Dj's and nightclubs

EuskalHerria

I'm sure this has been raised before. Just looking for a few opinions. Was watching some DJ videos, Anyway multiple djs in the vids were giving advice on building your set, and essentially tips like know your crowd, but they still go on to suggest playing house/trance/progressive etc. as if it is still entirely dance music you'll be playing but different types of dance music. One thing that is neglected in these videos, that might seem to suggest the uniqueness of irish clubs, is that the lenght and breadth of this country in the high majority of nightclubs, djs are playing songs they wouldn't play themselves.
I suppose this is a subjective view, my clubbing experiences are limited to the areas i'm either visiting or living in so I can only speak for myself, but it seems most djs in most nightclubs are playing mostly popular music with maybe a hint of their own musical taste towards the end of the night.

Would you agree that in most nightclubs this is the case?

How do you feel about DJs having to play with a safety net and within the boundaries of popular music?

Maybe it is an entirely subjective observation, but its just something I was wondering has anyone else got an opinion on?

abouttobebanned

I'm just back from DJing in a club so I'll give you my take on it. Clubs are dying. Up and down the country, they're all suffering. 85% of the clubs in Ireland are mainstream and are frequented mostly by X Factor viewers. This puts DJs in a very tricky spot, it basically means that we have to play a lot of the ****e that's churned into the charts on a weekly basis. All we can do is try and find some decent remixes of the tracks that we can bare to play and that will be good enough to keep the crowd going. As the night goes on we can slip in some of our own favourites in the hope that we find some lost soul who's night has just been made.

At the end of the day, this is a job and we need to keep the boss happy to keep that job...the only thing that keeps him happy is contented punters. You're never gonna please all the people all of the time so all we can do is please some of the people, some of the time.

There are some club owners out there who have no interest in mixing and will happy give a job to a guy who just fades in every popular hit for the whole night (playing the a-list tracks 2-3 times)...these are the DJs I want to see out of night clubs simply because they're devaluing the whole experience.

Oh and another point....I think the days of paying into night clubs are about to die.

SRFC90

abouttobebanned wrote: »

I'm just back from DJing in a club so I'll give you my take on it. Clubs are dying. Up and down the country, they're all suffering. 85% of the clubs in Ireland are mainstream and are frequented mostly by X Factor viewers. This puts DJs in a very tricky spot, it basically means that we have to play a lot of the ****e that's churned into the charts on a weekly basis. All we can do is try and find some decent remixes of the tracks that we can bare to play and that will be good enough to keep the crowd going. As the night goes on we can slip in some of our own favourites in the hope that we find some lost soul who's night has just been made.

At the end of the day, this is a job and we need to keep the boss happy to keep that job...the only thing that keeps him happy is contented punters. You're never gonna please all the people all of the time so all we can do is please some of the people, some of the time.

There are some club owners out there who have no interest in mixing and will happy give a job to a guy who just fades in every popular hit for the whole night (playing the a-list tracks 2-3 times)...these are the DJs I want to see out of night clubs simply because they're devaluing the whole experience.

Oh and another point....I think the days of paying into night clubs are about to die.

Interesting point there. Why do you think this is? Is it purely to make the club seem more attractive and essentially a cheaper spot to go to for the punters!?

Also, what'd your setlist look like, if given the fredom to play what you want, within reason! (ie. clubs style etc.) , compared to some tunes you played tonight?

Edit - Just an interested punter btw!

EuskalHerria

abouttobebanned wrote: »

I'm just back from DJing in a club so I'll give you my take on it. Clubs are dying. Up and down the country, they're all suffering. 85% of the clubs in Ireland are mainstream and are frequented mostly by X Factor viewers. This puts DJs in a very tricky spot, it basically means that we have to play a lot of the ****e that's churned into the charts on a weekly basis. All we can do is try and find some decent remixes of the tracks that we can bare to play and that will be good enough to keep the crowd going. As the night goes on we can slip in some of our own favourites in the hope that we find some lost soul who's night has just been made.

