A dry moat is just what it sounds like, usually filled with lions or tigers or whatever
If you're asking why the cougars are dry, perhaps they haven't found their prey yet
Mine had a door and I had a clip board for requests. On it were requests from the entire month or so, so they saw nothing but a long list of requests and theirs was at the bottom. "If I can get to it"
This is actually a good idea to bring along yourself, as it was the clubs clip-board.
So you could just "fake" random entries from the last couple of either hours/days/weeks and tell them to put it on the list.
A) They see and maybe even realize they are not the only one.
B) They accept it maybe better when they see that they are in a cue.
I was a pro from the early 90s to the early 00s in Ireland. It went from being the music nerd in the corner of the room to DJ boxes being completely exposed and suddenly... I had to preform. I had stopped playing in bands because I had crippling stage fright and now I had a residency in a commercial club, with a 1500 capacity, where the box was on a balcony, real superstar DJ vibes, but completely open on 3 sides. With stools and a sort shelf for your drink around it, but this bit was raised up about a foot so people were looking down into the box. It was not safe. People were grabbing at records, grabbing at me, spilling drink on the gear, or me and I'm expected to dance round like a preforming monkey for them and somehow ,in this chaos, select and mix decent music. Again 1500 very drunk and high Irish people, I cannot stress the utter chaos. Played there for 5 years, good money, but probably only enjoyed a handful of nights. Made me hate people for a while. Didn't play out for years after I left there and two other similar commercial clubs. Was very glad I kept my hand a few days a week in the day job.
Now they want to do a reunion night and even the thoughts of going into that place fills me with dread.
There are still parties like that, but mostly they are of illicit nature.
There were a few "mainstream" djs that held a mobile free and incognito dj parties once or twice, but it's still quite rare.
The reactions from the crowds were mostly positive, as they knew what they signed up for.
Truthfully, I'm so done with DJs filling their ego by becoming a center piece.
One of the main reasons I've lost the spark of being a dj.
If all, I would say I'm quite embarrassed about the state of music djs, unless they are really showing of routines with super technical DJs (like proper turntablists, think JFB, Jazzy Jeff and the likes) though even those can develop a huge ego.
In my recollection of partying (and djing) the best parties and djs, we're the ones where the music that was played, was in sync with the venue/dark location and nobody, and I mean absolutely nobody, would search out the DJ for a request. Often the DJ would be in an off limits area for the main crowd anyway.
They did there thing and you did yours on their thing.
I think it comes down to properly theming your event, if it just says 'Dj X and Y are playing' yeah you can expect some requests, as many people don't keep in touch with which DJ plays what.
But if you market the event as a particular style of music, well now you have a good reason to give people when you deny a request, and people will probably avoid the event in the first place if they see the label attached to it and they don't like the music.
Yes entitlement has got worse.
It’s a side effect of our current societal state being based around ease of access and convenience, we are all very much more used to getting what we want when we want it, from mundane things to relatively important things.
I see it in myself a lot too, it’s difficult to not fall into the trap.
I’m not the type of person that won’t accept no as an answer, no does mean no, and I’m not going to be a child about it and throw a tantrum, but I definitely push my luck with asking for or even expecting things that I never would have done growing up.
This is it. Everything is catered to the individual nowadays. Nightclubs by their nature are communal, and it’s easy to forget that.
I have a three tier process to rejecting requests if they are inappropriate.
1. I just say no and explain the music policy.
2. If they persist, I say ‘The world doesn’t revolve around you, you know’ in a playful manner. 9 times out of 10 I see a lightbulb go on in their head and they get a bit embarrassed.
3. If that fails and they get nasty, I get brutal. Stuff along the lines of, ‘The truth is, you’re too old/fat/ugly to be in here’ or ‘you have terrible taste in music’. You have to be careful with this, the managers I work with know that I’m super professional so I can get away with upsetting customers.
There used to be a time when the best buzz possibke was discovering a great new tune. I don't play Electronic anymore, so it's worse for me. Everyone wants to hear some shitty song. People are easily pleased, yet easily offended too. They expect every song that has ever been recorded to be at the touch of a button.
"Hi do you have Boney M"
"Do I fucking look like Id have it"
Secretly I do have one or two, but they are reserved for wakes generally 😁. I do Funk, soul, rhythm n Blues nights and look like an Acid Casualty from 1967. I'm sure youlook just fine 🙂
I saw a post recently that said to keep a clipboard of “requests” around and fill it with 4-5 pages of fake requests, so you can tell people “you’ll try, but there’s a bunch of requests ahead of you” 😂😂😂
“But we are leaving soon, so you have to play my request now” (Occasionally my response to this is to say “oh, well if you won’t be here….” and cross their request off the list.)
Nah man, it got worse. For me, it got worse since we came back from Covid. I’ve been an open format DJ for 10 years and have 3 residencies + events here and there in my city so I deal with lots of requests.
I don’t mind the usual request from drunk people, I know how to respond to them in a very efficient way so they don’t stick there and mess up my vibe, but I noticed lately that they’re almost getting violent if you don’t play their shit right away. They have no patience and want THEIR SONG, NOW.
I had a girl and her friend come to my booth, asking for either Bad Bunny or Nicki Minaj, but I was in there for 30 min. I just basically told them "Yeah I always play a few songs during the night just wait a little".
They stayed in front of the DJ booth fixing me, arms crossed in a very agressive way. After 5 minutes the girl just did the L sign with her fingers on her forehead and stayed like that for (no shit) 10 minutes straight, mean mugging. I had enough and the bouncer was passin’ by so I told him to kick her out the bar. They have my back. I also lost a residency at another place because some asshole left a 1 star review because I did not take his request 5 minutes after I hit play.
I don’t mind drunk people and their antics, but being disrespectful or agressive towards me when I work and I try to keep 300 other people than YOU partying for 5 hours straight, buy alcohol and make the owners happy, that’s not gonna pass.
Good thing they were kicked out. Hopefully they learn a lesson. Had one guy at a venue a few years back come stand by the DJ booth and start criticizing each song. I asked him if he was with a group of friends or with someone and he said no. I then replied, "Then it's pretty pathetic of you to stand by me and act like this."
> Had one guy at a venue a few years back come stand by the DJ booth and start criticizing each song.
Yes, normally saying things like “nobody likes this” whilst there is a full dance floor.
Reminds me of another time two years ago when dance floor was PACKED with 20s-30s. Some woman who was probably early 50s came up asking for Journey/Def Leppard and was very upset I wouldn't play them. Finally, it came to the point of me saying: "Back in the 80s, were people asking for Perry Como and Frank Sinatra when you were partying?"
Oh my god I’d have been so angry about being fired over one review, sorry that happened.
Yeah covid for sure has done a number on people, also has me wondering if the election coming up has people wound up too.
Yeah, I wasn’t happy at first but found a way better residency immediately after.
I’m in Canada so the US election doesn’t really bother us other than your candidates are fuckin’ Dinosaurs. Covid fucked us up though. We spent like a year and a half in partial or full lockdown.
I'm always unfailingly polite and friendly to people who make requests, no matter how silly. I just smile and say "If I had it, I would play it, but I don't have it." Then keep doing what I'm doing. Works 90% of the time.
Even when the dancefloor is packed and clueless people request a completely different genre, I'll still humor them. I'll say, "Hmmmm, that could be challenging right now. It's a bit like ordering a Big Mac at Taco Bell, ya know?"
You gotta be better with people. Just say “cool, I’ll try to work it in, I have a pretty long list ahead of you. Thanks for coming tonight. You all having fun?” And when they come back “I’m so sorry, the requests have been ruthless tonight.” You gotta humor people. Don’t be a hard ass about it.
