Crowd Reading?

[gfocus]

It seems to be general wisdom that the ability to read the crowd makes a good DJ. I for one have this strange feeling that crowdreading is just an empty phrase.

Here's your free shot: I don't have any gig experience. I might as well be some tool who hasn't paid his dues and therefore has no idea about the true essence of teh DJness.

I can only tell from my experience as an object of observation for the DJ.
So when I'm on the dance floor, with all my sensorical antennas out (I don't drink) what is it, that I read from the crowd?

"I wanna get drunk/laid tonight."

"I'm in the market for pills"

"I have a strange facial expression because I didn't expect the bass to hit so hard"

Well, I assume crowd-reading doesn't mean to read facial expressions. But what does it mean anyway? Knowing how many people are dancing? How is this a skill?

A DJ is here to lead, not to read.

My point of view. The DJ has at any point total control of the crowd as he/she is the music maker, the dreamer of dreams. Crowd reading is as valuable to a DJ as reading a blank piece of paper is to a writer. It won't tell anything, it's waiting for input.

Enough with the controversy sparking. Time for a healthy discussion.

Oh, and for the guys who are already preparing their favorite story of a DJ who wasn't aware of the fact that everybody has left the dance floor because he was so busy with his *)love for effects *)shuffle-step inducing controllerism *)insert DJ failure here: Reconsider your argument. Would his set have been better if he had tried harder reading the crowd? Don't you think reconsidering his career choice would be the better option for him?

[djxsquizet]

Well in my oponion reading the crowd plays in some of the night, but if you know your music, you will know what the crowd likes at the right time.

say its 11 oclock you got lil john in the east side boys-get low playing and you look at the crow everybody is screaming bumpin and grinding and dancing, all the females is booty shaking. What do you do throw on next, well as i stated before you just read the crowd you don't throw on something that will stop that pace stop them from bumpin and grindin, you throw on something else that will make the females get lower and get even more nasty so you throw on a classic uncle luke to much booty in the pants. The crowd goes even more nuts.

Thats what I call reading the crowd, knowing when to keep the flow going, its not about a dj being to busy with effects, i have cleared a dance floor by putting on the wrong song not paying attention to the crowd and see how they are reacting to the song.

Some people play to hard into reading the crowd i will say 60% of the time I play what I want, but the other 40% i am looking at the crowd and seeing how they react to what I am playing.

The skill comes in from just doing parties you only get better at it the more you practice it the skill will come over time.

[LastOne]

I'm agree with some things you said, but not with others.
For me, that had been in night bars and clubs since 1986, crowd reading means that you must read the answer of the crowd to your music selection, in order to maintain a groove in the whole space, not only in a little corner of the dancefloor where some specific music fans are dancing. A dj must help the waiters to sell more drinks, to keep the people in the place, specially girls.
This life, or this work is another f****ng bussiness at all, a service bussiness, but we can try to make it "artistic" in some ways, but you will be allways working for the crowd, so the show must go on, and of course before getting mad on controllerism, effects and mortal jumps like a circus member, you must reach a special level, practicing at home and developing at the club, if you can, by a crowd reading, experience is the mother of science...

[DvlsAdvct]

I think you're looking at what it means to "read" the crowd a little too seriously. It doesn't mean to look at the crowd and say "Well, they obviously want to get drunker, so I'm gonna play something that makes them want to dance more and drink more".

It's more of the science of reaction. It's looking at the crowd and saying "Alright, I've been playing this style and BPM for 40 minutes. My dance floor has waned a little bit. What do I play next to pump the energy back to the top?" Or, conversely "I have a packed dance floor but no one's drinking. Shit, if the bar doesn't make any money.... Alright, so what do I play that will keep some dancing, and move others to the bar?"

Yeah, the DJ's job is to keep people dancing. But it's to lead, as well. A bad decision on the DJ's part can kil a dance floor, kill the bar, kill the club. I've seen it happen. I've done it. You play that song you think is going to be amazing and the crowd isn't feeling it so they leave the room their in and go to a different bar and you have four people who are esoteric enough as you to sit and listen to this awesome track.

That same guy rocking all those effects and everything, he drops those at the right point and the crowd will go nuts for it, eat it up. He drops em at the wrong point and everybody is disappointed and annoyed. *shrug*

To me, there's a big difference between going out behind the decks and playing hit after hit after hit that they will definitely dance to, but won't be anything interesting and new... and going out there and playing risky songs that they don't know but keeping the energy moving in such a way that they can't stop dancing. Different DJs have different techniques. I, personally, like to play newer, more obscure stuff that has the same, if not stronger, energy of the classics.

This means, though, that I have to take a lot more risks, and might not get as big of a floor, but I get noticed for how I do it, not just for what I do.

Hope this answers something.

[Kaon]

i didnt read everyone elses commments but reading and leading are equally important. i mean... generally people need guidance but, noones going to follow you into the bowels of a toilet

[darrel855]

Until you have experience of success and failure of DJ gigs in general you have no clue what so ever how important it is to read a crowd and not be selfish .

[Kaon]

Until you have experience of success and failure of DJ gigs in general you have no clue what so ever how important it is to read a crowd and not be selfish .

well put

[gfocus]

Until you have experience of success and failure of DJ gigs in general you have no clue what so ever how important it is to read a crowd and not be selfish

Of course. I didn't mean to promote selfishness. Maybe you would like to exaggerate on the main question what crowdreading actually means for you.

DvlsAdvct, you made some great points. I really haven't taken into account the drink sales man factor of a DJ. You're right that I'm too focused on a semantic discussion of "reading" the crowd. I'm just not that happy with that term I guess.

For me, that had been in night bars and clubs since 1986,

Wow I was born that year. That's some valuable feedback.

I'll get my dose of fail and (hopefully some) win later in February, at my first party. I'm preparing and training every free hour (when I'm not writing extensive forum posts). I wouldn't have gotten so far (technique-wise) that fast without DJTT.

The most excellent community around here.

[steveboyett]

Is it an alcohol crowd or a drug crowd? Do they want to fight or fuck? Do they have low energy? Do they seem to want to keep it that way? Are there a lot more girls than guys? Did the floor fill up when you played tribal african percussion or Brittney Spears remixes? Did it empty when you dropped an electro track? Is everyone in their 20s, or does it run from 18 to 50? Did the DJ before you ramp up the crowd, empty the floor, leave them wanting more, peak the room? Do you have a one-hour set or are you there all night?

That's some of what crowd reading is. You need to pay attention, and you need to learn how to pay attention.

[nemo]

Crowd reading is just as important as the Promoter to put the right dj on the right time of the evening. Crowd reading sure helps, but if you've been booked to play a hard banging techno set, and thats all you got, but you are the first dj, sometimes crowd reading just wont help.

In that case, you need to be prepared with alternative stuff... and... well