At the end of the day, this is a job and we need to keep the boss happy to keep that job...the only thing that keeps him happy is contented punters. You're never gonna please all the people all of the time so all we can do is please some of the people, some of the time.

There are some club owners out there who have no interest in mixing and will happy give a job to a guy who just fades in every popular hit for the whole night (playing the a-list tracks 2-3 times)...these are the DJs I want to see out of night clubs simply because they're devaluing the whole experience.

Oh and another point....I think the days of paying into night clubs are about to die.

Basically sums up what I felt myself was going on. There seems to be some, like you say, that are happy enough to churn out mass produced muck. Honest to god i'm sure i'll hear a jedward track in a nightclub before xmas:(

In some cases I think there needs to be a few more genuine Djs becoming more adventurous. The ones I have seen and paid attention to in clubs stay within the sandbox, the comfort zone, when they could easily stick on some dance tracks. There would need to be a steady transition but at times I think the crowd would really go for it but the Dj just isn't willing to take a risk, stay with the dodgy 90's track or latest bull**** flavour of the fortnight.

Will agree with paying into nightclubs, in todays finacial times thenit isn't sustainable, people rather late bars than nightclubs just to save a few quid for an extra few drinks.

There was a time that clubs were packed and dance music thrived because it was what people expected and enjoyed in a club. Now it seems to have become a taboo in a lot of clubs as it isn't mainstream (even the mainstream dance isn't mainstream enough)

So what will happen that this will change though? I'm just getting into Dj'ing and it seems daunting that if I want to mix and all the basics of DJ'ing I would be better of starting with the likes of lady gaga and "the stars of xfactor":(

Executive Steve

Vote with your feet.

The masses will always prefer the stuff that doesn't challenge them too much, it's only natural really... Even in Berlin, I can guarantee you that there's venues twice the size of whatever stop-off on the Techno-tourist's radar is big in the blogs in any given week playing absolute sewage.

At the end of the day there's half as many people on this whole island as there are in a city the size of London, the only way music that's anyway different to the established norms is ever going to thrive is if people go out and support it, and that takes effort.

If you don't like cheese clubs find the nearest thing to an alternative and go there and spend money so it can thrive; if you're going to places where they play Jedward then you're a part of the problem.

Executive Steve

EuskalHerria wrote: »

Basically sums up what I felt myself was going on. There seems to be some, like you say, that are happy enough to churn out mass produced muck. Honest to god i'm sure i'll hear a jedward track in a nightclub before xmas:(

In some cases I think there needs to be a few more genuine Djs becoming more adventurous. The ones I have seen and paid attention to in clubs stay within the sandbox, the comfort zone, when they could easily stick on some dance tracks. There would need to be a steady transition but at times I think the crowd would really go for it but the Dj just isn't willing to take a risk, stay with the dodgy 90's track or latest bull**** flavour of the fortnight.

Will agree with paying into nightclubs, in todays finacial times thenit isn't sustainable, people rather late bars than nightclubs just to save a few quid for an extra few drinks.

There was a time that clubs were packed and dance music thrived because it was what people expected and enjoyed in a club. Now it seems to have become a taboo in a lot of clubs as it isn't mainstream (even the mainstream dance isn't mainstream enough)

So what will happen that this will change though? I'm just getting into Dj'ing and it seems daunting that if I want to mix and all the basics of DJ'ing I would be better of starting with the likes of lady gaga and "the stars of xfactor":(

Utterly disagree about paying in by the way; where is the money for a decent soundsystem going to come from? Who's going to pay big money for a guest? Where are the residents going to get money to buy records and to cut dubplates with?

Kenny DNK

if a lad wants to get paid, hes gonna have to play cheese.. simple as.. the local nightclub scene nowadays is **** all about music, and more about getting rat arsed and getting the leg over.

I was resident dj in two clubs locally, in club A the first night I played some nice housey remixes, and a few new tracks along with the usual ****e at the start, got the head ate off me for being too "housey" from the gaffer. It was an 80s night after that.

In Club B, they tried to stick the neck out and do a house night, the best of tunes being played and all night you would be plagued with ***** looking for britney...

