Members New Trail Posted July 1, 2009 Members Share Posted July 1, 2009 Is it because they play the entire "Dark Side of the Moon" CD or because they play non-stop killer dance music? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members flanc Posted July 1, 2009 Members Share Posted July 1, 2009 ...the latter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members modulusman Posted July 1, 2009 Members Share Posted July 1, 2009 We kill all the DJs in our area and feed them to the pigs. Problem solved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tlbonehead Posted July 1, 2009 Members Share Posted July 1, 2009 zThe only ones who do well are the ones who play similar music as a rock cover band. Meaning very little John Travolta dance mix crap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BJH Posted July 1, 2009 Members Share Posted July 1, 2009 My area is saturated with DJs. Obviously, they are found at clubs, bars, and events, but they are turning up in other places as well, like clothing stores. I do enjoy listening to a good dj, but it's gotten a bit out of hand around here. I don't know how well they do as there is an awful lot of competition. I get the sense that this trend has impacted the live music scene, in that there is less of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members flanc Posted July 2, 2009 Members Share Posted July 2, 2009 zThe only ones who do well are the ones who play similar music as a rock cover band. Meaning very little John Travolta dance mix crap. Not 'round here. They play Kayne, T-Pain, Beyonce, Flo-Rida, Black Eyed Peas, etc. If you go down the street to the American Legion, or the VFW, they play the Stones, Beatles, Garth Brooks and Mustang Sally if they want to dance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members stevesherbert Posted July 2, 2009 Members Share Posted July 2, 2009 i'm always confused when someone says that they're a DJ. are they a turntablist? do they put sets together for dance parties? do they work weddings? or do they work for a radio station? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ggm1960 Posted July 2, 2009 Members Share Posted July 2, 2009 Is it because they play the entire "Dark Side of the Moon" CD or because they play non-stop killer dance music? I don't see DJs at bars really but I think they snag a lot of the wedding, corporate and similar gigs. I suspect the reason would be that it's easier to keep control of their volume and they can play pretty much any recorded song that you want to hear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members New Trail Posted July 2, 2009 Author Members Share Posted July 2, 2009 I don't see DJs at bars really but I think they snag a lot of the wedding, corporate and similar gigs.I suspect the reason would be that it's easier to keep control of their volume and they can play pretty much any recorded song that you want to hear. How special is that, really? A DJ with a laptop and wireless internet can download any song on the spot and therefore can honor any request. Realistically, how can any band compete with that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LightingPimp Posted July 2, 2009 Members Share Posted July 2, 2009 We dont have any DJ's where we gig , honestly im not sure of but one place that has DJ within 50-75 miles of here. To me DJ is a club disc pusher , and belong in "Clubs " where dance music prevails. Now as to these .. What if a band playing live played dance music like DJ's play? Wouldn't that be even better? problem is not many bands can do that or atleast do it anywhere near well. For a bar gig i dont think your going to find many bands that can whipout some T-pain followed by some AC/DC or similar songs to keep bar patrons engaged all the time would be cool just dont see it happening that much. Maybe so, but what self-respecting band wants to play places like that? American Legion, Eagles Club, Elks Lodge, Moose Club are the pits IMO. were a pretty self respecting band and to be honest with you our mooselodge is one of the best gigs we have on a rotation. We have done elks for private parties and enjoyed it aswell and were in the NC mountains !!those are our mooselodge crowd How special is that, really? A DJ with a laptop and wireless internet can download any song on the spot and therefore can honor any request. Realistically, how can any band compete with that? they cant thats what makes a DJ special in a club and i would suspect in a bar of sorts . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RupertB Posted July 2, 2009 Members Share Posted July 2, 2009 We're considering offering a hybrid live music/DJ service for weddings. The acoustic duo gets a ton of requests to play wedding receptions because people want live music and they like the material we play. But over half of those offers get hung up on the fact that most people want the last hour or two of their reception to be a dance party. As such, they want to hear old disco/funk, group dance tunes like Electric Slide, Cha Cha Slide, etc., or modern dance tunes. I can't imagine us trying to cover that stuff (or I just don't want to *shudder*). So we're thinking about offering a package deal where we play live for 2-3 hours and then put on dance tunes for the last hour or so. Bottom line, we're tired of seeing lucrative gigs go away for want of a dozen dance tunes at the end of the night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LightingPimp Posted July 2, 2009 Members Share Posted July 2, 2009 in our gigs we always carry the itouch and have all the latest dance tunes in it aswell as some old rock we dont