stick to your guns.

[steaustco]

after starting my night with motown ,60s and 70,s dancefloor filling up nicely, a lady ,late 40ish came up and said forget your 60s and 70s we want up to date stuff , i said who ,s we exactly as 90% of the party were on dancefloor, her reply being we are not all in our 50s and 60s, i politely said that it is our policy to play what people want and we cater for all tastes and ages. she seemed a little stroppy so i asked what she would like and she eventually replied with any thing by will i am so after about 3 more good party tracks i gave in and played bang bang by will i am as she was not going to stop giving me daggers until i did. as i expected after first minute into this song d floor was down to 3 people so i mentioned on the mike who it was for and swiftly reverted back to party and everyone back on dancefloor having a good time and i never saw that woman again all night. i am not saying dont play requests just the point of my story is sometimes you just have to play to the majority and the usual selfish party pooper that thinks no one else is in the room will hopefully give up . so the point is to just stick to what works and dont let them get the party down which sometimes is easy to do. i,ll get off my soap box now!

[DazzyD]

To be fair, I've never found Bang Bang to be very dancefloor friendly anyway. I'd have given her a chance and played something like This Is Love.

Saying that, if the lady has already gotten your back up with her attitude then she's lucky she got a play at all!!

[DJIanScott]

i am not saying dont play requests just the point of my story is sometimes you just have to play to the majority and the usual selfish party pooper that thinks no one else is in the room will hopefully give up . so the point is to just stick to what works and dont let them get the party down which sometimes is easy to do. i,ll get off my soap box now!

Good point, and I've made a 25-year career out of not playing requests that won't work! That's not to say that I don't make my own mistakes of course, but we are hired for our knowledge of what makes the majority move, so I simply say no to requests that I don't believe will work. Individuals can whinge and moan all they like......I've grown used to it!

[Ryu]

Would 'I've got a Feeling' not have ticked the Will I Am box, plus be enough of a 'party' track to keep folks on the floor, whilst also giving you links into more modern stuff? Of course... A lot easier sat here typing it out, may have played it etc

[funkymook]

Must admit I hate the idea of using the mic to shift blame onto a guest for a request you don't want to play or that clears the dance floor, it's your decision after all, they aren't holding a gun to your head.
Far better to get the person on your side by being friendly and chatting to them than creating a barrier, there should be plenty of tunes that they'll like that will also suit the rest of the crowd.

[Shakermaker Promotions]

I'd agree there Martin.
I must admit that I have 'passed the blame' as such on a few occasions when someone was so persistent that I gave in and their request didn't go down too well. I've done it in a humourous manner though so nobody was offended. I've also had the odd occasion where I have played something I thought would work (more often than not it usually does) and it hasn't gone to plan so I have said that it was requested and made a joke of it.
A little white lie I guess?

I try to keep it all smiley smiley when communicating with people asking for requests. If I don't think something will work or is appropriate then I will tell them and most of the time it seems that theory is generally appreciated.

[steaustco]

yes i had already played i gotta feeling as start up. most of the time if you play a bad request and dont show that person up they will hound you with them all night, my point is as i said the woman dissapeared after that and everyone else had a great night, including the boss!

[Jim - Scotland's Party DJ]

I disagree folks.

It's all well and good saying "just don't play it" but that's not always possible - Sure if you get some dafty asking for Motorhead B side it's easy enough to brush off but if a bride gives you a handful of songs that are going to bomb that she definitely wants played, a quick - "here's a very special request from the bride" gets you off the hook if it kills and floor and no one is really going to care if it's her picking the terrible tunes.

On Sunday the father of the bride (who to be fair was a total legend, having a ball and really friendly) kept hounding me to play Kylie's on a night like this, after coming up several times and doing the old "you'll fill the dancefloor" (which was pretty full at this point anyway, I announced that the next song was from the father of the bride.

Cue the floor clearing and the big man cutting about himself trying to drag unsuspecting women up to dance with him. By the end of the tune there was him and 4 girls akwardly dancing - I'm not taking responsibility for that and I don't see anything wrong with giving the father of the bride a little big of what he wants, folk a silly bit of the evening to remember and no one going away thinking wtf did he play that Kylie song for.

The alternative would have been refusing and potentially :Censored::Censored::Censored::Censored:ing a guest off who was having a ball and had been great with me for the full evening....


yes i had already played i gotta feeling as start up. most of the time if you play a bad request and dont show that person up they will hound you with them all night, my point is as i said the woman dissapeared after that and everyone else had a great night, including the boss!

