Too many times have I been to a club and seen a DJ look more miserable than the glass collectors. WHY? You have the power to shape the night, to create the vibe and to capture memories for many many clubbers.
There has always been the case for DJ's to be 'moody' for that cool, mysterious, aloof persona.. well, personally, I think this is completely crap and a poor show.
Djing, or any kind of music performance should be just that. It doesn't matter if you are spinning tunes in Brixton, or if you're Iron Maiden at the O2, YOUR job is to entertain, to transmit energy so that the person at the back of the venue feels like they're at the front. Showmanship and sending good vibes, excitement and passion that the music give you. We are all connected by the sound, and the DJ is the conductor. A 'flat' or 'moody' DJ will zap the energy of the room quicker than the lights being turned on at the end of the night. What many of these DJs don't realize is that in the crowd may be tens of budding DJs who would KILL for the opportunity Mr. Moody DJ is currently wasting.
SO PERFORM. get the energy out there! Get the crowd connected as one, and in this unity, together feel the excitement, the tingle of the music you play.
I grew up watching Fatboy Slim and in my books, there is no better ring leader or conductor in controlling the crowd to bring such a party experience. He connects with his audience to make them feel like they are ONE BIG PARTY MACHINE..
This is my one advice that I give beginner DJs, if you don't look like you're having fun, the crowd will pick up on that vibe and the room will be flat, body language is one of the biggest communicators we have as humans, and its something we do subconsciously. In a noisy room with music blasting out, where verbal communication is impossible, body language is all we have... and your body language should be... lets party. If you don't apply this rule, you WILL lose the crowd and you might as well go home and sulk in the corner of your bedroom, instead of sulking in the DJ booth in front of crowds of people.
Its OK to laugh off a clanging mix, YOU'RE LIVE, mistakes happen and that's OK! If you have won the crowd over, then find someone to laugh with, acknowledge your mistake, it will make you appear more human and connected with the crowd, and the crowd will like you more for it. Keep your cool. Trust me!
DJ ETIQUETTE
- EYE CONTACT / CROWD CONNECTION. Avoidance of eye contact can appear stand-offish - connect with the people you are entertaining!
- GESTURES / PERFORMANCE TO MATCH THE CROWD / VENUE. Don't go OTT if youre in a small venue / crowd (read it) - but REALLY GO FOR IT if you're part of a bigger gig. You need to leave the booth sweating .
- KNOW YOUR TUNES - Know how they drop / breakdowns so you can whip the crowd up at the right moments.
- MAKE THE PERSON AT THE BACK OF THE ROOM FEEL LIKE THEYRE AT THE FRONT - TRANSMISSION OF ENERGY.
- ENJOY YOURSELF & BELIEVE IN WHAT YOU DO. - or you might as well go home.
- TRY AND be SOBERish. YOU are representing YOU and the night you've been booked for. I've seen a lot of trashed DJs waste the opportunity they had, some even go and play in the WRONG room. You need to be coherent enough to keep the party going, and playing the same track 4 times in a row, clanging ever mix, or not fitting the vibe WILL be noticed, not only by the crowd, but by the promoter too. By all means, have a loosener to relax you, to calm nevers.. But don't be so loose that your knees no longer support you.
Until next time!
Big love from Brighton and BIG UPS @stickupboys @stickupmusic !!
James x
Too many times I've been to gigs and shows where the dj or band isn't feeling it and it drags the whole night down with them! They could learn something reading this.
!PIZZA
1000000%
@djjamesblack! I sent you a slice of $PIZZA on behalf of @dibblers.dabs.
Learn more about $PIZZA Token at hive.pizza (2/10)
COULD NOT AGREE MORE!! Wicked stuff !LUV can’t wait to get back out there in venues again
This is outstanding Great for all music lovers ...poster thanks you are doing well
Good advice for anyone who is in the music scene.
Great post keep it up :)
Big up your bad self! Great to see you on here!
We started getting a few other boys on here.... @fatasfunk and @ambrosechappel
Wise words indeed mate, and you are an absolute master of getting the crowd going. I think even Fatboy himself would struggle to match your energy and enthusiasm in the booth.
Have some !PIZZA
@djjamesblack! I sent you a slice of $PIZZA on behalf of @stickupmusic.
Learn more about $PIZZA Token at hive.pizza (1/10)
Does Fatboy still live in Brighton? Imagine if he joined Hive! I know it's unlikely for now, but we can dream. We need to build a buzz around it and the music scene is a good place to do that.
!PIZZA
Don't ask @djjamesblack about fat boy..... and yes he does he is always down the cafe he owns in Hove....
@djjamesblack! I sent you a slice of $PIZZA on behalf of @steevc.
Learn more about $PIZZA Token at hive.pizza (2/10)
Congratulations @djjamesblack! You have completed the following achievement on the Hive blockchain and have been rewarded with new badge(s) :
Your next target is to reach 50 comments.
You can view your badges on your board and compare yourself to others in the Ranking
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word
STOPCheck out the last post from @hivebuzz:
Support the HiveBuzz project. Vote for our proposal!
@djjamesblack, you were given LUV from @blockchainyouth. Info: https://peakd.com/@luvshares or check wallet: https://hive-engine.com https://ipfs.io/ipfs/QmUptF5k64xBvsQ9B6MjZo1dc2JwvXTWjWJAnyMCtWZxqM
Fatboy Slim was the headliner at my first ever rave experience, and he was incredible, so full of energy just like you said. He was smiling and dancing the whole time, sometimes he'd hold up a record to show the crowd what song was about to drop, stuff like that. So good. I've been around the club/rave/dj scene a lot and all the best DJs I ever heard were really positive, energetic, and just generally stoked.
A good friend of mine from uni was into DJing and he had a similar quote. The main job of the dj is to control the crowd. Everything else is secondary.
Completely agree with the list of DJ etiquette. There's been a lot of influencer DJs making the rounds here who don't follow any of that in the last couple of years.