play , we play the rock stuff after first set , then the second set is all dance music for them during our break. we run the lights so they always have that "clubby feel" for the drunks and those who want to dance to the {censored} we dont do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members New Trail Posted July 2, 2009 Author Members Share Posted July 2, 2009 We dont have any DJ's where we gig , honestly im not sure of but one place that has DJ within 50-75 miles of here. To me DJ is a club disc pusher , and belong in "Clubs " where dance music prevails. Now as to these .. problem is not many bands can do that or atleast do it anywhere near well. For a bar gig i dont think your going to find many bands that can whipout some T-pain followed by some AC/DC or similar songs to keep bar patrons engaged all the time would be cool just dont see it happening that much. were a pretty self respecting band and to be honest with you our mooselodge is one of the best gigs we have on a rotation. We have done elks for private parties and enjoyed it aswell and were in the NC mountains !! those are our mooselodge crowd they cant thats what makes a DJ special in a club and i would suspect in a bar of sorts . Man, that's AWESOME, but NOTHING like the 'animal' clubs around here. It's all blue hair and dentures here. Sad! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Nobody Told Me Posted July 2, 2009 Members Share Posted July 2, 2009 Around here we have 2 types of DJ's. 1) Those that know what they're doing and are able to do more than just play songs, such as being the MC at a wedding reception or corporate gig. They know how to fire up the crowd, just like a good frontman would. Some of them make substantially more than the bands they are in direct competition with. 2)Those that do not know what they're doing. They clip their crappy amps until their budget speakers are distorting so badly you can't recognize the song. They often have no clue how to be more than a jukebox with a human operator - but - they've seen other DJ's working and thought to themselves, "That would be an easy way to make some fast money". They often get less than the bands they are competing with, and most disappear from the scene just as quickly as they surfaced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JBJ Posted July 2, 2009 Members Share Posted July 2, 2009 Around here we have 2 types of DJ's. 1) Those that know what they're doing and are able to do more than just play songs, such as being the MC at a wedding reception or corporate gig. They know how to fire up the crowd, just like a good frontman would. Some of them make substantially more than the bands they are in direct competition with.2)Those that do not know what they're doing. They clip their crappy amps until their budget speakers are distorting so badly you can't recognize the song. They often have no clue how to be more than a jukebox with a human operator - but - they've seen other DJ's working and thought to themselves, "That would be an easy way to make some fast money". They often get less than the bands they are competing with, and most disappear from the scene just as quickly as they surfaced. +1 Just like there's a bunch of different levels and quality of bands, the exact same goes for DJs. I DJ, I'm not the best there is but I'm pretty adept at playing to the room, I'm good on the mic and get a good rapport with the crowd etc...etc... On the other hand there are DJs I've seen in bars that basically think it's their right to play what THEY want. I've seen DJs totally (i mean no one except him and the bar staff) clear a room because they haven't read the room or are inconsiderate fo what the crowd want. I've also seen guys that will do a 5 hour set and not touch the mic once. DJ's may be a step down the pecking order than bands but when you see a good DJ doing their job properly they get the crowd riled up just as much if not more than a good band and at the end of the day, that's what we're all trying to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ggm1960 Posted July 2, 2009 Members Share Posted July 2, 2009 How special is that, really? A DJ with a laptop and wireless internet can download any song on the spot and therefore can honor any request. Realistically, how can any band compete with that? It was an observation. You asked and perhaps answered your own question yourself. I think DJs and karaoke sucks but I'm a musician so...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ggm1960 Posted July 2, 2009 Members Share Posted July 2, 2009 We're considering offering a hybrid live music/DJ service for weddings. The acoustic duo gets a ton of requests to play wedding receptions because people want live music and they like the material we play. But over half of those offers get hung up on the fact that most people want the last hour or two of their reception to be a dance party. As such, they want to hear old disco/funk, group dance tunes like Electric Slide, Cha Cha Slide, etc., or modern dance tunes. I can't imagine us trying to cover that stuff (or I just don't want to *shudder*). So we're thinking about offering a package deal where we play live for 2-3 hours and then put on dance tunes for the last hour or so. Bottom line, we're tired of seeing lucrative gigs go away for want of a dozen dance tunes at the end of the night. You might be on to a successful business model there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Austincowbell Posted July 2, 2009 Members Share Posted July 2, 2009 Eh.... I don't get the DJ hate. But I also don't get the cover band hate or the metal hate. I've seen some