have them write their requests on their foreheads.... that way you are reading the crowd and making them happy at the same time!

kill 1 bird with 2 stones

Yeah I have them do it with glow in the dark ink so I can see it from across the club.

now that's killing 1 bird with 3 stones...way to go!!!

But you should also do it in different languages - kill even more birds or use more stones? lol

nm

bilingual stone thrower...lmao

The Rosetta Stone Sessions.

great crowd reading advice: Watchwww.youtube.com

"The Rosetta Stone Sessions."

A+

lol

nm

lmao...good one

Alright Well Thank You Guys For Not Actually Helping Me. Maybe It Would Be Nice To Help a DJ Out, Without Sarcastic Stuff Which Is Funny. But Im Looking For Authentic Advice And I Guess I Cant Seem To Get That At Serato.

I Think It's Because Of The Way You Type.

Try Another Thread Typing Like A Normal Person Would. I Assure You That You Will Get A Better Response

nM

No Its The Way You Guys Assume and Think. You Might Be Thinking He Types a Proper Way So Let Me Look at Him as a Low DJ. But No My Question Is..

How Can i read The Crowd Better. How Hard Is That To Answer?

StRaWbErRy IcE cReAm

nm

Experience really. Check out some spots and see how other DJ's do it. Know your crowd, know what type of event/venue you are playing. Plan accordingly. Always be ready to mix out of a song and stay on your toes.

Let's take it one further:

Every crowd/room is different. Aside from the obvious FULL/EMPTY DANCEFLOOR, an experienced DJ should have a few "test" tracks that would determine which direction they choose to take their audience. Even if it's early and no one is really dancing yet, look for sings like toe-tapping, head-bobbing, cheers, etc. and be thinking at least 3 songs ahead be ready to switch directions if something appears not to be working.
On a side note, in all honesty a request or two doesn't hurt to get a general idea. Not that you necessarily have to play it, but rather think of some other appropriate songs that would compliment the requests.

not even close...you went wayyyyy to far with that one buddy.

just found an oppurtunity to throw in a couple corny jokes.... relax buddy... it aint that serious


*sheesh

Every crowd/room is different. Aside from the obvious FULL/EMPTY DANCEFLOOR, an experienced DJ should have a few "test" tracks that would determine which direction they choose to take their audience. Even if it's early and no one is really dancing yet, look for sings like toe-tapping, head-bobbing, cheers, etc. and be thinking at least 3 songs ahead be ready to switch directions if something appears not to be working.
On a side note, in all honesty a request or two doesn't hurt to get a general idea. Not that you necessarily have to play it, but rather think of some other appropriate songs that would compliment the requests.

Thank You Bro. Really Appreciate The Advice!

if your crowd looks like this: bitchspot.jadedragononline.com


dont play this: Watchwww.youtube.com

Lmao! I Gotchu

Can you delete Forums Or No? Cause I Have a Couple Other Forums I Want To Get Rid Of

nope... Serato forums dont have edit/delete functions.

One mistake and you're teased for life.

lol

nm

I am an open format DJ and tend to DJ at bars or mainstream clubs. So what I am going to say applies to that. If you are a single genre DJ only playing 1-2hr sets, you're on your own.

At the beginning of the night when I first get to the venue, I look around and try to ascertain the age group of the people that are there. If I have a 30 something crowd for instance, I may want to start with nineties stuff. Anywhere from rock to pop to hip hop and see which of those gets the crowds heading bobbing a bit. Once I find that groove, I proceed accordingly. Moving on to newer stuff. Most of the time by peak hour, midnight, your crowd kinda changes a bit, and you would need to go back to step one again.

Also the more requests you get, means you are not reading the crowd properly. The less requests mean you are hitting them with all the right tunes and they are happy. That is a good gauge, at least for me, whether or not I am reading the crowd properly.

Bottomline, reading the crowd mean reading the body language and the response of the crowd you are playing for and knowing what to play and when to play, it in response to what you see.

Have some BALLS and play what you FEEL is right. Don't just follow what the others are playing and finding success with. Also, reading the crowd is pointless if you don't have the knowledge and depth of what songs will move a crowd. Know your music, go with your gut, have a general plan for the night (but not too planned), execute with an imperative attitude. Also what the above poster mentioned about body language is key. Body language will tell you if what you are playing is working. It will also tell you what isn't working. This applies well to the dj world, and also very well to the REAL world. Learn how to read a body and you IQ as a dj goes up.

Check this book out. Written by an ex-FBI agent who goes into detail about body language.

www.amazon.com

Thank You Guys For The Advice! Really Appreciate It.

