Guest Bugbread Posted December 4, 2001 Share Posted December 4, 2001 There's a lot of theory about what dance floor DJs should play like (they should build up, they should work the audience, they should throw in funky stuff, etc.), but not so much about ambient DJs. Do you think there are "unspoken rules" for ambient DJs? I'd like to spin in the ambient room in a show, and there's one track that I'd love to play that's 40 minutes long. Would that be "cheating" or being lazy? Does it seem normal? If I were to leave the DJ area, talk to friends or dance for a while while playing the song, would that be seen as bad? I know logically it shouldn't be, but I don't want to annoy people in the ambient room in the slightest, because the ambient room is the one where EVERYBODY should be at peace (er, or asleep). So for once I'm perfectly willing to be bound by other people's restrictions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest akira Posted December 5, 2001 Share Posted December 5, 2001 It probably is being lazy but if it's a good track and suits the mood then who cares Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ouroboros Posted December 5, 2001 Share Posted December 5, 2001 well......its a double edged sword. i really think the only problem is....what if people dont like it? 40 mins. is a long time to listen to a track you dont like...especially in a chill out room where its likely to be filled with people in an altered state of mind. thats not a good time to have the chill out room music bothering you. but..if its a good track and people like it...nothing wrong. i wouldnt leave the room for too long though...that way you can kind of monitor how the song is going over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Phaedrus Posted December 5, 2001 Share Posted December 5, 2001 I am a firm believer that their should be no rules when it comes to DJ'ing, in any room. True, as a DJ by definition you are judged by your ability to "satisfy" the crowd, but if you get too concerned about them, you will end up satisfying no one, including yourself. You can't make everyone happy... If they don't like the vibe, they'll go to another room. To me this is analgous to the kind of social anxiety many people feel as adolescents and beyond - they are afraid to be themselves, fearing rejection. The paradox is that when one relaxes, and is at peace with who they are, people tend to like them a lot better. If you are to be a successful DJ, you will have to have good taste in music. Play what YOU like, and other people will also like it. Even those who don't love a particular track will at least respect you for sticking to your guns. Maybe I am oversimplyfying here, but that is the way I see it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bugbread Posted December 5, 2001 Share Posted December 5, 2001 Actually, I totally agree, but in this case, I'm doing it partly because I enjoy ambient, but also a lot because I want to make people happy. I'm also spinning psy at a different party (for the first time), and I'm not aiming to please anyone. I'm playing the tracks I want to hear that other people don't play. But for ambient, it's not that I want to be loved or respected, but I don't want anyone to leave the ambient room because they dislike the music, just if they want to go back and dance. Maybe I'm setting unrealistic goals, but I don't plan on satisfying 100%, I just want to be as close to that as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bomble Posted December 5, 2001 Share Posted December 5, 2001 It's one of the things I like the most about chillout music - it doesn't have so many constraints. It doesn't have to get people dancing, have a continuous tempo or whatever ... and I think this invites freedom for the dj too. If it was me, I would consider a 40min track if I was playing for a long time (3 hours plus, say) because it could be part of your set's journey .... but if I had limited time I would prefer to keep things evolving with different tunes in different styles. Incidentally, what is the tune ? bomble Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ouroboros Posted December 5, 2001 Share Posted December 5, 2001 Phaedrus, i agree with you, im not saying you have to be concerned all the time about if the poeple like the music or not. you missed another very important part of dj'ing....reading the crowd. in a chill out room its not as important, people dont go to a chill out room to listen to the music (well most dont) they go there to get away from the craziness of the main room...hence the name "chill out" room. and to be realistic there are a lot of really druged up people in the chill out room, thats why theyre in there, cuz they got too high to dance or the music in the main room was getting to much for them. granted a lot of people just go to take a breather or talk or whatever but for whatever reason...they left the main room for a more relaxed one. i dont really see a problem with a 40 min ambient track at all. if bugbread got the dj gig im sure he knows about the music, so i think if he thinks its an ok track to let go....he should do it, i just wouldnt leave the room for too long...just in case it doesnt work out. some times you think a track is gonna be really good in a set, but it doesnt sound all the great when you actualy play it out at the club. