There’s a way that people are. Zoom out of any human culture a little and you’ll notice how strongly we adhere to rituals. It’s a good thing to remember when planning a DJ night. At events, people generally behave in small groups and crowds. As upcoming DJs, we can use this predictability to our advantage. Here are a few ways to better recognize your audience’s behavior at the next event.
DJ the playbook
Once you’ve done one wedding, one 50th birthday, one corporate bash, one festival and one bar mitzvah, you’ve learned most of what DJs are expected to know. The format doesn’t differ much between these categories. Weddings and birthdays are ultimately about picking popular music from the past. Corporate events are about behaving like a big name rock star and picking music that out-of-touch people think is happening right now. Festivals are about expressing your taste for whatever the crowd is into. Bar mitzvahs (and rituals like it) are about honoring tradition. There’s a playbook for every different type of DJ event. Learn it, then DJ it.
Plan for chaos
No matter how much prep work you’ve done, someone will inevitably ask you to do something that you’re not prepared for. This might be spinning a track you don’t have, switching up genres completely, making a housekeeping announcement, clearing the dancefloor, starting the dancefloor, moving some furniture, etc. The list goes on. Your role is often a weird fusion of playlist curator, sound engineer and roadie. Be helpful. Don’t brickwall people when they ask for simple stuff, even if it’s not technically your job. Expect unexpected things to happen, and roll with them. Check out the career tips course from DJ Courses Online.
Curating vs creating
DJing is mostly about vibe curation. This means two things: that you’re in charge of keeping things uplifting, and that you’re not always creating a vibe. There’s a difference between creation and curation. Curating a vibe is directing the mood of the room in response to what’s expected of you. This might involve very little action on your part. It’s not illegal to put on a 1 hour mix and simply groove away while acting busy. In fact, it’s a very easy way to make money. Creating a vibe, on the other hand, is about controlling or even forcing the mood to be a certain way. It’s a statement, one which reflects and showcases your taste more obviously. Depending on what you’re hoping to achieve, you should consider yourself a vibe curator or creator on any given evening.
Getting better at DJing yet? It’s all about practice, preparation and people. Make your own path a bit clearer by learning from the pros. Get in on a DJ course by DJ Courses Online today and make the next step in your DJ adventure.
John Bartmann is a music producer and DJ