At the end of the day, the gaffer wants sales on the door and sales at the bar, and the best way to do that is to keep people off the dancefloor and at the bar.

SteveDon

What you are saying is true is some respects, but it just takes a venture of the beaten track of commercial nightclubs to find a somewhat thriving dance music scene in Dublin, there is plenty of promotors out there that deserve credit for pushing new artists and getting reputable international guests over.

Why not try going to one of these clubs on a friday or saturday night.

Underground@Kennedys
Pygmallion
Twisted Pepper
Button Factory
Even Tripod and Crawdaddy host dance events regularly

thecommander

A DJ who works in a commercial venue is expected to play commercial music. If they don't want the boundaries of that then they need to find a club or night that suits them. You can't go and take a job in a cheesy nightclub then moan when you cant play your latest m_nus remix.

As for paying into clubs, any I deal with seem to charge in most nights (moreso than they used to), but offer €3 drinks in return. People seem to think this is better value than free in and regular priced drinks. On the cheap drink nights they spend more than they used to per head.

Executive Steve

thecommander wrote: »

A DJ who works in a commercial venue is expected to play commercial music. If they don't want the boundaries of that then they need to find a club or night that suits them. You can't go and take a job in a cheesy nightclub then moan when you cant play your latest m_nus remix.

This.

Nice tunes on your myspace by the way - not hugely into techno but "First Timer" is wicked!

Quiggers

Clubs are big business, quite simply they want loads of women in paying €10 on the door but happy to dance all nite to B.E.P's and Beyonce so that tons of lads come in paying €10 on the door to try and score with them. DJ'ing isnt cool like it was back in 2000 so if
you do a mix in a comercial club your gonna get sarcasism as thanks and some smuck
leaning over and scrubbing the jog wheel on your cdj, thinking he's the shizzle.

Dance music is a niche genre like heavy metal, so it has its spots here and there, if you live near one of the cities you can probably find something to your liking in a small club on a side street, if you live in rural ireland with only one club in the local town then you're pretty much stuck with chart and mabye some old cheesy house, as a dj you have to play for the crowd, its a social scene not a dictatorship and the charts are the charts because the majority like that music, as for paying in, its here to stay, might become cheaper but wont go away. What i'm see recently is late bars scrapping the DJ and just buying a weekly chart mix to play over the in-house speakers.

I played a house party monday night for the first time in years and for the first time in years it was my choice of music, i still got asked for the brittney / B.E.P's / beyonce tracks cause peeps like them.

I also think the E culture did a lot of damage to the scene, play anything above 135 bpm and the local gurning scumbag will appear to do his version of the little box big box i'll stick ya a head butt bud.

It was mentioned earlier but lack of population is a big factor.

Táck

Quiggers wrote: »

I also think the E culture did a lot of damage to the scene, play anything above 135 bpm and the local gurning scumbag will appear to do his version of the little box big box i'll stick ya a head butt bud.

where are you playing?

cocaine tried to ruin the scene but all it did was make it go underground again. something this thread doesn't seem to know much about at all.

Fintomiginto

Quiggers wrote: »

I also think the E culture did a lot of damage to the scene, play anything above 135 bpm and the local gurning scumbag will appear to do his version of the little box big box i'll stick ya a head butt bud.

Ruined the scene??
Im nearly sure that the influx of e was the reason the dance scene exploded when it did? I could be wrong

thecommander

Táck wrote: »

where are you playing?

cocaine tried to ruin the scene but all it did was make it go underground again. something this thread doesn't seem to know much about at all.

Popular music changed aswell, the rise of RnB pushed dance music back out of regular clubs.

gsparx

Kenny DNK wrote: »

...the local nightclub scene nowadays is **** all about music, and more about getting rat arsed and getting the leg over.

Nowadays?
It always has been and always will be this way. If it's in the charts it'll be in the mainstream clubs because it's popular and people know it and, for better or worse, they want to hear it. And people like to hook up.

As long as the clubs playing good underground music don't disappear altogether I think it's fine.