amazing DJs who are blending 3 songs together to make an incredible song and getting the whole club crazy. And I've seen DJs who would do a better job if they turned on Itunes, used the crossfade feature and went home. As I've said before, if you have a band with 4 people playing live instruments you NEED to put on a show. A DJ can't compete with a band putting on a show. If you are standing up there playing songs and not making eye contact with the crowd you are essentially the live version of a jukebox. you ask how you can compete with a DJ who can play anything? Make your songs more interesting than his songs. I'd rather see Van Halen play 2 songs live than a DJ play 6 of their songs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MartinC Posted July 2, 2009 Members Share Posted July 2, 2009 A buddy who is a dj told me sometimes he rents his gear to a guy so happening that the guy shows up with just his laptop and is so good at what he does that he gets 2k and up for a gig. Works 5-6 times a month. That's doing pretty well IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fingerpicker Posted July 2, 2009 Members Share Posted July 2, 2009 We're considering offering a hybrid live music/DJ service for weddings. The acoustic duo gets a ton of requests to play wedding receptions because people want live music and they like the material we play. But over half of those offers get hung up on the fact that most people want the last hour or two of their reception to be a dance party. As such, they want to hear old disco/funk, group dance tunes like Electric Slide, Cha Cha Slide, etc., or modern dance tunes. I can't imagine us trying to cover that stuff (or I just don't want to *shudder*). So we're thinking about offering a package deal where we play live for 2-3 hours and then put on dance tunes for the last hour or so. Bottom line, we're tired of seeing lucrative gigs go away for want of a dozen dance tunes at the end of the night. Rupert this is an excellent,awesome idea!! I am in the same boat and people want me to play their wedding, then I get an email with a request songlist that I could never pull off ...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cjsm Posted July 3, 2009 Members Share Posted July 3, 2009 +1 On the other hand there are DJs I've seen in bars that basically think it's their right to play what THEY want. I've seen DJs totally (i mean no one except him and the bar staff) clear a room because they haven't read the room or are inconsiderate fo what the crowd want. Sounds like a guy I work with who was trying to get his DJing off the ground.I used to give him advice and suggestions as he was trying to get started. e.g. Put his songs on a laptop or at least an iPod instead of CDs. He got a gig or two in local bars, but not much really. So another friend at work was getting married and hired him to DJ at his reception. Well, for one thing when he talked through the mike the sound was muffled, very poor quality. The music sounded a little better, but not great. Guess he had a cheap setup. I don't know how much he spent on his setup, but he did buy a used van to haul equipment. But the songs he played, nothing clicked with me. At the table I was at, other people weren't too impressed by what he was playing either. There was a song list at the table. So I'm trying to find songs to suggest to help his lame set. I only recognized a few songs. Almost no classic rock, no Madonna era stuff I recognized, etc. About the only thing I could find was some obsure Chuck Berry song, not one of his big hits. I knew the song (forget what it was), it wasn't the greatest, but it had a lot more energy then the lame stuff he was playing. So when he went by the table I suggested he play it. A woman at the table suggested a country western song from the list. (this is in a rural area outside of St. Louis with a lot of country western fans.) So naturally he played neither of our songs, and continued to play his lame set...at a wedding reception. If what he played was half decent, I wouldn't mind it so much. But he was as lame as can be. I don't have to know the music to like it. People can play techno, disco, rap, stuff I'm not into, but if its decent music, I can feel the energy. But this guy was totally lame. Like playing all the dirge songs of REM and similar bands. I think what it is, is everyone has music they like, and think its the best. But most people don't know that much about music. Before the download days, I remember people that would have like 5 or 10 albums to their names, and think they were music know-it-alls about what the best bands and music was. I don't think that guy is DJing any more. Next time I see him at work, I'll ask him. I sure wouldn't go out to see him if hes still gigging, which I greatly doubt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JBJ Posted July 3, 2009 Members Share Posted July 3, 2009 Sounds like a guy I work with who was trying to get his DJing off the ground. I used to give him advice and suggestions as he was trying to get started. e.g. Put his songs on a laptop or at least an iPod instead of CDs. He got a gig or two in local bars, but not much really. So another friend at work was getting married and hired him to DJ at his reception. Well, for one thing when he talked through the mike the sound was muffled, very poor quality. The music sounded a little better, but not great. Guess he had a cheap setup. I don't know how much he spent on his setup, but he did buy a used van to haul equipment. But the songs he played, nothing clicked with me. At the table I was at, other people weren't too impressed by what he was