Djs Playing For Themselves..?

[Len]

There is another dimension to all of this that I don't think has been properly touched on yet. There have always been occasions, right back to hallowed glorious halcyon times, when records have emptied dancefloors - records that have then gone on to be considered all time, floor-filling classics. So, those that argue that only the dancefloor matters should bear that in mind for starters - yesterday's floor-emptier, today's floor-filler; today's floor-emptier, tomorrow's floor-filler........and are we not all the richer for DJs that stuck to what they believed in?

Which brings me to my point. Punters do have a choice in all this - and an awful lot of them seem to forget the principle outlined above. There seems to be an increasingly prevailing collective view that 'Northern Soul' is a generic term for a narrow style of music rather than a state of mind. True, up to a point. I have promoted events in the past clearly aimed at keeping away from the 'classics' and, as a result, been berated by disappointed punters. When told that the music policy was not to play the classics which they recognised as generic Northern Soul, some accepted that, would come back again and bought into what we were trying to do - others chose not to, some disgruntled, some going off to something more to their liking. That's fine, no problem, it was up to them and it was my risk as promoter (and the one shelling out the dosh) to programme the music policy. So, taking the example quoted earlier, frankly, if upfront 60s was not what a punter wanted to hear, then Mick H at that venue was clearly not the marriage made in that punter's heaven. Likewise, if I go to a night which I know is going to play classic oldies all night, I won't expect to hear the latest funky Northern discovery, will I? And I shouldn't be sitting there moaning or going up to the DJ demanding that they play "something I don't know". But I don't because that would be daft. Likewise, I think it's a bit rich if someone rocked up at the Ton Of Dynamite room at Glouscester and kicked off because of the amount of funk being played.

I wouldn't go to Pizza Hut expecting to buy a rare fillet steak - nor would I go to a Beefeater expecting a medium deep pan with extra pepperoni and anchovies. Yet both are restaurants and both serve food. No more would I go to the 100 Club and expect to hear Northern Soul's top 100 all night, whereas if I went to Stoke, I would. Yet both are Northern Soul events.

Maybe I should join the Sealed Knot instead.................

It's all so f*ckin' obvious isn't it mate? But what beggar’s belief is that you still get people who think the night is solely for them, and are aggressive with it. We all know the old 'saying' - 'It does what it says on the tin'.....But I honestly believe, some folk don't even read the flyers (Tin)

No, matter - We are always going to get these moaning 'Decks Pests', it's just something that unfortunately has to be dealt with.

Trying to stay 'on topic', these people that moan are convinced the D.J is playing for themselves and I think that's a real shame. As soon as they make 'their' views known the whole D.J experience can be ruined for someone who is most probably putting a lot of effort in to their set.

All the best,

Len

Edited December 13, 2012 by LEN

[Tezza]

Oppps sorry Dj's Palying FOR THEM SELVES read that wrong.

Oppps sorry Dj's PLAYING for them sleeves read that wrong.

[jocko]

Easy way to find out what sort of crowd and if you are in right venue, when someone asks you if you do requests, assuming you are the dj, you reply do you do them, when the bemused punter says eh, you then say my request is F**k off and play the jukebox, very quickly find out if you are at the wrong sort of venue in my experience, and what sort of punters you have!

Its one of these arguments that there is no one answer, it depends on the venue and if you don't know the answer for that venue then you are a knob, whether a DJ or a punter.

Mr Such's response sums up all that is wrong with the Northern Scene, or my view of the Northern scene, today however I suspect lots of people nodding in agreement with him. Stop pretending it is all one scene, there is the real one and the pretend one, and a fair few in between.

Thank f**k I am retired, again!

[jocko]

PS any dj that doesn't play for themselves, is a fraud and a knob, on my scene anyway!

[Guest ruffsounds]

Can i just put my thoughts on the line here over the Lutterworth night as one of the co-promoters, primarily Lutterworth was setup so that dj's could play the rarer, underplayed, forgotten and new tunes to people who wanted a like minded night.

Both John who was a regular attendee at Lutterworth and Mick who had already dj'd for us are not only top dj's but top blokes as well, unfortunately they took this night to try some new tunes that nobody knew and to be honest it did backfire a bit as not all had a clue about what was being played.