Definitely

The old - "yeah but when you played that Radiohead tune earlier, people weren't ready for it, this time it'll go down a storm."

As an aside going back to Sundays wedding, at 11.15 I had a girl come up and ask for some Discolusre. I really like Disclosure but with the last 20 minutes of the night up till 12 dictated by the couple's final song choices and a dancefloor rammed with folk for stuff like the Gambler and Johnny Cash, I politely told the girl that it wasn't going to work at that point so I couldn't help her out.

A bit of pouting ensued - I pointed out I'd been on since 8 and asking for requests all night.

A bit more pouting and then she left me in peace.

You don't need to pander to everyone and on paper I'd definitely rather have played the hot girl's tune compared to the drunk father of the bride's but you make judgement calls like these on gigs.

For those who don't like th eidea of naming and shaming (which is what we're eventually doing) why not? It's a fairly passive aggresive way of deflecting / diffusing a potentially rotten situation for you.

[DazzyD]

I disagree folks.

It's all well and good saying "just don't play it" but that's not always possible - Sure if you get some dafty asking for Motorhead B side it's easy enough to brush off but if a bride gives you a handful of songs that are going to bomb that she definitely wants played, a quick - "here's a very special request from the bride" gets you off the hook if it kills and floor and no one is really going to care if it's her picking the terrible tunes.

On Sunday the father of the bride (who to be fair was a total legend, having a ball and really friendly) kept hounding me to play Kylie's on a night like this, after coming up several times and doing the old "you'll fill the dancefloor" (which was pretty full at this point anyway, I announced that the next song was from the father of the bride.

Cue the floor clearing and the big man cutting about himself trying to drag unsuspecting women up to dance with him. By the end of the tune there was him and 4 girls akwardly dancing - I'm not taking responsibility for that and I don't see anything wrong with giving the father of the bride a little big of what he wants, folk a silly bit of the evening to remember and no one going away thinking wtf did he play that Kylie song for.

The alternative would have been refusing and potentially :Censored::Censored::Censored::Censored:ing a guest off who was having a ball and had been great with me for the full evening....

Whilst I agree with what you're saying, Jim, it's a different kettle of fish playing a specific request for the father of the bride to playing a song which, in my experience anyway, is a proven dancefloor killer when someone has asked for a song by that artist and there are other, more dancefloor-friendly tracks that could have been played. If the lady had asked for Bang Bang then fair enough but she asked for a specific artist and left it up to the DJ to decide what would be the most appropriate track to play. And then humiliating the lady over the mic because that particular track failed even though it was, in reality, chosen by the DJ.

That's how I see this sitation, anyway!

[Jim - Scotland's Party DJ]

Whilst I agree with what you're saying, Jim, it's a different kettle of fish playing a specific request for the father of the bride to playing a song which, in my experience anyway, is a proven dancefloor killer when someone has asked for a song by that artist and there are other, more dancefloor-friendly tracks that could have been played. If the lady had asked for Bang Bang then fair enough but she asked for a specific artist and left it up to the DJ to decide what would be the most appropriate track to play. And then humiliating the lady over the mic because that particular track failed even though it was, in reality, chosen by the DJ.

That's how I see this sitation, anyway!

Fair enough and I agree with you completely, I was making my point in reference to the folk saying you shouldn't be name checking people who pick sketchy requests you decide to play.

If someone asks for Neil Diamond and I choose to play Hello Again instead of Sweet Caroline then clearing the dancefloor is my fault, not the requesters.

[funkymook]

I disagree folks.

It's all well and good saying "just don't play it" but that's not always possible - Sure if you get some dafty asking for Motorhead B side it's easy enough to brush off but if a bride gives you a handful of songs that are going to bomb that she definitely wants played, a quick - "here's a very special request from the bride" gets you off the hook if it kills and floor and no one is really going to care if it's her picking the terrible tunes.

On Sunday the father of the bride (who to be fair was a total legend, having a ball and really friendly) kept hounding me to play Kylie's on a night like this, after coming up several times and doing the old "you'll fill the dancefloor" (which was pretty full at this point anyway, I announced that the next song was from the father of the bride.

Cue the floor clearing and the big man cutting about himself trying to drag unsuspecting women up to dance with him. By the end of the tune there was him and 4 girls akwardly dancing - I'm not taking responsibility for that and I don't see anything wrong with giving the father of the bride a little big of what he wants, folk a silly bit of the evening to remember and no one going away thinking wtf did he play that Kylie song for.

The alternative would have been refusing and potentially :Censored::Censored::Censored::Censored:ing a guest off who was having a ball and had been great with me for the full evening....

