just checked it out,should be divorced before xmas! I feel a "whats c p doing in this picture " competition coming on,now where did i put Paula "the phantom photographer"s phone number?