We had over the years given the dj's the opportunity to play what they wanted to an appreciative crowd with some very well known and respected dj's doing just that, its just a shame that one night will be remembered for all the wrong reasons as i am sure over the 40 odd years i have been on the scene i have heard the most uplifting and the most dire tunes ever at the many venues i have attended over the years.

One other thing i must point out is a good dj no matter where he is djing imo should always carry a mix of tunes so he or she can give most of the punters what they want, it's not hard to take a slightly larger case or a smaller seperate one with stuff to cover most venues type of music as an hours spot takes probably less than 25 records.

cheers Ralph

Edited December 13, 2012 by ruffsounds

[Len]

PS any dj that doesn't play for themselves, is a fraud and a knob, on my scene anyway!

I think what the original poster meant by people accusing D.J’s of ‘Playing for themselves’ is when someone thinks the D.J isn’t interested in sharing the enjoyment he gets from his choice of tunes or even cares if people are enjoying them — To me, this is just yet another Northern Soul ‘Urban Myth’ anyway.

The other take on D.J’s playing for themselves is of course the correct one — This is when they play their own choice / taste of tunes and hope others enjoy them too.

All the best,

Len

P.s - Enjoy your retirement Jocko, but I will try and tempt you out of it once in a while Heck, the venue is at a Bowls Club after all

Edited December 13, 2012 by LEN

[Guest Bearsy]

Can i just put my thoughts on the line here over the Lutterworth night as one of the co-promoters, primarily Lutterworth was setup so that dj's could play the rarer, underplayed, forgotten and new tunes to people who wanted a like minded night.

Both John who was a regular attendee at Lutterworth and Mick who had already dj'd for us are not only top dj's but top blokes as well, unfortunately they took this night to try some new tunes that nobody knew and to be honest it did backfire a bit as not all had a clue about what was being played.

We had over the years given the dj's the opportunity to play what they wanted to an appreciative crowd with some very well known and respected dj's doing just that, its just a shame that one night will be remembered for all the wrong reasons as i am sure over the 40 odd years i have been on the scene i have heard the most uplifting and the most dire tunes ever at the many venues i have attended over the years.

One other thing i must point out is a good dj no matter where he is djing imo should always carry a mix of tunes so he or she can give most of the punters what they want, it's not hard to take a slightly larger case or a smaller seperate one with stuff to cover most venues type of music as an hours spot takes probably less than 25 records.

cheers Ralph

so they played rare, underplayed and new tunes at a venue that advertises that and went down badly cos the punters didnt know any of their tunes and they didnt bring any tunes anyone knew just incase how very dare they

sorry but i have either read this totally wrong or i am more confused than ive ever been in my life before and thats saying something

[Len]

Can i just put my thoughts on the line here over the Lutterworth night as one of the co-promoters, primarily Lutterworth was setup so that dj's could play the rarer, underplayed, forgotten and new tunes to people who wanted a like minded night.

Both John who was a regular attendee at Lutterworth and Mick who had already dj'd for us are not only top dj's but top blokes as well, unfortunately they took this night to try some new tunes that nobody knew and to be honest it did backfire a bit as not all had a clue about what was being played.

We had over the years given the dj's the opportunity to play what they wanted to an appreciative crowd with some very well known and respected dj's doing just that, its just a shame that one night will be remembered for all the wrong reasons as i am sure over the 40 odd years i have been on the scene i have heard the most uplifting and the most dire tunes ever at the many venues i have attended over the years.

One other thing i must point out is a good dj no matter where he is djing imo should always carry a mix of tunes so he or she can give most of the punters what they want, it's not hard to take a slightly larger case or a smaller seperate one with stuff to cover most venues type of music as an hours spot takes probably less than 25 records.

cheers Ralph

Hi Ralph,

Thanks for responding and I hope you don’t mind me bringing Lutterworth in as an example. I was simply demonstrating that sometimes everything doesn’t go right, this is why I said in my earlier post “I think this set of circumstances was just ‘one of those things’ and not to be picked apart”

Let’s be fair here - You have always promoted Lutterworth as somewhere that won’t make too much compromise, so really it did do ‘what it said on the tin’ Maybe some folk wanted it slightly different that night, that’s all.

