There are a lot of people who call themselves DJs. With Ipods, laptops, and Pandora, the actual art of creating a two to three hour set of music that is key-matched, genre-matched, and enjoyable is becoming a rare thing indeed.
Format:
Vinyl is still the truest sounding medium for delivering a track, particularly original pressings from labels like Motown, Staxx, West End, and Cotillion. There is no way, short of spending hundreds of dollars on expensive needles and remastering the original at considerable length, to maintain the same fidelity on a track that has been ripped from vinyl and placed in a Serrato queue. At the end of the day, it really does pay to cart the box of LPs and 45s into the club. Also, there's really nothing like thumbing through the stacks with your back to a packed dance floor; people respect the fact that you throw out your back getting their entertainment to the venue.
Performance:
When you're in the booth, two things are crucial to ensure the night goes smoothly. Do not underestimate the power of drunken persistence - and don't give in to it. People will ask you for requests that are so impossibly out of place that - unless they're friends and you feel you have to oblige - you should not take them. Giving one drunken out of town guy a Lady Gaga track because "it's his girlfriend's birthday" opens a floodgate of nonsense that I have yet to be able to close.
The second issue is mixing. You must, absolutely, completely, know your record's individual frequency ranges and the acoustic dynamics of the room in which you are playing. People have played amazing tracks that were perfectly beat matched and appropriate that still sounded terrible because they did not understand this.
- Walk around the venue before you go on.
If there is an opener for you, listen to her set in every corner of the place. Find weaknesses, gaps, bass drops, treble spikes, whatever it may be. A properly mixed set is a difficult thing to pull off, but the payout can be tremendous. I have heard songs that I've been listening to for twenty years sound unlike anything I've ever experienced when the DJ used a clean vinyl copy properly EQed through professional speakers. Subtleties you never noticed jump out, and the pure, unadulterated distinctness of the highs, lows, and mids, at their proper levels is something that few digital copies can match.
Distinctness:
Technical prowess is one part of being a respected DJ. The other side, of course, is the type of music you play, which if properly delivered, is what will make you distinct. No matter what your genre is, make every single song count. Do not play filler. Ever. Play only the songs you know deep down move you, and the crowd will see this and respond. Though the audience is ultimately who you must play for, you have to stay true to your own tastes, whatever they may be. If you are in the mood for reggae but no one else is, give it half and hour, then switch to soul.
The key is not showing off, as this be obvious to anyone who is there to genuinely enjoy himself, and will not endear you to the event's host. Under no circumstances should you ever increase volume on individual tracks or play a song for some ironic value or inside joke between you and someone in the crowd. Also try not to vary genres too frequently without letting them blend seamlessly over an entire set.
- The goal is a to tell a story, not present a Powerpoint showcase of your collection.
Start with a slow burn if it's quiet. Maybe people are just getting off work and need a few drinks to loosen up. Throw on some Darondo or Curtis Mayfield. I will let you figure out the rest, but the point is to have a good time and not take yourself too seriously. After all, your job lets you drink for free and listen to your favorite jams while getting to be the center of attention for an entire night. Be grateful already.
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