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Adding showmanship to your set

Home :: General Discussion :: Adding showmanship to your setReply

Adding showmanship to your set Posted on: 27.05.2013 by Valeri Holderness How do you guys go about adding showmanship to your sets? I don
Valeri Holderness 28.05.2013	Originally Posted by dripstep I believe this half-assed pre-recorded drivel will eventually pass as DJing moves from "cool" back to its former glory. The same thing has happened with punk rock. Remember a time when "punks" were real and not store bought? Pop-punk moved into the mainstream with blink182, sum41 etc, and all of a sudden it was cool to have a mohawk and jewlery in your face, where it once was taboo. That seems to have passed and been replaced with different genres (pseudo-indy). I have a feeling that this rockstar mentality of DJs will follow the same path in time. And if not, who cares? I still like the music I like, and will continue to support those that I feel deserve it. /rant. Thats a pretty interesting comparison. I wonder if some small pieces of dance music/dj culture will still linger in the mainstream after this whole thing blows over.
Valeri Holderness 29.05.2013	Originally Posted by dripstep Purely an observation, but the top 40 "mainstream" DJs that get hated on are the reason the DJ moved from a position of music provider to rockstar status. Definitely. But I suppose in every genre of music famous artists achieve a rock star status, I don't believe it was any surprise that the shift happened in dance music as well. Along with this, the type of music a lot of these djs make diverges from the traditional spirit/sound/vibe of older dance music, which I believe causes a lot of people to hate mainstream acts as well. My main beef is that live performance is essentially dead especially in the mainstream. This isn't just a problem in djing though. I've been dragged out to a few top 40 concerts, and literally each and every one of them involves the artist either lip syncing or just singing on top of a track which already includes vocals. I've seen some solid dj sets, but I've also seen some big name djs play some very very poor sets. My 2 cents is that if local djs make an increased effort to add more of a performance to their sets, it will raise the very low bar thats been set for djing and will help the art develop
Lilliana Perris 28.05.2013	Originally Posted by loverocket this^ and when the crowd is going off to the MUSIC and they scream on a break, without you instigating a thing, it feels real and a lot more satisfying. > Indeed...you doing a good job then. But helping em along is not a bad thing. They want to enjoy the peformance. If you look busy and don't make eye contact with anyone in the front...its not a good thing either.
Jerica Salava 28.05.2013	Originally Posted by dripstep I'm from the oldschool way of believeing. Its not about the DJ, its about you and your friends going out and having a good time, dancing to music you enjoy. Not having the DJ be the center of attention. Let your hands do the showmanship through that sweet music. this^ and when the crowd is going off to the MUSIC and they scream on a break, without you instigating a thing, it feels real and a lot more satisfying. >
Verlene Geevarghese 28.05.2013	Originally Posted by IznremiX I believe I gave you the wrong impression friend, I still believe track selection is the most important aspect of djing. For the most part, the guys who are super technical also have really good track selection because they've been at it for years if not decades. When I mentioned the ipod djs, I meant the guys who are playing the same 12 songs (which happen to be this weeks top 100) every set with very basic mixing . There are lots of guys who play amazing sets but don't do any crazy technical stuff (jamie jones being one of my favourites in terms of being the kind of dj who just has raw track selection). I suppose we have different opinions whether the dj being the centre of attention is a good thing or not but regardless, I appreciate your thoughtful input! Fair enough . To be clear, I'm not against a DJ being the center of attention, if the folks in attendance are there with the intention of seeing the performance in conjunction with the music. I would just be bummed if when I go to see Sasha in a couple of weeks, he was jumping around the booth like a maniac instead of focusing on laying those sweet ass tracks and epic remixes on me
Lilliana Perris 28.05.2013	Originally Posted by city_boy07 Your right! Although sometimes I wonder why I get such a good response from crowds when other Djs on the evening are far better then I am! And then my mate pointed out to me that I am 'entertaining' to watch whereas the other Djs who I believe are better, in my mates words 'seem to forget the crowd are there' He went on to say that I just dance around behind the decks like a mad man and ppl like to see that the Dj is having a good time like someone posted here before! This ^^ I have tested it. I had residency in a club and one week, just stood there jamming. The next week, I jammed and went off like a loon. Result was that the more energy you give the crowd, the more they give back. Simple really.
