x

Hired as EDM Dj and requested to play salsa…

Home 2023 › Forums › The DJ Booth › Hired as EDM Dj and requested to play salsa…

Viewing 7 posts - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • May 7, 2015 at 4:33 pm #2190781
    DJ Tucker
    Participant

    Did you get paid? If so, you’re all good. I enjoy watching non-dj’s mess up like that. I have to find some amusement in it, otherwise I’d be in jail.

    May 7, 2015 at 8:28 pm #2190791
    DJ Nostalgia
    Participant

    They played their salsa in the bar’s stereo system…

    Presumably, as they subsequently used the venue’s own sound system, the bar owner was OK with it?
    It is one thing to not have what has been requested – after all, you were hired as an EDM DJ – but to refuse to play what is offered (presuming you have the capability)… I certainly wouldn’t rush to hire a DJ who wouldn’t play something because “I don’t think I would have enjoyed playing their music…”

    May 7, 2015 at 9:25 pm #2190811
    bob6397
    Participant

    I would refuse simply because it isn’t legal – as a DJ, I cannot play other people’s music (from any source) at all without breaking licensing agreements.

    And then you have the practical side – I don’t fancy playing any track that I havent heard before and I simply couldn’t DJ a complete set if I didn’t know the tracks at all.

    I also refuse point blank for anyone to plug anything into my laptop whilst I am playing if it (A) doesn’t belong to me or (B) I don’t need it plugged in. Plugging other people’s USB sticks/external drives is just the best way to crash something and/or get a virus in the process.

    If they bring CD’s (and I have a CD player – which I don’t have with me any time I am DJing) you are back to my first point – how do you play a set which has flow when you don’t know the tracks?

    It doesn’t matter how good you are, you have no time to actually mix if all you have time for is to just spend all the time listening to each track over and over in your headphones trying to work out which one to play next – that’s what prep is for – and why I never play a track i haven’t listened through at least 3 times. Ever.

    Just my thoughts..

    bob6397

    May 7, 2015 at 10:07 pm #2190831
    DJ Vintage
    Moderator

    It’s a tricky subject. I wouldn’t play other peoples tracks, for some of the reasons mentioned. The carrier (USB) could be infected, the quality of the track could be poor or damaged (like vinyls I played from other people that had REALLY nasty ticks in them right at the height of the track) or incomplete (had that happens ONCE, track ended in the middle of a chorus about 2min10 into the song and I mean one second a beat, second second no clap … just eerie silence. Count to 4, play the next track and pump your fist like you mean it. But still … you know.

    Not knowing the track … that’s a judgement call. Especially if it’s in a language I don’t understand (can’t check if it’s proper language use lol).

    I probably would have wandered over to the owner, asked him what he wanted me to do. Including the reasons I would have had for not thinking it a very good idea, but conveying the message that he IS the boss and you will comply.
    I’d have played the music (if there was some way to confirm quality and virus free operation somehow) and made the best of it, using my skills to transition stuff I don’t know (20 seconds of pre-listening gets you enough information to make a decision on the kind of transition you need), lots of “get out of jail free” cards to play there.

    Afterwards I would have had a little chat with the owner (after collecting my dues) and told him that I was a genre DJ, he hired a genre DJ and that next time he shouldn’t hire me, but a more all-round DJ. If he did ask me again, he’d have to count on the fact that I would stick within the original paramers (i.e. chillout in this case) and not wander off playing music I didn’t own and/or knew.

    But I agree that it’s an odd situation to be caught in. And I am not sure if there’s a way to know the right/wrong way to handle such a situation until you actually get into one yourself.

    May 7, 2015 at 10:27 pm #2190841
    Guy Hagen
    Participant

    I think in this situation you’re in the right. They sprung this on you last minute, so that’s on them. HOWEVER- imagine if you ALREADY HAD salsa music with you that you were familiar with. You’d get tons of props. It’s definitely worth getting and familiarizing yourself with various types of latin music (salsa, bachata, bossa nova, tango). Doesn’t have to as in-depth as your EDM collection obviously, maybe 2-3 hours worth. The same holds true for jazz, classical, and various “ethnic” music styles. I have a CD of french accordion music that I pretty much never ever play, but it’s there for those very rare occasions. I think I’ve played it in front of people only once- it was a small, cozy setting and it was the PERFECT thing to play. I don’t know if I’ll ever play it again but I’ll always have it with me.

    If you’re unprepared for these kinds of curve-balls that’s fine. You weren’t hired to play Salsa so expecting you to wouldn’t be fair. But being able to deliver in these situations will certainly leave good impressions with people. And if you search for salsa or tango or whatever on your own and get what YOU like, you’ll be more likely to have fun with it.

    May 8, 2015 at 2:26 am #2190901
    Pat
    Participant

    Thanks for your answers! It is kinda tricky but its cool to hear different opinions.
    The club owner was ok with playing salsa in the stereo system since he was the main guest. I did get paid but wasn’t doing it for the money, as most of us djs I guess we do it for the passion about our music. So I guess thats one of the things that held me back. I think the worst thing I didn’t mention was the kinda arrogance from the guest. Now that I think it through, if he had approached me and the owner in a “humbler” manner maybe I would have reacted differently.

    May 13, 2015 at 4:45 am #2193071
    Lamid45G
    Participant

    You will find it more down the road, these days, we DJ’s dont get the luxurious humbler environment like we used to, back in the day we are the rock star, the club rolled out a red carpet for you, you get escorted with the bouncer to a DJ decks,

    Just be prepared next time how to react, if they come to you with more hostile approached (which they will)

  • Author
    Posts
Viewing 7 posts - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)
  • The forum ‘The DJ Booth’ is closed to new topics and replies.