I played a gig at a large(ish) venue last weekend. I was there to disco after 11, when the country and western singer (for line dancing purposes) finished his set.

By the time I started most non-line dancers had gone left. The line dancers were knackered so didn't dance too much more either. I had a large dance floor that was pretty empty. Nonetheless, people were still dancing, but the party never really took-off, even though they were singing and acting the fools it still felt like a soul-less party.

Therefore, I couldn't hit them with a madcap party mix - Black Lace, etc. I tested the water with YMCA, but it looked quite pathetic! As we have discussed before, what I thought was a bad night resulted in a rush for business cards and a couple of bookings.

What could I have done to help move the atmosphere from dance to party? It should also be pointed out that the room was not that dark - I like it a lot darker as I'm such most of us do.

Thanks

Ben - its probably a good thing that you didnt hit em with black lace!

The oneness on this type of party is YOU!. Sometimes the most challenging parties can be the best. People are put off when they are in a large room with only a handful of people, but you should be able to get them interacting with each other and no matter what the surroundings, your approach should have a positive effect. Never give up on a party! Provided you stay enthusiastic (which I know isnt always easy), then your audience will respond - even if it does take a while. For this type of party, adopt the three E philosophy.... Energy, Encouragement and Enthusiasm!

Hmmm people definately dont like to "rattle around" in an overly large venue, and they do easily get agrophobic in the middle of a huge dancefloor.

I used to do a monthly gig in (one of?) The Camberley Army halls...HUGE...it was marked up with 8 tennis?/badminton courts...thats how huge.

The attendance was normally only 100~120 each gig and worse still the bar was at the opposite end from the disco stage. Thank heavens they had a fake cloth ceiling which they could lower to improve accoustics.

We ended up ignoring the stage and setting up on a side wall halfway toward the bar. We then used clothed tables and those 6ft high portable room partitions to "define" the "entertainment" area.

Cozy;)

Ben, I wouldn't be too worried about the night.

I'm sure we've all had nights where you have tried everything in the book to get an atmosphere going, but you personally never feel that it worked as well as could be expected. However, the asking for business cards at the end of the night is a good thing and I'd dwell on this more than you thinking the night could have been better.

Overall, you were right not to launch into something over the top... do it when necessary or when the atmosphere is right and people will love it... do it at the worng time and for want of a better word, you'll look like a fool.

You obviously watched the crowd and thought that by testing the water it would not work if you went into full swing. If only all the DJs I've seen could do this.

So, I don't think anyone could fault you and hopefully you'll get some extra work from the business cards you gave out.

Hope this helps,

DJJ

Thanks fellas - I take a lot of comfort knowing we've all been there, so your comments are well appreciated.

Picking up on Kazzachi's point, I was left with about 30 people. One table was the more mature, one table full of youngsters and another 'family' table. The youngsters wanted R'n'B however, the mature crowd and the family table were enjoying dancing to general disco stuff - 70's, Motown, 80's, etc. I decided to try Outkast (Hey Ya) to see if I could encourage the twentysomethings. Instead of gaining them, I lost some of the oldies.

What to do?

I decided to stick with the mature audience on the asumption that the young lot were just enjoying getting sloshed by this point.

I think that the right lighting - not disco but venue lighting, isn't mentioned enough.

Many venues have 'banked lighting' or one switch does many lights. Whereas pro hire venues use / may use dedicated switch / soft lighting.

Either can greatly assist or hinder the required 'atmosphere'.

Funny you should mention this.

I went to Argos and bought two uplighters for £9.95 the pair. Was going to do exactly what you thought of..... then the Mrs decided they would look good in our conservatory.

Got to get some more now....

The domestic uplighters are going to do very little in most venues.

Try a couple of 150w or 500watt Halogen patio lights - about £4.99 each.

Put them on top of your lighting rig pointing straight up.

If you can find a reasonably priced 500watt dimmer, one for each light, so much the better.

2 or more colourchangers set to white and pointed at the ceiling often provide enough ambient lighting for most small to medium sized venues, as well as a useful additon if you cover fashion shows or lend / hire your lighting to bands. Colour changers are also good for highlighting useful features such as the cake at a Wedding, The best man durng a speech etc. They don't flood like par cans and some can be dimmed by DMX.

What are par cans / caberets for ?