Disco from Hell

[Thames Valley Discos]

I,m sure we have all had them, but what with not feeling well, and a disco from hell!!
Started off fine. It was a 40th party. The client had about 10 personal friends i guess turn up. Her son and daughther had about 30 friends each.
Within about an hour the husband comes up and says" bithday girl wants modern stuff" ok i said, what type of modern stuff. " oh just more modern".
Ok, i,ll play some siser sisters,Mika etc.
Within 5 minutes the daughter comes up and says. " my mum wants more 80s classics"
Are you sure i replied, your Dad seems to think she wants modern music. " no 80s"
Ok switch to 80s then.

20mins or so later the birthday lady comes up. " I hope you have better music than this, no ones dancing".
I replied, i know thats because i,m too busy talking to your family. Please tell me what you and your guests want " i want Kooks,Killers,etc etc"
Ok thats fine, so i switched to this style. Again no one danced.
Eventually feeling rough and enoyed, i decide to play what i think will work.
Atlast some dancing, although within 10 or so mins, i get another visit. " this isnt whati want"
Now being really wound up reply. " i understand that, but look, your guests obviously do. Would you like me to do my job or would you like to take over.
As you can see, ive had better nights. I was so glad when it finished.
I,m not normally rude to clients but this evening was an exception.
She thought that everyone there should have been dancing 4hrs non stop.
Why dont people let you do your job, after all we have done more discos than they have had or been to.
People seem to forget that music they listen to and like at home, does not always work at a disco. And most people at a disco want classic tunes from years gone by, not the clients top 100 tunes.
Strange old game, one week best disco ever, next week the worst ever.

[Dragonfly]

because with some people its their night and stuff everyone else.... I make a point at a gig or at meetings to point this out "yes it is your night absolutely .... but if you want 4 hours of Englebert Humperdink please be aware that you guests might not and it will still be "your" night at 9.45pm when there is only you and me left in the building"

people still have this view that mobile DJ'S are unprofessional and many only hire you because you have the gear to do a disco with..... they are totally unaware that you may actually have higher intelligence levels than a carrot and vast music knowledge.

again next time if you are unwell and willing to sell your soul to the devil play exactly what she wants and give a

"well ladies and gentlemen a change of direction now especially for the birthday person who wants us all to get upto date"

if no one dances ..... get paid ..... go home.

and

"I hope you have got better music than this?"

"funny I was hoping you had some better guests than this"

[Shakermaker Promotions]

I say the same kind of thing mate. To be honest (and this may sound wrong?), I see every function as a potential advert for my services. I give 110% whether there is a crowd of 150 people or 50 people but I am always thinking about the possible follow on work (you know..."Who did your Disco for you, he was really good and I'd like to book him for my party"..kinda stuff).

I always tell customers when I have consultations with them (if it's possible to do so), that YES, it IS their big day or whatever...BUT...what they have to remember is that they have invited guests to their function. They should take them into consideration too to some extent because what they may like might not be what the guests like and they want everyone to enjoy themselves surely. Unfortunately, some people think that IF there aren't many people dancing, the DJ is rubbish and doesn't know what he is doing. I don't want to be seen like that simply because I am catering for the bride and groom / birthday boy / girl's taste. Most of the time people do listen to this advice and most of the time it's a great evening. I haven't had many functions where the customer has come up and moaned at me.

Of course, this is just my opinion and some people may not agree but I look at it like this. Take August for example; I have about 8 weddings that I am playing at so say, for example that there are at least 100 people at each wedding...that's 800 people I will be playing too and potentially a lot of follow on bookings be it weddings, birthdays or kids parties etc... I am out there advertising myself and want to come across as best I can.

BUT

To contradict myself (sorry)...at the end of the day, we are there to give the customer EXACTLY what they want as they are paying our wages aren't they and so they should get what they want to hear. It's quite tricky really isn't it!

[CRAZY K]

I,m sure we have all had them, but what with not feeling well, and a disco from hell!!
Started off fine. It was a 40th party. The client had about 10 personal friends i guess turn up. Her son and daughther had about 30 friends each.
Within about an hour the husband comes up and says" bithday girl wants modern stuff" ok i said, what type of modern stuff. " oh just more modern".
Ok, i,ll play some siser sisters,Mika etc.
Within 5 minutes the daughter comes up and says. " my mum wants more 80s classics"
Are you sure i replied, your Dad seems to think she wants modern music. " no 80s"
Ok switch to 80s then.

