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Tópico: What makes a DJ good?

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I couldn't resist. Sorry. I've read a few responses from forum veterans to different posts out there, complaining that questions or topics are being repeated. Those posts should be closed, we've been there, seen that, done that already, you get the idea...

Well, if you don't want this forum to bleed to death and become a platform for only a selected few (veterans), you'll have to give the newbies some space too! No need to get rude or even answer to posts that don't interest or that bore you.

SO NOW I'M STARTING A THREAD WITH THE QUESTION: WHAT MAKES A GOOD DJ?

You're opinions, if you please...
 
Mensajes Mon 13 Jun 11 @ 12:20 pm
Well if you are just talikng about the DJ part of it and not the MC or lighting, This is my opinion.

He/She Knows their music very well and has a very large library. The more genres the better if you are a mobile DJ
The ability to read a room and know what music will keep the event/party flowing all night.
The ability to Mix, beat match, scratch, and use effects well.
A powerfull clean sounding professional system.
 
Deejay Corny wrote :
Well, if you don't want this forum to bleed to death and become a platform for only a selected few (veterans), you'll have to give the newbies some space too! No need to get rude or even answer to posts that don't interest or that bore you.


First off, my feelings EXACTLY. Everyone who has time to surf this forum all day, everyday is not really concentrating on our job. That being said, I think it has gotten better around here in the past 6 months. There was great deal of general rudeness upto the new year. Nothing is without issue and things seem more a reasonalble now.

WHAT MAKES A GOOD DJ? - Play to your crowd, if you pack the floor they will love you. Your client should have a say in thier event, but not the ONLY say. Sometimes they have to be reminded of this during the event planning for them to give you the freedom to do what you are good at. Remind them that while it is thier day, you want friends to feel included. NOT feel like outsiders looking in at your dream day that is structured min by min.

If you can get your client to trust you and then you deliver a packed floor that people will talk about for a long time after, you are good DJ.

Quick case and point, a wedding last year. The hall was late on servings (by 2 hrs) burnt horrible food, etc. I am friends with many of them on Facebook and all they could talk about after the wedding was what a great time they had to each other. I just happend to see all the chatter. You know it was not the Photographer or the hall that made them so happy, so you can do the math there. No matter how bad everyone else is you run the fun part!

Oh, and I second the beat matching. Dancers (and non dancers) really show appreciation for no gaps and smooth well matched transitions.
 
Good question!

There are a whole lot of subsets to that question.... he/she listens to the customer.. he/she has large collection.. he/she got a good talk .. his transitions are smooth .. etc etc..

But eventually... there is only one thing that counts.. He or she is able to ENTERTAIN the audience. Regardless what the trick is.. the music, the mixing, the crowd control, the jumping up and down behind a premix, that gorgeous body that we all dream of, its all about entertainment and leaving your audience with a good and happy feeling....at the end.. THAT is the thing you are hired or getting attention for.
 
Wow! Not the answers I was expecting, but pretty much my feelings too.

I don't know about you guys, but in my area (young) people tend to judge the DJ more on their beatmix capabilities then on their choice of music or their MC talents...
 
That's young people for you!

I've lost count of the number of times I've seen or heard the following:

You're not a real DJ if you can't mix
You're only a real DJ if you use vinyl
You're only a real DJ if you use CDJ-1000s
People who play from computers aren't real DJs

etc. etc.

They also seem to think that Pioneer is the only brand of DJ equipment, you're only a 'real DJ' if you play their particular favourite genre - everything else 'sucks'.

I could go on for days with the garbage they spout.
 
In my opinion a DJ is there to get people to dance and have a good time. That means you have to be able to read the crowd and have a good knowledge of music. Song selection #1. But keep in mind I'm in Fargo, ND so if you try and do too much scratching people will just start staring at you wondering what the hell you're doing. lol

I'm sure in other parts of the country and in some clubs the mix can be as important as the song selection. But you shouldn't just have people staring at you saying wow that's a good mix. They should be dancing.

And I should add for at least mobile dj's being able to multi task is important. Mixing a song, talking on the mic, switching lights, all while you've got someone talking to you is definitely something that separates the pros from an amature.
 
i would of love to say all of what my fellow dj's have said but only to add. a dj has to have a open mind about music. its not about him/her!
 
What makes a good DJ is the ability to read the crowd and know what they are thinking. You can have all the mixing skills, the music, the best equipment etc....but it means NOTHING if you can't read the crowd. And you either got it or don't.
 
yes you have to have the ability to read the room...but...i feel it is the ability to give the crowd an experience..it is about having fun for them...so that being said ..know the age group you are playing to and give them what they want but also give them something they did not even realize they wanted until you do it...being a real dj as you put it is an art.....anyone can play music but not everyone can do it great...and a good DJ never puts down others trying to become better DJ's...they are above such childish ways of thinking.
 
EXPERIENCE!
 
You can mix nice but if your song selection is not good, People wont like you. When i DJ, my objective is to bring the crowd to the next level like the prime time dj at a major club. I play what the crowd wants to hear and i dont play too much of the same type of music. I switch it up where i attract more people into the dance floor.
 
My Two Cents...