Hayden Raugh 28.05.2013	Originally Posted by Era 7 the thing is most people wouldn't have an idea what you are doing even if you showed them. Your right! Although sometimes I wonder why I get such a good response from crowds when other Djs on the evening are far better then I am! And then my mate pointed out to me that I am 'entertaining' to watch whereas the other Djs who I believe are better, in my mates words 'seem to forget the crowd are there' He went on to say that I just dance around behind the decks like a mad man and ppl like to see that the Dj is having a good time like someone posted here before!
Valeri Holderness 29.05.2013	Heh not quite the type of showmanship I was hoping to talk about in this thread, but this was A LOT of fun. The promoter for our last gig bought a bunch of CO2 for us to play with
Augustine Mitzen 28.05.2013	+1 on dancing behind the decks, i usually go through a 'warm up phase' which is first 15-20 minutes of my set, and when i finally ease up i basically jump around the whole booth haha
Jerica Salava 28.05.2013	"I would appreciate if the commander of this spaceship concentrated on our flight path instead of gallivanting around with the passengers."
Yong Aptekar 28.05.2013	Oh for sure some will linger. As the music changes and evolves, I would hope that at least some remnants hang back.
Valeri Holderness 28.05.2013	Originally Posted by dripstep I believe this half-assed pre-recorded drivel will eventually pass as DJing moves from "cool" back to its former glory. The same thing has happened with punk rock. Remember a time when "punks" were real and not store bought? Pop-punk moved into the mainstream with blink182, sum41 etc, and all of a sudden it was cool to have a mohawk and jewlery in your face, where it once was taboo. That seems to have passed and been replaced with different genres (pseudo-indy). I have a feeling that this rockstar mentality of DJs will follow the same path in time. And if not, who cares? I still like the music I like, and will continue to support those that I feel deserve it. /rant. Thats a pretty interesting comparison. I wonder if some small pieces of dance music/dj culture will still linger in the mainstream after this whole thing blows over.
Yong Aptekar 28.05.2013	I believe this half-assed pre-recorded drivel will eventually pass as DJing moves from "cool" back to its former glory. The same thing has happened with punk rock. Remember a time when "punks" were real and not store bought? Pop-punk moved into the mainstream with blink182, sum41 etc, and all of a sudden it was cool to have a mohawk and jewlery in your face, where it once was taboo. That seems to have passed and been replaced with different genres (pseudo-indy). I have a feeling that this rockstar mentality of DJs will follow the same path in time. And if not, who cares? I still like the music I like, and will continue to support those that I feel deserve it. /rant.
Valeri Holderness 29.05.2013	Originally Posted by dripstep Purely an observation, but the top 40 "mainstream" DJs that get hated on are the reason the DJ moved from a position of music provider to rockstar status. Definitely. But I suppose in every genre of music famous artists achieve a rock star status, I don't believe it was any surprise that the shift happened in dance music as well. Along with this, the type of music a lot of these djs make diverges from the traditional spirit/sound/vibe of older dance music, which I believe causes a lot of people to hate mainstream acts as well. My main beef is that live performance is essentially dead especially in the mainstream. This isn't just a problem in djing though. I've been dragged out to a few top 40 concerts, and literally each and every one of them involves the artist either lip syncing or just singing on top of a track which already includes vocals. I've seen some solid dj sets, but I've also seen some big name djs play some very very poor sets. My 2 cents is that if local djs make an increased effort to add more of a performance to their sets, it will raise the very low bar thats been set for djing and will help the art develop
Yong Aptekar 28.05.2013	Purely an observation, but the top 40 "mainstream" DJs that get hated on are the reason the DJ moved from a position of music provider to rockstar status.
Lannie Kutay 28.05.2013	i grab my midi fighter with like a 20 ft usb cable and go the edge of the stage and mash on buttons, maybe even let the crowd press a few buttons, (i have it mapped so that they cant destroy the mix). I might grab the mic and sing along to a song with the crowd, little stuff like that.
