There was Joe Jackson song in the early 80’s played as professional DJ named “A Slow Song” with one of my favorite chorus:
“But I’m brutalized by bass and terrorized by treble… And i get tired of DJs! Why’s it always what he plays?”
I happened to be at a club in NYC Friday night and one of the professional DJs seemed set on playing house music even though no one besides his few friends were into it but it is ‘what he plays’ so he kept playing it. This is one of my biggest gripes with professional DJs – the lack of ability to move past their own needs and meet the needs of the audience they are getting paid to perform for. Can you imagine Peyton Manning bringing out his putter and start playing golf when the crowd paid to see him play football because he felt like playing golf? Or 40,000 people show up to listen and watch Beyonce perform the songs she has made popular but instead she breaks out into a bunch of hard rock songs because she is in the mood for rock and not pop/dance?
I wonder why professional DJs think their personal taste has anything to do with being a professional DJ? I rarely play what I listen to at home when being paid to be a professional DJ. In a four-hour set at a club or party will I add one or two songs that MATCH what is being enjoyed by those paying me? Yes, I will. The key is that it matches what I was requested to play and it is 2 out of 75 songs. I do not do this at weddings or corporate events though, too much riding on these events.
Sometimes I wonder if this is just a matter of age, maturity and experience. I assume I was similar when I was younger but do not remember clear enough to state otherwise. Today, it is about you. I am done with needing to prove how much I know a certain genre or how ‘into it’ I am. I am done proving myself. I know what I can do and stand by that. Trust your professional DJ to do their job but also hold them accountable to what you agreed upon. You paid them!It is your professional Wedding,party or Event DJ.