"A disc jockey (often DJ) is an individual who selects and plays pre-recorded music for the enjoyment of others," this is the definition given by wikipedia which is true to it's full extent but... I just want to add my two cents into the two letters alot of people use D J... I just hate it when a person gives themselves a "DJ" name and what not but doesn't know how to or does the following:

A) At least know how to play the tracks right after the other with NO GAPS of silence or at least avoid having them for the most part (If it's a party such as a house party or what not where you know people are dancing)

B) Fade in and Fade out to at least make the transition smooth between tracks.

C) Just stops the music on an off beat (You know what I'm talking about and I know you hate it even if you are listening to music on a regular... You are listening to a track and it just stops and you feel this empty feeling within)

D) Uses a very powerful DJing tool but doesn't use it to it's potential. I mean at least a little bit right?

E) Knowing the crowd... Gotta know the crowd and play the right music.

F) This one is important... I don't care how nasty you are at mixing and all but if you do not have the proper equipment to back up your talent (I consider DJing a talent or a skill (more of a talent because you really need to be music oriented)). By equipment I mean speakers... you know how much it sucks to be at a "party" but you can still hear yourself and the other person you are talking to fine and this is while you are at the dance floor. The cleaner and louder the bass the more hyped people will get (Keep That In Mind Fellow DJers) along with clean and loud high and mids.

G) This is more advanced but if you can DJ learn about Beats Per Minutes (BPM) and familiarize yourself with them to each song... Even if you are not DJing count the BPM (If you don't know how to count BPM I will give you a tip (Just Clap to the beat of the song... thats if you can stay on beat (One of the first lessons in Kinder garden))

Well people that consider themselves DJs and do or doesnt do stuff on this list shouldn't consider themselves DJs because honestly Winamp, iPods and alot of MP3 players out there do support something called a playlist and most likely have something like crossfader time (to fade in and fade out tracks) which can do a better job than you. If you are starting to DJ I hope this will give you some pointers. Just keep in mind that if someone (which if you are considering to be a DJ... will happen) tells you "you suck" or maybe that person might be nicer to you, don't take it as an insult just take it as constructive criticism and work with it. Remember it takes a lot of practice, passion, and patience (and alot of musical knowledge) to be a decent DJ. Like I said on E)... Knowing the crowd is best.

Well I'm going to sign off now... Shout outs to all the DJs out there (that I know), Dj Snoopy, Dj Kiko, Dj Quiknezz, Dj Carullo, Dj Junior... and all the rest...

Peace
Lenin Paulino
a.k.a. Dj Boy
 
Preparation - Getting your music, scouting the venue, talking to your client, etc.
Adaptability - Being able to switch quickly and effortlessly to another track or genre when something is not working as expected.
Circulation - No matter what type of event (club, wedding) not everybody will like the same flavors. Cycle your dance floor.
Knowledge - Know your music, equipment, back-up procedures and everything in between.
Enthusiasm - You're the life of the party and will make or break the event. Guests will feed off the DJ's energy, so get into it!
Diversity - Familiarize yourself with a wide array of music to keep from getting stale and entertaining a broad audience.
 
As is my usual, I offer a question in place of an answer to the original question:

Why did/do you want to be a DJ?

Here's my story:

I was 14. My church youth group held a dance twice a month and invited the other youth groups in town. When we came up with the idea, I volunteered to play the music. I had a pretty diverse taste in music even then. I had a pretty high end Sony stereo system and I knew a little bit about hooking up speakers and amps. We rented an amp and 2 15" heavy wood cabinet Yamaha speakers. I ran the speaker outs from my stereo to the inputs on the amp. The stereo itself was a 3 disc cd changer and dual cassette deck. Yep, I said cassette. I just flipped back and forth between the inputs and ran the dance like that.

That first show was HUGE! Over 100 kids showed up and boy did they dance. Then an amazing thing happened. See, I would buy the really long blank cassettes and record hours of FM radio. Then I would go back and copy certain songs onto my own "compilation" cassettes. I played a song, I can't even tell you what song it was so long ago, and everyone cheered. Not just a handful, i mean EVERYONE. I felt that tingling sensation and the hair on the back of my neck stood up. I got goosebumps. All at once, I realized that I alone, with a single decision to play just the right song, at just the right time, drove that crowd into this overwhelming sense of euphoria that washed back over me. What a rush. A single press of a button made over 100 people feel good enough that they cheered...

Those dances grew and grew; each one better than the last. The crowd came because they had FUN. I was hooked on feeling that adrenaline rush when the crowd goes wild. My programming decisions made them feel good. They forgot all about everything else. For a few hours, it was just me and them and the music. That was 1989.

So, does that make me a good DJ? If you were to ask that group of kids, they would probably say yes. Because I made them feel good. They had fun because of me. Every single gig I do regardless of venue, genre, age, etc, my sole purpose is to have that group feel just like the group from that first dance in 1989. That dedication is what makes me a good DJ.
 
I have a 12-yr old kid playing around with this and I asked HIM what makes a DJ good. Guess what he answered? He said that a GOOD DJ could get the nice girls start dancing... :-)

LOL It was too funny not to post it. (Nice forum btw... am a typical lurker but may post every once in a while.)
 
Deejay Corny wrote :
WHAT MAKES A GOOD DJ?

Loves the music (all types of music), and enjoys the reactions it makes with the public.
 
hippydog wrote :
Deejay Corny wrote :
WHAT MAKES A GOOD DJ?

Loves the music (all types of music), and enjoys the reactions it makes with the public.




I'll second this one....
 
what makes a baseball player great?
love for the game, and practice.
 


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