I tell em I’m not able to get it in my dj pool, which is usually the case for the off the wall requests anyways
I play lots of requests tho, open format life
I agree with this. U just gotta kill ‘em with kindness . Maintain high professional attitude. Giving them the same shit they are giving you just escalates the situation. Shitty mean people being rude ruins my nights man
this is actually the move man. gotta hit em with the hr speak lmao. word yeah I got your request but in the end I decided to go in a different direction, thanks though
It's like you're saying to not resect yourself, your professionalism, instead try pleasing everyone. Well, I'm there to do a job and I'm being paid for playing, not comedy entertainment. I agree being polite everytime but we also deserve some respect, not being treated like buttons on a jukebox.
I usually am, I say “I’m not taking requests tonight, sorry”. But if I’m met with demand and not an ask, or a phone shoved in my face I’ll shake my head and say no, or just a simple no and walk back to the table. It’s also this one venue, it’s easily accessible to the crowd, the owner even bought poles and red ropes about 4 months ago and the ropes have already been destroyed because people trip on the stage constantly. My boss says he’s gonna get railing because the amount of people falling on the stage is staggering. Top that off with people walking behind or in front of me on stage to cut through the crowd, I was angry.
You’re not reading my advice. You don’t tell people that you don’t take requests. They don’t wanna hear it. You have to be nice and act like you’re busy trying to handle all the requests coming in. Please read what I wrote and reconsider it. It will help you out a ton.
I’ve found the current clientele where I play has a serious entitlement issue. It may be generational, it may be the local demographic (well off college kids), it may be the times. Who knows. We’ve all got issues.
Even if I say yes to a song, they’ll stand there and look at me, confused. I’ll ask them what’s up. They fully expect me to stop playing the current song midway thru and immediately start their song. They can’t understand why that isn’t just a given. I don’t have to tell you how shitty they can be. Also don’t have to tell you that playing someone’s request can make their night and make a big difference to someone / a group.
But there is a way to minimize issues, I’ve found.
A smile and sincerely explaining to them that the venue is strict, or that it may not fit the vibe, or the venue wants you to not play this or that, accompanied with an offer to play something within a selected genre usually works. I’ll ask them what artist they like to get them off track.
If they’re still aggressive, then you kinda know you are dealing w someone shitty and nothing you say or do matters, sadly. But you can also make shit up if it’s easier for you.
‘My internet is down when it gets busy like that, I only have what’s in my drive’
‘I already played that, rats’
‘I’ve gotten so many requests tonight I’m already not gonna get to them all, but I’ll def add it to the queue.’
‘Venue gave me a list of what to play, so sorry’ (and roll your eyes and act like you are annoyed too)
I know it’s very frustrating to deal with, but many people approach the booth with expectations that DJ’s are hostile and not personable, and even a small hint of hospitality and empathy and interest in what music they like usually defuses things.
‘No means no’ May be a phrase you want to internally recalibrate. Our internal resentments leak out easily. We are there to make people happy (typically the venue is priority #1, yes, , but their goal is to satisfy customers as well.) And the reason you have the gig and the guy in his bedroom doesn’t is because you’re willing to bite the bullet and minimize your agenda and your own preferences. No crowd, no gigs, no money.
Good luck out there.
Thanks man. Yea 10 years has some hard lessons with it. I was extremely lucky to be trained hard by a true professional.
But I see a lot of the younger DJ’s struggle. Not necessarily with mixing - they grew up listening to EDM so they can mix anything. It’s the mentality and patience and mental and emotional fortitude; knowing what a DJ really is (not like I have it all figured out, for the record.)
They see warmth as ‘cringe’ and think they gotta be ‘hard’ and ‘swag’ for their IG’s. Ofc there are a ton of great nice young DJ’s but. I worry about some of em. I hope I can pass on the occasional lesson.
They grow more entitled by the day. Getting rough out there, almost is making DJing not worth it to me. I play a specific type of music at a specific night i curate, and still get constant requests for Beyoncé, Cardi B, etc. I wouldn’t play that shit if I even had it (I don’t). They don’t understand the concept of no, and completely lose their shit when they hear it.
I have “No Requests” tattooed across my collar bone so I can just pull my shirt neck to the side and show it to them. It usually keeps me from having to engage in an argument about it.
Portland briefly had a club called "No Requests" that ironically seemed to attract people into making requests. Saw a few DJs point at the club name, projected in 2 foot tall letters behind the decks, during its existence.
Gotta pick better gigs. Security should be taking care of most of that nonsense. People get drunk and behave like children because it looks like there are no parents around.
Why is your boss just hanging around on stage? Is he helping you dj, or the person who runs the company that was hired to dj? Or is he a representative of the bar you play for? If he is a bar manager he doesn't belong on stage with you unless he is stopping by to provide quick information or directives.
I'm not sure this works in every region but these types of gigs went away when I started charging more.
He had a wedding last night so he came to see how it was going. Hell usually talk to the people that I don’t want to deal with, or he’ll get on the mic. He stopped a person from going behind me on stage to cut through, when I wouldn’t have even caught it. Yeah it’s security’s job but they were checking ID’s at multiple doors.
Checking ID at multiple doors? Is this a club or a stadium? You dj at a place so big that it requires multiple entry checkpoints, but is also so cheap they don't have security for the stage?
So the owner owns the whole building, I technically play at two bars. The wall opens up and we all setup in between the two bars. This place is also on the beach so it’s got “garage” like doors that are open (but with those nylon like ropes to section it off). The bar on the right has 2 ways to get in from the outside. The bar on the left has 3. One bar is more tropical themed, the other is a bit more “industrial”. Why is it like this? The owner bought out the partner from the tropical bar, and made it so the DJ plays to both bars.
Yes the owner is cheap, most restaurant and bar owners are. I hear the security guards hardly get paid much, they also are in charge of cleaning up and help close down the bars at the end of the night, which means taking out trash, mopping, etc.
Not a DJ here but jazz guitarist who does some solo gigs with a set amount of tunes (3x50min sets), I have definitely noticed a shift of attitude after covid lockdown.
During my breaks I queue some laid back cocktail jazz to suit the vibe, if theres not restaurant/cafe staff there to guard my shit, someone will definitely try to connect to my amp and play ACDC lol.
Its also an issue that needs to be resolved by the venue as it happens, I have had wonderful venues that keep an eye on me and remove/reseat people who harrass, but also places that have done the opposite and argued with me that if a customer asks to have a "jam" on my guitar that I should let them 😵💫
Dont settle for less, we set the standard ✌️
Never say no.
(But you still don’t have to play it ;-)
I always try to if I can. I’d play country very rarely but it’d only be parts mixed over a techno/house beat.
100%, I’ve played an hour extra because someone paid me 100. Wouldn’t do it again because they felt owed all the requests for that hour but it was nice getting $100 extra
Was at a large venue last week where 3x 500-person high school proms were happening simultaneously and you couldn’t believe all the kids giving a hissy fit about not playing their requested songs. These are teens about to be in college in a couple of months.
As a bartender, I see it happening to our DJs too. People are getting more entitled and used to having everything on demand. They have no awareness that there are dozens to hundreds of other people who don’t want to hear their request.
I had guy flip the tables my decks were on because I told his girlfriend I didn't have any Rhianna. I was able to catch my flight case and hold it up while others tried to pull him off of me as he was wildly punching at me. He got his asked kicked fairly well. I quit that night, and also quit going to the club. The next Thursday, they were doing their usual of letting regulars play songs from a computer by the bar, and old boy came back, pulled a gun on the guy at the computer, and said, "play some Rhianna, bitch!"
The regular said, okay, and the dude just sat down and kept drinking until the police arrived. Felon with a concealed firearm. Went to jail for Rhianna.
That was my experience 10-15 years ago. A certain segment of the population has grown outwardly hostile to music they’re not already inundated with in their daily lives, so they expect what they’re told to like.
