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Quality DJ mixes vs. Jukebox "DJ's"

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Viewing 9 posts - 1 through 9 (of 9 total)
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  • January 28, 2013 at 7:54 pm #35862
    Bojan Ljukovcanin
    Participant

    Keep true to your self but don’t be boring,that’s the only thing,be nice and flowing but at the same time be random.You can have your set flow perfectly and leave an empty floor,it’s happened to me a few times.But if you’re fun if you give the crowd the energy insted of just listening to just their energy you’ll be better.Remember that the crowd are there for you to lead not the other way around.Read the crowd but don’t nececerally let the crowd intimidate you into going from genre to genre to genre.Give your self a set group of say 6 genres,that you will play.It’s more often a matter of a tough crowd that needs to be warmed up then it is of the bad music choice.I’ve done a gig where for litteraly an hour the dance floor was empty,but i cycled through my genres and after the hour the floor got packed to the brim,people feel your energy too so if you’re just trying to pleas them you won’t get anywhere.

    January 28, 2013 at 8:01 pm #35863
    DJ Medik
    Member

    Thanks The Black Rag! That helps. I guess I freak out a bit too much when I see an empty floor. I take it way too personally! I do try to keep up the energy (I am very animated when I DJ and clap and laugh and just have fun) but sometimes I feel that energy lacking when my floor is empty. Almost like I’m faking it.

    January 28, 2013 at 8:14 pm #35864
    Bojan Ljukovcanin
    Participant

    Brother i’m always happy to be of help.And as i said,if people aren’t dancing don’t stress.Also quick tip,show up early,nice and early and get the feel of the place.If the feel is laid back do lower BPM stuff that you could be happy just listening to or slow dancing.Main thing though still,don’t freak it happens to the best too.So yeah,Cheers mate.Good luck with your sets.Oh and on a side note,another tip to reduce stress for you,don’t think about the other guy,he’s not you and he’s not relevant to you.

    January 29, 2013 at 7:36 am #35886
    Terry_42
    Keymaster

    Goth scene is extremely predictable and they not only have dance floor bangers they have hymns. Back in my day you played the right VNV nation song or Leather Strip, Front242 etc. and you knew the dancefloor would be full.
    Key is to pack enough of those hymns in your set and let them flow into a very cool mix. This way I created some hymns of my own that even spread out.
    I think if I hadn’t played God Modules “Victim Among Friends” in all of my sets for 3 months, that song would never have become so popular in the german scene, because it is an American band and they usually love their local EBM stuff.
    Same with Combichrist “Intruder Alert”, we made that up with DJ Ronan, Sconan and I… played it all over germany after a hymn and you got a new one…

    January 29, 2013 at 4:31 pm #35932
    DJ Medik
    Member

    Yeah, VNV always does well! Lately Space and Time off their new album is the current track to play which I work in as much as I can. I also love their Empire album so I play Standing, Legion, and Darkangel quite often. Combichrist used to be an instant dance floor filler, but lately I have not received much response from them. I do love Intruder Alert though, bangin track! The big one right now is Aesthetic Perfection. They are my trump card if I ever lose my floor. That and Military Fashion Show by And One. It’s gotten to the point where that is the only And One song anyone ever requests anymore! haha, I was playing “Panzermensch” by them and someone came up to me and asked if I could play And One while I was already playing them!

    Maybe it’s just the area I’m DJ’ing at. LA always seems to do well, but my weekly gig is at a bar and they don’t even have a proper dance floor (just tiled floor that people don’t like dancing on). The dance floor seems so fickle too in this scene. Last Sat I played “Living the Wasted Life” by Aesthetic Perfection and it brought them all out, then right after I played F-117 by Funker Vogt (which has always help up as a club classic) and instant dead dance floor.

    Do you happen to have any goth/Industrial mixes you have done in the past posted anywhere? I would love to hear one of your sets!

    January 30, 2013 at 8:23 am #35959
    Terry_42
    Keymaster

    Back then I was still using vinyl or CDJs (with actual CDs), sorry.
    I think there was some recording on youtube from a fan, but I cannot find it, so maybe it was removed.

    January 30, 2013 at 9:19 pm #36000
    D-Jam
    Participant

    DJ Medik, post: 36011, member: 8061 wrote: I run all my tracks through Platinum Notes to clean them up, buy the best quality tracks, and I’m very big on creating a set that mixes and flows together nicely. I try not to let songs drag on too long, and I mix harmonically using Mixed in Key so my sets sound as fluid as possible.

    I’m sorry to break this to you, but the ONLY people who will care about this are DJs. This is why I never worry too much about the harmonic thing or the audiophile thing. Don’t get me wrong, I do care a bit…but I never expect the crowd to care.

    DJ Medik, post: 36011, member: 8061 wrote: Then on the flip side, one of our other DJ’s…

    …ALWAYS packs the dance floor because he plays the same club hits that are popular in the scene.

    There’s your answer. Play the top anthems with the amount of care and dedication you push, and see what happens. Just forget about trying to “convert” or “educate” the crowd for one night. Play the tunes the other guys play, but with your high level of quality.

    Yeah, I know it’s not the full answer you would love to get, but this is the life of a DJ. Just lighten up, have fun, and stop worrying about impressing DJs and music nerds. In all honesty, and I’ve said this many times, you could have a room with 1000 people and among them are 10 DJs/music nerds. If those 10 people are rolling their eyes or criticizing your set…look at the other 990 people. If the 990 people are dancing and having an incredible time, then those 10 people can take a hike.

    February 2, 2013 at 4:24 am #36087
    Arthur Kokanov
    Participant

    I play at this bar and I flow through genres alot and the only time i really even use harmonics is when i mix EDM and only if the songs im playing are not that well known. If i feel its time for a well known banger il throw it in. I get compliments from “djs” all the time… and I don’t do all that much mixing, more or less find a great place to cross fade over. Regular people dont really care, like really, they just wanna have a good time and all this harmonics and really good beatmatching does is helps the flow of energy and makes it easier to have ppl accept that they are in the ocean of your sound, mixed a little bit with theirs.

    February 4, 2013 at 6:23 pm #36176
    DJ Medik
    Member

    This is all great advice! Thank you all so much for taking the time to respond 🙂 It seems like I just have to find a better balance of technique vs. crowd pleasing. I’m so obsessed with being the best technical DJ I can, I forget about what is really important which is the crowd. I will take your advice to heart!

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