Years ago, I had a night at The Embankment Club entitled ‘Albrighton Comes To Wellingborough’, long story, but it didn’t work and I had a f*ckin’ nightmare explaining to loads of people that the reason I put ‘Albrighton Comes To Wellingborough’ on the flyer was because the theme of the night was ‘Albrighton Comes To Wellingborough’ FFS! — A crowd of people walked across the (empty) dance floor to my table with their coats on and said “We didn’t travel all this way from Bedfordshire to hear this Sh*t” and went home……Nice……

….My mistake was not seeing that I was one of only a few from Northants that travelled at that time, so lots of my regulars would never have heard of Albrighton……But I did put it on the flyer! — It wasn’t all bad, in fact this was all in the first half of the night, the night ended fine and Chris Anderton had a very busy dance floor — But, the negatives is what I will remember which is a shame.

…..I hope that has deflected things away from your event a little mate

All the best,

Len

Edited December 13, 2012 by LEN

[Chalky]

The whole point in booking a DJ is for what he can bring to the night that others can't. If you are simply going to book a DJ to play what any joe blogg can play then what is the point, you not as well keep it local and save some money.

I personally think that too many promoters are just on an ego trip, booking certain DJs just so they can say I've had so and so here.

It isn't just down to the DJ to do his or her homework, load of boll*cks that one, it is down to the lazy promoters to do their homework when booking Dj's. Get out and listen to a DJ, don't just book them because they are spending a fortune and getting talked about. They should book only DJs that are suitable for their paying crowd.

[Fuzzj]

Keep the faith

mark you always had impecable taste to appeal to all a lesson to any budding dj...

[Len]

Another time (again at The Embankment Club) I had someone come up to me and tell me they were going to smack Butch in the face because they went to ask him to play some oldies, and he simply replied “No” and turned his back on them! — A panic overcame me, and I had too heartily agree with the person in question, saying “Leave it to me mate, I’ll have a f*ckin word, you’ve paid ya money, I’m in charge” etc, etc …..Then of course not doing a thing….

All the best,

Len

Edited December 13, 2012 by LEN

[KevH]

You got Lutterworth wrong Len.

John played to impress a very small percentage of people in the room and to try and impress Mick. Which he probably wouldnt have stood a cat in hells chance of doing. John even had a snipe at one of the other dj's by saying "well you played that wrong didnt you, you played for them and not yourself". I was there that night and I saw and heard it all.

When a Dj believes he is better than the music he is playing it matters not one jot where they are invited to play they will ALWAYS do it with an air of self importance and should probably only play to a selective audience in their record room.

Even though it fricking pains me to admit it I agree with Terrys post earlier, thats how it is and should be. This doesnt mean Im sending Terry or expecting a Christmas card.

Well Kev,i know John and Mick.Maybe John was trying to show Mick what he's got in his locker as well as trying to keep the dancefloor happy.Why would you say he couldn't stand a cat in hell's chance of doing that? Is that cos Mick isn't a) interested b) knows it all.???? Come on Kev ,neither of them are like that.

A dj has to put his own stamp on the night.Play something the others haven't played or got.If that's playing for themselves then we may as well pack up NOW.

As for dj's thinking they are more important than the music,i think you've got that wrong.They may think what they play is important,in the context of getting it heard and appreciated.

I wasn't at Lutterworth,but if something was said by whoever,it should be kept off of here,and kept private.And one last thing,a dj can be less than impressed with the night....after all they are paying punters as well.

Edited December 13, 2012 by KevH

[sir cumference]

Another time (again at The Embankment Club) I had someone come up to me and tell me they were going to smack Butch in the face because they went to ask him to play some oldies, and he simply replied “No” and turned his back on them! — A panic overcame me, and I had too heartily agree with the person in question, saying “Leave it to me mate, I’ll have a f*ckin word, you’ve paid ya money, I’m in charge” etc, etc …..Then of course not doing a thing….

All the best,

Len

They obviously don`t know Butch at all!

[Guest ruffsounds]

Can i just reiterate again Lutterworworth was a venue where we allowed the dj's to play what they wanted, some being well known to the totally obscure tune that maybe a dj was trying out for the first time, a crime of which i am also guilty of from time to time.

The only problem on this said night was that people played a lot more of the obscure, unknowns than usual as i think both partie's were trying to get some input into the new tunes they wanted to play in the future at other venue's, as Lutterworth never ever told any dj hang on you cannot play that here we were as Len quite rightly say's allowing thing's at our venue where it would be dissmissed at other's, was on this night perhaps too much for a lot of the punters, (but one night out of our monthly do's over of 4 years) is worth it for the quality of the dj's and tunes that we had while we were running Lutterworth.