Are you the Dj Kiddstar from Atlanta, cause if you arent you should change your name, cause theres a much better Dj than you who already owns that title

Yes, I Have Already Contacted Him.

huh?

No I Am Not. But I Already Have Contacted Him About The Name.

and what did he say?

Has Never Got Back To Me Since

I just called him, he said change your name

lol

Well Can I Speak To Him?

If You Did Call Him, Why Not Call Him Myself?

Whats your phone # Ill have him (or his legal counsel) contact you

THIS...

So wait - Deejay_Kiddstar is no longer a clickable link on his posts - did he change his name?

Did Dude Get Banned For Typing Like This???

whussup wit dat?

Probably deleted his own account, or got banned for something else, not for typing like that...

although you may think you are killing it....people are still taking their time to stop dancing because they are not feeling the song / vibe at the moment.... when you are hitting them with the right songs at the right time they do not request anything..they dance/party and leave the dj alone....(disregard the chick who walked in the door at 10 walks straight up to the booth and request all the top 40 radio hits....she is just a cunt and there is nothing we can do about her)

both views are somewhat right, its kinda situational. Ive had gigs where I ate shit and not a single person made a request and ive had gigs where I killed it and got ton of requests (I can verify I was killing it cause all the song requests were for songs I just played, was playing, or was about to play)

You DJ so bad they request a song WHILE YOU ARE PLAYING THAT SONG??????

This summer's weddings have been testament to both these views. About 80% of them were awesome. Like Bezzle mentioned, I felt like I was "killing it" (had a guy at one actually say that exact same line - "dude, you're killin' it"!). At the same time though, I had a ton of requests. The other 20% were filled with head bobbers, toe tappers, and finger strummers, but no dancers! Not a single request for the night, yet the dance floor remained fairly empty. I dunno!?!

Its all about perception. Friday night throughout the entire night there were about 5-7 requests. The majority came from people that were dancing, stopped for a moment and came to the booth to request a song, but then continued dancing to the song that I was playing. I'm an open format DJ and had a crowd ranging from 21 up to 50 that night. In my experience as a DJ you rotate the dance floor to accommodate everyone . There will be certain people will request off the wall songs that don't fit the crowd for example I had a girl hand me a cd with spanish music on it, she said "Play this Cd," in which I replied, "the only place i'll be playing that cd is in my car." Once again I'll state requests are not always a good job of how well of a job the DJ is doing.

alright ill agree with most of you cause we are all somewhat right...lol was more referring to a venue that has a target demographic and you already somewhat know what they more then likely want to hear...playing weddings/open format spots with demographics ranging from 21- 50 maybe a bit different....

If you're getting a request every five minutes, it's most likely your fault. 10 per night means you're doing it right.....

I get the part about "gettin requests means you aren't killing it" but this isn't true at all.

For one, it's about how accessible you are. If you're positioned in a booth or platform where no one can come talk to you....vs being at a small intimate spot where you can literally hear folks talking 15 feet away, they're going to be way more comfortable asking you in that second situation.

Two...each type of event is different. When you're doing an event with a theme, they'll ask because they won't hear the song anywhere else they go.

Three....I notice that playing certain songs reminds folks of other songs they may want to hear. So they'll be happy with what's currently on, but it's like "damn, if he's playing this, maybe he'll play this song too!!!!" which happens often.

Yeah, I think it goes both ways with the crowd reading thing. I remember doing a gig (40 and up crowd) where hardly anyone was on the floor, and this 55-60 year old dude was just sitting down looking at me with a nuetral look. Every few songs I'd play he'd turn his head to look at me. Some people were nodding or dancing in their seats or tapping their feet but he did nothing. Funny thing is that he stayed till the end. Although I thought I flopped, I only brought about 20- 30 business cards and gave them to everyone who came up and asked for one before they left. While I was packing, the dude came up to me, shook my hand, and told me he has never heard so much good music in one night in years. He could've fooled me though.

sounds kinda creepy...lol

was it Johnny?

It sounds like someone's never had to deal with that one person on any given night who just won't go away.

serato.com

if the ash crumb trail leads back to NJ then it's him...lol

thats a true music listener, he's listening to the music. thats why i hate going out to actually listen to music. Dj's think you dont like it, and patrons see you just sitting there and wonder why you arent dancing or talking or taking group pics. I've gone to hear several dj's i really wanted to hear and everytime i sit down just to listen, i get a weird vibe, but i really like to focus on the mixing, the music and the sound from a dj perspective. never really works out.

This.

(Quote abbreviated for context)

The white or the black Johnny?

nm

The Honorable Judge Johnny.