The timeslots came in last night and I’m right where I thought I’d be; after the guy playing inappropriate music.
I think resetting the mood sounds like a good idea, my mate suggested not even letting his last tune finish. Rewind, reset energy, start over. A bit of a bitchy thing to do perhaps, but it made me chuckle.
Ive got more than enough music to cater for the gig, I’m really gonna try and read the crowd aswell (if there is one). Im usually too busy with my head in the mixer and end up not paying enough attention. The signs of an underground bedroom DJ! lol.
Yeah, let his tune finish…pull a wierd face while Golf Clapping for him, and then kick in with an AWESOME intro that will put him to shame…while he packs up.
Get the crowd shouting for you…louder than they shouted for him when he finished.
I always let the last DJ’s track finish, it shows respect even if you don’t have much for the DJ on before you. Just make sure you have a way of capturing the people there even if it’s just bar staff etc.
The only problem I see with the “reset option” is the timeframe. 45min is very short already, having to re-capture the attention of the audience in that short a period - well, doesn’t really sound like too much fun.
And I agree with Liambo. Don’t be a dick towards the guy playing before you, no matter how bad he is it’s not gonna be helpful.
you gotta be diplomatic in these scenarios… you dont wanna piss off the guy (you might have to play with him again) but be sure to put your stamp on your time frame… make it your own (ewww i sounded like paula abdul) be professional have faith in your ability and keep to your agreement with the promoter… do what he asked and let the dick before feel the wrath of no more bookings… warm up slots are a great way to get in with heavy hitters.. just like in film… there are awards for best supporting roles
In these kinds of situations I like to wait until about 10-15 mins before the end of matey’s set and get a beer. Then I join the crowd and ask myself what I would most like to hear in that situation. If the answer is the tune that i can hear (this never happens), I carry on with the vibe and gauge the audience’s reaction, see who’s leaving, try to clock why their leaving etc etc. Normally, however, I don’t want to hear what matey’s playing (i’m a bit of a snob). Variety is the spice of life as they say and nearly always giving the audience a big change from what they’ve been listening to for an hour will reap much bigger benefits. A lot of times i’ve been standing there with my beer and listening to Dubstep, but i’d much prefer to be listening to hip-hop. The crowd is dancing but there’s a certain limpness about them. They think they’re enjoying it but i’m not convinced. I get in the booth and drop this, for example
and continue to watch all the bitches report to my dick.
I thought I’d post the conclusion to my little dilemma.
As suspected, the DJ before me went a bit to fast and hard for 10pm. There were also 2 MC’s ‘giving it large’ over the jump-up too. Im surprised they didnt hyperventilate to be fair. I’ll leave it to you to imagine that cracking off with the one fan fist pumping to every song. lol!
After they eventually left the booth and got the fuck out of my way their last song had ended. Energy reset, I proceeded to swear at the CDJ’s for now not working with timecode when before there were no problems. Why the hell is that? Anyway I digress, midi always saves my ass from timecode fails.
The gig was pretty epic, I stole a large percentage of the crowd from the main room and proceeded to herd them like sheep.
Crowd reading really is like herding sheep, pissed sheep are even easier to read. hehe.
The room was nice and warm for the next guy who took it up a notch with some wicked junglist vibes by which point the room was heaving, but it did drop off midway through the set. I think the dubstep in the main room started to pick up by that point.
The next one up had some serious drama with broken turntables which was a shame, I contemplated offering my services for another set but couldnt be arsed with the messing about, I’d already rinsed my choice cuts afterall.
Made some friends, got some numbers & some shout outs! Looks like im starting to make a name for myself
Cheers DJTT, you rock! But more importantly, I did
well done lad, its always nice to hear that someone can use their brain, do what they were asked (and promised to do) and got the reaction they were hoping for. If you continue working gigs like the way you did this one, im sure you will suceed one lil note though if i may… now that you’ve delivered the goods, don’t get slack, one up yourself everytime you play out, idle hands are the dj’s worst nightmare
Never fear though, my brains on overtime thinking about the next gig ive got in a couple of months. It should be a peak time slot with an MC, so pretty much all out WAR. 3 decks, fierce tunes, the works. I cant wait!
