Anaheim DJ

Don,

Thank you so much for being our DJ!

We had a wonderful, fantastic time dancing at our wedding (& we know others did too).

Thank you also for MCing & running our music for our ceremony. Everything was beautiful!

Thank you again, so much Don.

Love, Craig & Jessie

One of the most important things that clients are looking for when hiring a DJ is probably the most obvious. “We want someone who knows how to Read a Crowd.” How many times have you been at a wedding, party or night club, and though the music sounded good, was lively and seemed appropriate – nobody would get on the dance floor? Or maybe a few would. Perhaps the dance floor was cookin’ and all of a sudden everything just went dead!

Why is it that some DJ’s seem to have a gift or a knack for what they do, while others are just having a “bad night”?

This phenomena is what I refer to as the Art of Reading a Crowd.

Should it be called a science or an art? I believe that this is an acquired skill, one that has to be learned personally by each individual. In that, it’s not something that one just learns by reading a book or an article such as this. The skill has to be acquired and practiced. Therefore, I lean to the side of referring to it as an “Art”.

This skill actually improves more and more with time. The more persistent and patient the DJ is, the better results he will have. I hope the following outline will offer some advice for those who wish to gain this ability.

Why Some DJs Can’t Read a Crowd

Confront. This means, simply stated, being able to face something or someone comfortably. If someone cannot confront others, he won’t be able to see what’s going on. A DJ is an interesting character. DJ’s are in the spotlight to some degree. Even if they are not directly in the light, they are still being put on the spot. This means they have been granted the duty of keeping the pulse of the whole event alive. When the music is smooth and flowing well, so are the people and so is the atmosphere. The DJ is the heart of the atmosphere, in that he is responsible for that “pulse”. All factors of professional showmanship go into his role, including Stage Presence, Courtesy, Charisma, Wit, Interest, etc. There is no room for “stage fright” in this business and if someone is afraid to be in front of 30 or more people, he should get over that on his own time.

I recommend taking classes in Public Speaking, such as a Toastmasters group. This will help him develop his own style and abilities to confront a group.

Again, if a person is unable to Confront…He doesn’t see what is going on in front of him.

Being Prepared

Know Your Library. All DJs should be familiar with the most popular songs for parties. They should all be in his library, and he should be well versed in the tempos (BPMs – Beats per minute), lyrics, genres, release dates (50’s, 80’s, etc.), artists, and so on. It helps for the DJ to have some education in music, such as keys, rhythms and instrumentation. Top 200 Most Requested Songs

It is not necessarily true that every DJ needs thousands and thousands of songs in his library. It can be handy, but it’s not necessary. The Top 200 List, and a subscription to a Professional DJ Music Source, such as Promo Only or Top Hits USA will keep you on top of the charts. It helps to be familiar with the Dance Charts and to listen to the radio. For many teenager groups, you should always have the past 6-12 months of the latest hits with you. The teenagers will most always make requests…and you can bet they’re going to want something that just came out this week. It’s good for you to know what they are listening to.

You should always have your song list handy, and it’s a good gesture to have a request list available for guests.

Again, listen to your music and know your stuff! Your clients are counting on it.

Know Your Equipment. You don’t need to have the fanciest equipment. I’m a firm believer that if someone knows his business, he can make the party happen, no matter what kind of gear he has, with the exception that is should be professional DJ gear – not home stereo components. Whatever you use, learn it well. Practice, practice, practice. You should set it up in your garage or your home studio and practice as if you were at an event. Get the feel for the Cue button, hot starts, beat-mixing (blending seamlessly from one song to another) and any other features your equipment offers. Please don’t use your client’s event as a guinea pig to try your “new tricks”. You want to give a good impression and that takes homework.

I highly recommend having two dual CD players, or dual mp3 players – even if you use a laptop computer. This gives you extra space for cued up songs, which I’ll discuss below.

