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Haters Gonna Hate

If someone bitches about you or your music, especially online, do not respond. As painful as it may be to read, that person and anyone who agrees already made up their minds. Nothing you say or write will change that. All your posts do is give your detractors more reasons to post awful words and put those negative thoughts in front of more eyeballs. Trust me, nothing good will come of it.

Let me clarify one thing before I continue. If something out of the ordinary happens, like the power goes out or you tear a cone, these types of things are worth acknowledging and apologizing. You're on the same side of the fence.

It's when you're at opposites you have to stay quiet.

Are you staying quiet? Good. Let's examine what's happening and what you can do.

First, is this a lone voice or a small group? If so, if you have a large audience that's having fun and your numbers are good, then lift a mental middle finger and carry on the good work.

Did you try something different that didn't work as well as you wished? It'd be easy for me to say don't do it again, except we all know that persistence can be the key to success. Think hard about what you're doing. Maybe you need to stop, perhaps not. But, if it doesn't turn around, don't be so stubborn that you hurt your nights.

Are you losing your crowd? Then, my friend, it's time for honest reflection. Chances are good you're doing something wrong. You cannot force an audience to go down a road they will not take. Sometimes you gotta tuck your tail between your legs and back the hell up. Now, if you're convinced that you're DJing is spot-on, then you may need to look outside the club. How well are you promoting yourself? Are you putting out a positive message? Are you connecting with your fans and audience on a frequent basis?

The bottom line in these situations is to be strategic. Don't react, pro-act. Talk privately with people you trust. But whatever you do, don't take your woes public and don't listen to your core fans who will still love you no matter what you do. You want independent feedback, not unvarnished support. Then get to work. Create a marketing plan or revisit you music. Do what you must to make it right and build a happy, excited crowd.

DJs, Freedom and Money

When you DJ at a dive bar you have more leeway than a DJ at a popular mid-size club. The mid-sized club DJ has more leeway than the big club DJ. The big club DJ has more leeway than the hotel or casino DJ. The hotel or casino DJ has more leeway than the headliner at the stadium. Now, guess which DJs get paid the most and which get paid the least.

#dj #nightclub #music

Don't Educate. Play!

I've watched DJ after DJ move into town—typically from large cities like LA, New York, or Chicago—determined to educate and expand the horizons of everyone in my city. Some of them gather small followings and get one-off nights here and there. Not one DJ has shaken things up of transformed our scene.

#dj #music #nightclub

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

Actions speak louder than words. As much as some people might say they want to hear new music or different types of music, they don't. They come to the club each week with their friends to have a good time in familiar surroundings with familiar music. It's the Pareto Principal, play for the quiet 80% that buys the drinks and dances, not the loud mouthed 20%.

#dj #nightclub #music

All Music is Local

Every city and town has its own music and its own favorites. A song that kills the dance floor in Austin might be a dud in Milwaukee.

#music #nightclub #dj

DJs Entertain

To a large extent what you play determines how you DJ. Mixing electronica loops is very different than spinning Hot 100 hits. DJ accordingly. The bottom line is this: you're there to entertain the audience. Forget everything everyone ever told you about being a great or cool DJ. To hell with responsibilities like introducing folks to new or different music. Do not think you're a better taste master or connoisseur of music than the people who pay for the cover and drinks that pay your to DJ. If you value being a proper DJ above entertaining your audience you need to revisit your values and rebuild your practice.

#nightclub #dj #music

Genre Matters

I am a club DJ and I play songs. My audience expects to know the songs they hear and dance to. Familiarity creates comfort and excitement. Sure I play new music, but not much. I scrutinize lots of songs every week listening for potential club hits. Most weeks I find zero, zip, nada. If I mixed electronica loops and break beats my DJing would be very different, I'd focus on conveying emotion, on lifting people up, holding them there, then taking them even higher or gently bringing them down. Since my audience would not expect to know most of the music I'd spend a lot more time on how loops sound and how they blend together. Even then I'd want to inject familiarity here and there. Electronica has a different musicality, but everyone likes it when they recognize something, even if it's just a popular hook, baseline, or beat, every now and then.