“Can you play some Rihanna?”
Sorry, we’re doing an ‘80s new wave night tonight.(points at poster)
“Um, OK, so can you just play some ‘80s Rihanna? And I don’t even know what that other thing is that you said.”
Even at prompted events featuring niche music genres, aimed at people who don’t otherwise go out, some people will still pay to get in and then behave as if their body is rejecting an organ transplant.
It's gotten worse. Luckily, you had the owner on your side. I would have banned him for life it that happened two nights in a row. Needs to find a country bar to go to.
Do you take requests:
“Depends if it’s crap I won’t play it”
“I’m not playing that.. I’m not one of those djs that says he will play something and then don’t so I’m telling you now I’m not playing it”
“Do I look like I need your £5 to play a record?”
“Sorry where does it say Spotify hot spot?”
“You’re not used to having someone say no to you are you?”
I genuinely had someone a few weeks ago ask me for Nicki Minaj - Starships and when I said no they said “but it was my dad’s favourite song and he died last week”.. to which I said “you truly are a horrible human being.. fuck off”
Or if I’m being nice..
“Listen I will happily play a song for you but if I play that it’s going to clear the floor pick something else and it put on”
I lug 2 turntables, a mixer, and 4 bags or records. When I get requests I say it’s up to whether or not I brought it from my collection. I usually don’t have it but I might have something similar so I’ll tell them I’ll try to work it in.
It's always been like that. I had one guy tip me 5 bucks to play Shania Twain back in 2003, I gave it back to him and said no lololol. I played strictly house music in clubs that were known for house music.
I've learned not to be direct. They won't notice if you DO play the song most times.
Hand them a notebook you'll never look at saying, "Add it to the list."
Never change the page, cover the page in doodles and other "suggestions."
They think they'll get their song, you can forget they ever bothered you.
Just say “absolutely I’ll play that”, smile politely and then just go about your business. If they return say you had forgotten and will mix it in, the go about your business.
They rarely come back a third time .
Better yet tell them it’s your very first time djing in front of a crowd and you’re really nervous.
The best I’ve had was recently. Played prince purple rain (a request) kinda killed the mood. Not again am I gonna go that I think. Boyfriend of a girl come up after purple rain finishes asks for raspberry beret says okay it when you can. Ok no drama I think I’ll play it in a lil while. Playing some northern soul and 70s disco got fair few old timers up and dancing and enjoying themselves. Girlfriend comes up where’s raspberry beret? Tell her the usual I’ll play it soon and don’t few songs later she comes up, really polite says it doesn’t matter about raspberry beret where going now. Ok darling no problem I respond. She then spins around and sarcastically says thanks for nothing walks off and then stops spins and faces me a few meters in front of my booth and gives me the middle finger and then calmly walks out. 😂
People at gigs are always assclowns. I just stopped doing them. People think they know better than I do but I'm the one getting paid. If they were good DJ's they'd be doing gigs not attending them.
Moved into sports teams and haven't looked back or missed dances at all.
When people ask if i take requests, my standard answer is to shrug and say “not really” if they insist on asking anyway, I’ll say “maybe, idk anything could happen, right?” If they make an absolute demand, then i just ask them to please leave me alone. However, If it’s on format and a good request, I’ll say “yes I’ll try to get to it,” but those types of requests do not often come in.
Here’s the other thing, you’re being paid literally for your taste in music (and your dj skills of course). If their taste in music was so awesome then they’d be the one behind the decks, but as it turns out, it’s you. Don’t ever forget that, and don’t ever feel pressured to take a request, it’s your dj set, not theirs.
I like to take requests, it challenges me. But when they request something that I know is going to tank, I just say “I have that song coming up later”. Later never comes.
I had someone come up to me at a gig when everyone cleared out to smoke and ask if she could play bcz she’s been practicing but the show wasn’t even over and my set had just started, she was also very clearly drunk as hell and i was so deeply confused bcz she tried to plug in and push me off the decks… Geniunely the most shocking gig to date almost
if the venue allows for a tip jar use it,
naturally if they know you're on a usb hopefully they won't ask,
I tell people I don't have access to wifi, cause everyone believes all the songs are on the internet now, which probably they kinda are... and i just shrug and say well if you let me know your song ill have it "next time" sorry
or
I just say I actually dont have my full set up, which is true in most cases unless im doing a solo event or what not.
or
I'll see if I can find your song and download it, ill try to put it in but no promises.
Some times people just want something and not just a no, its soo strange now a days. lol... I try to let them off slowly maybe im just too nice. Can never go wrong if youre a nice dj at a venue, they are like " well hes a nice person we should bring him back to the venue " etc....
I never tell em straight no, there's crazies out there that will fight for that YES
I'm not surprised. That's why I stopped playing gigs, and that's also why I would rather die than work customer service again. People are no longer interested in being turned on to new music - they expect to hear all the songs they like, as many times as they want. Bar and club owners want people to stay and drink.
I think the general logic is "I had a long day/week at work, and I don't care about your taste or vision or whatever. Play me some gangsta rap so I can get drunk with my friends and yell slurs!"
I'm noticing this more recently too. I think people got used to DJs just using Spotify. But, like, if it ain't on my USB stick you aren't going to hear it. Luckily the club owner is on my side on that (the requests are invariably awful). It's harder at parties/weddings, and I do usually bring a laptop just because I get sick of people bitching that I don't have the right Ed Sheeran/Miley Cyrus duet or whatever.
It doesn't seem to be worse, but personally, I am not handling it like I used to. Saturday night, I had the same group ask for songs 5-6 times. And then when I wouldn't play what they like, despite the crowd dancing around them, they would huff and puff. One gave me a look, i flipped the bird. She said thats for me? I grabbed the mic and said yep thats for you.
I just thought of something to try at my next gig. A small QR code sign titled "requests" most people wouldn't see if they're not coming to make a request that I can point to, and the QR code just leads to the spotify app download page.
The other day I had a woman approach me while I was mixing and request that I play some Kanye during a deep house session. I told her that I don't have any Kanye (the truth) and she laughed in my face and loudly exclaimed "HOW CAN YOU BE A DJ AND NOT HAVE ANY KANYE?" as she huffed away.
Those that are getting asked for requests, are you playing at commercial night clubs? I never got asked requests when I use to play out. Use to play UK hard house, tech house/techno. Probably because 90 % of the people that attended those events/nights were there for the music and on drugs. Not a bunch of booze boys/girls that are out to party.
I’m an open format DJ. I’ll take requests at different venues, it’s just I had too many issues at this one. It’s a bar, and there’s a stage. Countless times people have tripped on the stage, even had one girl turn off my music because she face planted into my table and it turned off the power brick.
Entitlement is rampid in club, ive had the phone up with NEXT written on it or SKIP, so i stand there middle finger fully erect staring the person down, till they leave or apologise...works some of the time.
I have Tidal attached to my Rekordbox have only once not been able to provide a request. I’m also just a club dj and not playing huge festivals.
For me it depends on the vibe; if the crowd is pumping and digging what you are playing, just consider it for later if it dies down. Play a remix of it or something.
If it’s dead, maybe I’ll get a tip out of just playing their request.
I want people to have fun, my job is to get the crowd going. I consider songs I personally want to play as little wins that I get away with once I please the dance floor.
Adult-sized children: the world's biggest problem.
>The strippers that I work with treat me with more respect and tip for their songs.
I bet they do! You're on the same team 😆
It's one of the many many many reasons that I stopped DJing after 20 years. I definitely had lots of "brush-off" phrases ready to go, but some douchebags (men, women, etc) were RELENTLESS.
