Real talk, how do you deal with ignorance?

[GPS]

NOTE: I am not making this a rant thread, I am just curioues

"Play something fun that I can dance to"

"Play some real music"

"Can you play something other than techno?" (when you are spinning house, electro, etc.)

"PLAY IT NOW!" (when you are trying to mix in a requested song that is a completely different bpm)


I am sure most of you have heard these at least once during a gig (be it a house party, club night etc.)

How do you all deal with these kinds of comments and such? Has it ever gotten so bad that you lost it?

The worst I got was when someone asked me when I was going to play some "real music" repeatedly. I was about to say "you are an ignorant ****"

But I held myself back

[BradCee]

disabled the dvd drive in my traktor boot, so can you play this cd is dealt with.

for any requests for cheese or stuff i just don't like, it's on an external drive that i left at home as didn't need it

[djfrogstar]

pretend your deaf and talk like you cant pronounce your words...

the last thing you want is to have a brains seizure and start fuming... might mess with your mix.

Its a really difficult situation no matter how you look at it if your thin skinned. I would ask them to leave... and if they bother you a second time after you made it clear... go tell the bouncer that the person is trying to sell you crack cocaine or that he has a gun

[djproben]

This is definitely a common experience for most DJs who play out. Depending on the gig, you can politely smile, nod, and ignore most of these comments. But some people get really angry and they take it out on you. I have many stories including a couple where people tried to start physical fights. My favorite was a guy who kept saying "you suck at playing records." (Got that guy to back off by spinning AC/DC, haha).

Sometimes when a person is really up in your face more than a couple times you can firmly say "thank you, I understand your request, now please step back so I can do my job." I always try to be polite, but some people will really test you. Most people asking for requests are having a good time and just suddenly thought of something familiar they want to hear -- I always look for it and do my best to work it in. But others are worse, demanding you play "hip-hop" and insisting you're not playing "hip-hop" even when you're playing Schoolly-D (yes this actually happened to me; if you play much in LA you find a remarkably closed-minded notion of what "hip-hop" is). Sometimes the request is just inappropriate (you're at a house event and someone demands hip-hop for example). Sometimes it's just ignorant. I've gotten the request to "please play some dance music" when of course that's all I'm playing ... I think the best thing is to be as polite as you can but when someone won't let up you need to tell them to step off.

If they keep the shit up and get really aggressive about it, you can always signal security ... better yet stop the music and hand them a microphone; within seconds the crowd will be demanding the music back on and tossing them out of the club themselves

[JesC]

look this is what someone post on yelp about me. I laugh when it was deleted b/c she give 4 or 5 stars but bashes places.

the dj was beyond rude.. i'm talking total snob, i asked him for a song and he then laughed and said some rude comment. Every other dj i've ever encountered here has been nice, but this rockabilly guy was a total jerk.

From what I remember, she ask for this song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrO4YZeyl0I


btw i wouldnt of had of problem with playing the song but she started name dropping about the people she knows that work at the bar and the "other djs" would have played it.

[djfrogstar]

better yet stop the music and hand them a microphone; within seconds the crowd will be demanding the music back on and tossing them out of the club themselves

+1 thats awesome

[Fracas]

I have a sign thats says , "I PLAY NO REQUESTS". Then If Im asked I will popint at the sign and keep on dropping the beats.

[Zac Kyoti]

Another angle is to re-make yourself as not just a dj but a live re-mix-masher-whatever artist. If you blur the line between playing tracks and making new music live, people seem to bother you less, because they're thinking of you more as an act. People wouldn't demand a guitar player play a different riff.

It bothers me too, but my best defense has been to keep things diverse, multi tempo, and funky. (granting I'm not playing an event where it's supposed to be one genre - in that case, I just politely ignore ridiculous requests). If you're playing music that's relentless and all the same in an environment that isn't supporting that vibe, though, I'd expect some gripes. I think what the majority of the crowd would dig hearing is what we should be focused on. There's lots of ways to look at it.

I got hammered on once to play "something from Drake" at a party advertised as strictly 60's and 70's soul. Smile, Nod, Ignore. Mostly I just get asked "do you have...?". If I do, and it'll work, I'll play it. If it would serve to ruin the flow, I just forget about it. If people are happy and dancing, you're doing the job just fine.

[Jester]

super soaker filled with vodka

[n2hf1st]

I'm like, bitch do I come to where you work, slap the dick out of your mouth and tell you you're doing it wrong? NO. So stfu.