The realest thing said in this thread though was by Eric The Hookup who is totally spot on when he says you MUST make sure that the people booking you and the venue and the promoters know what it is that you do. If you are not doing that then you are going to put yourself in a position of having to play stuff you don't like.
In this situation were you hired to play Stevie Wonder or Fergie? Was this even discussed?
When I get booked to DJ, I usually ask to speak to one of the residents there, especially if it's a new country, then they fill me in on the clientele. If that's not possible, I get them to suggest to me 5 songs that they would like to hear. With Microwave, it's not really an issue cuz I come strapped with 2 x 120gig externals and my 60 or so internal. I also consider myself these-days as a "working" DJ cuz I ain't famous and it's the way I get to see the world, so I ain't mad at spinning a couple of hours of whatever music, so I can have a holiday somewhere and get some more experience on the wheels with different crowds...
I mean, I hate to say it, but as a "working" DJ, you gotta keep the crowd happy, I'm all for playing what you love and all that, but sometimes (especially corporate gigs, big clubs and birthday parties), you gotta cater for EVERYONE. Some people wanna hear old rock, some want disco, a couple of heads will want some classic 90s rap, some Run DMC, some Beyonce... you know, if you're getting paid, and you put a smile on everyones face by the end of the night (no homo) and people are coming up to give you pounds, consider yourself a good working class DJ... that's why mashups and remixes are essential, some of those tracks on the rub's website have saved the night (thanks cosmo and ayers)... catering for 2 crowds at once... the oldies and the youngans.
+ Then when you get those gigs, where they are small and intimate and you get to play what you want, those are the shows you really look forward to playing (like when I spun at the Vinyl Vulture night, I did it for free and had a good time spinnin raers)...
It's a double edged sword, but sacrifices must be made when you are working as a DJ, times have definitely changed, if you're a famous DJ, you usually get to play what you want, because you have a following that knows you for the things you do and play as a DJ.... like after DMCs, everyone wanted trick routines, but thank god turntablism is kinda dead and there's no dorks standing around the turntables asking for 3 click orbits anymore
peace.
nuff said. I`m usually booked to venues with "headz" crowds, but the gigs i do in my hometown (stuttgart) are also some sort of compromise. stuttgart crowds are the most though shit i experienced ever, and i play a lot of gigs everywhere in europe and beyond. the funny thing over here is that it doesnt need to be some top40 or classic shit; this CAN work but may also completly destroy the party, leaving people with faces like .. what makes a good dj for me is to read the crowd, to really know if you should play this or that - and that`s something u only get by djing over and over. i think we can all agree on this? but one more thing - i never ever play i record that i dont like. even if it`s top40, i ll stick to something i dig. i remember when amerie`s "1 thing" came out - rocked any party for months to come. i need more of this.
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nuff said.
I`m usually booked to venues with "headz" crowds, but the gigs i do in my hometown (stuttgart) are also some sort of compromise. stuttgart crowds are the most though shit i experienced ever, and i play a lot of gigs everywhere in europe and beyond. the funny thing over here is that it doesnt need to be some top40 or classic shit; this CAN work but may also completly destroy the party, leaving people with faces like
but one more thing - i never ever play i record that i dont like.
even if it`s top40, i ll stick to something i dig. i remember when amerie`s "1 thing" came out - rocked any party for months to come. i need more of this.