20mins or so later the birthday lady comes up. " I hope you have better music than this, no ones dancing".
I replied, i know thats because i,m too busy talking to your family. Please tell me what you and your guests want " i want Kooks,Killers,etc etc"
Ok thats fine, so i switched to this style. Again no one danced.
Eventually feeling rough and enoyed, i decide to play what i think will work.
Atlast some dancing, although within 10 or so mins, i get another visit. " this isnt whati want"
Now being really wound up reply. " i understand that, but look, your guests obviously do. Would you like me to do my job or would you like to take over.
As you can see, ive had better nights. I was so glad when it finished.
I,m not normally rude to clients but this evening was an exception.
She thought that everyone there should have been dancing 4hrs non stop.
Why dont people let you do your job, after all we have done more discos than they have had or been to.
People seem to forget that music they listen to and like at home, does not always work at a disco. And most people at a disco want classic tunes from years gone by, not the clients top 100 tunes.
Strange old game, one week best disco ever, next week the worst ever.


I suppose the dreaded "play list" might help ?

CRAZY K

[Thames Valley Discos]

Agree to some extent, but they were given the oppotunity of providing a play list. To have various members coming up during the night creating confusion does not help. I speant more time talking with them than concentrating on job in hand. Being i,ll didnt help i admit.

[Thames Valley Discos]

I suppose the dreaded "play list" might help ?

CRAZY K

Great if they took the time in providing one. My direction for the night was, no houser,trance,rap or soft cell. That was it!
Being a 40th i kinda guessed house,trance, rave might be off the list, funny that

[axeman]

Another of those DJ common dilema type situation, It is very tricky, and this does happen a fair bit !!

One way i deal with this is to ask the names of the people who are asking, so you can announce who its been requested by, usually very clearly pointing out that they think everyone will dance to it !! and another is, when they ask you for a song, then ask if they are going to dance themselves ? it makes them think whether or not they really want to dance at this time and to that song.

[Corabar Entertainment]

Never mind Paul.... there's always next week!

[Thames Valley Discos]

Never mind Paul.... there's always next week!

I,m not bothered to be honest, gigs like that i can do without. It just annoys me, you wouldnt do this to your doctor, or any other Proffesion, so why to djs?
Would you tell your doctor, sorry that drug is not appropriate, give me this one instead.
At the end of the day they have booked a dj service. Someone who is charging for their experience, and ability to read a dance floor. I/we are not jukeboxes with flashing lights!

[Thames Valley Discos]

Another of those DJ common dilema type situation, It is very tricky, and this does happen a fair bit !!

One way i deal with this is to ask the names of the people who are asking, so you can announce who its been requested by, usually very clearly pointing out that they think everyone will dance to it !! and another is, when they ask you for a song, then ask if they are going to dance themselves ? it makes them think whether or not they really want to dance at this time and to that song.

It,s not so much asking for requests that bugs me, it,s more the fact that every tom **** and harry seem to know what the client wants. Rather than me finding music that the crowd will respond to, i,m constantly talking to someone. I need a sign, " please do not talk to the DJ while DJ,ing"

[Jiggles]

:d :d :d

[Corabar Steve]

I recently had the old " play X track, it's the brides favourite"

So why is it not on her rather extensive playlist?

In fairness it was something I was considering playing anyway & the bride did dance to it, but this is not always the case & is usually used by the requester as a way of ensuring their tune gets played

[Shakermaker Promotions]

They should build on that and it should read...
"Don't talk to the DJ when he is DJing unless you are Adriana Lima"

((Check her out - She's the only thing that could or would distract me)).

[Corabar Entertainment]

Honestly, with the comments coming from you lot in the last few days, I think someone needs to start putting Bromide in your drinks!!!!! :p :p :p :eek:

[Corabar Steve]

Only the last few days????????????

[spin mobile disco]

Lol get a life or a wife, either way should stop the comments :)

[Dragonfly]

" I love the smell of testosterone in the morning"

[theoloyla]

I,m not bothered to be honest, gigs like that i can do without. It just annoys me, you wouldnt do this to your doctor, or any other Proffesion, so why to djs?
Would you tell your doctor, sorry that drug is not appropriate, give me this one instead.

