Tricks Of The Trade

[Mossy]

Mossy

[BeerFunk]

Come on share your sneakiest trick.

Here's mine

I haven't moved to PC DJing yet, I still use CD's (or vinyl if it's a genuine 60's or Northern Soul night) I carry about 500 CD's with me (old faithfuls and a set put together for that event). Having been in this game for so long I have many regulars and referrals and all of them will tell you I always have every thing they have requested.

Truth is I don't always have everything every requested, it's an illusion and here's the sneaky bit.

If anyone comes up and asks me if I have <whatever> I always say YES, even if I know I haven't got it with me and I promise to play it when I fit it in to the mix. Leave it for 20 mins and then go find the person and use one of the following......

I am really sorry, I was listening to that album this afternoon because I really like it and I have left it in my CD player at home, but I have got <suggest alternative that's close>, will that be OK instead?

OR

I am really sorry but the bloody CD is refusing to play, it just shows Disc Error on my decks, probably because everybody asks for that track because it's a really good tune, but I have got <suggest alternative that's close>, will that be OK instead? (helps if you have a disk that will display this, then you can say I'll tell you what let's give it another try now and invite them up to the decks).

In all my years of using one or other (or both) at an event I have always found that they appreciate you finding them and explaining why you aren't going to play their request, they get a nice warm feeling that they suggested something everybody else likes (even if it's crap) and they are grateful that you have put something on that's close to what they wanted.

I have heard it said on many occasions that I have every song ever requested, which isn't true, it's just their perception.

Mossy
:confused:

That actually works?! :eek:

I'm sorry, but some of the punters I've come across would not fall for any of that patter - they want their track on and nothing else! :(

You should come DJ up here some time! ;)

[spin mobile disco]

Sounds a bit to sneakey for me, if I dont have it I just say I dont can you suggest another track. Or I may sugest another track by same artist if I have it.
As for tips I use post its for people to note down song requests, very handy when you cant understand what their saying due to large doses of alcahol.

[BeerFunk]

As for tips I use post its for people to note down song requests, very handy when you cant understand what their saying due to large doses of alcahol.
Good idea, but if they can't talk properly, what's the odds on them writing properly!? :eek: :rolleyes:

[axeman]

i once saw a dj friend of mine smash a cd off the back wall, it blasted to bits !!

After the punter he was talking to left, I asked him why he threw the cd against the wall, he explained if someone gets arsey about a particular request that he either hasn't got, or doesnt feel is appropriate, he pretends it doesnt play, gets really upset about it and bounces it off something hard for max effect...lol as he says sometimes really bad songs get to no1, and the customer wont accept that youhate it or havnt bought it...lol

[Corabar Entertainment]

Hmmm - not sure that showing that you have a violent temper will endear you to many in your audience! :eek:

[leighinstoke]

I think I'd simply admit to not having the track - not wandering and looking for the requestee - if I ain't got it, I ain't got it.

Further to the post-it notes - I keep a large A4 pad where requests, etc, can be written - also invite people to leave requests and messages during buffets - you should see some of the messages that are left....some quite rude!

[Thames Valley Discos]

I dont see whats wrong with being honest and saying sorry, i dont have that track. After all, you cant be expected to hold the entire uk cd collection.
Be honest, if they dont like the truth TOUGH!

[Dragonfly]

I dont see whats wrong with being honest and saying sorry, i dont have that track. After all, you cant be expected to hold the entire uk cd collection.
Be honest, if they dont like the truth TOUGH!


god you mean you havent ...... call yourself a dj :D :D :D :D jk

i did a wedding in the summer mum in law came to the meeting .... youre the 9th disco weve had all the others have been rubbish...... really madam why is that ?....... well they didnt even have this track this track or this track...... non of which id heard of .... gulp ! just said ok give me a list of the must have tracks for your disco to be good and ill make sure i have them ..... job done and have done 2 susequent jobs for the family.

[Corabar Entertainment]

they didnt even have this track this track or this track...... non of which id heard of .... gulp !Out of curiousity, can you remember any of them?
just said ok give me a list of the must have tracks for your disco to be good and ill make sure i have them....fine until you go away and check and find that they are no longer commercially available!! :eek: :eek:

[Mossy]

I dont see whats wrong with being honest and saying sorry, i dont have that track. After all, you cant be expected to hold the entire uk cd collection.
Be honest, if they dont like the truth TOUGH!