Depends on the scenario and how you handle it.

Of course saying 'this is a request from the bride' etc isn't out of order - but using the mic to ridicule someone who requested a song you didn't want to play is.

So many DJ's go into this with a 'them and us' attitude and then brag about their 'witty' putdowns to a guest who dared asked for a song they didn't approve of.

That sort of DJ makes me cringe!

[ukpartydj]

I think if you're going to mention a song is for somebody you should do it at the start of the song.
If it bombs then you've shifted the blame in a nice way and everybody understands, doing it after the dance floor has cleared is a bit pointless to me.

I try and play all requests at some point ... and there is nearly always a right time to play a request (unless the guest is being a bit silly asking for something odd).

[Excalibur]

Would 'I've got a Feeling' not have ticked the Will I Am box, plus be enough of a 'party' track to keep folks on the floor,
Scream and shout would have been my choice.


Must admit I hate the idea of using the mic to shift blame onto a guest for a request you don't want to play or that clears the dance floor, it's your decision after all, they aren't holding a gun to your head.
.
I disagree, but with a caveat. And though they may not be holding a gun to your head, they often think that their argument is the equivalent of this, and you have no grounds whatsoever for refusing to play it.


I disagree folks.

It's all well and good saying "just don't play it" but that's not always possible - The alternative would have been refusing and potentially :Censored::Censored::Censored::Censored:ing a guest off who was having a ball and had been great with me for the full evening....
Correctamundo. Bite the bullet, play the track, take your medicine. However:


Depends on the scenario and how you handle it.

Of course saying 'this is a request from the bride' etc isn't out of order - but using the mic to ridicule someone who requested a song you didn't want to play is.

So many DJ's go into this with a 'them and us' attitude and then brag about their 'witty' putdowns to a guest who dared asked for a song they didn't approve of.

That sort of DJ makes me cringe!
Here of course, we are in total agreement. Only name names in circumstances such as outlined by Jim above, and where it's likely to be met with grins rather than red faces. Martin is correct in his assertion that ridicule is wrong. I maintain though that the same thing can be said in ( usually at least ) two different ways. One will result in laughter, the other in tears, or a punch in the mouth. I try to go for the laughter.

We are not here to belittle customers publicly ( although I had exactly that on NYE. The request with the guarantee " Everyone will dance to it " achieved the grand total of zero dancers. I did indeed point this out over the mic, but kept the identity of the poor misguided soul a secret. )
I see no problem with firmly and clearly pointing out that you're playing requests.


As I did when I played Agadoo, Barbie Girl and Cha Cha Slide. We narrowly escaped the Birdie song too, as a punter said " It could have been worse, I could have asked for the Birdie song ". I replied " Yes, and I could have played it " :eek::D:D:D

[funkymook]

Martin is correct in his assertion that ridicule is wrong.

Unless they're asking for some Adam And The Ants, in which case it's nothing to be scared of.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Of course saying 'this is a request from the bride' etc isn't out of order - but using the mic to ridicule someone who requested a song you didn't want to play is.

So many DJ's go into this with a 'them and us' attitude and then brag about their 'witty' putdowns to a guest who dared asked for a song they didn't approve of.

That sort of DJ makes me cringe!

I have used this with good humour and the person requesting the song has always laughed about it.

DJing is about entertaining and communication with your guests and also being flexible.

DJs have forgotten how to entertain in my opinion....

[Excalibur]

I have used this with good humour and the person requesting the song has always laughed about it.

DJing is about entertaining and communication with your guests and also being flexible.

DJs have forgotten how to entertain in my opinion... .

Say it loud, and say it proud Brother, Amen to that. :thumbsup:

[Shakermaker Promotions]

I have used this with good humour and the person requesting the song has always laughed about it.

DJing is about entertaining and communication with your guests and also being flexible.

DJs have forgotten how to entertain in my opinion....


Which is more or less what I was saying earlier so I agree with you.

[funkymook]

I have used this with good humour and the person requesting the song has always laughed about it.

DJing is about entertaining and communication with your guests and also being flexible.

DJs have forgotten how to entertain in my opinion....

I've no doubt you can judge what's appropriate to a particular audience and guest - but some don't seem to have the wit and humour to make it work.

To be honest I think most of the more colourful putdowns are just 'I should've said....' thought up long afterwards rather than what was actually said at the time. In reality there would be a lot more DJ's getting punched if they really came out with some of these comments.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

I've no doubt you can judge what's appropriate to a particular audience and guest - but some don't seem to have the wit and humour to make it work.

