The Big thing is learning to read the crowd, being able to play a wide variety of music, NOT just hip hop or trance or house, and lastly, being able to not only flow smooth like an EDM mixer, but also have some scratching skills.

Also Having a good idea on how a club/bar operates is KEY to DJing... If you take one thing from this post then take this. Learn by playing out, which songs rock the house and clear the floor.... You look @ the bar, if noone is drinking, clear the floor and get them drinking, and then rock the house.

Bar And Nightclub had an article by the guy who runs club space a year ago and he said he would rather have a DJ that sucks @ mixing and all the things that are a DJ as long as he can read the crowd and pick good tracks and be able to help the bar tenders... because in reality if noone is drinking your out of a job...

I played kung foo fighting tonight after a small fight and had the whole crowd singing with it.

it was awesome...


that's just an example of what you need to do. Go with the flow. If you see some people noddin there heads to a certain style then bring it up and with a hit in that genre and see if it gets up moving more. There's so much you can do. Fuck I mix in def leppard with hip hop sometimes (chicks love that shit) If I see some cops roaming the crowd, I drop "bad boys" people notice that shit and love it. I get the "hardest" looking dudes jamming to the gayest shit all because of timing. I still remember one night when a group of 3 or 4 hispanics swung by. At first glance they looked pretty thuggish and were just scopin out the crowd.

Within an hour or so I had three of them on the tables screaming "the champs - tequila." I'll always specifically remember that night for some reason. Something about seeing the "hard" looking people let lose and have some fun is an awesome feeling. I was grinning from ear to ear all night.

Playing the same shit over and over can get boring and is to damn easy. The bigger the crowd the wider array of music you'll need to play. You'll never make everyone happy but unfortunately that's your job so you just gotta do your best.


I could go on and on in this subject. Place i work at is a burger joint/bar during the day and a full blown 4 bar / 2 story club at night. Working there for over a year now and have learned so much, and have so many stories :D

Very good advice and perspectives mentioned so far...

Yea all good points so far.

For me the main thing is timing. You can't get the crowd going to early or the bar won't make money (Learned this the HARD way). Gotta get the ladies dancing and the guys will follow (also learned this the hard way). Don't limit yourself to one specific type of music, the wider the range the more able you are to handle any kind of situation. I am from the islands and we play music in a paticular way. I had the hardest time understanding/adjusting from playing moslty reggae to other genres of music. One thing I would say to you is go to other bars and clubs and listen to what is going on. I always say you can learn at least one thing from the WORST dj. If you know a more experienced DJ work with him. I wanted to learn so I carried crates for one of the better DJ's in the NYC area. One of the best learning experiences I had. Learned what records work and what don't. Learned how to build a vibe correctly etc.


Got a lot of sories myself from back in the day hehehe

As to getting that gig into the club, my advice is to talk to everyone you can. Personally, I'm just one of the young guys right now and I'm working my way up, however I wouldn't have ever dreamed of getting a couple club gigs without actually talking to someone and getting it done. Because of actually talking to some of them, now the new and up and comer in my town is a 15 year old dj.

As stated before, the main thing, IMHO, is reading the crowds. If you drop a track and you see that they're not feelin you should recognize that it's time to switch the track and ASAP. I had to learn that when I began doin clubs. I was blessed to actually get in to the club scene because of a very good friend of mine who is an established club dj. Autograph, you're so right about gettin the ladies to dance and the fellas will follow. Also, be able to to be versatile in these clubs as well. Change your style week to week and keep people on their toes. Good luck.

I would say, if it already hasn't been said, to concentrate in the clubs in your area and see what the DJ's there are doing (right or wrong). Learn from them. We can give you all the advice in the world, but it may not apply to your particular region.

I'll add...

My first suggestion would be to develop contrast in your music selection. It's next to impossible to create musical texture when you stay in one genre but it also depends on the venue. Staying with one flavor is exactly that...you're staying with one flavor. Change it up to keep people interested.

My next piece of advice is ebb & flow. I think of the tempo and energy of my sets as a sawtooth graph

cadigweb.ew.usna.edu

This is an extreme example, but typically I concentrate on always building the energy up to a peak then dropping it drastically. Usually, I do 2-3 drops a night. I've learned that this generates a lot of bar activity which is always good for everyone.