At The Event

Okay, you have worked on your Public Speaking and Public Relations Skills. You have built your library and are familiar with the material. You have 2 dual CD players or mp3 machines (equals 4) and have your nice sound reinforcement system in place. It’s time for the guests to arrive…

If at any time you are able to keep 4 songs cued up, you will be able to make last minute decisions as to what song should be played next. Here are a couple of examples:

Example #1: Your dance floor is packed with people of all ages to the song “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees. The song is going to give you about 3 minutes or so to prepare for 3 other possible songs. In this case, I would recommend having these ideas cued up: 1) a slow song, preferably an oldie, such as “Let’s Stay Together” by Al Green in case they are looking sweaty and ready for a breather; 2) another disco song in case they want more of the same, perhaps “Best of my love” by the Emotions; 3) something entirely different, look at the people on the floor – look in their faces, how are they dressed, what is the majority’s age – maybe it’s time for a line dance, a more current song, a wild Elvis number – again, look at your people. Again, look at your people. Should I repeat myself?

Example #2: Dance floor is smokin’ hot with a current hip hop song, say “Low” by Flo-Rida. Let’s get ready for our 3 possibilities 1) a slightly faster modern song, such as “Sexyback” by Justin Timberlake; 2) an oldie, just in case the older people are expressing indifferences to the current genre, say “Old Time Rock & Roll” by Bob Seger; 3) more of the same.

Gut Feelings. Also, known as a “hunch”. When the DJ is working the crowd, and is properly confronting what is happening on the dance floor, he should also listen to himself. The music, the action, the lights, the diversity of people all go into monitoring the pulse of the dance floor. If there’s one lesson that seems the hardest to get across, it is that you have to go with your own intuition. Sure………you could be wrong. But if you listen to your own integrity and do what you think these guys will like, you will probably be more right than wrong!

If It Didn’t Work, Admit It…Get Back On Track. Okay, okay – there are times you will need to “swallow your pride”. Remember, there’s always the slim chance that it didn’t go quite as you planned. Let’s say you had about 2 or 3 great 80’s party tunes going. The dance floor is pumping, your next selection is “White Wedding”, which nearly clears the dance floor – maybe a couple of people are dancing optimistically but the rest of the crowd has abandoned the scene. Now, several things could be the case here. Maybe someone outside lit some fireworks (very unlikely), the people need a slower song (more likely), the group is thinking that there’s a “tag team” and it’s time to let others out on the dance floor (unusual, but could be the case), they don’t like Billy Idol (a slim possibility) or perhaps, gasp, you didn’t really read the crowd, now did ya (most likely). This does not mean that you are a bad DJ, it means you need to observe more closely.

At this point, I would act upon the matter by cueing up 1) a slow song; 2) a current dance song; 3) a motown, such as “Respect” by Aretha Franklin. Remember to always have your Top 200 list handy, so you can quickly refer to it in a pinch. By the time White Wedding reaches the chorus, you are prepared to make the decision of which track to start. TIP: to save yourself from any embarrassment, I would let the song play up to the chorus and then make your transition. If it sounds too abrupt, it will likely call more attention to the situation.

If the moment seems right, I would perhaps say something over the microphone, such as “and now for all the Motown fans”,… Respect starts…

This doesn’t present a problem, but rather makes it seem intentional.

Advanced Techniques for Reading  a Crowd

This Article is a continuation on the subject of The Art of Reading A Crowd. While many clients may find these techniques interesting, these are mainly insider tips for aspiring and professional DJs.

Icebreakers – How To Get Them Started On The Dance Floor

Many of my clients have this big question – how do you get them dancing? Well, there are lots of different ways to get them going, which you can find on my page, Games and Ideas for Receptions and Parties. Being familiar with Icebreaker type songs is very important. You can find a list of Icebreakers which are often used for Bridal Party Songs on my Song Lists page.

Some other ideas for tough crowds might be to offer a “Ladies Only Dance”. You could just announce “this song is for all the ladies in the house…ladies only”. You could play “Ladies Night”, “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”, “Lady Marmalade” or “Man, I Feel Like a Woman”, depending on the type of crowd you have.

