I dont know if anyone else have ever been in a residency (or regular dj work in general) and found themselves often playing alot of the same songs week in week out without realising. It used to be ok when i did mobiles because i would face a new situation every week and it would keep me on my toes. I know my music but i seem to just find myself moving back to the same tried and tested songs.

Obviously i realise you need some info so: The Venue is a cardiff pre-bar open till midnight with a strong student presence aswell as birthdays/hen parties.
Old & cheese is fine but we dont want to be soley known for just pre 1999 (we dont want to be an oceana disco room). I have included a random playlist from the last 4 weeks for you to see what were doing at the moment. Its mainly post 21:30 things start to look familiar. Too much Black Eyed Peas, Pink, Jason Derulo.


Playlist
U + Ur Hand P!nk 20:35:29 GMT+01:00
An Honest Mistake The Bravery 20:36:52 GMT+01:00
Womack & Womack - Teardrops 20:39:57 GMT+01:00
Dave Floyd & Pookie vs Ray Charles - Jack Is Back 20:43:37 GMT+01:00
Get Get Down Paul Johnson 20:46:15 GMT+01:00
My My My Armand Van Helden 20:47:21 GMT+01:00
Blurred 2006 Pianoman 20:48:23 GMT+01:00
Sex On Fire Kings Of Leon 20:49:42 GMT+01:00
aNYway (Club Mix) Armand Van Helden & A-Trak Present Duck Sauce 20:51:32 GMT+01:00
Acapella Kelis 20:54:52 GMT+01:00
Hotel Room Service Pitbull 20:59:33 GMT+01:00
Move Shake Drop DJ Laz Feat. Flo Rida & Casely 21:04:17 GMT+01:00
Yolanda Be Cool + Dcup - We No Speak Americano 21:05:42 GMT+01:00
Stereo Love (Extended) Edward Maya feat Alicia 21:06:54 GMT+01:00
Bad Touch Bloodhound Gang 21:08:20 GMT+01:00
Sound Of Freedom Bob Sinclair & Cutee B. Feat. Gary Pine & Dollarman 21:11:17 GMT+01:00
Put Your Hands Up For Detroit Fedde Le Grande 21:15:33 GMT+01:00
Parachute (Buzz Junkies Club Mix) Cheryl Cole 21:16:38 GMT+01:00
Just Stop Believin' (Lady Gaga vs. Journey) DJ Tripp 21:17:50 GMT+01:00
World, Hold On Bob Sinclar Feat. Steve Edwards 21:26:45 GMT+01:00
DirteeDisco(ClubMix) 21:28:39 GMT+01:00
Look for Me (feat. Talay Riley) Chipmunk 21:31:53 GMT+01:00
Jay Sean, Sean Paul & Lil Jon - Do You Remember [Video] 21:36:08 GMT+01:00
I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho) Pitbull 21:38:12 GMT+01:00
Brimful Of Asha Cornershop 21:41:53 GMT+01:00
Ke$ha feat. 3OH!3 - Blah Blah Blah [Video] 21:45:45 GMT+01:00
Groove Is In the Heart Deee-Lite 21:47:50 GMT+01:00
Holiday Dizzee Rascal 21:48:55 GMT+01:00
It's Like That Run DMC vs. Jason Nevins 21:50:08 GMT+01:00
Satisfaction Benny Benassi & The Biz 21:53:22 GMT+01:00
Show Me Love Steve Angello, Laidback Luke & Robin S 21:55:49 GMT+01:00
When Love Takes Over (feat. Kelly Rowland) David Guetta 21:57:22 GMT+01:00
Boom Boom Pow Black Eyed Peas 22:00:09 GMT+01:00
OMG (feat. will.i.am) Usher 22:03:38 GMT+01:00
Rhythm is a dancer Snap 22:05:39 GMT+01:00
Set You Free N-Trance 22:07:51 GMT+01:00
Mysterious Girl Peter Andre 22:12:34 GMT+01:00
Pump It (Edited Version) Black Eyed Peas 22:14:27 GMT+01:00
Shake Ur Body Shy Fx 22:17:20 GMT+01:00
Hey Ya (Nicks Ver) Outkast 22:20:07 GMT+01:00
Katy Perry ft. Snoop Dogg California Gurls Official Music Video HD 22:21:53 GMT+01:00
RockThisParty(Nicks2) 22:25:36 GMT+01:00
Candy (StreetDance 3D Version) Aggro Santos & Kimberly Wyatt 22:29:06 GMT+01:00
I wanna Dance With Somebody (Nicks Ver) Whitney Houston 22:31:57 GMT+01:00
I Gotta Feeling (Edited) Black Eyed Peas 22:35:59 GMT+01:00
Low Flo Rida feat. T Pain 22:37:26 GMT+01:00
Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It) Beyoncé 22:40:26 GMT+01:00
Rude Boy Rihanna 22:43:42 GMT+01:00
Crazy In Love Beyoncé and Jay Z 22:46:15 GMT+01:00
Yeah! Usher feat. Lil' Jon and Ludacris 22:49:19 GMT+01:00
Turn Me On Kevin Lyttle 22:50:59 GMT+01:00
BE FAITHFUL FATMAN SCOOP FEAT. THE CROOKLYN CLAN 22:53:06 GMT+01:00
Sex on The Beach T-Spoon 22:55:00 GMT+01:00
Jason Derulo - In My Head [Video] 22:58:36 GMT+01:00
Florence & The Machine and Dizzee Rascal - You Got The Dirtee Love (Live At the BRIT Awards 2010) [Video] 22:59:26 GMT+01:00
Ice Ice Baby Vanilla Ice 23:02:41 GMT+01:00
Jump Around House Of Pain 23:06:04 GMT+01:00
Bad Romance Lady GaGa 23:10:00 GMT+01:00
Good Times Roll Deep 23:12:34 GMT+01:00
Boom Boom Boom The Outhere Brothers 23:17:36 GMT+01:00
U Can't Touch This MC HAMMER 23:20:06 GMT+01:00
Mr. Brightside (Version 2) The Killers 23:23:21 GMT+01:00
All the Small Things Blink-182 23:24:20 GMT+01:00
Summer Of 69 Brian Adams 23:28:31 GMT+01:00
Livin' On A Prayer Bon Jovi 23:30:44 GMT+01:00
I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) The Proclaimers 23:35:28 GMT+01:00
Cotton eye Joe RedneX 23:37:30 GMT+01:00
Megamix Grease 23:46:01 GMT+01:00
(I've Had) The Time of My Life Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes 23:55:48 GMT+01:00