Other advice DJs have given me

1) If you're trying to keep a dance floor, never play a slow song at the top of the hour or in the middle of the hour (ie 11pm and 1130pm). When people look at their watch and hear a slow song, they end up going home. Don't ask me why, they just do

2) Know when to get out of a song. If the song is really popular, you can sometimes get away with playing most of it. But when it comes to some genre standouts (80's, rock, even some old school hip hop) it often serves you well to mix out after one verse and one chorus. If you're unsure, it's always best to play it safe and just do it.

3) Do play songs for yourself. You gotta keep your sanity so if you have a song that fits the night but you're unsure if it will do well, you can do the 3:1 rule. Give them 3 songs of what you know they want then give them 1 song that might throw them off. Be prepared to back it up with another good song. My guilty pleasure is "State of Shock" by Mick Jagger and Michael Jackson...super cheese!! But every once in awhile, I'll play some ragga DnB, heiroglyphics or obsucre reggae really late or really early in the evening.

#1) Learn to read the crowd

#2) If the dance floor is full your doing your job, however if it remains TOO FULL and no one is drinking, the bar making NO MONEY= Owner not happy!!!!

#3) Take requests, but only play what works within your mix

#4) People will hassle you, IGNORE THEM!!!

#5) Your DJ Booth is not a coat check, PERIOD! Unless Jessica Alba or some other famous person comes up there and wants to leave their property, SAY NO to everyone else!

#6) Bring your own needles, slipmats and headphones(the phones is a no brainer, but don't expect the club to have needles and don't trust the clubs slipmats)

#7) If your getting free drinks, only get drinks for yourself and maybe ONE for your girl, NO ONE else or you'll burn the free drinks privelege. Oh and watch how much you drink......

#8) Work with the staff: If there's a fight on the floor and you see Security handling it out on the floor, LOWER THE MUSIC just a bit(This shows people there is an issue, also allows security to work)..... Help bartenders call "Last Call", even if you have to lower the music and scream that sh*t......

#9) Be prepared to hear some hecklers tell you that they are better than you!!! Remember this though: Confident, NOT COCKY!!!

#10) You will be nervous when you first start your mix regardless if your opening or headling the clubspot (I still am nervous for the 1st 15min of my mix and I've done this for over 12 years).....So have a drink or take a shot to calm the nerves

Not steal my dj name. ;)

Show up on time.

Don't get wasted.

If you have to use explicit material, make sure you have clearance from the management.

You're not a "sell-out" if you play bubblegum pop music as long as you have a floor full of women.

If a fight breaks out, f*ck with the combatants -- turn on ALL your Strobes. Watch the fools throw punches like little girls as they miss because of the strobing light causing them to misjudge distance.

At the beginning of the night when people are too shy to start dancing, a nice thick layer of fog out on the dance floor AND low lights will usually draw them out. The FOG will give them a false sense of security.

DO NOT SCREW over the resident DJ. I know one of the best Club DJs to ever spin but he cannot keep a residency because he is a bitch and always screws over the resident.

KARMA goes a long way in this industry.

Finally - ALWAYS PROTECT YOUR HEARING.

HAHAHA THIS IS A GOOD ONE




OH SO TRUE ON BOTH

LMFAO

Wow! This is great advice. You have just prepared me for a bunch of situations that I never even considered! Thanks for the insight!

Haha :)

brilliant man. brilliant. i can picture this- me at a bar or club and a fight breaking out.. if the dj dropped kung fu fighting i'd be psyched.

haha :) It's a lame ass song but the timing couldn't have been better. So many people looked up and were crackin, smiling and having a good time after that. That's what it's all about though. Just havin a good time :)

Great advice. I would like to add, especially for DJ's running a club night, Get to know the staff and owner of the venue. Have meetings, build strategies and come up with ways to make money and keep the crowd going. In the past, Ive had the bad experience of trying to run a night where the staff and management never helped for shit. Sometimes management expects you to do all the work yet they are the ones with all the money. Just thought I'd throw that out there. It can be a positive thing if you and the management see eye to eye on issues and ideas.