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It’s
your party and on the night we play what you like, and music
request's are always welcome. However it’s also worth adding
some words of caution, on the night, sometimes discretion
needs to be used. A good example of this would be during
a kid’s party an elder brother might ask for some hip hop
with loads of swearing. Playing this would be totally inappropriate
for the occasion, not only because of the lyrics but because
it will clear the dance floor. On the other hand if it was
the big brothers 18th
birthday party and his aunty wanted to hear the classic
Mr blobby, because 10 years ago it was the birthday boys
favorite, I would have to pretend I didn’t have it.
I’ve
had situation at a wedding party when the best man, "for
a laugh" kept asking for tunes that would remind the
happy couple of their previous relationships. I’ve done
many parties when the one guy who always seems to sit on
his own at the back has said play something decent like
some 1970's folk music or some other strange request that
he has no intention of dancing to. This might seem harsh
but I try to get bums off seats.
Requests
tend to fit into one of three groups.
- First
and the biggest group, stuff I was going to play anyway
usually current chart hits or party favorites. This will
be music that fits the occasion and suits the audience,
and will usually always go down well.
-
Second is the more useful group and are popular hits from
the past. Often these tunes connect and mean something
to the larger group; these tunes can pack a dance floor.
This group would include anything requested by the person
booking the party.
- Third
these are the inappropriate tunes the ones out of context
or designed to offend somehow. However Sometimes you can
get away with playing a record you know will clear the
dance floor because during a long party people will need
to have a rest a drink and a bit of a chat etc. That said,
watch out for this type of request, if you play one naff
tune other people will start to suggest even more obscure
tunes to play. Tunes that may have got the party started
in 1964 but today will fall flatter than a pancake that
was run over by a steam roller driven by Anne widdicome.
It’s a game of variables, its difficult to plan more than
one or two records ahead because its important to base the
choice on the next tune by the crowd’s reaction to the one
playing. It’s also very important to keep in mind who asked
for what and make sure they are still around when you do
play the request. Nightmare situations occur when you squeeze
in a dodgy request and the person who asked for it comes
back from the loo or a smoke break towards the end. They
now know you have the record so often insist it gets a replay.
During an average 4 hour party you can play as few as 80
tunes, the trick is to know what tunes will work best at
that moment. It’s usually best not to waste a time on something
that wont work or is out of context.
Being
able to tell if a request is genuine, or just to wind someone
up is a big part of the job. It’s amazing how often I get
a request for a couple supposedly about to get engaged when
really they are already married to other people. Being a
good DJ is about remembering the many thousands of records
in the collection and working out what fits at that moment
and will help to build the party atmosphere to an exciting
crescendo. A record may work brilliantly, a floor filling
smash but six months down the line you get rebooked and
play the same tune to the same people and it has the totally
opposite reaction. Filtering out the stuff that is not appropriate
or will fall flat is the difference between someone who
just plays records at parties and a professional DJ.
With all that said, it’s your party, on the night we play
what you like, and as for Request, we love 'em'. For Djs
who play requests contact Pro Mobile disco on
0208 367 5217
0774
639 1061
Pro Mobile Discos in Enfield, Barnet, Waltham Forest, Redbridge,
Havering, Harrow, Ealing, West london, East London, North
London, London, Essex, Bucks, Herts, Berkshire Mobile Discos.
Pro mobile discos supplies great value professional mobile
discos and experienced, djs playing your choice of the best
party, dance, disco, 60's 70's 80's, 90's and chart, Pop
and party music for all occasions.
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