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Andy Posted December 5, 2001 Share Posted December 5, 2001 i got the same coming up this saturday - a three hour chill out set - i played in main rooms etc. before but i'm doing the chill out for the first time - i'm just gonna be blending tracks togethor out - in at the ends but if the chance is there for a bit of beat mixing - i'll have ago. I dont think there is much problem with playing a 40 minute track - like the above say as long as its going down ok - i'm playing yeti tracks and there about 15-20 arent they? - i'd go for it mate - anyway people are usually so fuked in there you could tell them its several tracks and they probably wouldn't notice..well.. they might.. - actually i'll get back to you on monday about that - tell us how you get on as well!! later!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Phaedrus Posted December 5, 2001 Share Posted December 5, 2001 ouroboros - Yeah, as an aspiring DJ, I would like to learn more about "reading the crowd" and how scientific it is/is not. Any resources you have would be appreciated, or if you want to chat, please do shoot ne a mail. Andy - Some friends of mine ar DJs and they have played 15-20 min tracks, including Yetti tracks, and it worked out just fine. During "Hallucinogen - The Herb Garden," people were dancing away and someone like the track so much, he asked him what it was and where he could get it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ouroboros Posted December 5, 2001 Share Posted December 5, 2001 hey phaedrus, i didnt even realise i didnt have my email on here. i dont think its scientific at all...just a feel. as far as the chill out room goes. in a lot of ways...its harder to dj in there. you want to play good music, but you realy need to stay unintrucive..the music in a chill out room needs to stay in the backround, thats not so easy to do. im sorry i dont realy have any official resources. most of my dj expierience comes from spinning hard industrial. not goa or chill out. i am starting to do my own mixes of goa, but i dont have any plans to really spin out any time soon. the principal is the same with industrial as goa though...keep 'em dancing (moshing). my personal strong point when dj'ing was being able to introduce tracks that were not well known, and not having the dance floor clear out. this isnt really a problem in goa, though, as all the songs are pretty much 4 x 4. in industrial there are a lot of time changes and people dont feel comfortable dancing when they dont know where the changes are (plus it could get them hurt...dl the song thieves and liars by ministry for a good example). i would be more than happy to chat or email with you, im sure theres lots of stuff we could help eachother with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bugbread Posted December 6, 2001 Share Posted December 6, 2001 Heheh. When I was reading your post, Ouroboros, I was thinking, "Huh? Industrial is almost entirely in 4", until I read your example about Ministry. Yep, a switch to doubletime could definitely get someone hurt if they weren't expecting it. : ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ouroboros Posted December 6, 2001 Share Posted December 6, 2001 yeah the bulk of the songs are 4:4 but hey usualy switchem up here 'n there, and have sudden stops and starts all over the place. plus a lot of times theyll layer in an off beat thats a little wacky and the people who know the song start moving on the off beat...leaving the rest of the people who dont know its gonna do that dancing out of sync and getting hit a little more than they wanted to....not that im oppoesd to that mind you =). it sounds strange i know..but industrial moshing isnt like....say..i dont know...moshing to a pantera song or rage against the machine. those mosh pits are just silly..no ones actualy moshing...its just a big mele with a band in the background. in an industial pit, people are actualy dancing. i know for myself...if im in the pit with a few other guys who know what theyre doing we can look like were killing eachother and never even come in contact. i admit though that that only happens at clubs. at shows forget it, youre gettin beat up. the hardest pit i was ever in was only about a yr. ago mdfmk (kmfdm) wow..15 seconds into the very first song i had a black eye. i saw two guys get thier nose broke that night. who would have thought mdfmk would have a pit that nuts? it was a great time though. the worst injury i saw was at a skinny puppy show in like 92 some guy got a compound fracture in his thigh. ouch. hehe.. we went from nice soothing ambient rooms to lots of blood and broken bones...sorry, ill shut up now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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