...so you don't just sit! POB 742 4 Ames, IA 4 50010-0742 4 515/232-1247 4 515/232-3729 fax 4 al@alsmusic.com Al tackles one of the toughest questions a DJ ever has to answer: What kind of music do you play? There is no easy (and still honest) way for me to answer this question. Many people seem to automatically presume that DJs are like radio stations, in that they have ONE format (IE: music style) they specialize in, rock, oldies, country, disco, whatever. A radio station is going to be playing the same format any and every time you tune in. Some DJs do specialize in a particular format, usually related either to their personal music taste or their professional experience. (Radio DJs who do mobile work will often echo their stations format at their live appearances) Picking a DJ who plays a good format is very important to the success of any gathering where all in attendance like the same kind of music -- at a nightclub for instance. The regulars at the bar will make their opinion quite clear if the DJ plays a song that doesn t fit. Club DJs quickly learn to stick to the good music in order to survive. This can be a problem, however, when the people at a party do NOT all agree on one style of music. This is likely to be the case when a wide age-range is present or even within a same-age group that doesn t often party together. A DJ who only knows one format is likely going to be wrong all night long at least in the eyes/ears of a percentage of the people present. As an answer to this, there has developed a universal wedding DJ format that include a selection of alltime favorites in a number of different styles. I ll call it the duh list. As in, do you play songs on that list? Well, duh! In the 20-odd years I have been doing mobile DJ work, I have watched this format become very well defined. The DJ Duh list consists of a nearly unchanging list of perhaps 100 core songs. Throw in 20 or 30 hits du jour (IE: the biggest radio hits enjoying their 30 minutes of fame at any particular instant) and you re looking at 90% of the music played by 90% of the DJs at 90% of the parties in the last 5 to 10 years. How many times have you heard YMCA or the Chicken Dance or Old Time Rock and Roll at a party? Most DJs who play it safe (or don t know any better) name songs from this list when asked what they play on any given night it s almost required that EVERY DJ play a few. The only problem with this list is that for every person who loves those songs, there is another who is sick to death of them. What s a DJ to do? A skillful DJ knows how to match the music to the crowd. Okay, how many times have you heard a DJ say THAT? But what does it really mean? Simply stated, he is able to blend songs from the Duh list, together with others that happen to fit the mood of the moment at that particular party on that particular night. Done well, it all makes perfect sense when it happens, but could the DJ have told you the day before the party what he was going to do? Probably not because he didn t know! When you re playing the right music for the party, it could be country, it could be rap, it could be???? you never can tell!
So what would YOU call that kind of format? How about Good music? After all, everybody likes good music, don t they? (If you haven t detected my irony, ask me sometime why I laugh when anybody says anything about playing good music. ) Requests (otherwise known as the second toughest question DJs have to answer) We play requests is a way that DJs sometimes answer the What kind of music do you play question. Sounds like a good answer, but is it? Before we go any further, you have to understand and agree that twelve songs played at random will not have the same positive impact on the energy of a party as the same twelve songs played in the right order. The right order may change from night to night to suit specific circumstances, but when each song in any successful music program relates successfully with the songs before and after it (and with the mood of the moment) the whole party can be elevated to another level. Relates successfully means goes together with. Success or failure depends on context, but in the end, two songs either work together or they don t. If you re not personally able hear it, it s nothing to be ashamed about, not everyone has the same skills. I have trouble picking out the right necktie but building music programs is something I ve done my whole life. Trust me, it does make a difference. If you don t believe me, there is little point in reading further. Play the radio at your party. You ll save a lot of money. (And afterwards, maybe you ll understand and appreciate what I m getting at.) So what s the problem with requests, you ask? Isn t it a DJ s job to play the songs that people want? Sure it is! Mostly. Requests started as an old radio marketing gimmick that people came to take literally. When you call a station with a request, they play it, don t they? Sure they play it exactly when they would have played it anyway even if you hadn t called. If your request isn t on the regular playlist, guess what, you can listen till you die and you ain t gonna hear your song. (I worked at a radio station for twelve years I know all about radio requests. ) So, do radio stations really play requests? Absolutely if you request the right song(s). Sorry if I spoiled one of your favorite fantasies. Nightclub DJs play requests -- sometimes. If the place is always packed and there's a line waiting to get in, you have about the same odds of getting a request played as you would if you called your favorite radio station -- maybe less. But if the DJ is new, or the club is struggling, requests are almost mandatory -- and a great way to cover your butt if you don't know what you're doing. Let the people you're playing for tell you what to do! From there, it's easy to see how mobile DJs picked up the trick. If you don't have a clue -- ask for requests! If you make a mistake and play something that bombs -- say it was a request! If the party is sucking air anyway, what have you got to lose? How can you go wrong when you play the songs that your customers ask for? (Wait a minute. Why is it that radio stations don't play everything that their listeners request? It's because lots of the people who have nothing better to do with their time than call in to radio stations to request songs ask for songs that would make half the audience switch to another station!)