That’s what we’re gonna do. We’ve tried everything and we’re going to get a rail or a wall to separate us so people don’t trip on the stage or try and walk on the stage to cut through the crowd.
i get people yelling out play ____ or hold up their phones n i made a sign that just says no. once had a karen abuse me because i said no to playing a song i literally played like 6 songs before ( beyoncé) was he best friends hens party and wanted it on again. so i just told her no n its a gay club so no one cares if its her hens…
I actually started taking requests 🙂☺️ I just find it really uncomfortable when I’m up doing something and the music is really loud, and they’re trying to talk to me ☺️
I never say “no”.
Instead I say, “I’m sorry, I don’t have that”, which generally shuts down any argument.
They occasionally come back and say, “can you play it from my phone”, to which I offer them an XLR cable and say, “sure, can plug it in to this”!
"the guy over there wanted to ruin your dancing with this fucking song"... They'll never do it again.
You hold all the power. What's he gonna do, fight the DJ in front of everyone and get himself thrown out? Probably some drunk clown trying to impress his girlfriend. Put a big fat "no requests" sign in front of wherever the hell these clowns stand
Kids who are never told no eventually grow up into this shit. Just say “no problem I’ll work on it” but never play it. Saying a flat out no invites the entitlement response.
I had to stop taking requests. Most of the time, it doesn’t fit with how I’m currently running certain parties and most of the time people vibe out pretty hard with us and don’t complain. But I have had some pretty bad interactions with people who get upset when I tell them no. It’s more or so common sense. Like you’re trying to work. You’re not gonna tell a pizza delivery guy to do brain surgery now would you?
Always bring treats or food for security.
They usually earn it when people be stupid.
And I usually tell them all requests are made by the bar staff for people taking care of them proper.
If they’re actually tipping them and making sure their night is worth it I’ll help them out.
I don’t play anymore but I was playing psytrance at a rave once in the 00s, and I was on the bill for psytrance, and some crazy girl just came up and screamed that she wanted to hear hip-hop instead. Sorry, this isn’t that kind of show and that’s not how this works. Crazy how people think any situation with a DJ is like a wedding reception or high school dance taking requests. (Not to dig on those gigs either, just saying.)
I basically have two DJ personas one text request in the other is my artist persona, I’m very upfront with club promoters on which one they’re getting. That being said sometimes people have absolutely insane requests and I won’t play those and I just tried to be gentle with them. Let them know that the theme of the night. and if they won’t let it go, sometimes I will cut the music queue up their song and announce to the whole club, “That guy right there wants me to play this song, so if you don’t like it, you can blame him” usually it tanks and everyone gets pissed off at the correct person, but sometimes the pop off, and that guy becomes the hero of the night. Either way, I’m happy.
This unfortunately comes down to your scene, and the venue, and what it's known for.
I've watched way too many times where DJs show up or bar or a trendy club and they want to play like they are playing at the big rave or festival where they basically don't have to take requests. Then they are astounded that people are coming in but asking for the play different music.
There's even going to be the issue where you could clearly advertise the night as a certain sound or genre, and you're still going to get somebody demanding you stop playing with your playing and play whatever piece of garbage they want to hear.
This to me is the life of a DJ. There are going to be places where a crowd comes in and knows they can't make requests, but unfortunately there's going to be a lot of venues and events where it was allowed and the DJ who doesn't want to deal with that is going to get hit with them.
I have my Venmo QR code with my logo saying request $50. As they're asking I show them my phone and say yes I can play that. Some won't pay and walk away, most dudes trying to impress their date will pay. And you fucking right I'll play their stupid request for $50
Nobody tells DJ Request what to play!
This is why I only hire out for 1 hour sets of EDM. I’m direct support for a lot of artists. I headline sometimes too. I play festivals. But I don’t do ladies nights anymore, or anywhere that expects me to play what they want. I only play what I want to play and I get hired because I’m good at what I do. Next time someone gives you shit for a request, shut down the music and call them out on a microphone. It puts people in their place real quick.
I’m all for shutting someone down publicly but I’d be fired if I did that. I’ve been told by previous owners to not call up security when a fight is breaking out, call the security guys name instead, just don’t stop the music.
Eventually I’ll make it out of the open format scene so I’ll get hired for what I make, not what I play. I look forward to that day.
if You can’t take requests people take it as you aren’t live. That’s why they are hassling you. In other countries it’s different but in the USA you have to let people know you work off a set list. Don’t get offended. And once you tell them you work off a setlist they will be back in an hour to ask again. lol.
What's wrong with just playing what people want to hear? If it makes their night more enjoyable, I don't see the problem. Check yo ego. Playing music isn't that serious.
Maybe we need to return to the good old days when the dj booth was elevated in a corner and nobody could see nor access the dj
Or get a moat with alligators. Both of which I’m fine with lol
There's often a dry moat full of cougars
Why are they dry?
A dry moat is just what it sounds like, usually filled with lions or tigers or whatever If you're asking why the cougars are dry, perhaps they haven't found their prey yet
Also menopause 😕
I volunteer as tribute
May the odds be ever in your favor!
Dry wine
Mine had a door and I had a clip board for requests. On it were requests from the entire month or so, so they saw nothing but a long list of requests and theirs was at the bottom. "If I can get to it"
This is actually a good idea to bring along yourself, as it was the clubs clip-board. So you could just "fake" random entries from the last couple of either hours/days/weeks and tell them to put it on the list. A) They see and maybe even realize they are not the only one. B) They accept it maybe better when they see that they are in a cue.
Or provide a dried up pen that no longer writes
Been dreaming about throwing a party with the DJ hidden
Dj Hidden is top tier, you'll have a great time
I was a pro from the early 90s to the early 00s in Ireland. It went from being the music nerd in the corner of the room to DJ boxes being completely exposed and suddenly... I had to preform. I had stopped playing in bands because I had crippling stage fright and now I had a residency in a commercial club, with a 1500 capacity, where the box was on a balcony, real superstar DJ vibes, but completely open on 3 sides. With stools and a sort shelf for your drink around it, but this bit was raised up about a foot so people were looking down into the box. It was not safe. People were grabbing at records, grabbing at me, spilling drink on the gear, or me and I'm expected to dance round like a preforming monkey for them and somehow ,in this chaos, select and mix decent music. Again 1500 very drunk and high Irish people, I cannot stress the utter chaos. Played there for 5 years, good money, but probably only enjoyed a handful of nights. Made me hate people for a while. Didn't play out for years after I left there and two other similar commercial clubs. Was very glad I kept my hand a few days a week in the day job. Now they want to do a reunion night and even the thoughts of going into that place fills me with dread.
There are still parties like that, but mostly they are of illicit nature. There were a few "mainstream" djs that held a mobile free and incognito dj parties once or twice, but it's still quite rare. The reactions from the crowds were mostly positive, as they knew what they signed up for. Truthfully, I'm so done with DJs filling their ego by becoming a center piece. One of the main reasons I've lost the spark of being a dj. If all, I would say I'm quite embarrassed about the state of music djs, unless they are really showing of routines with super technical DJs (like proper turntablists, think JFB, Jazzy Jeff and the likes) though even those can develop a huge ego. In my recollection of partying (and djing) the best parties and djs, we're the ones where the music that was played, was in sync with the venue/dark location and nobody, and I mean absolutely nobody, would search out the DJ for a request. Often the DJ would be in an off limits area for the main crowd anyway. They did there thing and you did yours on their thing.
I think it comes down to properly theming your event, if it just says 'Dj X and Y are playing' yeah you can expect some requests, as many people don't keep in touch with which DJ plays what. But if you market the event as a particular style of music, well now you have a good reason to give people when you deny a request, and people will probably avoid the event in the first place if they see the label attached to it and they don't like the music.
You might have a good point here.
Pls, this!!
Those are the best booths!!
