New DJ Seeks Advice

[DJChriis 0]

Hey, Im 17 and have my first gig on december 1st. Ill be doing my disco every other sat nite from 9-1 ish. Its in a village pub where your lucky if they dance but thats just from watching them from the last DJ that used 2 do his stuff lol.

 

I was thinking this for my basic playlist structure.

 

Start off playing Motown or 60s or something then move onto 80s?? Then some late 90s early 2000 pop music maybe?? Then some newer chart music?? then the last set play Grandmaster rock, led zeppelin etc??

 

Please give adviiiceeee.

 

Thanks. Chris

[TonyB 0]

Hey, Im 17 and have my first gig on december 1st. Ill be doing my disco every other sat nite from 9-1 ish. Its in a village pub where your lucky if they dance but thats just from watching them from the last DJ that used 2 do his stuff lol.

 

I was thinking this for my basic playlist structure.

 

Start off playing Motown or 60s or something then move onto 80s?? Then some late 90s early 2000 pop music maybe?? Then some newer chart music?? then the last set play Grandmaster rock, led zeppelin etc??

 

Please give adviiiceeee.

 

Thanks. Chris

 

Difficult to say without actually being there and seeing what the age group is in the pub. Do they allow dancing? The local council around here will allow disco music but won't allow dancing in some pubs.

 

It is a good idea to put together a playlist before the gig so you don't get stuck and have a panic thinking what to play but once you get there, assess the crowd and get a few requests, it will all probably go out the window anyway.

 

If anything I would start with newer stuff first and the older stuff later as they are more likely to sing along and join in with the older stuff after a few drinks. But it depends on the age group in the pub.

 

[DJChriis 0]

Thanks for the post. Yeah they do allow dancing just theres no dancefloor as such its just a small area between the bar and side and the front of the DJ setup. The age group is id say mainly 30+ upto about 60 ish... but there mainly the older side of that margain.

 

Yeah a playlist would probably be good as id be goin in feeling confident ive got a rough idea of what goes well, then can assess the croud like you say and vary it to suit.

 

Ah rite ok, so start with the more older pop then the new chart stuff? then about 10 30 go older? or go to older stuff sooner?

[rictic 0]

personally i would play it by ear but have a list to hand of tunes that you know will work there as you have been there before.

but do not fall into the trap of being like the previous guy if he was like lead balloon.

 

you need to have an image that is just yours, a style, panache, that is uniquely you.

 

dont try to copy or emulate someone else. find your niche and exploit it.

 

anyone can play music but to present it is a different animal.

 

feel the crowd , try to get feedback, ask questions........people love to give opinions ( lol the forum is a prime example )

 

it seems you know the pub so talk to people you know who will give it you straight.

 

but you will find your own way the first time when you pop your disco cherry can be daunting but just go with it, you may yet have the feel and be a big success.

 

good luck!

[UKHero 0]

As said above play it by ear and also have an idea of a set list just as back up.

 

But. I used to do a gig in a pub on a Friday night a few years back where they were not allowed to dance, strainge but true lol. So I did more of what I call a radio style show. What I mean by this is I did not do a section of say Motown then a section of 60's then Rock etc etc. I just played some great tunes all mixed up.

 

That way if a punter did not like say Motown they would not have 5 6 7 songs to sit through before I played another genre of music. It worked very well there but I had to leave as I am a non smoker and the extractor fans never worked. My eyes used to sting with the smoke (Thank goodness for the smoking ban).

 

Hope this helps with some ideas

 

Nik

[DJChriis 0]

Oh right thanks. Good advice. I will probably incorp. some of the play great tunes not a pure set at the start of the night to see what there reactions are tongue out icon

 

DJChriis

[MikeW 0]

Oh right thanks. Good advice. I will probably incorp. some of the play great tunes not a pure set at the start of the night to see what there reactions are tongue out icon

 

DJChriis

 

Chris,

 

A couple of tips that often help me out are as follows:

 

Make some request slips and staple a few together. Distribute them around the pub along with a cheap pencil with each one (Tesco do very cheap 'value' ones). Include your company/dj name and your mobile number on each slip, I even invite people to text requests. By doing this, you get a feel for the tastes of the crowd and also get your number in peoples head/mobile phone.

 

When you play songs, look around the room and observe the reaction to each one. Even if people are not dancing, you will often catch them tapping there foot/miming the words. I find this a useful indicator of whether I am playing the right music.

 

Hope this helps. Good luck for Saturday! :Thumbup:

 

Mike.

[shakermaker 0]

That's sound advice and exactly what I do for my REQUEST FEST nights.

[NRG Roadshow 0]

That's sound advice and exactly what I do for my REQUEST FEST nights.

 

Me too, which was an idea I got off you Mr Shakermaker so thanks for that :thanks:

 

Seems to work well in a pub, specially if dancing is not gonna be the order of the night, just give people the music that they like to listen too and what could be a better way than giving them a free jukebox LOL

[shakermaker 0]

Excellent, I'm glad it's working. The good thing about it is that, like you say, if it's a non dancing pub you can play everyone's requests because you don't get the club situation where people turn their noses up at something they don't think is suitable to dance to. It can be a very eclectic night.

 

A perfect example is the one I did at the weekend. An example of 3 different tracks that were played were Chas n Dave 'Aint no pleasing you', Nirvana 'Heart Shaped box' and Mika 'Big Girls (you are beautiful)'.

 

Sorry if it's off topic but I'm just glad that someone has used the idea and it's working......Now, where's my commission!!!??? lol lol

[NRG Roadshow 0]

just give people the music that they like to listen too and what could be a better way than giving them a free jukebox LOL

 

Now then about your commission.........its a free jukebox so your commission is ummm......nothing LOL

 

Other than me saying thanks :joe:

 

Just wish the brain-dread punters in my res had a bit more flair and asked for something a bit rare, I'm always getting the same requests for the same stuff all the time......why cant they be a bit more imaginative and ask for Chas and Dave LOL tongue out icon

 

[deejaymitch 0]

That can get frustrating in a residency - when the same people ask for the same songs every week. It makes your set seem repetitive for a lot of casual customers. Definitely something to watch out for.

 

The other point is that, whilst it's certainly worth planning the majority of your set, leave plenty of "wiggle room" to adapt to any and all requests.