But they do!!!! People tell their doctors what is wrong with them and what drugs they want. They also frequently tell other expert professionals how to do their jobs. It ISNT just us believe me.

[Silver]

Another one for the ladies........ http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/images/1600/rabcnesbitt_3.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/r/gallery/rabcnesbitt_7775310_3.shtml&h=1200&w=1600&sz=190&tbnid=5FXdbeEBg8hY8M:&tbnh=113&tbnw=150&prev=/images%3Fq%3Drab%2Bc%2Bnesbitt%2Bphoto&start=3&sa=X&oi=images&ct=image&cd=3 http://planetsmilies.net/grinning-smiley-9520.gif

[PropellerHeadCase]

I think the thing you have to remember is that most people don't know exactly what they want and don't know exactly how to ask for it. And most people assume that, as a DJ, you are arrogant and are going to play what you want.

Most people don't understand the difference between a pub, a club, and an event, and that, therefore, the type of DJing is different. They don't understand that just because a song worked at the Rugby club bash doesn't mean it will work at a wedding (even if some of 'the lads' are there). And people never understand that just because they love a particular song/artist/genre it doesn't mean that every-/any-one else will, too. At weddings, especially, if the bride particularly likes her music (and I'm sorry it is mostly brides who are gulity of this) she will have a romantic notion that all of her favourite songs will be played and that everyone will dance all night long.

Many people assume that DJs are stupid... "Dude, all you do is press play." They don't understand the aspects of social engineering that go into your choice of song every time you select a song - be it a dance favourite or a sing-along classic, or both simultaneously. The idea of analysing the dynamics of songs to create peaks and troughs through-out the night whilst also trying to work in a bit of everything from the 50s to current and making sure that a good number of those "special requests" get worked in escapes the grasp of all but maybe 1% of the population.

Almost everyone thinks that the DJ is there to play music for them, and forgets about everyone else, let alone the guest(s) of honour.

People forget that their experience of music growing up is different to other people's. Just because they grew up listening to the same chart shows doesn't mean that their parent's music was also the same, that they went and saw the same movies, bought the same albums AND were exposed to the same music by their friends. This is why the so-called classics/pop-standards work, because there is a betterthan average chance that everyone will know these songs, and if poeople know them there is far more chance that people will dance to them.

The accusation from punters/hirers that galls me the most is that I am playing music for myself and not catering to the tastes of the guests. I spend SO much time analysing the requests of the guest(s) of honour it's just not funny, but if no-one is responding to the music (even negatively) then I can't "play to the crowd" (ever been told to "play to the crowd" when there isn't one?).

If someone tells me that the music I'm playing is crap, or that no-one likes it, I just advise them that 90% of what I am playing has been requested by the bride/groom and whilst they may not be dancing themselves it is what they have asked for so to say that no-one likes the music is not accurate.

And if people accuse me of playing music for myself I just straight-up ask them, "Have you heard any Chemical Brothers, Basement Jaxx or Hybrid tonight? No? Well then I guess I must be playing what I've been asked to play."

[Candybeatdiscos]

Had the weekend off so on friday went out on the town, ended up at a party got home for 6am, went to bed at 6.30, got up at 9, sat all day on pc, planning a nice early night........7pm gets a phonecall for a gig to start at 7.30....from a mate who was in serious dire straits ( he has just started a job as duty manager and the DJ the company normally uses thought the gig was next week) anyway, not wanting to let him down i agree.....25 mins later have everything set up (small venue so little equiptment) birthday boy comes up and thanks me for being so quick and stepping in at last minute offers me a drink....ok so far so good i think, then i starts up , offers requests etc....its a 21st, 40-50 people present, good mix between female/male, aged 18-40....tried pop, no takers, tried rock classic & modern, no takers, 70's no takers, 80's ditto, 90's ditto, dance/trance etc no takers....buy this time i was feeling very flat, not one request, nobody seemed to think i was there.....anyway last song of the night and i stuck on proclaimers sunshine on leith......Filled the floor.....then the shouts:-

-Play another one
-Go on one more
-What your finishing...no we just got up

honestly you couldn't make it up

[Dragonfly]

I think the thing you have to remember is that most people don't know exactly what they want and don't know exactly how to ask for it. And most people assume that, as a DJ, you are arrogant and are going to play what you want.

