anewsome
I'm always kind of torn on whether or not I like to take requests at a gig. In some ways it's cool because it gives me a handle on what some people want to hear. In some ways it sucks because people sometimes have no idea of how badly their requests suck,.. and if you play 1 guys request then you really should not snub the other guy simply because you don't like his choice.
Take for example at my last gig last week. I am getting ready to throw down a mad hip hop set and this chick comes up and wants to hear Kenny Loggins. Quit laughing and read on. Right before that I had played an actual good request from one of her friends (hip hop). So I could ignore her or play the Kenny Logins. I played it. Place was pretty empty so it was ok I guess. But seriously,... Kenny Logins! Incredible.
Take for example at my last gig last week. I am getting ready to throw down a mad hip hop set and this chick comes up and wants to hear Kenny Loggins. Quit laughing and read on. Right before that I had played an actual good request from one of her friends (hip hop). So I could ignore her or play the Kenny Logins. I played it. Place was pretty empty so it was ok I guess. But seriously,... Kenny Logins! Incredible.
Inviato Wed 24 Aug 05 @ 10:25 pm
vantinedj
Yes. I too hate that. And it's always at the worst time.... And I always love in the middle of a great party and packed dance floor when you hear, "Can you please play something we can dance to. You know like that song. You know how it goes. da da doo doo daa doo dee daa da and i love her.. you know," ;)
Inviato Wed 24 Aug 05 @ 10:40 pm
acw_dj
Anewsome,
I take request, but filter them. I could change from one style to another but it takes some steps in between. If somebody wants something that it's in the opposite side of what I'm playing, I tell him/her the request take some time to be ok. The people are dancing, having fun ...etc the main message is this person have to wait to have his request.
In your case I do another trick. I carry the song that at last are fairly good. Not all of it. If the song that this person is asking for is bad for the occasion I suggest another song or groups or ANYTHING that was ok with the Gig. When they choose from there, we have the control again.
But If I don't have a choice and the girl wants Kenny Loggins I play "FootLose" and dance it too! :-)
I take request, but filter them. I could change from one style to another but it takes some steps in between. If somebody wants something that it's in the opposite side of what I'm playing, I tell him/her the request take some time to be ok. The people are dancing, having fun ...etc the main message is this person have to wait to have his request.
In your case I do another trick. I carry the song that at last are fairly good. Not all of it. If the song that this person is asking for is bad for the occasion I suggest another song or groups or ANYTHING that was ok with the Gig. When they choose from there, we have the control again.
But If I don't have a choice and the girl wants Kenny Loggins I play "FootLose" and dance it too! :-)
Inviato Wed 24 Aug 05 @ 10:43 pm
musicmatch
I totally agree sometimes,people and there request can really suck,i work in a nightclub three times a week!! & boy can they get demanding ,and no offence to woman,but they are the worst,when it comes to request??? They cant wait for there songs just nag nag & more nagging,and like you say ,u can be doing a really awesome set, and please cant you play something with words they tell you.....
I run a mobile disco as well i can fully understand asking for crap songs when doing a wedding.. but not in a club,i know we play for the """"çrowd'"
Cheers dj graham [musicmatch]
I run a mobile disco as well i can fully understand asking for crap songs when doing a wedding.. but not in a club,i know we play for the """"çrowd'"
Cheers dj graham [musicmatch]
Inviato Thu 25 Aug 05 @ 12:04 am
anewsome
Just for the record,.. I like songs with words in them too :-)
Inviato Thu 25 Aug 05 @ 1:02 am
JumpinJim
I don't mind requests but I have some pet peaves about them.
1-Why do people ask for songs when the bar is closing in 15 minutes. Particulary if they have been in the bar for the last three hours. Why did you wait till the last minute!!!!!!
2-Why do people who go to the bar and don't spend any money on drinks etc. expect to be the top priority when they make a request! You don't have to buy 10 drinks but at least buy something and support the bar!!!!!
3-Why do certain people need to come back and bother me every five minutes about their request! It only makes me not want to play your song or only play one verse of it!!
And for the record I also like songs with words in them too :P
Peace
JumpinJim
1-Why do people ask for songs when the bar is closing in 15 minutes. Particulary if they have been in the bar for the last three hours. Why did you wait till the last minute!!!!!!