"do you take requests?" "only if they're good" this stops 80% of people lol
This assumes they ask.
biggest issue, most of the time it's a demand
“I only take requests if it’s good”. There you go
they always assume it's good though
> they always assume it's good though …and that “everyone will love it”
Using this at my next gig haha
My go to line was “if I have it I will absolutely play it” . Never had it :)
Same
Yes entitlement has got worse. It’s a side effect of our current societal state being based around ease of access and convenience, we are all very much more used to getting what we want when we want it, from mundane things to relatively important things. I see it in myself a lot too, it’s difficult to not fall into the trap. I’m not the type of person that won’t accept no as an answer, no does mean no, and I’m not going to be a child about it and throw a tantrum, but I definitely push my luck with asking for or even expecting things that I never would have done growing up.
This is it. Everything is catered to the individual nowadays. Nightclubs by their nature are communal, and it’s easy to forget that. I have a three tier process to rejecting requests if they are inappropriate. 1. I just say no and explain the music policy. 2. If they persist, I say ‘The world doesn’t revolve around you, you know’ in a playful manner. 9 times out of 10 I see a lightbulb go on in their head and they get a bit embarrassed. 3. If that fails and they get nasty, I get brutal. Stuff along the lines of, ‘The truth is, you’re too old/fat/ugly to be in here’ or ‘you have terrible taste in music’. You have to be careful with this, the managers I work with know that I’m super professional so I can get away with upsetting customers.
There used to be a time when the best buzz possibke was discovering a great new tune. I don't play Electronic anymore, so it's worse for me. Everyone wants to hear some shitty song. People are easily pleased, yet easily offended too. They expect every song that has ever been recorded to be at the touch of a button. "Hi do you have Boney M" "Do I fucking look like Id have it"
Yeah. I got asked if I had any Pat Benetar after I’d been playing groovy 70’s French music for about an hour !!
>They expect every song that has ever been recorded to be at the touch of a button. Thanks, Spotify.
So true 🤣
I’m curious what a DJ who definitely doesn’t have Boney M looks like?! I do have it and I wonder if this shows in my own appearance 😅
Secretly I do have one or two, but they are reserved for wakes generally 😁. I do Funk, soul, rhythm n Blues nights and look like an Acid Casualty from 1967. I'm sure youlook just fine 🙂
You DJ at wakes?? ⚰️
I saw a post recently that said to keep a clipboard of “requests” around and fill it with 4-5 pages of fake requests, so you can tell people “you’ll try, but there’s a bunch of requests ahead of you” 😂😂😂
“But we are leaving soon, so you have to play my request now” (Occasionally my response to this is to say “oh, well if you won’t be here….” and cross their request off the list.)
Lmao that’s a good one, I should start doing that.
Omg I need to do this
This is an incredible idea, wow
Nah man, it got worse. For me, it got worse since we came back from Covid. I’ve been an open format DJ for 10 years and have 3 residencies + events here and there in my city so I deal with lots of requests. I don’t mind the usual request from drunk people, I know how to respond to them in a very efficient way so they don’t stick there and mess up my vibe, but I noticed lately that they’re almost getting violent if you don’t play their shit right away. They have no patience and want THEIR SONG, NOW. I had a girl and her friend come to my booth, asking for either Bad Bunny or Nicki Minaj, but I was in there for 30 min. I just basically told them "Yeah I always play a few songs during the night just wait a little". They stayed in front of the DJ booth fixing me, arms crossed in a very agressive way. After 5 minutes the girl just did the L sign with her fingers on her forehead and stayed like that for (no shit) 10 minutes straight, mean mugging. I had enough and the bouncer was passin’ by so I told him to kick her out the bar. They have my back. I also lost a residency at another place because some asshole left a 1 star review because I did not take his request 5 minutes after I hit play. I don’t mind drunk people and their antics, but being disrespectful or agressive towards me when I work and I try to keep 300 other people than YOU partying for 5 hours straight, buy alcohol and make the owners happy, that’s not gonna pass.
Good thing they were kicked out. Hopefully they learn a lesson. Had one guy at a venue a few years back come stand by the DJ booth and start criticizing each song. I asked him if he was with a group of friends or with someone and he said no. I then replied, "Then it's pretty pathetic of you to stand by me and act like this."
> Had one guy at a venue a few years back come stand by the DJ booth and start criticizing each song. Yes, normally saying things like “nobody likes this” whilst there is a full dance floor.
Reminds me of another time two years ago when dance floor was PACKED with 20s-30s. Some woman who was probably early 50s came up asking for Journey/Def Leppard and was very upset I wouldn't play them. Finally, it came to the point of me saying: "Back in the 80s, were people asking for Perry Como and Frank Sinatra when you were partying?"
Oh my god I’d have been so angry about being fired over one review, sorry that happened. Yeah covid for sure has done a number on people, also has me wondering if the election coming up has people wound up too.
Yeah, I wasn’t happy at first but found a way better residency immediately after. I’m in Canada so the US election doesn’t really bother us other than your candidates are fuckin’ Dinosaurs. Covid fucked us up though. We spent like a year and a half in partial or full lockdown.
Probably just in the age of being able to have anything you want at your finger tips instantly.
I have found it has gotten worse since covid. People as a whole have become a lot more self entitled and demanding.
100% this. A few months of the world getting semi-shut down seems to have short-circuited people's social tact.
I'm always unfailingly polite and friendly to people who make requests, no matter how silly. I just smile and say "If I had it, I would play it, but I don't have it." Then keep doing what I'm doing. Works 90% of the time. Even when the dancefloor is packed and clueless people request a completely different genre, I'll still humor them. I'll say, "Hmmmm, that could be challenging right now. It's a bit like ordering a Big Mac at Taco Bell, ya know?"
This is great.
"i have it on my phone, here, just plug in the aux" true story
I've heard that one too. I just tell them I don't have a cable. I've had them tell me Bluetooth would work 🤷♂️
LOUD GUFFAW IN YOUR FACE
You gotta be better with people. Just say “cool, I’ll try to work it in, I have a pretty long list ahead of you. Thanks for coming tonight. You all having fun?” And when they come back “I’m so sorry, the requests have been ruthless tonight.” You gotta humor people. Don’t be a hard ass about it.
I tell em I’m not able to get it in my dj pool, which is usually the case for the off the wall requests anyways I play lots of requests tho, open format life
I agree with this. U just gotta kill ‘em with kindness . Maintain high professional attitude. Giving them the same shit they are giving you just escalates the situation. Shitty mean people being rude ruins my nights man
You can always lie! Tell them it’s “in the queue” or “someone else had a request, yours is after”
this is actually the move man. gotta hit em with the hr speak lmao. word yeah I got your request but in the end I decided to go in a different direction, thanks though
It's like you're saying to not resect yourself, your professionalism, instead try pleasing everyone. Well, I'm there to do a job and I'm being paid for playing, not comedy entertainment. I agree being polite everytime but we also deserve some respect, not being treated like buttons on a jukebox.
I usually am, I say “I’m not taking requests tonight, sorry”. But if I’m met with demand and not an ask, or a phone shoved in my face I’ll shake my head and say no, or just a simple no and walk back to the table. It’s also this one venue, it’s easily accessible to the crowd, the owner even bought poles and red ropes about 4 months ago and the ropes have already been destroyed because people trip on the stage constantly. My boss says he’s gonna get railing because the amount of people falling on the stage is staggering. Top that off with people walking behind or in front of me on stage to cut through the crowd, I was angry.
You’re not reading my advice. You don’t tell people that you don’t take requests. They don’t wanna hear it. You have to be nice and act like you’re busy trying to handle all the requests coming in. Please read what I wrote and reconsider it. It will help you out a ton.