Not every dj can be 100% on the ball every time they do a set so let's just let them dj and either applaud or moan while we still have the venues and the music to listen & dance to.

Thats my explanation cheers Ralph

Edited December 13, 2012 by ruffsounds

[Markw]

Keep the faith

Join the Sealed Knot mate

[Len]

Can i just reiterate again Lutterworworth was a venue where we allowed the dj's to play what they wanted, some being well known to the totally obscure tune that maybe a dj was trying out for the first time, a crime of which i am also guilty of from time to time.

The only problem on this said night was that people played a lot more of the obscure, unknowns than usual as i think both partie's were trying to get some input into the new tunes they wanted to play in the future at other venue's, as Lutterworth never ever told any dj hang on you cannot play that here we were as Len quite rightly say's allowing thing's at our venue where it would be dissmissed at other's, was on this night perhaps too much for a lot of the punters, (but one night out of our monthly do's over of 4 years) is worth it for the quality of the dj's and tunes that we had while we were running Lutterworth.

Not every dj can be 100% on the ball every time they do a set so let's just let them dj and either applaud or moan while we still have the venues and the music to listen & dance to.

Thats my explanation cheers Ralph

You don't need to explain yourself Ralph, it can't 'happen' for every D.J all of the time - If it did we'd soon moan because we would have nothing to moan about!

All the best,

Len

[Kev John]

Dj's should always express themselves with there own styles of music

The Dj takes the crowd where he/she goes not the crowd taking the Dj

You book a guest Dj to bring something different to the table not to play the same stuff as resident dj's do ?

[Guest gordon russell]

Still think some of you haven,t quite got it.......Resident dj,s play the genre/vibe of the club in question so for instance my fav place mid/uptempo all night spanning the 60's and very early 70's(not much) covering some oldies,new stuff and underplayed, then guests are asked to dj if they are going to play whatever they like WITHIN THAT GENRE...hence not only does their set flow for them it flows through the night....now that ain,t hard......as a dj there as long as you like that stuff,like to play that stuff and buy that stuff...BINGO!! alls well in the nighter........the problem has always been when guest dj,s play a different style ...believe me it,s noticable as the music here is regadless of other comentators thoughts is genuinely different............djing at any nighter and doing your own thing out of the context of the club never works......and again it usually happens at a club the dj never frequents

Edited December 13, 2012 by gordon russell

[Chalky]

Still think some of you haven,t quite got it.......Resident dj,s play the genre/vibe of the club in question so for instance my fav place mid/uptempo all night spanning the 60's and very early 70's(not much) covering some oldies,new stuff and underplayed, then guests are asked to dj if they are going to play whatever they like WITHIN THAT GENRE...hence not only does their set flow for them it flows through the night....now that ain,t hard......as a dj there as long as you like that stuff,like to play that stuff and buy that stuff...BINGO!! alls well in the nighter........the problem has always been when guest dj,s play a different style ...believe me it,s noticable as the music here is regadless of other comentators thoughts is genuinely different............djing at any nighter and doing your own thing out of the context of the club never works......and again it usually happens at a club the dj never frequents

Who doesn't quite get it Terry? Again it is up to the promoter to either tell the DJ what he expects or give him a free reign and let him play what he normally does. Again you are putting the onus totally on the DJ and that isn't fair. It is up to the promoter to to book the DJ with his venues music policy in mind.

It's like booking a modern DJ for a northern night in the midlands and then blaming the DJ.

[Guest gordon russell]

Who doesn't quite get it Terry? Again it is up to the promoter to either tell the DJ what he expects or give him a free reign and let him play what he normally does. Again you are putting the onus totally on the DJ and that isn't fair. It is up to the promoter to to book the DJ with his venues music policy in mind.

It's like booking a modern DJ for a northern night in the midlands and then blaming the DJ.

heres an easier way of putting it.........so are you saying that the dj knowing that the music is not what he plays even though he,s been asked by the promoter.......STILL says yes o.k mate i,ll be there.

beggars belief...........because l would like to think l would have these thoughts firstly "l like modern so what am l going there for" and secondly "they don,t like modern so they're gonna lynch me when l get going"......my last thought would be ....ring ring!.....ring ring!....."hello mate" (promoter) "sorry can,t make it"...."big mistake"....."bye"

[Chalky]

heres an easier way of putting it.........so are you saying that the dj knowing that the music is not what he plays even though he,s been asked by the promoter.......STILL says yes o.k mate i,ll be there.

beggars belief...........because l would like to think l would have these thoughts firstly "l like modern so what am l going there for" and secondly "they don,t like modern so they're gonna lynch me when l get going"......my last thought would be ....ring ring!.....ring ring!....."hello mate" (promoter) "sorry can,t make it"...."big mistake"....."bye"

Of course not, most of us know what any venue usually promotes musically and the DJ has to take some responsibility.

