Playing Requests

Your last paragraph contains a large chunk of the information required to be a good DJ. Humility is the key, and not taking yourself too seriously. It does depend on the gig in question, however there are very few gigs where taking requests is not viable IMHO.

I can see why you pointed out that question. But the answer imho is pretty simple. If you do mobile, wedding etc. dj stuff you should play requests. Not all of them, not right now but some of them at the moment when YOU think you should play them. The problem appears when people adress you in a way that you’re here to serve them. THAT isn’t true nor good because you should be the one who knows the job and you should be the one to make decisions about music played that night/event. And when people become arrogant and start kinda telling you in your face: we f****** pay you and you don’t wanna play things we want to hear, then is the time to start making complaints about taking requests, making apps which will allow you to get request lists etc.

Obama is fat? He hides it well :-p.

Greetinx,
C.

Well it depends, if the dj is really good no one is going to ask for a request. Now you have some people who just don’t understand that a dj is not just their to entertain but to perform as well.
[Now the Reasons]
Interrupting a dj for a
-song that you already know he/she going to play
-song that is popular
-song because “she” and yes that is right “she” is getting ready to leave (from my experience)
-song because “it’s my birthday”
-song that he/she played already but you weren’t their(hence the people who like to show up really late)
-song that he/she played already because you were their when he/she played it and decide to go and tell him/her “Oh I didn’t hear it” (I hate that one)
-song that no ones never heard before and say “I HAVE IT ON MY PHONE!” (thus people like to take out their cell phones and shove it in your face)
-song that doesn’t fit the atmosphere “Hey bro/sis I know you playing house/dance music but do you have and RAP Music?”(seriously?)
-song that he/she has to now fit into a playlist that took him/her hours to build.
-song as a DEMAND. “PLAY!!!!……… I WANT TO HEAR!!!!!……. RIGHT NOW!!!!!!”
Is just plain rude, if a actor, singer or rapper is performing your not going to go walk up to them and interrupt their performance for a request, it no different for the dj. Now I should say that requests are fine as long as they are asking and it fits in with the atmosphere or if the djing hasn’t gotten anyone to dance because he/she doesn’t know how to read a crowd.

But me personally I don’t like taking request reason being because 97% of the time its a song that I have already played or they know I’m going to play it.

Chuck van Eekelen, post: 41529, member: 2756 wrote: Ouch, I have just been qualified as a NOT “really good” DJ, because I get asked requests and have for the last 35 years.

I see where you are coming from but it is never this black/white. VERY many shades of grey.

Greetinx,
C.

lol not imposed on a dj who gets request every dj gets requests from people. I dj in the New York City area and believe me out here is a totally different story because New York City get people from all over the world some of them decide to bring attitudes with and it becomes a trend pass on from one person to another.

In all honesty, it is a DJ’s role to take requests…when the DJ is working a normal bar, trendy club, wedding, etc.

HOWEVER, with the DJ moving to a role of tastemaker, superstar, etc…requests only hold such a position back.

If you want to be the next Skrillex, PvD, Carl Cox, etc…you won’t get there by being the guy who plays Justin Bieber because a pack of girls begged for it. To get into that world, you need to be the anti-establishment guy the underground community and “all about the music” promoters want.

I’ve watched guys who take the requests, play the pop/trendy stuff, etc. They’ll get residencies in the trendy clubs, bars, and such, but they won’t go much further. They won’t get to play the big music festival, or rave, or open for a major headliner. One can say this isn’t fair, but this is life. The world of that tastemaker/superstar DJ is about image and reputation…hence why you become a starving artist to be that at first.

For me, this is why I became a hobbyist. I’d stay away from the trendy clubs, bars, events, etc…where I’d be forced to take and play requests. Unfortunately, the cooler events to play (where you don’t do requests) are harder to get into with plenty of politics. Even the fact I liked to play trance hurt me, as some promoters would not take me seriously since I liked trance ON TOP OF deep house and other underground flavors.

If you just want to work, make a living, do weddings, etc…then take and play requests. Forget the music snobs. However, if you have dreams of playing at Ultra Music Fest or something like that, then you have to play the anti-establishment role and market yourself as a music artist, which means you have to produce.