Of course you could do a “Family Only Dance”. Invite all the family members of the wedding couple out on the dance floor to “We Are Family”. Additionally, if you are doing an event where there are people from a specific place, such as New York and play a song like “New York, New York” – invite only the New Yorkers to the dance floor.

From any of these you can easily open up the dance floor to the rest of the room.

Working The Crowd – Group Participation Dances, Name That Tune, Prizes

Depending on the crowd you’re working with, you may want to get them involved with some specific group dances, such as Electric Slide, Macarena, Conga Line, Cha Cha Slide, etc. It’s always good PR for the DJ to grab a wireless microphone and jump out on the dance floor to get them started. You could show them the moves to a dance or two.

I always keep a bag of Balloons handy. When I have the dance floor packed, I will often blow up a balloon or two and just throw them out into the crowd. They always have a good time punching them into the air. Be sure to have a variety of colors. Try to keep with the color theme of the event if possible. If you don’t have the correct color theme, you can usually pull out a red, white or black balloon. These will usually fit in with the colors.

A little warning on balloons – if there are a lot of children there, don’t do the balloon routine, unless you want to blow one up for every child. One of them will get ahold of the throw balloon and naturally the other kids will want one of their own.

Another thing I use is a collapsable Limbo Stick. Every now and then you will find a crowd that wants to do a Limbo Contest, but the main reason I use it is, if the crowd starts into a Conga Line on their own, I will grab the Limbo Stick and run out into the crowd for the line to go under it. It may seem a little silly, but believe me, people really enjoy it and it looks like you’re on top of things.

Another thing I will keep in my tool kit is a bag of sparkle pins. They are not expensive and they are fun to use as prizes for a “Name That Tune” or “Name That Artist” or any other trivia question you may want to use. I don’t do this more than a couple of times per event, but it’s just another way to keep everyone into having a good time.

Handling Hecklers

Hecklers are individuals in the audience who seem to have to put their own input into the scene. They often attempt to intimidate the entertainer by either making remarks (loudly or covertly). Most all entertainers have to develop their own methods of handling hecklers. Many times it can trip up the entertainer’s flow and disturb the rest of the party. These people are not contributing to the joy of the party, and are really only embarrassing themselves. Heckling usually comes from people who are drinking heavily and are not able to carry themselves decently.

Handling hecklers is an acquired skill. It’s rare that an entertainer will hear the same remark twice, so there really isn’t any specific way to handle them other than remembering to keep your integrity. If you feel this person is a problem, you should first inform your employer, and if it gets out of hand, you can call attention to the venue or security.

Some people develop their own unique ways to handle hecklers. I remember on an old Steve Martin comedy album, when someone in the audience yelled something out. Steve just laughed and said “I remember my first beer”. The audience cracked up. This pretty much handled it and he could get on with his routine.

Requests

9 times out of 10, your clients will permit their guests to make requests. Requests are a great way to, firstly, find out what the crowd wants and secondly, give you a chance to offer your service to the people individually. I like taking and playing requests most of the time.

The only exceptions are when my booth gets piled up with teenagers trying to make requests. This can be very trying for a DJ. There can be 15 teens screaming out requests while you’re trying to program out your play list and cue up songs. It can also be dangerous to your equipment if it’s a really big crowd. That’s why I devoloped the concept of the “request station” for teen parties. This is where they can go look through a song list book and list out their requests on a sheet of paper. Every half hour or so, I’ll go over and grab the list and then work from it.

The other situation that comes up is when you get a request for a song that you know will kill the dance floor. This is usually by someone who is not dancing. What I do in this case, is either, wait until the dance floor is empty (intentionally) like during a break or at cocktails, or work a small snippet of the song into an appropriate medley. This way the guest gets to hear his song (part of it) and isn’t left out.

Requests are generally a wonderful way to make sure your guests are enjoying themselves.