BUT ultimately IMO the responsibility has to rest with the promoter. He or she should be out there hearing DJ's and booking like minded DJ's that would fit within their clubs policy. One thing a promoter shouldn't do is book a DJ without hearing them nor book a Dj simply because the "DJ" asks to DJ.

As I said earlier I think kudos/ego is involved with many promoters and the reason why they book some DJ's.

But I dare say there are some DJ's that would do what you suggest above.

[Kev John]

I remember going to Natwich civic one night Ginger Taylor was guest Dj he turned up just before his spot & he played half of

Gary Taylor's spot who was on before GT

The promoter spoke to me and said he waited 4yrs to book GT i said why did you bother you could have saved you're money &

put on any Tom,Dick or Harry on to play what Ginger had just played!!!!!!!! :wicked:

[NEV]

I remember going to Natwich civic one night Ginger Taylor was guest Dj he turned up just before his spot & he played half of

Gary Taylor's spot who was on before GT

The promoter spoke to me and said he waited 4yrs to book GT i said why did you bother you could have saved you're money &

put on any Tom,Dick or Harry on to play what Ginger had just played!!!!!!!! :wicked:

But the simple fact is ,to a lot of people the name of the dj sells tickets ,not the fact he's gonna be professional and play safe and more than likely records that most of the local dj's have and usually play .

That of course ,is also testament to a pro ,reading the crowd and playing accordingly .

[Peter99]

Someone must have said this already but..................Djs Playing For Themselves is surely preferable to Djs playing with themselves. Mm, perhaps not with a little hindsight.

Peter

[Guest gordon russell]

Of course not, most of us know what any venue usually promotes musically and the DJ has to take some responsibility.

BUT ultimately IMO the responsibility has to rest with the promoter. He or she should be out there hearing DJ's and booking like minded DJ's that would fit within their clubs policy. One thing a promoter shouldn't do is book a DJ without hearing them nor book a Dj simply because the "DJ" asks to DJ.

As I said earlier I think kudos/ego is involved with many promoters and the reason why they book some DJ's.

But I dare say there are some DJ's that would do what you suggest above.

exactamundo!!.....chalky me old china!!

[Citizen P]

The whole point in booking a DJ is for what he can bring to the night that others can't. If you are simply going to book a DJ to play what any joe blogg can play then what is the point, you not as well keep it local and save some money.

I personally think that too many promoters are just on an ego trip, booking certain DJs just so they can say I've had so and so here.

It isn't just down to the DJ to do his or her homework, load of boll*cks that one, it is down to the lazy promoters to do their homework when booking Dj's. Get out and listen to a DJ, don't just book them because they are spending a fortune and getting talked about. They should book only DJs that are suitable for their paying crowd.

Blimey, you're not suggesting that promoters go out to other clubs are you??

The Horror..

Bill

[Guest spudmurphy]

an arris is the angled corner on a plaster bead im off

[Spacehopper]

right heres me tuppence worth....

to answer the question... i think (and hope) on the whole its more 'this is a great record please give it a listen' as opposed to 'f*** you i like it'....

when there are problems i dont think its as black and white as some on here say....do people really book modern djs for mainly 60s clubs?...if so then yeah thats plain stupid and the promoter AND dj are wrong but if its a case of a dj playing some lesser known 60s stuff at that club and an oldies fan comin up and barkin play sumfin we know stop playin for yourself then i think the oldies fan should just chill and wait for the residents...as has been said its their job to on the whole play the 'norm' that has made the 'moanin' punter go there as he obviously wasnt going for the guest....unless he didnt know what the guest played in which case surely its his fault to?

so while i agree a promoter should ask guests who he believes will fit into his/her club i also believe you shouldnt just get guests who will play the same as the residents...unless its a specific oldies, rnb club or whatever...

we play a mix of 60s rnb,northern and funky edged both oldies and lesser known and always with something new but our punters and guests know that...some guests at our club have worked better than others but at least they are all slightly different and not so far out there that some of the people at least havent enjoyed them....maybe we're just lucky...but then again weve never and will never book a modern or 70s soul dj..now i suppose i should duck for writing that last paragraph but i think it was relevant

dean

[Citizen P]

an arris is the angled corner on a plaster bead im off

Kinnell, no wonder me trousers don't fit..