To be honest I think most of the more colourful putdowns are just 'I should've said....' thought up long afterwards rather than what was actually said at the time. In reality there would be a lot more DJ's getting punched if they really came out with some of these comments.

Maybe...

You should know better than to tar everyone with the same brush though Mr Joyce. :p

[funkymook]

Maybe...

You should know better than to tar everyone with the same brush though Mr Joyce. :p

I didn't....and you should know me better than that.

[Shakermaker Promotions]

As DJ's we should have a personality and be approachable. Yes we should use our experience to work out whether a song will work or not at whatever time or if it's appropriate or not. If you come across as approachable and a laugh then people will come up and feel comfortable communicating with you.
There's also the case of having a laugh at yourself too if something doesn't go to plan. I've said a number of times in jest "Well, er...that worked didn't it!" if something has bombed (Abba - Dancing Queen being a prime example a while back....Yes, it cleared the dance floor at a wedding) and I have had no problems.

I'm not saying we should act like donuts or Peter Kay DJ type characters but we're also not supposed to be standing there acting like we're too cool for school and treat certain requests as instant throwaways.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

I didn't....and you should know me better than that.

Er, yes you did. You said DJs who do that make you cringe.

[Jim - Scotland's Party DJ]

Depends on the scenario and how you handle it.

Of course saying 'this is a request from the bride' etc isn't out of order - but using the mic to ridicule someone who requested a song you didn't want to play is.

So many DJ's go into this with a 'them and us' attitude and then brag about their 'witty' putdowns to a guest who dared asked for a song they didn't approve of.

That sort of DJ makes me cringe!

2 completely different things. I'd never belittle a guest but when you know there's a good chance a rotten request is going to kill the vibe there's nothing wrong mentioning that uncle Davey asked for the next tune.

[funkymook]

Er, yes you did. You said DJs who do that make you cringe.

Read it again - I was referring to DJ's who ridicule people (as per the proper definition of the word) - not about every DJ who makes a comment on the mic.


Basically if the guest feels like they've been insulted or talked down to and made to feel stupid the DJ has failed - if they laugh along with the comments then they have not.

[Excalibur]

2 completely different things. I'd never belittle a guest but when you know there's a good chance a rotten request is going to kill the vibe there's nothing wrong mentioning that uncle Davey asked for the next tune.

Actually, I think that's exactly what some of us are saying is wrong.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Read it again - I was referring to DJ's who ridicule people (as per the proper definition of the word) - not about every DJ who makes a comment on the mic.


Basically if the guest feels like they've been insulted or talked down to and made to feel stupid the DJ has failed - if they laugh along with the comments then they have not.

You may have been referring to that, but that wasn't the impression that I got.

It came over that you were saying every DJ who did that on the mic made you cringe.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Actually, I think that's exactly what some of us are saying is wrong.

Some but not all....:rolleyes:

[funkymook]

2 completely different things. I'd never belittle a guest but when you know there's a good chance a rotten request is going to kill the vibe there's nothing wrong mentioning that uncle Davey asked for the next tune.

Surely you'd announce it was for 'Uncle Davey' anyway if he was a key guest, regardless of whether it was good or bad?

[funkymook]

You may have been referring to that, but that wasn't the impression that I got.

It came over that you were saying every DJ who did that on the mic made you cringe.

Well that's clarified now....

[Excalibur]

Actually, I think that's exactly what some of us are saying is wrong.


Some but not all....:rolleyes:

Don't tell me you're withdrawing your support? :cry:


Surely you'd announce it was for 'Uncle Davey' anyway if he was a key guest, regardless of whether it was good or bad?

Nooooooooooo! Good request, quite possibly. Bad request, total anonymity

[Jim - Scotland's Party DJ]

Actually, I think that's exactly what some of us are saying is wrong.

So you just play the tune and have everyone wonder why you've killed the dancefloor? I'm not doing that.

If the tune makes no sense / there's no time to fit it in or it's just way too left field for the event then the guest is politely told that I can't help them out. 90% of folk are OK with that, the other 10% aren't worth bothering about.

If I'm 50/50 about whether a request will work or it's a "must play" that I know won't work I'll say who has asked for it or at the very least mention that the next one is a request.

I don't make a big song or dance about it, it's not a grand announcement (which CAN lead to belittling / putting the person on the spot and making it akward for them) - you just say "this is for Jane Doe" play the tune and leave it at that, the person gets the tune and the audience know that it's not really your doing if it falls flat.