playing either. There was a song list at the table. So I'm trying to find songs to suggest to help his lame set. I only recognized a few songs. Almost no classic rock, no Madonna era stuff I recognized, etc. About the only thing I could find was some obsure Chuck Berry song, not one of his big hits. I knew the song (forget what it was), it wasn't the greatest, but it had a lot more energy then the lame stuff he was playing. So when he went by the table I suggested he play it. A woman at the table suggested a country western song from the list. (this is in a rural area outside of St. Louis with a lot of country western fans.) So naturally he played neither of our songs, and continued to play his lame set...at a wedding reception. If what he played was half decent, I wouldn't mind it so much. But he was as lame as can be. I don't have to know the music to like it. People can play techno, disco, rap, stuff I'm not into, but if its decent music, I can feel the energy. But this guy was totally lame. Like playing all the dirge songs of REM and similar bands. I think what it is, is everyone has music they like, and think its the best. But most people don't know that much about music. Before the download days, I remember people that would have like 5 or 10 albums to their names, and think they were music know-it-alls about what the best bands and music was. I don't think that guy is DJing any more. Next time I see him at work, I'll ask him. I sure wouldn't go out to see him if hes still gigging, which I greatly doubt. I rest me case. that's why I don't like all the DJ hate because good DJ's do have to put work into it and need to read their crowd a lot better than any live band imo. I've seen guys play full on techno music LOUD at a local bar where the average clientelles age is 40 and want to hear classic rock and 70s stuff.... I also walked out of the same bar when another guy played the {censored}test DJ set I've ever heard and I've NEVER walked out of a bar on account of the DJ being bad (live bands are another matter) On the other hand a mate Debbie is a legend down that place because she knows what the people want and she plays it. She breaks out random tunes now and again but ones that people dig and might think "hey man I haven't heard that for ages" Sometimes the bar doesn't help. There's one place on my agencies circuit where the boss is a total goon. It's the same kind of bar but he wants it to be some trendy RnB club (not going to happy in a sleepy OAP holiday village on the west coast of scotland) This pub had a fairly young indie-ish crowd so I'd be spinning the stone roses, smiths, james and taking lots of requests for similar stuff. manager comes up: wtf is this? me: the cure him: it's too slow, where's the beat? me: well it's a request and everyone's enjoying it... him: no no no no no put on some RnB, we need to fillt his place for the curfew (the place was full at this point) me: your shout mate but this place will empty him: no it won't just put rhianna or something on (10 minutes later) him: where did everyone go? me: Weddings are terrible. I could go there and spin stuff I like all night and have people phone my agency saying I was {censored} and they're not paying or i could bite my tongue, play some cheese and have people asking for my name at the end of the night so they can book me for their next function. I don't enjoy doing them but at the end of the day, it's a job and just like the best working bands, they realise its about the crowd and not them. I'm a huge floyd fan but I really don't want to see someone tear up comfortably numb when I'm trying to get a girl on a friday night... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BJH Posted July 3, 2009 Members Share Posted July 3, 2009 What if a band playing live played dance music like DJ's play? Wouldn't that be even better? Funny you should mention that. I've been contemplating trying that very sort of thing...or even some kind of live/dj hybrid. Just need to find some like-minded collaborators. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BJH Posted July 3, 2009 Members Share Posted July 3, 2009 Weddings are terrible. I could go there and spin stuff I like all night and have people phone my agency saying I was {censored} and they're not paying or i could bite my tongue, play some cheese and have people asking for my name at the end of the night so they can book me for their next function. That's true for the most part, but there are some weddings where your preferred set would go over better. As I said before, I live in an area that is saturated with DJs. As a result, there are a lot of them who are true artists and build up quite a fan base. When you get used to this level of DJing, it's hard to get excited by the average wedding DJ who plays all the old standards. I was once at a friend's wedding, and all those old standards kept the floor pretty empty. And the DJ just wasn't getting it. He kept playing the stuff nobody there wanted to hear. When he busted out "Mony Mony," people started leaving. As you say, a dj needs to know how to read a room and adjust accordingly if necessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Austincowbell Posted July 3, 2009 Members Share Posted July 3, 2009 Funny you should mention that. I've been contemplating trying that very sort of thing...or even some kind of live/dj hybrid. Just need to find some like-minded collaborators.We did a few shows with a live DJ where he would scratch on our stuff during our sets and we would play beats and add guitars to his stuff during his sets. It was awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.