William

[Mal C]

I wouldn't go to Pizza Hut expecting to buy a rare fillet steak - nor would I go to a Beefeater expecting a medium deep pan with extra pepperoni and anchovies. Yet both are restaurants and both serve food. No more would I go to the 100 Club and expect to hear Northern Soul's top 100 all night, whereas if I went to Stoke, I would. Yet both are Northern Soul events.

Maybe I should join the Sealed Knot instead.................

Love the 'Food example' Marc.. it's very loaded subject this, all I'd like to say Is I expect to hear 'The Impressions - you ought to be in Heaven, every time I go out!!

The only thing I don't like is what I call the yo yo effect, which basically means the DJ plays good dance record, we all run to the floor to give our all, followed by a 'Conway Twitty' record, and clears the floor, followed by another good dance record, followed by said 'Twitty' record, and the night becomes less a dance night and more a exercise in changing the channel on the tv...

so the moral of my meander is, is if you are a DJ, keep it consistent, remember tempo, try to think about what record goes with what, don't yap over the records like that Terry Jones bloke and say no to Conway Twitty.

keep it Real!!!

Mal.C

Edited December 14, 2012 by Mal.C.

[Guest gordon russell]

But the simple fact is ,to a lot of people the name of the dj sells tickets ,not the fact he's gonna be professional and play safe and more than likely records that most of the local dj's have and usually play .

That of course ,is also testament to a pro ,reading the crowd and playing accordingly .

Nev.......you have that one spectacularly right and wrong at once .....named dj,s in the main have absolutely no pulling power at all any more regardless of their quality and l mean that sincerely.....except promoters seem to not have picked up on this. These dj,s are not required at 99% of soul nights for a start...reason a good old mate of mine from the midlands who l would call a big named dj...has dj,d a few times at local venues near me and he told me quite forcfully that he can,t/couldn,t play anything other than easy listening oldies as the locals complained about it being to rare ect....one tune in particular "lady in green"......also we have read how mick h was given a hard time for not playing easy listening soul night music......Soul sam was moaned at when he dj,d at peterborough "to much modern" was the cry.Nighters are a different kettle,but even here if the dj dosn,t play that clubs groove.....it,s noticable atb tezza

[Markw]

Nev.......you have that one spectacularly right and wrong at once .....named dj,s in the main have absolutely no pulling power at all any more regardless of their quality and l mean that sincerely.....except promoters seem to not have picked up on this. These dj,s are not required at 99% of soul nights for a start...reason a good old mate of mine from the midlands who l would call a big named dj...has dj,d a few times at local venues near me and he told me quite forcfully that he can,t/couldn,t play anything other than easy listening oldies as the locals complained about it being to rare ect....one tune in particular "lady in green"......also we have read how mick h was given a hard time for not playing easy listening soul night music......Soul sam was moaned at when he dj,d at peterborough "to much modern" was the cry.Nighters are a different kettle,but even here if the dj dosn,t play that clubs groove.....it,s noticable atb tezza

"Easy listening oldies"............sums it up well. Main reason why I can't be arsed. How many more like me? Must be many many fans out there, driven out by the Easy Listening Oldies. Why does your mate bother to DJ?

Mind you, this brings us back to the issue in question. I went to an event recently where the DJ concerned was booked specifically for the rarities in their box and the policy of the venue is to "mix it up" with DJs encouraged to try out different stuff. Knowing that said DJ had a particular item he had recently acquired - hardly an unknown 45, just dog dog rare - I asked him to play it, to which the reply was "I can't, the dancers don't know it because it's so rare". And so it passed, it did not get played. How the feckin 'ell will those punters get to know it if that DJ doesn't use it?

[Guest]

I'd like to say Is I expect to hear 'The Impressions - you ought to be in Heaven, every time I go out!!

Spooky!

Was sorting a few discs out as I'm DJing tomorrow night...and I had pulled said Impressions track out as a possible!