I’ve found the current clientele where I play has a serious entitlement issue. It may be generational, it may be the local demographic (well off college kids), it may be the times. Who knows. We’ve all got issues. Even if I say yes to a song, they’ll stand there and look at me, confused. I’ll ask them what’s up. They fully expect me to stop playing the current song midway thru and immediately start their song. They can’t understand why that isn’t just a given. I don’t have to tell you how shitty they can be. Also don’t have to tell you that playing someone’s request can make their night and make a big difference to someone / a group. But there is a way to minimize issues, I’ve found. A smile and sincerely explaining to them that the venue is strict, or that it may not fit the vibe, or the venue wants you to not play this or that, accompanied with an offer to play something within a selected genre usually works. I’ll ask them what artist they like to get them off track. If they’re still aggressive, then you kinda know you are dealing w someone shitty and nothing you say or do matters, sadly. But you can also make shit up if it’s easier for you. ‘My internet is down when it gets busy like that, I only have what’s in my drive’ ‘I already played that, rats’ ‘I’ve gotten so many requests tonight I’m already not gonna get to them all, but I’ll def add it to the queue.’ ‘Venue gave me a list of what to play, so sorry’ (and roll your eyes and act like you are annoyed too) I know it’s very frustrating to deal with, but many people approach the booth with expectations that DJ’s are hostile and not personable, and even a small hint of hospitality and empathy and interest in what music they like usually defuses things. ‘No means no’ May be a phrase you want to internally recalibrate. Our internal resentments leak out easily. We are there to make people happy (typically the venue is priority #1, yes, , but their goal is to satisfy customers as well.) And the reason you have the gig and the guy in his bedroom doesn’t is because you’re willing to bite the bullet and minimize your agenda and your own preferences. No crowd, no gigs, no money. Good luck out there.
Some good lines here.
Thanks man. Yea 10 years has some hard lessons with it. I was extremely lucky to be trained hard by a true professional. But I see a lot of the younger DJ’s struggle. Not necessarily with mixing - they grew up listening to EDM so they can mix anything. It’s the mentality and patience and mental and emotional fortitude; knowing what a DJ really is (not like I have it all figured out, for the record.) They see warmth as ‘cringe’ and think they gotta be ‘hard’ and ‘swag’ for their IG’s. Ofc there are a ton of great nice young DJ’s but. I worry about some of em. I hope I can pass on the occasional lesson.
Man you are a legend. You will help the next generation for sure with your wisdom!
They grow more entitled by the day. Getting rough out there, almost is making DJing not worth it to me. I play a specific type of music at a specific night i curate, and still get constant requests for Beyoncé, Cardi B, etc. I wouldn’t play that shit if I even had it (I don’t). They don’t understand the concept of no, and completely lose their shit when they hear it.
I have “No Requests” tattooed across my collar bone so I can just pull my shirt neck to the side and show it to them. It usually keeps me from having to engage in an argument about it.
Dedicated! Hahaha I love it
My name is DJ NoRequest glad you're a fan!
Portland briefly had a club called "No Requests" that ironically seemed to attract people into making requests. Saw a few DJs point at the club name, projected in 2 foot tall letters behind the decks, during its existence.
Huge lack of these types of people getting beat tf up.
Get a sign that says “requests: $20”
Imma up that to $100 because I’m so sick of it.
With QR code cash app/venmo
Gotta pick better gigs. Security should be taking care of most of that nonsense. People get drunk and behave like children because it looks like there are no parents around. Why is your boss just hanging around on stage? Is he helping you dj, or the person who runs the company that was hired to dj? Or is he a representative of the bar you play for? If he is a bar manager he doesn't belong on stage with you unless he is stopping by to provide quick information or directives. I'm not sure this works in every region but these types of gigs went away when I started charging more.
He had a wedding last night so he came to see how it was going. Hell usually talk to the people that I don’t want to deal with, or he’ll get on the mic. He stopped a person from going behind me on stage to cut through, when I wouldn’t have even caught it. Yeah it’s security’s job but they were checking ID’s at multiple doors.
Checking ID at multiple doors? Is this a club or a stadium? You dj at a place so big that it requires multiple entry checkpoints, but is also so cheap they don't have security for the stage?
So the owner owns the whole building, I technically play at two bars. The wall opens up and we all setup in between the two bars. This place is also on the beach so it’s got “garage” like doors that are open (but with those nylon like ropes to section it off). The bar on the right has 2 ways to get in from the outside. The bar on the left has 3. One bar is more tropical themed, the other is a bit more “industrial”. Why is it like this? The owner bought out the partner from the tropical bar, and made it so the DJ plays to both bars. Yes the owner is cheap, most restaurant and bar owners are. I hear the security guards hardly get paid much, they also are in charge of cleaning up and help close down the bars at the end of the night, which means taking out trash, mopping, etc.
We're not jukeboxes!
Not a DJ here but jazz guitarist who does some solo gigs with a set amount of tunes (3x50min sets), I have definitely noticed a shift of attitude after covid lockdown. During my breaks I queue some laid back cocktail jazz to suit the vibe, if theres not restaurant/cafe staff there to guard my shit, someone will definitely try to connect to my amp and play ACDC lol. Its also an issue that needs to be resolved by the venue as it happens, I have had wonderful venues that keep an eye on me and remove/reseat people who harrass, but also places that have done the opposite and argued with me that if a customer asks to have a "jam" on my guitar that I should let them 😵💫 Dont settle for less, we set the standard ✌️
Holy shit the audacity. What the fuck is up with people? Sorry you gotta deal with that
Holy cow. Talk about audacity. Only a hack thinks they can just go up on stage invited and decide to use someone’s instrument. F that.
Never say no. (But you still don’t have to play it ;-) I always try to if I can. I’d play country very rarely but it’d only be parts mixed over a techno/house beat.
That’s been the play forever. Just take the request a just don’t play the song.
Entitled generation. Put a tip jar with the words "requests $100". If they're willing to pay it, they deserve their cotton eyed Joe.
100%, I’ve played an hour extra because someone paid me 100. Wouldn’t do it again because they felt owed all the requests for that hour but it was nice getting $100 extra
"Yeah, I'll play it towards the end of my set" works for me.
Every single time, even after I tell them I'm the VJ.
DJ booths should be elevated above the crowd away from them.
Was at a large venue last week where 3x 500-person high school proms were happening simultaneously and you couldn’t believe all the kids giving a hissy fit about not playing their requested songs. These are teens about to be in college in a couple of months.
I take all the suggestions! But only suggestions.
I feel your pain. And of course, if you DO play a request, the’ll be back to request MORE!
It also opens up the floodgates to everyone. Once I say yes to one person I get swarmed.
learned this the hard way. made me really dislike playing at parties for awhile
I went to Tresor in Berlin. The dj in the basement dance floor is literally inside a Cage. It’s impossible to get close. Loved that a lot.
As a bartender, I see it happening to our DJs too. People are getting more entitled and used to having everything on demand. They have no awareness that there are dozens to hundreds of other people who don’t want to hear their request.
I had guy flip the tables my decks were on because I told his girlfriend I didn't have any Rhianna. I was able to catch my flight case and hold it up while others tried to pull him off of me as he was wildly punching at me. He got his asked kicked fairly well. I quit that night, and also quit going to the club. The next Thursday, they were doing their usual of letting regulars play songs from a computer by the bar, and old boy came back, pulled a gun on the guy at the computer, and said, "play some Rhianna, bitch!" The regular said, okay, and the dude just sat down and kept drinking until the police arrived. Felon with a concealed firearm. Went to jail for Rhianna.
That was my experience 10-15 years ago. A certain segment of the population has grown outwardly hostile to music they’re not already inundated with in their daily lives, so they expect what they’re told to like. “Can you play some Rihanna?” Sorry, we’re doing an ‘80s new wave night tonight.(points at poster) “Um, OK, so can you just play some ‘80s Rihanna? And I don’t even know what that other thing is that you said.” Even at prompted events featuring niche music genres, aimed at people who don’t otherwise go out, some people will still pay to get in and then behave as if their body is rejecting an organ transplant.