Is it ever politically correct for a DJ to tell someone their favorite song sucks? No. That means the only real option is to say something vague and noncommital, I ll do the best that I can. Personally, I just hate lying to people when I know there isn t a chance in a million that I can play that song (successfully) at this party. Every DJ quickly learns that the stock lie is MUCH faster than explaining a hundred times a night why a person shouldn t take it personally that, in your best professional judgement, their song will not contribute towards the maximum positive outcome for the event. (Even when I *am* able to play a song someone has asked for, I feel a little dishonest, because I frequently would have played the song anyway.) Sure, I take requests! What do you want to hear? But if the song(s) are OK for the party, why can t you just play them and make someone happy? Hey, thanks for calling, I ll do the best that I can. Here s why: It's easy for people to "join in" when the dance floor's packed. If a DJ plays a song "out of the blue" that nobody on his dance floor can relate to, they all sit down. Oops! An empty dance floor can be a very tough thing to revive -- nobody wants to go "out there" all alone! So, to be (the most) successful at a party, a song needs to have some logical connection to both the song before it, and the song after. So, logically, every request can take two or more additional songs to make it fit. If a party consists, on average, of 50 songs, how many requests does that realistically allow without shattering the artistic continuity and turning the party into random-play jukebox music. Ever wonder why there is never a jukebox in a jumpin dance club? Envision a DJ as a bus driver, hired to deliver his people from point A to point B by midnight. En-route people shout out other places they d like to visit. Sure, anyplace you want to go as long as it s on the way. To bring this discussion to conclusion, I hope I ve explained why, if you insist on a short-and-to-the-point honest answer to the question, what kind of music do you play? I m most likely to shrug and answer, beats me.
For your amusement, and extended reading pleasure, I have appended a collection of some of the actual music-related comments I have been blessed with over the years. (And then ask me why a DJ needs a sense of humor.) Play it NEXT! Whaddya got that s good? Do you have something that *I* would like? If you have a song, will you play it? Is all you gonna play is country? (mid-way through the first bona-fide country song of the evening) Don t you have anything ELSE? Can you play YMCA (YMCA is currently playing) Don t play it now, wait till I get back, OK? Whaddya got with a BEAT? I dunnow the name, but it goes like this... (waving arms) Do you have any country? Can you play it again? I missed it the last time. Can you play it again anyway? EVERYBODY will dance if you play. How much will it cost to get you to play? NOBODY likes this song... (packed dance floor) You suck! Play! Do you have the REAL version of that song? I can get laid tonight if you play. Are you still taking requests? (Ten minutes before closing)
Who asked for THIS? I want to hear, and, and, and, and... If you play, I m leaving. Can you play before I leave? You don t have?!!! What kind of DJ are you? EVERY DJ has! Can we make a request? What songs do you have? Can we look through all your CDs? Is this all you play? Do you have anything from, like, NOW? When are you gonna play my song? Whaddya have that s from the 70s? So, what are you going to play next? Why can t I set my drink there? Why haven t you played yet? Do you have anything really FAST? Will you watch my purse? We want more 80's music! We re from the party next door, if we all come over here, will you play? I ll hire you for MY wedding if you play! Can you play my songs that you played at the last wedding I saw you at? I m gonna make sure you don t get paid unless you play? Hey, remember ME? What s that song they do the dance to? Play and tell to go dance with.
Can you get on the mic and ask if anyone found my car keys? That s different than the album! Have you played my song yet? What have you got that s good? Damn! You're a great DJ! Can I buy you a drink? THE END