I got a question for you all as its something i really want to work on and am curious as to how everyone else does this!
Performing on stage while dj’ing! im not talking about how you structure your set but more along the lines of how do you interact with your crowd while you are playing? Its definitely something iv been trying to work on but im just really curious as to how everyone goes about this? Do you just jump up and down when the massive tune is about to drop? Do you wear crazy costumes while you perform! Do you do the jesus pose or just wave your arms around like crazy haha what ever floats your boat i want to know
Crowd interaction is definitely one of those weak spots i notice most dj’s have as they dont really put much effort into interacting with the crowd.. but you know straight away when you get a dj who interacts with the crowd cause they just get the place pumping! So lets get as many opinions as we can on what kinda things you all do to get that crowd going!! Maybe we can all learn a thing or 2 off each other and really up our Dj sets!
This is a much needed topic for discussion. This to me is what’s going to set apart you from the other DJ’s even if your just doing simple mixing with your tracks. I had the idea of taking the guitar hero controller out to the crowd and letting them bang out the buttons with some cue points. Quantize on of course.
It’s a great way of relating to the crowd, everyone knows what guitar hero is and it will blow their minds that your somehow playing a song with the guitar.
We’ve talked about this a few times but it’s been a while, so here goes.
I dance while I DJ. Mainly because I’m having fun. Also, my theory is that if the crowd sees me making a fool of myself they’ll be more likely to be comfortable making a fool of themselves. I have definitely done stupid shit and seen people start laughing and then start dancing.
I’ll sing along with the songs, do weird poses, and headbang the night away, mainly because I’m having a good time and want to be into it. I think it does have an affect on the crowd, and will bring about a sort of interaction with the dance floor.
And besides, DJs who look bored are usually boring DJs.
I know when you are starting out you want to do a good job with the mixing side of things … maybe you are nervous and not so confident with your skills yet. Forget all that. If the crowd see you are enjoying yourself as well as bringing the magic, they will feed off you mate and everyone will have a much better night. Even if you are just nodding your head or headbutting things if you are playing DA’s type of tunes
I usually dance like a nutter while playing all the time, and more often than not shit gets spilled, but hey! I think an average skilled dj that has awesome interaction skills is better than a technically superior dj who just stands there with his finger up his butt.
yeah dj enthusiasm makes a whole lot of difference! there was a party with a lineup of girl djs from ministry of sound (dj rap, theresa and inna k), although their sets themselves didnt totally blow my mind, they were dancing and jumping and their fabulous enthusiasm won me over. i had a great time just watching them shake it and pump up the crowd. theresa even had some live percussion going on. but then again there are some djs that overdo it. this is just my humble opinion, but i swear danny tenaglia spends more time on the foghorn and basking in his fans adoration than the actual playing part lol… but i guess he has already earned that right
Oh damn, I also noticed hes using one of my favorite old school mixers, the Vestax PMC-55, and there’s two CDJ-500II on that rig. Man I love videos like this
it depends on the dj. there are some djs out there that have essentially no crowd interaction. PvD was known for many years to be completely stoic while djing, if i remember correctly. others have a rep of being completely crazy with it. it depends on the person. i have found that when i am enjoying myself, others do as well. when i get bogged down or am really struggling to find the right sound and get a bit stressed, the crowd notices.
That is what i call a Clown DJ… but to be fair, everyone has to be a little clown on some level - DJ makes show, and to make a great show you need epic music and showmanship. Actually everything you do on the stage that is in some ways cool, or has a style is somewhat clownish, everyone has different boundries on how much is too much
I do head-nod (when i am tired, or playing lounge music)
I do head-bang, and wawing arms when i need to show ppl when the beat drops (cuz they are hopelessly clueless)
I do dance around like crazy if the time and energy is right (usualy in climax of the set)
and still i think i am very modest… somehow Clown DJ has tremenduous potential and feel free to explore this territory
wow how embarassing, I like to get into it and be silly, but that is embarassing, particularly how he ejects the cd @3:35 right as the drums drop to make it look like he did something.
Cheesy yes! oh god yes!, but you know what? in environment he’s playing doing exactly this might get him “legendary” status and that overrides all cheesiness in the world… or put it like this - more you do top 40 in a top 40 club the more you get away with such clownship.. IMO
