Probably the most fun activity for a professional DJ is working the room to keep a full and Rockin’ dance floor. It is one thing to just keeping the dance floor full, it is another thing to keep them rockin’! There will always be people who will dance regardless of the quality of the professional DJ or the music. So, using the dance floor’s capacity is not always a true barometer of professional DJ success. When everyone on the floor is having fun, real big fun; that is something to pay attention to. How does a new professional DJ learn how to do this?
Start with paying attention to the folks on the dance floor AND the one’s who are not on the floor. They matter too. Some people are not really dancers. They may be having a great time and loving the tunes but not comfortable being up in front of others. Watch and see how they look and feel. Are they pumped and laughing with their feet and butts shakin’ in place? Good!
Next is to watch those on the dance floor. Are they just going through the motions of dancing or are they really moving? Are they soaked with sweat because they CAN’T get off the dance floor? You can see when it is working by looking into the eyes of those dancing. Are they sparkling and beaming? Are they so engrossed in the music that they forgot there is a world outside of the five-foot area they have taken ownership of? What about the couples and the ‘couples to be’ on the dance floor? Are they so in tune with the beats and rhythms that they do not know there are others on the dance floor? If your answer to all of these is YES! Good!
If the answer is no, what to do? Because at the heart of a good professional DJ is the need to make people want to move so bad they forget their friends, bedtime, job, bills and laundry. First things first, have you been too busy playing what you want to hear and forgot that they are the ones who matter? Have you tried to switch the genre or era of the music? Sometimes we need to shift the music and energy of what is happening to meet the needs of the crowd. This is still true if you are a Club DJ that has been working this same crowd week after week. Folks sometimes need something new to get things moving. Sometimes switching the tempo can be just the thing to get people paying attention again. This applies to slowing it down just a little to give the opportunity to speed it back up again. This can be risky since you may lose those faithful few who are still out there having a good time. By slow, I do not mean a slow dance like Lionel Richie, more in line with most of the old Motown and Philly Soul stuff is fast enough for the dance floor but not slow enough for couples to slow dance to. This stuff can be great for shifting things around. Another great example of this is Barry White. Don’t be afraid to take risks, just make sure they are calculated risks AND not for the sake of you trying to slip in what you want to hear. It is always about the crowd! We can listen to our own stuff on the way home. Finally, a few professional DJ tricks may be just the thing; scratching, looping, strange mixes and segues, etc. It forces people to notice you are there and alive!
There are other skills utilized that will be included in other blogs. For now, remember the music is for them and do not get stuck in what you do and how you do it. Be creative and alive. And most of all, PAY ATTENTION!
