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How long should ya let the (Hip Hop) song play....
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How long should ya let the (Hip Hop) song play....

Dj KaGeN 4:18 PM - 3 November, 2006
When spinning a Halloween party on Tues night (popping my in public spinning hip hop cherry). I found myself wondering how long to let the song play... I have been on the dancefloor of quite a few hip hop clubs and heard the format/lenght/style of many dj's and I've been taking notes all along. I have also been watching expressions of people on the dancefloor as songs changed and see if they kept with the dj's flow, kept tabs on the hot songs - bottomline, I haven't missed a beat and adding hip hop to my bag a of tricks is at the top of my priority list.

So, tuesday night I ended up letting some of the big hits play almost all the way out and just watched the floor get more and more packed... The reality was the dancefloor was packing up as the songs played longer. I neraly let 5-6 sings play edge to edge and the LESS I worked the floor just kept filling... This seemed like a great problem to have, A PACKED DANCEFLOOR!! But this seemed to go against what I have experienced in all other clubs..

Thoughts??
tig ol' bitties 4:23 PM - 3 November, 2006
try not to go more then 2:30 on ANY song, unless its absolutely killin it.
tig ol' bitties 4:23 PM - 3 November, 2006
I try not to go more then 2:30 on ANY song, unless its absolutely killin it.
djaction 5:21 PM - 3 November, 2006
depends on the spot/crowd.. I can tell you though a *LOT* of crowds get *ANGRY* if you don't let a song play all the way through.
Dj Ryme 5:33 PM - 3 November, 2006
I get bored after the first verse, Kagen you dont want to look like an asshole sitting up there for 3-4 minutes doing nothing but looking for your next song to play. I hate it when dj's let the whole song play. Just my opinion though.
Dj KaGeN 5:42 PM - 3 November, 2006
well ya, you hit it on the head. I truly was just standing there ( getting that I need to do something feeling). I made a loop on the next track, I set up a cue point on the next track -- I was starting to get bored... but was also torn since the floor was filling, and why ruin a good thing? The only fun I was having was prepping for the next song - mixing it - making the mix last as long as sonically possible.... and then I'll be damned more cheers, more little bitches jumping on top of platforms, and those sitting were now standing up and joining in..

I suppose in the future - I'll get more instramentals and accapellas and keep mixing and mashing and keep my mixing flowing and still see if I can make the party continue to jump up.
uno seis 6:19 PM - 3 November, 2006
Another thing to think about is that people might have been drinking and loosening up as the party went on, and you were probably playing some good music as well. The floor may not have been packed just cuz you let the song play all the way through.

As you get more experience playing hip hop, you'll just kinda feel the crowd and be able to tell when you can keep it moving through songs quickly and when to let a song just roll through.
DJ_Mike_Coquilla 10:52 AM - 4 November, 2006
i keep getting yelled at by folks coming up all still dancing saying that i cut some songs out too early, skipping the best part.

i notice if the song is bangin and the crowd is feeling it, sometimes people not yet on the floor, scoping the area for a partner, all giggin like "hell yeah, this is my song"... then i pull out the rug right underneath them... i must a A.D.D.
DJ GaFFle 12:39 PM - 4 November, 2006
Read your crowd. Don't follow any 1-verse-and-I'm-pullin'-out rule..., especially for a WHOLE night. At some points, if you've got them eating out your hand, then that type of mixing is cool.
Dj Metro 1:46 PM - 4 November, 2006
whats hot at the moment let it run .........................the rest cut it up