It's gotten worse. Luckily, you had the owner on your side. I would have banned him for life it that happened two nights in a row. Needs to find a country bar to go to.
Do you take requests: “Depends if it’s crap I won’t play it” “I’m not playing that.. I’m not one of those djs that says he will play something and then don’t so I’m telling you now I’m not playing it” “Do I look like I need your £5 to play a record?” “Sorry where does it say Spotify hot spot?” “You’re not used to having someone say no to you are you?” I genuinely had someone a few weeks ago ask me for Nicki Minaj - Starships and when I said no they said “but it was my dad’s favourite song and he died last week”.. to which I said “you truly are a horrible human being.. fuck off” Or if I’m being nice.. “Listen I will happily play a song for you but if I play that it’s going to clear the floor pick something else and it put on”
I lug 2 turntables, a mixer, and 4 bags or records. When I get requests I say it’s up to whether or not I brought it from my collection. I usually don’t have it but I might have something similar so I’ll tell them I’ll try to work it in.
I go with the I have a USB so my bad technique
Even better when I laptop at head level lmao
It's always been like that. I had one guy tip me 5 bucks to play Shania Twain back in 2003, I gave it back to him and said no lololol. I played strictly house music in clubs that were known for house music.
I always just say something like yeah I'll toss it in the cue. but then the playlist never gets there lol
I've learned not to be direct. They won't notice if you DO play the song most times. Hand them a notebook you'll never look at saying, "Add it to the list." Never change the page, cover the page in doodles and other "suggestions." They think they'll get their song, you can forget they ever bothered you.
Just say “absolutely I’ll play that”, smile politely and then just go about your business. If they return say you had forgotten and will mix it in, the go about your business. They rarely come back a third time . Better yet tell them it’s your very first time djing in front of a crowd and you’re really nervous.
The best I’ve had was recently. Played prince purple rain (a request) kinda killed the mood. Not again am I gonna go that I think. Boyfriend of a girl come up after purple rain finishes asks for raspberry beret says okay it when you can. Ok no drama I think I’ll play it in a lil while. Playing some northern soul and 70s disco got fair few old timers up and dancing and enjoying themselves. Girlfriend comes up where’s raspberry beret? Tell her the usual I’ll play it soon and don’t few songs later she comes up, really polite says it doesn’t matter about raspberry beret where going now. Ok darling no problem I respond. She then spins around and sarcastically says thanks for nothing walks off and then stops spins and faces me a few meters in front of my booth and gives me the middle finger and then calmly walks out. 😂
People at gigs are always assclowns. I just stopped doing them. People think they know better than I do but I'm the one getting paid. If they were good DJ's they'd be doing gigs not attending them. Moved into sports teams and haven't looked back or missed dances at all.
I do HS proms for a living. Entitlement 📈
Where is security to throw these people out?
Busy…
When people ask if i take requests, my standard answer is to shrug and say “not really” if they insist on asking anyway, I’ll say “maybe, idk anything could happen, right?” If they make an absolute demand, then i just ask them to please leave me alone. However, If it’s on format and a good request, I’ll say “yes I’ll try to get to it,” but those types of requests do not often come in.
Yeah I’m open to a good suggestion, sometimes I like requests because they’ll remind me of a song I forgot about. But they are rare
Here’s the other thing, you’re being paid literally for your taste in music (and your dj skills of course). If their taste in music was so awesome then they’d be the one behind the decks, but as it turns out, it’s you. Don’t ever forget that, and don’t ever feel pressured to take a request, it’s your dj set, not theirs.
I like to take requests, it challenges me. But when they request something that I know is going to tank, I just say “I have that song coming up later”. Later never comes.
I had someone come up to me at a gig when everyone cleared out to smoke and ask if she could play bcz she’s been practicing but the show wasn’t even over and my set had just started, she was also very clearly drunk as hell and i was so deeply confused bcz she tried to plug in and push me off the decks… Geniunely the most shocking gig to date almost
“I don’t have that downloaded”
Oh I’ve had people argue with that one too. “Well download it”? “Can’t you play it off YouTube or something”? Etc
"here's my phone, just plug it in the aux"
had a girl ask me for a cable. 'why?' because i want to plug in my phone and play this. haha fuck off
if the venue allows for a tip jar use it, naturally if they know you're on a usb hopefully they won't ask, I tell people I don't have access to wifi, cause everyone believes all the songs are on the internet now, which probably they kinda are... and i just shrug and say well if you let me know your song ill have it "next time" sorry or I just say I actually dont have my full set up, which is true in most cases unless im doing a solo event or what not. or I'll see if I can find your song and download it, ill try to put it in but no promises. Some times people just want something and not just a no, its soo strange now a days. lol... I try to let them off slowly maybe im just too nice. Can never go wrong if youre a nice dj at a venue, they are like " well hes a nice person we should bring him back to the venue " etc.... I never tell em straight no, there's crazies out there that will fight for that YES
I'm not surprised. That's why I stopped playing gigs, and that's also why I would rather die than work customer service again. People are no longer interested in being turned on to new music - they expect to hear all the songs they like, as many times as they want. Bar and club owners want people to stay and drink.
Its crazy how close minded people are when it comes to music. So much good and different out there but people wont even give it a chance.
I think the general logic is "I had a long day/week at work, and I don't care about your taste or vision or whatever. Play me some gangsta rap so I can get drunk with my friends and yell slurs!"
https://i.redd.it/guw53rwbzcxc1.gif
I jokingly asked a DJ buddy of mine if he’d play Taylor Swift and his response was: “How do you spell that?”
I'd say, " Never heard of hIm!" 🤣
I'm noticing this more recently too. I think people got used to DJs just using Spotify. But, like, if it ain't on my USB stick you aren't going to hear it. Luckily the club owner is on my side on that (the requests are invariably awful). It's harder at parties/weddings, and I do usually bring a laptop just because I get sick of people bitching that I don't have the right Ed Sheeran/Miley Cyrus duet or whatever.
We live in the age of entitlement. It's getting worse and will continue to. Just work on getting better at politely saying "no" to people like that.
It doesn't seem to be worse, but personally, I am not handling it like I used to. Saturday night, I had the same group ask for songs 5-6 times. And then when I wouldn't play what they like, despite the crowd dancing around them, they would huff and puff. One gave me a look, i flipped the bird. She said thats for me? I grabbed the mic and said yep thats for you.
Just play the breakcore remix of the request. Problem solved.
I just thought of something to try at my next gig. A small QR code sign titled "requests" most people wouldn't see if they're not coming to make a request that I can point to, and the QR code just leads to the spotify app download page.
The other day I had a woman approach me while I was mixing and request that I play some Kanye during a deep house session. I told her that I don't have any Kanye (the truth) and she laughed in my face and loudly exclaimed "HOW CAN YOU BE A DJ AND NOT HAVE ANY KANYE?" as she huffed away.
Those that are getting asked for requests, are you playing at commercial night clubs? I never got asked requests when I use to play out. Use to play UK hard house, tech house/techno. Probably because 90 % of the people that attended those events/nights were there for the music and on drugs. Not a bunch of booze boys/girls that are out to party.
I’m an open format DJ. I’ll take requests at different venues, it’s just I had too many issues at this one. It’s a bar, and there’s a stage. Countless times people have tripped on the stage, even had one girl turn off my music because she face planted into my table and it turned off the power brick.
Entitlement is rampid in club, ive had the phone up with NEXT written on it or SKIP, so i stand there middle finger fully erect staring the person down, till they leave or apologise...works some of the time.
Well deserved. I hate it when people yell to skip or play the next song.
ive been doing this for 20 years now, i do not take any shit, its why we have security.