2-Why do people who go to the bar and don't spend any money on drinks etc. expect to be the top priority when they make a request! You don't have to buy 10 drinks but at least buy something and support the bar!!!!!
3-Why do certain people need to come back and bother me every five minutes about their request! It only makes me not want to play your song or only play one verse of it!!
And for the record I also like songs with words in them too :P
Peace
JumpinJim
Inviato Thu 25 Aug 05 @ 3:10 am
apopsisdj
If the request is bad a trick is to say: sorry... i dont have this song (even if you have it...)
or the cd has just broke... or i have it but is damaged... or my room-mate ...eat all of my cd's today.. or its on my other computer... in our case.
Then promise him/her you will have it next time...
or the cd has just broke... or i have it but is damaged... or my room-mate ...eat all of my cd's today.. or its on my other computer... in our case.
Then promise him/her you will have it next time...
Inviato Thu 25 Aug 05 @ 3:42 am
acw_dj
Aposis, and after you tell them that excuses, they came with the CD!!! or worst, a bad recorded MP3... :-P
Inviato Thu 25 Aug 05 @ 4:36 am
Homeboy
I just tell em all I will play it. Put it off all night and hope they forget. If they come back up I just tell em I already played it!
Inviato Thu 25 Aug 05 @ 4:46 am
anewsome
Homeboy! I love it. I actually do get a lot of people that tell me to play a song I've already played, but I only tell that I played it if I really did.
Here's another one that kills me, is when they ask for the present *hottest* song in the club, and they want it at 9pm, when there is 4 people on the dance floor. They can't understand why I am saving the smash hit for midnight when the dance floor is packed.
Here's another one that kills me, is when they ask for the present *hottest* song in the club, and they want it at 9pm, when there is 4 people on the dance floor. They can't understand why I am saving the smash hit for midnight when the dance floor is packed.
Inviato Thu 25 Aug 05 @ 5:03 am
bagpuss
I personally don't appreciate DJ's that play the same song 2 or more times!!, believe me i've been to a club where they did this, it was so amateur and exploited the fact that they oly had a few songs..
But it is fine to play a few songs twice, like you described, if the club is half empty at Nine, play a few hits, then at the peak time you can play them again no problem, just don't do a house mix and play "weekend" twice within the space of half an hour!.. (again i've heard this and over such stunts).
:).
But it is fine to play a few songs twice, like you described, if the club is half empty at Nine, play a few hits, then at the peak time you can play them again no problem, just don't do a house mix and play "weekend" twice within the space of half an hour!.. (again i've heard this and over such stunts).
:).
Inviato Thu 25 Aug 05 @ 5:27 am
DJ Max Martinez
I have found out the best thing that i have done is that i say, if i have it then i will play it or i will see what i can do and then i close my eyes. Since i cant see i cant do anything for them. Just becareful who the request is for.
Inviato Thu 25 Aug 05 @ 6:24 am
A Man and His Music
Do I have a sign on my console that sez "Please help me, I don't know what i'm doing". I need some selfish person to come up and school me, on how I should proceed. I don't think so. Even if it is a great request, don't you think I know about it? Most of my weddings, I talk the couple into no request, and then annouce it at the beginning of the affair. Corporate affairs I just deal with it, and lie that I don't have it, if I think it's that bad. I don't play music that people bring in, period. If it was that important, I would already have it. In a dance club, request are out. In a gentlemens club I take request, on a limited basis, and not from dancers or bartenders. Sweet sixteens, forget about it. I am just an overpaid jukebox, and remind myself that I am getting paid. But that is what kind of party it is, and that's that. Speaking of sweet sixteens, what are they feeding these girls? Some of them I just want to give them a card for my club.
Inviato Thu 25 Aug 05 @ 7:10 am
DJ PHIL IT
if you are djing right no one will ask for a song,that's it! get to know the ppl that comes to your club.
Inviato Thu 25 Aug 05 @ 8:32 am
Homeboy
Phil you still get the oddball. Believe me I been dj'ing for over 10 years. You cant please everyone. A good DJ can please the majority. So as Max said. Tell em you will play it and get to it when you can... If you can.
Inviato Thu 25 Aug 05 @ 9:35 am
mp3jrick
I second that, if you read the floor right and pick the right tracks at the right time they won't bother you.
You will always have those who hang at the console like you need their help. After a while of that I just nix them with my finger crossing force field. The get the message eventually.