Lilliana Perris 28.05.2013	Originally Posted by loverocket this^ and when the crowd is going off to the MUSIC and they scream on a break, without you instigating a thing, it feels real and a lot more satisfying. > Indeed...you doing a good job then. But helping em along is not a bad thing. They want to enjoy the peformance. If you look busy and don't make eye contact with anyone in the front...its not a good thing either.
Jerica Salava 28.05.2013	Originally Posted by dripstep I'm from the oldschool way of believeing. Its not about the DJ, its about you and your friends going out and having a good time, dancing to music you enjoy. Not having the DJ be the center of attention. Let your hands do the showmanship through that sweet music. this^ and when the crowd is going off to the MUSIC and they scream on a break, without you instigating a thing, it feels real and a lot more satisfying. >
Verlene Geevarghese 28.05.2013	Originally Posted by IznremiX I believe I gave you the wrong impression friend, I still believe track selection is the most important aspect of djing. For the most part, the guys who are super technical also have really good track selection because they've been at it for years if not decades. When I mentioned the ipod djs, I meant the guys who are playing the same 12 songs (which happen to be this weeks top 100) every set with very basic mixing . There are lots of guys who play amazing sets but don't do any crazy technical stuff (jamie jones being one of my favourites in terms of being the kind of dj who just has raw track selection). I suppose we have different opinions whether the dj being the centre of attention is a good thing or not but regardless, I appreciate your thoughtful input! Fair enough . To be clear, I'm not against a DJ being the center of attention, if the folks in attendance are there with the intention of seeing the performance in conjunction with the music. I would just be bummed if when I go to see Sasha in a couple of weeks, he was jumping around the booth like a maniac instead of focusing on laying those sweet ass tracks and epic remixes on me
Hank Guidas 28.05.2013	Ya. People love when you show enthusiasm. That has always been my problem, but my last gig when epicly well. The crowd was happy, I was happy. Super fun
Celestine Porebski 28.05.2013	I always dance like a maniac behind the decks as well. A year or two ago at an open air party, I actually managed to dance a little pit into the dusty ground behind the decks. Didn't even notice it at first, but was quite annoyed by it, after a friend had pointed it out to me
Lilliana Perris 28.05.2013	Originally Posted by city_boy07 Your right! Although sometimes I wonder why I get such a good response from crowds when other Djs on the evening are far better then I am! And then my mate pointed out to me that I am 'entertaining' to watch whereas the other Djs who I believe are better, in my mates words 'seem to forget the crowd are there' He went on to say that I just dance around behind the decks like a mad man and ppl like to see that the Dj is having a good time like someone posted here before! This ^^ I have tested it. I had residency in a club and one week, just stood there jamming. The next week, I jammed and went off like a loon. Result was that the more energy you give the crowd, the more they give back. Simple really.
Janyce Henningson 28.05.2013	Depends on the setting - I know most people round here go out to get wasted and don't really care what the dj is doing. If you believe people would be interested in seeing what you're doing then hire some gear first and see how it goes mate - if there's a few of you then maybe one could do a full on vj set and mix the stream in with that.
Hayden Raugh 28.05.2013	Originally Posted by Era 7 the thing is most people wouldn't have an idea what you are doing even if you showed them. Your right! Although sometimes I wonder why I get such a good response from crowds when other Djs on the evening are far better then I am! And then my mate pointed out to me that I am 'entertaining' to watch whereas the other Djs who I believe are better, in my mates words 'seem to forget the crowd are there' He went on to say that I just dance around behind the decks like a mad man and ppl like to see that the Dj is having a good time like someone posted here before!
Tesha Freudenstein 28.05.2013	the thing is most people wouldn't have an idea what you are doing even if you showed them.
