Not to sidetrack, and in no way am I bashing or attacking anyone... but its important to note the differences and how this right here is a prime example of what really does separate the mentality of a dj from one to the next. I was quick to notice the line "My son and I were both scratching our heads at what to play during the first hour (non-dancing)". That is something I hear all the time as being the hardest part of the night to figure out. A more personalized (you may call it high end) approach would have handled this WAY differently.
I ask all my private events (Weddings and Teen Events alike) what kind of atmosphere they desire as guest are coming in. For teen events its typically Are they looking for current top radio hits that are sing along friendly, but not necessarily danceable and at a volume where they can comfortably talk... are they looking for songs that they specifically like that normally wouldn't be played during a dance set, but definitely want to hear at some point... or perhaps theyre looking for a lounge/club atmosphere, where we take songs that are normally not danceable and play dance remixes of them as guests are walking in. Whatever the answer is, we ask to make sure we create the right mood they're desiring. We also do this for dinner too, so the question of what do we play is non existent.
I'm noticing people getting caught up in spotify services and such, which by utilizing, only shows the onlookers that what we do is nothing special and anyone can do with simple consumer grade products/services and no skill necessary. I mean if someone walks by and sees a spotify autogenerated playlist... why hire a dj when anyone can do the same thing. For those already attracting low to mid range clients, they'll just start saying why do you charge so much if all you do is play spotify playlists. If you want to have it accessible for those what if moments... fair enough... but 95% of the time we should never ever have to obtain outside tracks because we should have asked our clients the right detailed questions to know exactly what kind of atmosphere and music is needed for every moment of their particular night. On top of it, as a DJ, what makes us unique is that we should be doing our research in music daily or weekly to obtain those edits and remixes of songs that people don't hear too often or ever. That's one of the truly unique things that separates a real DJ from any shortcut method out there.
You've got at least three different things in there that are probably better not lumped togaeher.
First, is the issue of being integrated with the event process and client desires. This is a quality inherent in entertainers and event planners - not DJs, and certainly not at this particular level of operation. The bulk of disc jockeys at this level are too self-centric and resource light to be anything other than bar tenders of music, specifically music they prefer. They are not really conscious of the entirety of the event, and instead are drawn to what is
easy, cheap
, and commonly available.
Second, is the issue of Spotify, etc. If you fully understand what you are trying to create - then the algorithms these services deploy is a great resource to access artists and selections consistent with your ideas but beyond the scope of your personal knowledge and catalog. It expands your knowledge base in ways you could never otherwise access. I love the way these programs introduce me to works that fit perfectly into what I want to do but would never have found on my own. However, this approach presumes we are seeking input and a compliment to our ability not simply substitution by way of automation. Click it and forget it is not responsible entertainment, or being a DJ.
Finally, is the issue of remixes. I do a lot of staging and get to hear many different DJs. By far, the biggest failure of DJs is their understanding and expectation of remixes - and what a bad idea using a lot of them can be. Nothing kills a dance floor faster than f**king with the arrangement of a hit song. A good remix energizes a song without changing the arrangement or eliminating the elements that made it a hit in the first place. To that end IMO the age of quality useful remixing ended around 1998. Most of what's out there today is crap.
In the club, the lack of visual energy inherent with DJs is made up for with professional dancers. These are people embedded in the room who behave like guests but are actually dancers hired to energize the space. Remixes work in a club for two reasons - because we always have lead dancers available, and the regular clientele could predict parts of the program is we repeated material often enough.
I quit using remixes when I left the clubs because a mobile gig is very different. People want to hear the music the way they know it - which is usually the radio version, or a remix that stays true to that arrangement. Staying true to what the average person on the dance floor is familiar with is key to building up a momentum and keeping it all night. Given the state of digital mixing there's plenty of room to alter the mix of conventional radio version to create the breaks and beats needed if you have the mix skills.
Mobile DJs often rely too heavily remixes to differentiate themselves on the erroneous assumption that new or different is better - and it's not. It's just uncomfortable and creates an obstacle between the crowd and what you promised you could do as a mobile DJ. I can't count how often I see a DJ scratching his head to a weak or empty dance floor while listening to odd snippets of what used to be a song mixed with puke from a drum machine. The cue needed by non-professional dancers is
comfort and
predictability in the music and if you screw with that in a mobile setting you a will undermine your effectiveness and results.