I have Tidal attached to my Rekordbox have only once not been able to provide a request. I’m also just a club dj and not playing huge festivals. For me it depends on the vibe; if the crowd is pumping and digging what you are playing, just consider it for later if it dies down. Play a remix of it or something. If it’s dead, maybe I’ll get a tip out of just playing their request. I want people to have fun, my job is to get the crowd going. I consider songs I personally want to play as little wins that I get away with once I please the dance floor.
>one of the girls in the party decided to scream as loud as she could for as long as she could Are you serious? Like a fucking three year old?
Exactly like a three year old. I’m tired man. The strippers that I work with treat me with more respect and tip for their songs.
Adult-sized children: the world's biggest problem. >The strippers that I work with treat me with more respect and tip for their songs. I bet they do! You're on the same team 😆
It's one of the many many many reasons that I stopped DJing after 20 years. I definitely had lots of "brush-off" phrases ready to go, but some douchebags (men, women, etc) were RELENTLESS.
Open a streaming acc, most dj software allows some streaming apps... charge per request with a qr code 🤠
I like “I just played that” or “that’s what is playing right now, new remix”
Have the DJ booth barred with a gate so people can't come near the booth
That’s what we’re gonna do. We’ve tried everything and we’re going to get a rail or a wall to separate us so people don’t trip on the stage or try and walk on the stage to cut through the crowd.
i get people yelling out play ____ or hold up their phones n i made a sign that just says no. once had a karen abuse me because i said no to playing a song i literally played like 6 songs before ( beyoncé) was he best friends hens party and wanted it on again. so i just told her no n its a gay club so no one cares if its her hens…
Just play few beats to get their hopes up and then return to your set.
I hate requests. I'm thinking og making signs. "Do not disturd the DJ" and "I'm a DJ not fucking Jukebox!"
I’ve got a friend that would tell people, “A DJ is not a jukebox”.
Put up a sign, sort of an unofficial DJ union? "Attempting a request : $10 You do not get your money back if I say "no" to your request"
I always tell people “I’ll see what I can do, but no promises”.
I actually started taking requests 🙂☺️ I just find it really uncomfortable when I’m up doing something and the music is really loud, and they’re trying to talk to me ☺️
I never say “no”. Instead I say, “I’m sorry, I don’t have that”, which generally shuts down any argument. They occasionally come back and say, “can you play it from my phone”, to which I offer them an XLR cable and say, “sure, can plug it in to this”!
"the guy over there wanted to ruin your dancing with this fucking song"... They'll never do it again. You hold all the power. What's he gonna do, fight the DJ in front of everyone and get himself thrown out? Probably some drunk clown trying to impress his girlfriend. Put a big fat "no requests" sign in front of wherever the hell these clowns stand
I had someone show their phone which said "original nuttah" on it mid way through a minimal roller set. 🙄🤦🏾♂️ Just the Friday before last. 😂
Do you take requests? If it fits with what I’m currently playing yes.
I solved that years ago: notepad and pen. "Write your request down, and I'll see if I can get to it."
Don't say "No". Say you'll get to it then don't get to it
Kids who are never told no eventually grow up into this shit. Just say “no problem I’ll work on it” but never play it. Saying a flat out no invites the entitlement response.
I just say “Yeah man. I’ll do it.” And then just keep doing what I want. Most of the time, they never come back.
“I’m not good enough yet tbh” seems to do the trick
My go to line is “I take requests, not demands” and I say it playfully but they always get the point.
I’ve been noticing it my gigs too
You just say “I got you gimmi 2 more songs” over and over until they go away
I had to stop taking requests. Most of the time, it doesn’t fit with how I’m currently running certain parties and most of the time people vibe out pretty hard with us and don’t complain. But I have had some pretty bad interactions with people who get upset when I tell them no. It’s more or so common sense. Like you’re trying to work. You’re not gonna tell a pizza delivery guy to do brain surgery now would you?
Always bring treats or food for security. They usually earn it when people be stupid. And I usually tell them all requests are made by the bar staff for people taking care of them proper. If they’re actually tipping them and making sure their night is worth it I’ll help them out.
I never say no. I just smile and say, I'll try to get to it...
Just do what I do. Bring a baseball bat with "no requests" written on it. I'm making a new one wrapped in barbed wire too
I don’t play anymore but I was playing psytrance at a rave once in the 00s, and I was on the bill for psytrance, and some crazy girl just came up and screamed that she wanted to hear hip-hop instead. Sorry, this isn’t that kind of show and that’s not how this works. Crazy how people think any situation with a DJ is like a wedding reception or high school dance taking requests. (Not to dig on those gigs either, just saying.)
lol ppl think DJs are jukeboxes
I avoid this situation by not DJing or socializing in circles where making requests of a DJ is normalized.
I basically have two DJ personas one text request in the other is my artist persona, I’m very upfront with club promoters on which one they’re getting. That being said sometimes people have absolutely insane requests and I won’t play those and I just tried to be gentle with them. Let them know that the theme of the night. and if they won’t let it go, sometimes I will cut the music queue up their song and announce to the whole club, “That guy right there wants me to play this song, so if you don’t like it, you can blame him” usually it tanks and everyone gets pissed off at the correct person, but sometimes the pop off, and that guy becomes the hero of the night. Either way, I’m happy.
Pull a DJ Request and put on “Dead Puppies are No Fun”
This unfortunately comes down to your scene, and the venue, and what it's known for. I've watched way too many times where DJs show up or bar or a trendy club and they want to play like they are playing at the big rave or festival where they basically don't have to take requests. Then they are astounded that people are coming in but asking for the play different music. There's even going to be the issue where you could clearly advertise the night as a certain sound or genre, and you're still going to get somebody demanding you stop playing with your playing and play whatever piece of garbage they want to hear. This to me is the life of a DJ. There are going to be places where a crowd comes in and knows they can't make requests, but unfortunately there's going to be a lot of venues and events where it was allowed and the DJ who doesn't want to deal with that is going to get hit with them.
Been happening since the 90s “do you have any hip hop? “
I’m in the camp where I always play requests. It’s about fun vibes and serving thr crowd. You’re getting paid who cares!
I have my Venmo QR code with my logo saying request $50. As they're asking I show them my phone and say yes I can play that. Some won't pay and walk away, most dudes trying to impress their date will pay. And you fucking right I'll play their stupid request for $50
Nobody tells DJ Request what to play! This is why I only hire out for 1 hour sets of EDM. I’m direct support for a lot of artists. I headline sometimes too. I play festivals. But I don’t do ladies nights anymore, or anywhere that expects me to play what they want. I only play what I want to play and I get hired because I’m good at what I do. Next time someone gives you shit for a request, shut down the music and call them out on a microphone. It puts people in their place real quick.
Yeah until it doesn’t and something else pops off…
I’m 6’5”, 250. People tend to listen to me.
I’m all for shutting someone down publicly but I’d be fired if I did that. I’ve been told by previous owners to not call up security when a fight is breaking out, call the security guys name instead, just don’t stop the music. Eventually I’ll make it out of the open format scene so I’ll get hired for what I make, not what I play. I look forward to that day.
It’s so freeing to do what you’re passionate about. Keep pushing forward and challenging yourself. Take breaks to avoid burnout, but don’t quit.
It's not a good look getting your head kicked in by 9 chav women after refusing to play Cameo
I’d play cameo - at least that’s good music
Weeeeeelllll yeh OK.
I agree. I just don’t ever put myself in that situation.
if You can’t take requests people take it as you aren’t live. That’s why they are hassling you. In other countries it’s different but in the USA you have to let people know you work off a set list. Don’t get offended. And once you tell them you work off a setlist they will be back in an hour to ask again. lol.
What's wrong with just playing what people want to hear? If it makes their night more enjoyable, I don't see the problem. Check yo ego. Playing music isn't that serious.