Valeri Holderness 27.05.2013	Originally Posted by geminimech I believe a lot of us are from an era (at least with respect to electronic DJ's, and I can't believe I'm saying that because I'm not even that old) where song selection, phrase and key matching were what set you apart. Maybe an ipod can do the phrase and key matching, but building energy with proper track selection it cannot. I can respect guys who mash buttons, but I believe you're forgetting that once upon a time DJ's showcasing their skill wasn't just how well you can use all 6 effects slots of Traktor, cue jumping, and having it all come together tidily because you did it in Flux mode. It was about finding the best tracks at the time, and mixing/blending them seamlessly and as someone mentioned before, not being the center of attention, but allowing the audience to enjoy the music, not the routine. There has definitely been a branch off, and I'm okay with that, but I believe it's unfair to say that the impression is that they are doing nothing more than hitting play. Again I can respect those who are properly able to utilize the technology at hand today, but I absolutely do not believe that equates to those being the best and most talented DJ's period. Just a talented group of a different kind of DJ. I believe I gave you the wrong impression friend, I still believe track selection is the most important aspect of djing. For the most part, the guys who are super technical also have really good track selection because they've been at it for years if not decades. When I mentioned the ipod djs, I meant the guys who are playing the same 12 songs (which happen to be this weeks top 100) every set with very basic mixing . There are lots of guys who play amazing sets but don't do any crazy technical stuff (jamie jones being one of my favourites in terms of being the kind of dj who just has raw track selection). I suppose we have different opinions whether the dj being the centre of attention is a good thing or not but regardless, I appreciate your thoughtful input!
Verlene Geevarghese 27.05.2013	I believe a lot of us are from an era (at least with respect to electronic DJ's, and I can't believe I'm saying that because I'm not even that old) where song selection, phrase and key matching were what set you apart. Maybe an ipod can do the phrase and key matching, but building energy with proper track selection it cannot. I can respect guys who mash buttons, but I believe you're forgetting that once upon a time DJ's showcasing their skill wasn't just how well you can use all 6 effects slots of Traktor, cue jumping, and having it all come together tidily because you did it in Flux mode. It was about finding the best tracks at the time, and mixing/blending them seamlessly and as someone mentioned before, not being the center of attention, but allowing the audience to enjoy the music, not the routine. There has definitely been a branch off, and I'm okay with that, but I believe it's unfair to say that the impression is that they are doing nothing more than hitting play. Again I can respect those who are properly able to utilize the technology at hand today, but I absolutely do not believe that equates to those being the best and most talented DJ's period. Just a talented group of a different kind of DJ.
Valeri Holderness 27.05.2013	good advice everyone Originally Posted by dripstep I'm from the oldschool way of believeing. Its not about the DJ, its about you and your friends going out and having a good time, dancing to music you enjoy. Not having the DJ be the center of attention. Let your hands do the showmanship through that sweet music. i definitely respect that with the way things are going though, there a lot of super star djs, and quite frankly very few of them really have any skill with respect to performing live. An ipod could do their job and they basically give the impression to fans that djing is nothing more than hitting play in my opinion its important that djs showcase skill; i believe that it helps the art grow and allows good djs to receive the props that i believe they deserve.
Addie Engbrecht 27.05.2013	Mic is good if you know how, cue scratching a well known song instead of cutting up the kick drum before your dropping it into the blend or all together (if you cutting is your style of mixing) adds a little more recognizable "flare", if I believe people care or notice sometimes I will start scratching with my back turned completely and my arms behind me .......but not much of a show man so I rarely want to do it
Yong Aptekar 27.05.2013	I'm from the oldschool way of believeing. Its not about the DJ, its about you and your friends going out and having a good time, dancing to music you enjoy. Not having the DJ be the center of attention. Let your hands do the showmanship through that sweet music.
Arnulfo Morten 27.05.2013	quick mixing to hold the dance floor and turntablist tricks. Stay busy, dance, and Smile.
Nedra Fresneda 27.05.2013	(moderate) Dancing can go a long way. Make sure people see you are having fun, you are at a party after all.
Emelina Chillson 27.05.2013	Simple things like grabbing the mic and hyping up the crowd, rocking out along with them, lifting up the turntable while the record is playing, tilting the mixer so the crowd can see the crissfader while i scratch.

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