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?
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