#nightclub #music #dj

I Am a Digital DJ

I learned to DJ on turntables, before CDs. When some DJs began using CDs instead on vinyl my reaction was disbelief. "That's not DJing." I was young. I was stubborn. I was angry. I was wrong. Today I am strictly digital. I use Traktor software and MIDI controllers. I love it. It allows me to do far more with my sets and music. So, when I hear DJs argue that using laptops, MIDI controllers, and digital files is not real DJing, I remember the young DJ I once was and trust they will come around as I learned to.

#dj #music #nightclub #MIDI DJ #Vinyl #CD

Listen To Your Crowd

Last night I went to a party at an event space. Everything was beautifully appointed and everyone looked amazing. As the night progressed the DJ kept playing the same type of slow music. You could feel the tension rising in the room. People wanted to dance. By the time I left some determined stalwarts took to the floor, but you could tell they were holding back, containing energy the music would not let them express.

Learn to read the crowd. Most people do not walk into a club or party and immediately hit the dance floor. They want to have a couple drinks, chat, and get comfortable. As the night progresses more and more people will be itching to dance. Learn to feel the anticipation then, when the tension gets strong enough, lay out a great track to fill-up the dance floor.

Have a plan B and even a plan C. People may not respond to the music you expected to play all night. Be prepared to take the energy up, down or sideways. By sideways I mean switching to a different but related genre. I am not saying abandon all hope or be untrue to yourself. At the same time, it is your job to show everyone a good time so give yourself some breathing room. You probably plan to change it up several times throughout the night regardless. Just have more of those changes at the ready than you actually need. That way you can switch gears to keep patrons happy without sweating bullets.

#music #dj #nightclub

Active EQ

The first thing I do when I walk into a DJ booth is look at the EQ settings from the night before. Where did the last DJ leave the lows, mids, and highs? What I most often find is this:

High: +10 Mid: - 10 Low: +10

Each channel is the same. When I see this on every channel I'm fairly certain the DJ is not performing active EQ throughout the set. Don't set the EQ in one spot and leave it there all night. Every song has it's own EQ and compression and will sound different on the club PA. You also have to compensate for the audience. Bodies absorb sound. They absorb bass most of all. A packed nightclub requires different EQ than an empty one. The above setting may work okay for a packed house, but those should not be your setting while people are arriving or once they start leaving.

#dj #nightclub #music #eq #equalization

Volume

Last night I arrived at a nightclub just after opening so I was the only patron there. Yet, the music was so loud it thumped my head. I had to yell my order to the bartender then retreat to a back room to enjoy my drink. Just because it's a nightclub doesn't mean you should crank the volume. Keep in mind, bodies absorb sound; walls mirror. By pushing the volume in an empty club you generate a sonic machine gun of reflecting sound waves. It's a painful assault on people's heads.

It should always be comfortable to walk into a room.

When the doors open, set your music a little louder than it takes to hear it clearly throughout the club. As people arrive, gradually increase the volume over time. Should you tap the reds, quit adding volume unless you know for certain you'll not distort the music. If you never reach max sound, don't sweat it, especially when people are having a great time.

And please don't forget, as people leave at the end of the night, bring the volume down.

#DJ #volume #nightclub #music

DJ Nights and Friends

The best two books on networking are Swim with the Sharks without Being Eaten Alive and Never Eat Alone (that's a blatant hint, btw). In Swim with the Sharks, Harvey Mackay tells how his daughter got a coveted restaurant host job by showing her packed rolodex (think smartphone contact list) and promising her friends would come. Getting a DJ gig is similar. You might be a better DJ with mad skills and own a larger music collection, but the person with the biggest following will always get the job.

So, you get the new DJ gig and ask your friends to come support you. That's smart and they should celebrate and support you. But, as soon as the night club doors open you better to do a fast 180 and become the host.

You are responsible for your friends and the success of their night. They need to have such an amazing time that they'll want to come back and bring their friends.

· You better play great music that excites and delights.

· Be a host. Get out of the booth from time to time and talk to your friends. Introduce people who don't know each other. Introduce yourself to people you do not know and thank them for coming. Make each person feel special.

If you cannot generate euphoria among your friends they will stop coming. They'll start making excuses, attend less frequently, and eventually stop appearing altogether.

Here's the bottom line. If your friends become regulars and bring new people with them you're doing good. If they don't bring their friends you're in trouble. When you have fewer friends each night, you're on life support.

#DJ #music #nightclub #friends

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