Any suggestions that seem to tie in with the above music policy would be greatly appreciated.

Nick

That looks like a fair old mix-up of stuff as it is; chart, 90's, 80's, oldies. I think you'd hear that at any high street chain bar around here, there's a limit to how much you can stray from tried-and-tested tunes without risking that heart-stopping feeling that you've singlehandedly emptied the bar or turned the place suddenly into a rave.

The problem with residencies is you learn what fills the floor and you play that week in/out because its popular and your instinct tells you that if it aint broke, dont fix it. Maybe you should just experiment and drop in the odd fresh track at first and gauge how it goes, I'm sure you have floor-fillers to hand to rescue the atmosphere if a new track sinks like a lead balloon.


Why do you want to deviate from the standard commercial bar fayre? Have you been told to? Are you just bored with the tracks? Or are you hoping to avoid the possibility of being accused at some point in the future of being repetitive? Maybe chatting with the duty manager might help...unless that's the impetus behind your thoughts!? Do you want to steer the bar in a different direction..if so, why? Can the venue afford to differ from the norm, ie become a little more 'themed' such as 'dancey' or 'trancey' or 'housey' or is the bar firmly on the commercial circuit-bar map? Where do people go to after they leave your bar, home..or club..or other bar?

Its firmly a commercial chain bar, i dont want to steer it in another direction but im just looking for those tunes that i may have overlooked (such as pencil full of lead which i realise is controversial reading other threads but went down a treat here), i also want to keeep things fresh for the staff who i know can guess what im going to play and regulars who come in a few times a month. One further thing is that i got the job because i went in on cover last year and was fresh and slicker than the existing guy, although the manager has changed i dont want to be seen as putting no effort in and falling into the same position.
Most of our custom heads to a club or late night bar after us, we are the "cheap" beginning.

The playlist thread is great but mainly focus' on mobile discos and contains alot of pre 90's

I have recently taken on a saturday night residency until the end of august because I hadn't too much else formally booked, problem is the playlists are very repetitive, because they work, bar has been rammed the last couple of weeks and the manager is delighted with how things are going. However I often get the same song requested up to 5-6 times per night It cracks me up but I just think of the fee and keep telling myself it's only until the end of August. My job is to keep as many punters in the bar as possible, and while it is tempting to experiment with the music, I think it would be highy irresponsible when I know deep down I'm already giving the punters what they want. I have a good friend who lost a lucreative residency for the same reason, he got bored and started experimenting (alot), to the detriment of the bar and more importantly the tills. That playlist looks A1 to me, good mix there already, unless punters or the management are specifically requesting different types of music then I would stay doing what you are doing. Remember this is a job you get paid for at the end of the day, I let requests guide me through my saturday nights within reason. Black eyed peas, pink etc are requested alot and the place normally goes wild so why change something that works for the punters, but like you I much prefer mobile gigs.

I used to worry about this a lot, But the fact is, people keep requesting the same songs every week, because they want to hear those songs every week. You can occasionally slip in something different or unique, but ultimately you have to play to the crowd!

Maybe your being too harsh on yourself


Yolanda Be Cool + Dcup - We No Speak Americano 21:05:42 GMT+01:00
Stereo Love (Extended) Edward Maya feat Alicia 21:06:54 GMT+01:00
DirteeDisco(ClubMix) 21:28:39 GMT+01:00
OMG (feat. will.i.am) Usher 22:03:38 GMT+01:00
Katy Perry ft. Snoop Dogg California Gurls Official Music Video HD 22:21:53 GMT+01:00


all modern chart stuff and hardly tunes you can have been playing continuously over the past three months as these are new tracks.

I have been looking at the USA chart and seeing what is a hit there and checking them out on youtube this often gives me a heads up what is going to be a hit here .

I think that playlist is very solid and would work in my thursday residency no problem.

you deserve a pat on the back for creating a list that works my friend ..

Well at least its not just me, sometimes i expect that guy from the National Lottery to come on and go "Boom Boom Pow, thats the 37th consecutive time this particular Black eyed peas track has been played in this bar so far... and the bonus end of the night sing along is................... dont look back in anger making its 43rd appearance in the last half hour of the night this year"

I do miss mobiles and the change in music, however i dont miss the equipment carrying and awkward clients.

Look I used to work in Reflex the 80's bar where we played the same thing every week. The place always had a queue outside the door with a 1-in-one-out policy and we always played the same basic stuff every week...people came because they wanted the music as it was. They knew what to expect before they were in earshot of the bar and the same requests ocurred several times every night ie Dead or Alive, I've Had time/life, Billie Jean, I think we're alone now, Never Gonna Give u Up, Dont' u want me baby etc etc etc etc

i have wondered if there are playlists on this forum i can refer to when inspiration/direction is needed - tis is the first i have seen, nice one. I woulkd love to see a list of the classic rock / indie / rock n roll