Don,t think I would agree with that personally , I think people do know exactly what THEY want. What I think they struggle with is the fact that the other 150 people in the room may not want it as well......

It comes down to their brief, would they like:

A DJ that plays every tune on their 200 song playlist which is making people leave because they hate it.

A DJ with experience of reading a crowd that once he finds something that fills a floor creates a superb party atmosphere around that and keeps the floor going despite the music not being to the taste of the client.

Neither is a right or wrong answer it just depends what kind of gigs you are after and how confident you are. Certainly the first one is easier .......

go

play

get paid

go home ....... not necessarily in that order.

That said yes I do think the general public have a terrible perception of mobile DJs, most of the guys on here are quality professionals and i'm sure like myself have heard the words

"crikey I didnt realise so much work went into putting on a disco, and I've never seen so much gear"

on many occasions.

[Vectis]

I had a similarly toughie on Saturday. It was a 50th birthday, most guests friends of the host or the host's daughter, 21. So in effect two groups of people in the same room, one aged 45-55 the other 18-25.

And the playlist read, verbatim, "Blues, Rock, Reggae, Ska, Queen, Green Day, Oasis. Absolutely NO party games, conga music, birdie song, rowing song type music. No hideous cheesy ballads or motown, but stax OK".

'Challenging playlist' thinks I, planning on weaving my way around the various genres through the course of the evening and working out how I was going to push back on the inevitable requests for smoochies and YMCA.

Problem was, ANYTHING I played which was not in the list above resulted in an empty dancefloor :eek: Everything. It was a real tough night where I spent the whole event with my nose in a database searching out stuff I've not played in years!

BUT I thoroughly enjoyed it! Overall the music was fabulous... literally dozens of songs I never get the chance to play and they lapped it up.

Turns out the host knows each and every guest intimately, and the playlist really was a playlist for the crowd and not just the host. Now if I'd known that at the start.... :rolleyes:

[Cj_The_Dj]

i've had nights like this mate but you got a job to do if the rest of the people like it do if for them. beacuse you don't want people hateing you when its not your falut

[Shakermaker Promotions]

I personally like the challenge. I also make jokes if one or two songs make people leave the dancefloor. I think it's good when you choose a song that gets everyone up and then you think to yourself "Let's see if this one works then" and you try it and it does...I'll then say something like "I've got you sussed now!" and then it's easy.

This happened a few weeks back. I was doing a wedding for a friend of a friend and I recognised her from years ago although I couldn't remember where I knew her from. The wedding was going ok, I played to the kids at first and got a few request slips in too but it was kind of a mediocre dancefloor with about 30 of the 150 guests dancing. Then someone requested 'Teardrops' by Womack & Womack so I thought I would give it a go and WOW!!..Lots of people joined the dancefloor and packed it out so I then played ;

The Fatback Band - I found lovin'
Jocelyn Brown - Somebody elses guy
Rufus & Chaka Khan - 'Aint nobody
Luther Vandross - Never too much
...and a whole load of stuff from that era....The bride even came up to me covered in sweat asking me to put something else on as she was knackered (she was joking).

The hardest part of our job is to get the people up...once they are up I think it's pretty easy to keep them there as long as you can read the crowd properly but I guess that comes with experience both in DJing at functions and also an experience of different musical genres.
I have seen so many other DJ's over the years both in clubs and mobile play the right song that gets everyone up and then kill it by playing something else that is totally unsuitable. It's like playing something Indie that gets everyone up and then a real hardcore hip hop track that all but one person likes in the whole place.

[Twinspin]

I had some woman. Ask me for Stone Roses. Sally Cinnamon just as i was playing the last record. The manager wanted it off at 12.

I had my mini setup out two twister 4hps on a tbar The woman found the bolt on my tbar and removed. it. My roadie caught the twister 4s. I went mad. and told the woman...... to get lost!!! her boyfriend was tempted to have a go as well.

I come close to smacking him one. As they nearly broke my moonflowers. But i just said get lost now!!!