[Mal C]

"Easy listening oldies"............sums it up well. Main reason why I can't be arsed. How many more like me? Must be many many fans out there, driven out by the Easy Listening Oldies. Why does your mate bother to DJ?

Mind you, this brings us back to the issue in question. I went to an event recently where the DJ concerned was booked specifically for the rarities in their box and the policy of the venue is to "mix it up" with DJs encouraged to try out different stuff. Knowing that said DJ had a particular item he had recently acquired - hardly an unknown 45, just dog dog rare - I asked him to play it, to which the reply was "I can't, the dancers don't know it because it's so rare". And so it passed, it did not get played. How the feckin 'ell will those punters get to know it if that DJ doesn't use it?

what was it?

[Steve L]

I remember going to Natwich civic one night Ginger Taylor was guest Dj he turned up just before his spot & he played half of

Gary Taylor's spot who was on before GT

The promoter spoke to me and said he waited 4yrs to book GT i said why did you bother you could have saved you're money &

put on any Tom,Dick or Harry on to play what Ginger had just played!!!!!!!! :wicked:

Went to a local do a couple of years ago and a nationally well known DJ was on, he'd travelled about 200 miles and proceeded to do the most dull unimaginative spot that any Tom Dick or Harry in the place could have done.

Why bother?

[KevH]

Went to a local do a couple of years ago and a nationally well known DJ was on, he'd travelled about 200 miles and proceeded to do the most dull unimaginative spot that any Tom Dick or Harry in the place could have done.

Why bother?

Bring on Year Zero.!!!

[NEV]

Nev.......you have that one spectacularly right and wrong at once .....named dj,s in the main have absolutely no pulling power at all any more regardless of their quality and l mean that sincerely.....except promoters seem to not have picked up on this. These dj,s are not required at 99% of soul nights for a start...reason a good old mate of mine from the midlands who l would call a big named dj...has dj,d a few times at local venues near me and he told me quite forcfully that he can,t/couldn,t play anything other than easy listening oldies as the locals complained about it being to rare ect....one tune in particular "lady in green"......also we have read how mick h was given a hard time for not playing easy listening soul night music......Soul sam was moaned at when he dj,d at peterborough "to much modern" was the cry.Nighters are a different kettle,but even here if the dj dosn,t play that clubs groove.....it,s noticable atb tezza

Not gonna argue the fact ,but i know and have a lot of friends who are into oldies type soul venues and i often chuckle when they boast about the big name dj that's gonna be guest at the next event .

Infact i even had one recently asking me if i was going cos they were gonna try and get Russ Winstanley on

I'd go as far as to say .. the same people have walked off the floor in disgust at a local dj playing a not so well known record ,yet filled the floor when Mr big name dj played it .

So i suppose it's not so cut and dried and it differs all over the country .

The case may be ,that the big name dj does play it safe ,but thats because he knows from experience not to venture into the unknown and sticks with tried and tested dancefloor winners.

The saddest thing for me is that the promoter actually pays a lot of money for someone, who in reality, is only playing records the locals dj's have all got

P.s ,apologies to the thread starter for going off on a tangent

[Julianb]

right heres me tuppence worth....

to answer the question... i think (and hope) on the whole its more 'this is a great record please give it a listen' as opposed to 'f*** you i like it'....

I did the 'please listen to this etc' recently at the Graham Slater Memorial Night when I played the Limelights ' Don't leave me baby' to an empty dancefloor.

A few weeks later I was at Ramsbottom as a punter when a couple of guys came up and asked what the record was I played as they really enjoyed hearing it ( for the first time). I thought 'job done'. Might play it again sometime.

Julian

[NEV]

I did the 'please listen to this etc' recently at the Graham Slater Memorial Night when I played the Limelights ' Don't leave me baby' to an empty dancefloor.

A few weeks later I was at Ramsbottom as a punter when a couple of guys came up and asked what the record was I played as they really enjoyed hearing it ( for the first time). I thought 'job done'. Might play it again sometime.

Julian

If its any consolation ,I played Gladys Knight - just walk in my shoes ,and got accused of trying to impress my fellow dj / collectors .

Same person asked if I had any Billy Ocean

[Little-stevie]

If its any consolation ,I played Gladys Knight - just wal ank in my shoes ,and got accused of trying to impress my fellow dj / collectors .

Same person asked if I had any Billy Ocean

Had a shite day but that made me smile a lot Nev.....