Album Tracks

[old soul 0]

So who still buys albums? and who plays tracks off of them?

 

I still love buying albums of artists I like, and it's always fun trying to pick a track off the album that people will like and dance to, even if they don't know it. When I started, it was common when working in clubs to end up spending fortunes on 12" USA imports, and playing them, which meant people were quite used and open to hearing stuff they weren't familiar with. It doesn't seem to be so much the case these days, most just seem to want to hear what they know most of the time.

[andyw 0]

don't buy many albums but sometimes it works out cheaper to buy an album than buy 3 or 4 singles from the album.

[DJJEG 0]

I dont buy new albums, however if i do get a request of a tune i may not have then i look into it (ebay ect)

But i also find sometimes the album version is not the same as the single release :damn:

[superstardeejay 0]

I only DJ off singles but buy albums for pleasure.

 

 

[C.S 0]

i still buy and use albums

[Gary 0]

don't buy many albums but sometimes it works out cheaper to buy an album than buy 3 or 4 singles from the album.

 

Same for me.

 

The "trick" is trying to work out which albums have several playable/usable tracks on them, and which are just "good title track only", or good couple of tracks - with the remainder of the album being "filler".

 

Some of the R'n'B individual artist albums are really dire, and appauling value when you consider all the collaborations that R'n'B seems to be resorting to at the moment... you know Artist B + Artist B singing with Artist C and Artist D. The same version of that track then appears (takes up space) on each of those artists individual albums.

 

[Norfolk DJ 0]

Same for me.

 

The "trick" is trying to work out which albums have several playable/usable tracks on them, and which are just "good title track only", or good couple of tracks - with the remainder of the album being "filler".

 

 

one of the problems is that even some of the albums tracks which make the charts are remixed, so they don't sound the same. Albums are a single artiste or group are really a waste of time for the function jock.

 

Used to be a liitle different in the 80's but not now.

 

Save your cash.

[milhouse 0]

I buy albums, will play album tracks regularly early doors in a bar.

 

Black Eyed Peas, Nelly Furtado, Timbaland, Kooks, Zutons... all have very playable albums. :)

[analyst 0]

Sorry, please don't think I'm trying to have a pop at you but . .

When I started, it was common when working in clubs to end up spending fortunes on 12" USA imports, and playing them, which meant people were quite used and open to hearing stuff they weren't familiar with.

 

That is precisely why I stopped going to clubs (and many other people I know).

I used to go, week after week and complain, inwardly, about this seemingly endless unrecognisable :poo: that the DJ's played, with the added insult that when they started beatmatching you didn't know when one ended and another started.

 

Yes, it really was the DJ's who actually DROVE me away from clubbing, even though I loved it (or did) and I hated them for it.

 

I would say that this was the origin of that eternal punters question "Got anything decent mate?"

A question which really carries the meaning "Please stop playing this unrecognisable crap and play something we can relate to (and dance to)"

 

I can even recall a few occasions where I had a little tête-a-tête with the DJ about why he was playing this :poo: . His response was invariably to point out the dance floor with people dancing, as if that justified it.

I usually tried to explain, "this is a club, its 11:45pm, of course people are dancing, its what they came here to do. At this time of night you could play hickory, dickory, dock and they'd dance to it, but it doesn't mean they are enjoying it"

 

But they just couldn't see my point :paula:

[old soul 0]

Sorry, please don't think I'm trying to have a pop at you but . .

That is precisely why I stopped going to clubs (and many other people I know).

I used to go, week after week and complain, inwardly, about this seemingly endless unrecognisable :poo: that the DJ's played, with the added insult that when they started beatmatching you didn't know when one ended and another started.

 

Yes, it really was the DJ's who actually DROVE me away from clubbing, even though I loved it (or did) and I hated them for it.

 

I would say that this was the origin of that eternal punters question "Got anything decent mate?"