I'm all for giving guests what they want but not at the expense of folk thinking / saying / tweeting / facebooking - why has that Scotland's Party DJ guy playing this :Censored::Censored::Censored::Censored:?..

[Excalibur]

So you just play the tune and have everyone wonder why you've killed the dancefloor? I'm not doing that.


No. Read what I write please.

I don't make a big song or dance about it, it's not a grand announcement (which CAN lead to belittling / putting the person on the spot and making it akward for them) - you just say "this is for Jane Doe" play the tune and leave it at that, the person gets the tune and the audience know that it's not really your doing if it falls flat.
My usual course of action. They're always left in no doubt at all that it was a request, and not my choice. ;)


I'm all for giving guests what they want but not at the expense of folk thinking / saying / tweeting / facebooking - why has that Scotland's Party DJ guy playing this :Censored::Censored::Censored::Censored:?..

So many replies............................. :zip::D:D

[funkymook]

So we can conclude that giving a shout out when someone asks for a request is OK but calling them a muppet over the mic isn't.

You never stop learning in this job!

[Excalibur]

So we can conclude that giving a shout out when someone asks for a request is OK but calling them a muppet over the mic isn't.

You never stop learning in this job!

I think he's got it! By George, he's got it*! :D:D










* Exclusions apply. If the person is known personally, and the announcement will be greeted with roars of laughter, that's fine. No problems. Done it many times. Otherwise :Naughty:

[funkymook]

All this reminds me of a social club I worked in once - I was told the previous weeks DJ had made one joke too many at the expense of someone's wife and got thumped and then chucked out.

It was a charity function and later on they saw a couple who had crept in without tickets scoffing the buffet - I was asked to stop the music and they all pointed and hooted at them until they left (they did actually know them, but apparently they hadn't supported any of the various good causes throughout the year and were well known for freeloading).

I thought it best not to use any lines from my Bernard Manning's Big Book Of Jokes that night!

[ckpr2]

You cant please all the punters all of the time.

I just play very well known tracks and see how it goes.
As you do if I get a request then I say it is a request so they cant blame me !

[DJ Neil c]

I dont take requests verbally. I will not accept any sort of conversation on songs at the point of performance. Pen and paper is set to one side on a table for people to use. I then tell them during the evening to use it. In a professional manner of course. Try it!

[Shaun]

I dont take requests verbally. I will not accept any sort of conversation on songs at the point of performance. Pen and paper is set to one side on a table for people to use. I then tell them during the evening to use it. In a professional manner of course. Try it!

I use professionally printed request cards and pens too. But to refuse requests verbally and not accept any form of conversation (with potential customers) seems a bit stand-offish and impersonal to me. Each to their own though I suppose.

P.s. As previously requested by a moderator, please have a litte read of the thread linked to below, and make a little intro post in the newbies section. Thanks.
http://www.forum.mobilediscodirectory.co.uk/showthread.php?11711-New-to-the-forum

[Excalibur]

I dont take requests verbally. I will not accept any sort of conversation on songs at the point of performance. Pen and paper is set to one side on a table for people to use. I then tell them during the evening to use it. In a professional manner of course. Try it!

Been there, done that. It is always however, an adjunct to verbal requests. Often something you've sai, done, or played jogs their memory to suggest a really apposite song you'd never have played otherwise.

Whatever system is used, however, there can be communication problems. The drunken bloke waving the pint of lager about, and you don't actually listen to him, cos you're watching the drink, and trying to keep it away from the kit. The female version hanging onto you for support, who usually doesn't actually know the artist, or the song. Even the written word can often resemble a spider crawling out of an inkwell, and crawling across a napkin at forty five degrees!

[mattydj50]

When you are asked for a request when trying to mix 3 songs at the same time while trying to listen to what is being asked for while wearing headphones as Miss Public is blissfully unaware that I am actually trying to work and "hang on a minute please" doesn't register.

I use post it notes to remind me of requests as my memory isn't too good these days. Funny thing is, I often can't read what I've written in haste, but can usually remember the request the scrawl refers to by recognising the first letter or the length of the word.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

I dont take requests verbally. I will not accept any sort of conversation on songs at the point of performance. Pen and paper is set to one side on a table for people to use. I then tell them during the evening to use it. In a professional manner of course. Try it!

Very rude. Even in a 'professional' manner.

[paulg]

Very rude. Even in a 'professional' manner.

Agreed - I don't even do the pen and paper thing with karaoke! If someone asks for a song, I oblige. That's my job.

If someone makes a request and it fills the floor, always credit them with the request but when it bombs, pointing the finger is a real no no. You'll be more respected this way.