TS: DJing at a dance club vs. DJing in between sets at a live venue

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I've done both. I've enjoyed both. But I recently was asked to select music at a live show (the last time I did this was about a year ago), and I found it to be much more pleasurable. I could play whatever the hell I wanted to (ie. more adventerous) without having to worry about losing people off of the dancefloor. I could juxtapose songs that "didn't go together" to accent each one even more. Over the course of about 2 hours of playing songs, 9 or 10 people came up to me to ask what I was playing. I love that! That's more rare in a dance situation because people often are less tolerant of more obscure stuff...they more often will only dance to things that they know.

Whatdya think?

― peepee (peepee), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 17:43 (twenty-one years ago)

i love both. nothing can beat the sheer visceral thrill of having a crowd dancing but beng able to play exactly what you want is bliss too. i jump at the chance when offered the kind of gigs yr mentioning as there is no pressure and you can be as self indulgent as you like. as you say too, people come up and ask what songs are and you get to actually speak to them rather than having to worry about getting the next mix in and just shoving a record sleeve in their face.

my fave ever non dance set dj moment was playing between sets at a gig where aphex twin and hawkwind were playing (odd, but true!) and playing 'frankie teardrop' by suicide and watching 90% of the crowd jump out of their skins when alan vega screams.

― stirmonster, Wednesday, 12 January 2005 18:01 (twenty-one years ago)

"nothing can beat the sheer visceral thrill of having a crowd dancing"

This IS great, but less so if they're dancing to one of those songs that you pull out because you know everyone will dance to it.

― peepee (peepee), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 18:06 (twenty-one years ago)

interesting thread, I've started getting a few friends who are in indie groups asking if sometime I'd play a few records for a while before they go on stage.

I was wondering what it would be like, I guess I can play just anything, though actually to me at the moment the stuff I am really dying to play is the slightly harder or deeper electroey stuff which I don't get to play at our own night! might not be right for before a band really.

also the fact I can't really mix yet means the not having to mix factor is not as big an issue for me! I am trying tho'

― Ronan (Ronan), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 18:12 (twenty-one years ago)

If we can talk generally about the songs played before or between bands, I'm wondering why it's always so terrible. I assume that sometimes it's just the "house" music. Also, maybe the band doesn't want to have to follow something actually good? I just think they should play festive music to make the whole night fun. After all, I have to suffer through their "live" performance, why not make it bearable.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 18:15 (twenty-one years ago)

well, that's kind of the reason for getting your DJ friends to play records between bands. It takes control of the between-set music away from the sound and lighting people.

― superultramega (superultramarinated), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 19:21 (twenty-one years ago)

And for the original question... it depends on the bands, it depends on the dance club, etc. I'd rather play between live sets for good bands than have to play crappy dance music that I don't like, for example. And I'd rather play to a fun dancing room than to a bunch of people who couldn't care less what's on between the bands.

― superultramega (superultramarinated), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 19:26 (twenty-one years ago)

Where do Desk Monkeys get that slouchy and toneless trip-hop shit from that they all seem to have? I think big mixing desks come with free CD's.

― Bernard the Butler (Lynskey), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 19:56 (twenty-one years ago)

they shop in the mid 90s

― Ronan (Ronan), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 20:19 (twenty-one years ago)

I've done both, and absolutely prefer DJing in between sets. I come from years and years of college radio, where my goal wasn't so much to move the crowd (er, the listeners) as much as throw a bunch of different styles together and see what sticks. That approach doesn't work so well where I'm the evening's primary entertainment, expected to get people dancing, etc. There's just less pressure doing a half hour or so between bands, and I can get away with more music styles.

― mike a, Wednesday, 12 January 2005 21:47 (twenty-one years ago)

I've only played dance music, and it was thrilling. To be honest, I can't see how the between sets thing could comapre, cos you don't get to be the star (and if you say that you don't want to be, then what's the point? make the bar manager a compilation).

― paulhw (paulhw), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 23:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah - just playing records that I want is not all that thrilling to me. I can do that at home. In my (very) limited DJing experience it's all about getting people dancing, though of course, as monsieur peepee says, if it's to something you've had to resort to to get them to dance then it's not so fun.

― Alba (Alba), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 23:53 (twenty-one years ago)

(having people come up to you and ask what things are is good too, of course, even if it's not dancing time. I need some kind of validation.)

― Alba (Alba), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 23:54 (twenty-one years ago)

My favorite story along those lines: I used to DJ in a martini bar, where I played chill tunes, from old jazz to triphop to reggae, and usually a lot of worldbeat. One night an amazingly beautiful woman came to ask, "What is this?" Something about her tone of voice made me feel that she didn't like the track, so I started to get all pedantic, "Well, it's from a Bollywood film soundtrack, sung in Hindi etc. etc."

She cut me off with a wave of her hand and a smile. "Yes, I know all that. I have this song, but it's a different version..."

― Daniel Peterson (polkaholic), Thursday, 13 January 2005 17:44 (twenty-one years ago)

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