It's an impression thing and their impression of me is that I always have everything, if they ever go to another party and ask the DJ for something and he tells them he doesn't have it they will sub-conciously or conciously compare him/her to me.

Years and years ago there was a shop in Leeds that supplied sewing things and accessories, they 'always had it in stock' except they never did. It was run by a very nice couple and when you went in the shop and asked for something (no matter how obscure) they always confirmed they had it and behind the counter there were hundreds of little boxes stacked floor to ceiling with pull out fronts, they would check in a book which box it was in and then go to that box and 99% of the time they would open the box and say 'Oh dear we are out of stock on that, but we will have some more tomorrow' and when you went back the next day they had it in. Everybody went there for convenience because they 'always had it'.

When I was at University someone on my course had the same surname as this shop and because it was an unusual name I mentioned this old shop in Leeds and said it was the only other time I had seen that surname, turned out he was the Grandson of the couple who owned the shop and he let me into their secret.

All those boxes were there for effect, most were empty and whenever anybody went in and asked for something they claimed to have it checked the box and then told you they had just sold out. Each night they would go to the wholesalers and buy whatever customers had asked for so when you went back the next day it was there. In fact they only ever had the normal everyday run of the mill stuff you could get from everywhere in stock, plus the stuff left from where they had bought xx amount from the wholsalser for a customer who only needed x.

The secret of their success was that a lot of people went there because they perceived that this shop always had everything in stock, (they had no money tied up in stock because they only bought to order)

When I see something or hear something that I think is a good idea I have no hesitation in adopting it for my benefit, I wasn't advocating that it was the better policy than being honest it just works for me, hence why I shared it.

Mossy

[soundlad]

I think I'd simply admit to not having the track - not wandering and looking for the requestee - if I ain't got it, I ain't got it.

Further to the post-it notes - I keep a large A4 pad where requests, etc, can be written - also invite people to leave requests and messages during buffets - you should see some of the messages that are left....some quite rude!

Totally agree. I got bogged down one night looking through the entire cd colleciton just to find one track i had cd's coming out of my ears!:bang: but i still never found the track!

[Mossy]

god you mean you havent ...... call yourself a dj :D :D :D :D jk

i did a wedding in the summer mum in law came to the meeting .... youre the 9th disco weve had all the others have been rubbish...... really madam why is that ?....... well they didnt even have this track this track or this track...... non of which id heard of .... gulp ! just said ok give me a list of the must have tracks for your disco to be good and ill make sure i have them ..... job done and have done 2 susequent jobs for the family.


That's exactly why I use this ploy

I can take out thousands of tracks but if I don't have the one they want and I tell them that then some people will see you as being rubbish

Mossy

[Thames Valley Discos]

dont see that at all.
If the customer is that stupid, to expect you to have everything. I would rather avoid them in future.

[Mossy]

dont see that at all.
If the customer is that stupid, to expect you to have everything. I would rather avoid them in future.

Most of my business comes from word of mouth 'You were recommended by so and so, he says you have everything' is a phrase I keep hearing when I get a booking so I see it as £'s in the bank and a full diary, even 'stupid people' recommend you.

As I said earlier, I wasn't saying this is better than any other way that you choose to deal with the situation I was simply saying it works for me

Mossy

[Dragonfly]

Out of curiousity, can you remember any of them?....fine until you go away and check and find that they are no longer commercially available!! :eek: :eek:


cant rememeber a single one know they were all obscure 60s tracks about 5 of them found them on 2 albums in nottingham. (think a couple were by the byrds????)

if they werent available i would have of course contacted the client and told them this .... if its deleted / not available they cant have it of course.

[axeman]

someone asked me for "Placebo - (obscure track title forgot but had swearing in it)...i tried politely to explain that i didnt have it, and asked if there was any other song they would like, they just sneered in a call yourself a DJ type way !!! then slurred " i'm in hospital for an op tomorrow and just wanted to hear my fave song, but youve let me down blah blah" so i carried on regardless playing more mainstream tunes but then made a special dedication to wish %^$&£ good luck for tomorrow, and made a big fuss of him. (sometimes biting your lip and being the bigger man is the answer).