A question which really carries the meaning "Please stop playing this unrecognisable crap and play something we can relate to (and dance to)"

 

I can even recall a few occasions where I had a little tête-a-tête with the DJ about why he was playing this :poo: . His response was invariably to point out the dance floor with people dancing, as if that justified it.

I usually tried to explain, "this is a club, its 11:45pm, of course people are dancing, its what they came here to do. At this time of night you could play hickory, dickory, dock and they'd dance to it, but it doesn't mean they are enjoying it"

 

But they just couldn't see my point :paula:

 

Interesting point, and I can see both sides of the coin. I worked in clubs where I did "pop" nights where it would be a case of playing chart stuff, and would rarely dream of deviating from the familiar, however Saturday nights was normally at a club or clubs which would be known for playing dance music. These were completely different crowds, people who would be going to the club mainly for the music, not so much to socialise or pull, but to listen to their genre of music and dance the night away.

 

It was expected that the music was on the edge, and nights like these generally were what would "break" many of the big dance hits. A lot of what I played was sent to me by the labels, supplemented by the imports I mentioned, and one of the things which would annoy me to be honest was the weird snobbery that was around, and this was from the punters more than the DJ's. You'd get sent a really good track, start playing it and it would get really popular, so popular in fact that it would make the crossover and chart, however if it hit the top twenty it would immediately become uncool, and you could no longer get away with playing it :shrug:

 

Obviously these days I wouldn't dream of spending an hour at a mobile playing album tracks that nobody has heard of, but do think it's fun to maybe slip in one or maybe two a night if you think they are going to work.

 

 

EDIT:

 

Sorry for the double post, but was thinking a bit more about the above whilst I was in the shower lol

 

Not sure I made the point too eloquently, the nights I used to play at were specialist nights, in a venue where they would bring in a team of DJ's to play music to a designated music policy. If you were there on one of these nights, then that would mean one of two things generally.

 

Either you would be into the music being played, and would recognise at least 80% plus of the tracks, and most likely the artists of the ones you weren't familiar with, or you were there by mistake, and would be unlikely to go back again.

 

Certainly I would feel you'd have good cause for complaint if you went to a club with a general music policy and where unsure of a lot of what was being played, can't say I ever went anywhere like that though tbh, and as I said, i played in both types of establishments.

Edited February 15, 2008 by old soul

[C.S 0]

Sorry, please don't think I'm trying to have a pop at you but . .

That is precisely why I stopped going to clubs (and many other people I know).

I used to go, week after week and complain, inwardly, about this seemingly endless unrecognisable :poo: that the DJ's played, with the added insult that when they started beatmatching you didn't know when one ended and another started.

 

Yes, it really was the DJ's who actually DROVE me away from clubbing, even though I loved it (or did) and I hated them for it.

 

I would say that this was the origin of that eternal punters question "Got anything decent mate?"

A question which really carries the meaning "Please stop playing this unrecognisable crap and play something we can relate to (and dance to)"

 

I can even recall a few occasions where I had a little tête-a-tête with the DJ about why he was playing this :poo: . His response was invariably to point out the dance floor with people dancing, as if that justified it.

I usually tried to explain, "this is a club, its 11:45pm, of course people are dancing, its what they came here to do. At this time of night you could play hickory, dickory, dock and they'd dance to it, but it doesn't mean they are enjoying it"

 

But they just couldn't see my point :paula:

 

I see your point and i sympathise with it and I would like to point out that as a club dj i think you have been unucky, mind you reading through your post you must have been a joy to have as a guest tongue out icon . Clubs play that kind of music so i dont understand why you went in the first place and i wonder how musicaly qualified any of us are to call what other people are doing :moon: :moon: Original artists have to give their permission for remixes to be made so if they dont mind why should you. I also take it you dont mix ????

Edited February 16, 2008 by C.S

[Corabar Steve 0]

I thought about this thread last night at our residency, I (don't know if the other guys do or not) play a fair few album tracks there. Mainly for regulars & usually tracks by artists they know I have.

 

One of last night's the Specials - Enjoy yourself, never released as a single, but everyone knows it.