The “Do Not Play” List

My clients have the opportunity to create their own Play List for their event. This list includes various sections, such as Must Plays and Do Not Plays (DNP). The DNP is to be observed throughout the event. Every once in a while I will have a request from the guests for a song that is on the DNP and I will need to have a respectful response for them. If the song is not a very common song, you can just tell them that you don’t have that song available at this time. If it’s a common song, I usually just tell them that my client has included this on their DNP and will show them the printed page. Now, on the very rare occasion that I get more than one request for that song, I will approach the client and let them know that I had more than one request for the song. From there, the client can make their own decision on what to do. This seems to be the most amicable method for all concerned.

Medleys

When you have a crowd that’s really pumped up on a certain genre, it’s always handy to have some medleys on hand. Medleys are small clips of similar songs played together forming a single play. To hear some of our popular medleys, you can visit our DEMOS PAGE From there you can hear many types of medleys. Medleys are an indispensible tool to work a specific crowd. And again, if you get that one request that you think may ruin the dance floor, you may be able to sneak it into a medley without killing your dance floor (if your crowd is in the palm of your hand).

Some examples might be an 80’s Medley, Elvis Medley, Beach Boys Medley, Grease Medley, Big Band Medley, Hip Hop Medley, etc.

Introductions

Introductions are usually your first impression with the guests and the way your present yourself at this moment will set you up for the rest of the event. Always treat introductions as one of the most important points of the entire event. First impressions are the most lasting.

Depending on the crowd, I may just gracefully lower the volume of the music currently being played and simply welcome all of the guests to the event. If the crowd is really loud and seem they may be hard to get their attention, I may use a sound effect, such as the THX sound effect (used at the beginning of some movies). This works very nicely.

In order to be able to Read a Crowd, you need to observe them. Get a feel for what they’re all about. You do have your duties, but remember, you are there to enhance their experience, not to just BE their experience. The better you fit in, the smoother your event will go, the happier the crowd will be and the better you will look in your clients’ eyes!

Speeches

At most formal affairs there are speeches to be made. Either by the guests of honor, a parent or the President of a company. Speeches can be a unique time that you can make your skills usefull. Depending on the crowd, if it calls for a drum stinger on a joke, or an uplifting sound effect during a tearful, emotional moment, you can really get creative.

Now, don’t overdo it. Remember that you are not in the spotlight during these speeches, but you can certainly enhance the moment.

If You Wore Them Out, Now What?

Okay, sometimes the dance floor danced hard, sweated hard and exhausted itself. Time to chill it out. Ideally, you will work the crowd up and down and up and down so that nobody gets worn out. If you follow a pattern with your BPMs (Beats per minute) you can create ebbs and flows, perhaps starting with a slow song (ballad), then slightly faster (a motown), then a little faster (grooving dance song) then a fast one – then slow it down again. Repeat cycle.

Once in a while you will run into a crowd that doesn’t want any slow songs. That’s fine. Just remember that a “fast” song to them is not necessarily fast. Learn your BPMs. To them a “slow” song is a belly-rubbing love song.

Now if you did wear them out…acknowledge the fact. You can then let them know that you will play some easy songs for them to catch their breath. Maybe some Steely Dan, Norah Jones, or basic R&B.

The whole point here is to Read Your Crowd. Observe closely at all times and give them the time of their lives!

It’s Not Always About The Dance Floor

There are times when it’s not appropriate to get the dance floor pumping. Obvious times would be during a cocktail hour or while having dinner. At these times, you need to create a suitable atmosphere for the guests.

And there is always the chance that you don’t have a dancing crowd at all! Now what? Well, remember the name of this article “Techniques For Reading a Crowd”. If you are reading your crowd you will recognize that “your crowd” is not a dancing crowd, in which case you can get them involved with other activities or just play some decent background music for them. That’s what is needed and wanted and that’s what you present.

Your clients should be cognizant of the fact and should be more than happy that you are doing your job!