[leighinstoke]

....give me a list of the must have tracks for your disco to be good and ill make sure i have them ..... job done and have done 2 susequent jobs for the family.

I actually like it when I do get a 'list' - especially when some obscure stuff is required - like tomorrow evening - it's a 60th birthday so Rock n Roll, 50s, 60s and 70s wanted. Also on the sheet says "can you play some more new stuff for my grandchildren" meaning chart stuff and usual party dances. Easy enough as I can do this from my existing music collection.

Then I get an email - "Hi Leigh - can you supply ballroom music and do you also have any barndance stuff as we'd like to dance to it before supper?"

I've loads of ballroom stuff (modern and traditional sounds) but I've also invested in a couple of 'barn-dance' CDs which I'll take as well as line dance stuff.

"Keeping the customer satisfied!" this time has hopefully cost me a massive 6 quid for two disks :)

(Part of the reason I go out of my way to make sure I've the right stuff is because the lady who's booked me for tomorrow evening has given me 8 bookings including dinner dances, etc, each year for the past 3 years - not a big amount I admit, but seeing I'm part-time it's a nice number to put into the diary to easily cover my running costs)

Leigh.....

[BeerFunk]

I've never, ever heard of a DJ being praised for his extensive record collection - normally it's for playing good tunes and filling the dancefloor.

[Have a disco]

If I have the track or not it will ALWAYS depend wether it will fit into the nights music rerquested by the hirer of me and my equipment but if they argue the tosca then I will say yes if I get time etc etc but will oh sorry i ran out of time etc etc or sorry I dont carry radio 1 & 2's back catalogue with me?????????? so I have not got it with me etc etc

90% are the usual stuff and will always play it any way its always them 10% ers that get me tonites Dionnne warrick - friends had I been requested it 3 weeks ago I would have it waiting but never on the night GRRRRRR

[Corabar Steve]

cant rememeber a single one know they were all obscure 60s tracks about 5 of them found them on 2 albums in nottingham. (think a couple were by the byrds????).

Bet I would've had them :D

My CD collection is full of obscure 60's stuff. BTW the Byrds or the Birds (featuring future Face & Stone Ronnie wood)?

[axeman]

getting back to the thread title, what other
tricks of the trade do you lot use to fill ther floor etc,


(ive used these a few times and dont need every time but handy to have in the locker)

picture the scene - nearing the nights end, could be any function but ive used a wedding scenario .....

I make an emmotional speech, full of pregnant pauses with the music turned off, along the lines of
"now Darren is a man of few words, and tonight means so much to him, he wanted me to say on his behalf that he thinks, you, his family and friends old and new, and especially his beautiful bride sara, are simply the best !! (cue for a song) - then encourage everyone up to join them on the floor for the last few dances ! and they are ussually slapping darren on the back and hugging him etc then .....

usually just after simply the best, new york - new york fires up and i encourage everbody (the stragglers sitting at the back or at the bar)to get up and join "the family" on darren and sara'a special night, even stopping the music and pointing out certain people then starting it again when they have joined the circle, then from this they are ussually all clapping and laffing at the end - straight into the hokey cokey !! (if it feels right and time permits)

then a couple of slow ones to finish !! always have a big finish - coz thats's what people remember



please dont be too harsh on me its took ages to type this....lol

[Ricesnaps]

mmmm,

we now have a music database - CD trustee or something - have the laptop sat there with a pdf open listing everything I have by artist - works a treat. Now I know very quickly if I have it - finding the bloody CD is another story!

[CRAZY K]

mmmm,

we now have a music database - CD trustee or something - have the laptop sat there with a pdf open listing everything I have by artist - works a treat. Now I know very quickly if I have it - finding the bloody CD is another story!

Rice, thats probably why Digital will become very popular over the next few years!

PC, Cortex, Laptop etc---at your fingertips:D

CRAZY K

[Corabar Steve]

what other do you lot use to fill ther floor etc,

:D :D :D