I hate getting my train of thought screwed with, I can't hear usually so I have them "write it down" on a tablet.
I look at it occasionally, but I already know what most people want to hear and I'm usually doing multi-age groups with sets in line dance, country, hh, rock and the classics.
In fact I have totally iginored the request list only to find at the end of the night that 90% of the requests got played anyway and 10% I wouldn't have played becuase of content or a bad choice like screaming modern rock.
Love what Evevesence does to a dance floor, so no it doesn't get played, but they request it....
You will always have those who hang at the console like you need their help. After a while of that I just nix them with my finger crossing force field. The get the message eventually.
I hate getting my train of thought screwed with, I can't hear usually so I have them "write it down" on a tablet.
I look at it occasionally, but I already know what most people want to hear and I'm usually doing multi-age groups with sets in line dance, country, hh, rock and the classics.
In fact I have totally iginored the request list only to find at the end of the night that 90% of the requests got played anyway and 10% I wouldn't have played becuase of content or a bad choice like screaming modern rock.
Love what Evevesence does to a dance floor, so no it doesn't get played, but they request it....
Inviato Thu 25 Aug 05 @ 12:09 pm
DJ Acadien
It all depends what kind of music your playing. If your playing Top40 stuff or mainstream, expect people to ask you for requests, it's normal. The only way you can get rid of request is to do a set of music style that the people don't know the artist or tracks, such as most Deep, Prog or Tribal House, Hard Trance and Jungle.
Inviato Thu 25 Aug 05 @ 1:07 pm
Yan-X
It depends also of the kind of place you're playing :
mobile discos and clubs drains very different kind of people, students parties are almost totally different from a nightclub dancefloor, and so on...
Problem is that most of the time you plan your whole set for the upcoming hours and people don't want to wait too long to hear the song they request, ie even during a hip hop set you can have request for the last van helden's track that you would have played at 4 o'clock to rock the dancefloor one more time ...
Don't be too dependant of the dancefloor choices and request, learn them to discover your style and mixes, and if you're not too bad (are you ?) they should follow whatever you say whatever you play and whatever they want to hear too...
mobile discos and clubs drains very different kind of people, students parties are almost totally different from a nightclub dancefloor, and so on...
Problem is that most of the time you plan your whole set for the upcoming hours and people don't want to wait too long to hear the song they request, ie even during a hip hop set you can have request for the last van helden's track that you would have played at 4 o'clock to rock the dancefloor one more time ...
Don't be too dependant of the dancefloor choices and request, learn them to discover your style and mixes, and if you're not too bad (are you ?) they should follow whatever you say whatever you play and whatever they want to hear too...
Inviato Thu 25 Aug 05 @ 1:14 pm
acw_dj
In the Club I do a rule for request (to regular customers), the request are taking at the beginning of the night (before I start the set or while I'm starting) and I will play it when I program to play it in that night. The same for others who don't now this, I take the request and tell them I have programmed my set to please the crowd and can make it immediately. Could be at 12:30 or 1 or 2am depends on the type of music I'm playing when the request comes, even if the request is for a song I will play, I give it the approximated time to play it.
The most of the time with this, 99% will pleased.
Inviato Thu 25 Aug 05 @ 1:54 pm
Raw-Bear
When I was doing weddings I always took requests. The ages of the people at a wedding runs from 12 to 90. You HAVE to be able to play something for everyone in the first few hours, maybe not what they wanted to hear but at least something from their era. If the dancing starts at 8:00 pm, well by 10:00 pm the oldies want to go home so you get the garter and throwing of the bouquet done. Then you let loose.
I followed this formula for 20 years and by the 5th year i always had about 30 bookings for the next year in advance. By February I never had a free weekend during the wedding season.
The last year I worked as a full time DJ I did 76 weddings and 2 club nights a week for 6 months for a total of 128 bookings.
As for the requests a good line is "If I can fit it in I will"
I followed this formula for 20 years and by the 5th year i always had about 30 bookings for the next year in advance. By February I never had a free weekend during the wedding season.
The last year I worked as a full time DJ I did 76 weddings and 2 club nights a week for 6 months for a total of 128 bookings.
As for the requests a good line is "If I can fit it in I will"
Inviato Thu 25 Aug 05 @ 1:56 pm
