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Topic: What to say on the microphone, and how to read the crowd?

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Hay to all my fellow DJ's,
I just had my first gig on Saturday working at a pub which will be a repeated job weekly. Since having my first experience I have a few questions to ask so I can work on making myself better.

1. What things are there to say on the microphone? the whole night I hardly said anything because I didn't have a clue what to say half of the time as I didn't see it as being necessary either. At first I was scared to death of using my MIC, it felt as though it was staring at me but in the end I said "Why not" and stated "It's time to take a step back" when I jumped from the mainstream Pop to the 90s music. So can you please give me tips on what else I can say on the MIC? Thanks.

2. Now, I thought I knew how to read a crowd but I seemed to have failed miserably for my first attempt. I started off by playing some of the Pop mainstream and when I looked at who was in I could only see people looking between 19-30, most of the time from the start I could only get people bobbing their head at their tables or just moving around in front of the bar. I kept calm and told myself "Maybe they just don't wanna dance" because the pub I work at is a starter pub. I did however have about 20 people in half way through the night and in the end resulted in being empty.

For my first live attempt I thought I didn't do a bad job. A part from the few errors I made pressing the loops on the wrong player and starting the track back from the beginning, which make me feel a bit awkward.

Thanks.
 
Posted Sun 27 May 12 @ 6:28 pm
Seems to me that you need to spend some time going out with a more experienced DJ to learn from them.


There's nothing unusual about what "needs to be said" into a mic. It's just there to amplify your normal voice.

What would you normally say when meeting up with a bunch of mates in a pub, and you didn't know all of them?

And then at the end of the night when you have to go? Same when you're using the mic. Be yourself.

What you don't need to do is talk like a tacky radio DJ, telling everyone what the tracks are, and saying "Shabba!"......

As for reading the crowd, it's easiest to just encourage requests - get them to pick what they want.

You'll learn from experience to "fill the gaps", so when someone asks for X you know that they'll probably like Y and Z too.
 
If you're in a pub:

Keep your announcements short: 10-15 seconds at most.

Rule of thumb, People will listen intently for 5 seconds, start to tune out at 10 seconds, and start to complain at anything over 15 seconds of talking in a Pub.


EX:

"Just a reminder people: Tonight's drink special, $4.75 Jugs of draft all night long, get that from the bar or your waitress."

That's it. Simple to the point and people don't get mad because you're editorializing about drink specials.
Use the same basic technique but vary it when it comes to ; Special events/holiday parties (Halloween/new years etc) Tickets for live bands at the pub

Introduce yourself every now and then;

My name is: DJ Insert ironic/cool name I'll be playing music for you come and see me if you have requests.


Very important:

A Pub DJ is very very different from a Club DJ.

A Pub DJ is a the single most important from of internal advertising in a pub, Because he/she has a mic.

He is there to:
    Make people dance
    Promote alcohol sales (THE THING THAT KEEPS THE PUB OPEN)
    Inform patrons where beer tubs, shooter bars/girls are
    Keep patrons from wanting to leave.
    Advertise upcoming events


Doesn't matter if you're an employee of the Pub or contracting. The manager hired you because he feels that having a DJ will help increase sales. The more you can do to help that the more often you will be back.

Mixing skills have very little to do with it.
 
Using your mic:
Be sure about what you're gonna say. If you use the mic "because you have to" you'll be insecure and so you will sound insecure. And that's the best way to loose interest from your crowd. Got nothing to say? Leave the mic.
Music:
Like Marcel said: a pub is very different from a club. In a club people want to dance, so you have to make sure you'll play music that people can dance to. In a pub your audience have very different tastes in music. You have to play various styles, from 70's / 80's to Top40, and from national heroes up to commercial dancemusic (it has got to be recognizable).

You'll learn. We all had our first time and our mistakes ;)
 
Personally I would stay away from drinks promos, sure if they ask you but if they don't forget it. Don't cheapen yourself!

Once they've got you, you'll be forever announcing special offers and I'm sure that's not what you want to do or how you envisioned your DJing career.

I would suggest doing a quiz, stick to quizzes and calling up karaoke singers as well as dedicating peoples requests to them every now and again.
 
Can you tell us what was the song they DID dance to ?

And can you tell us what songs you played where no one danced to or they left?

Also, in what part of the world are you DJing?
 
The guy who runs the place told me he wants 90s and Pop.
One example of what people danced to was "Whigfield - Saturday Night" even though one of them complained to the bar staff. I saw some young girls sat to the side so I played some Rhianna, could only get them bopping their head at the table and some shaking their asses on their way out, but who knows they probably just wasn't up for dancing yet.

I live in Britain, in the East Midlands.
 
You shouldn't worry too much about people not dancing if you're doing a bar or pub gig......the manager will be happy as long as people are there, and buying drinks. It's when people leave (before the end) that you need to worry!

I would suggest building the night up slowly. Don't play the good stuff too early, and don't play anything too dancy early on.

Start laid back and mellow, wait for the place to fill up - gradually increase the tempo as the night goes on.

If you're playing for four hours, then you may well only get full-on dancing for the final hour or two. No one's going to start dancing as soon as they walk in.
 
the thing is mate, it started off at around 15 people, then mid way through the night there was about 30 and then hardly anybody.
I do start off slow and work up by the way, kind of.
 
My experiences with Pubs/Bars are that it can be hit and miss. Most people that come there know that its not a club. Therefore dancing is not required. If you see people generally enjoying them self and bobbing their heads to the tune, you are doing alright. An established bar with a good following can be a bit tough going into. They are used to a DJ that has a certain style and will probably reject you at first. A bar just opened can be tough as well. The patrons don't know what to expect and will take time to warm up to your style. As long you are keeping them there drinking, you are doing good. If they are walking out after 1 drink, your job as a DJ is in jeopardy.

Typically if I am DJing a slow night at a bar, I would actually try out different genres to see what get the crowd going. The manager or owner may or may not tell you to cut it out. But you go try to see what crowd you have.

As far as mic work and think most have covered it already. Drink specials, upcoming events, birthday shouts outs, etc.

On a slow night, whatever you do, DO NOT LOOK BORED. You are the entertainment. Pump up the crowd that is there. Entertain request. Dance around in the DJ booth.
 

This pub used to be one of the top one's in town a couple of years ago apparently, but you know things change and the middle of town seems to be the main hotspot these days. Where I'm working is like a starter pub. This pub has recently just opened under new management so I'm trying to do my best but it's kinda hard at the same time with me being new to doing it live in front of people... but I'm having fun with it.
 
dickie100 wrote :

This pub used to be one of the top one's in town a couple of years ago apparently, but you know things change and the middle of town seems to be the main hotspot these days. Where I'm working is like a starter pub. This pub has recently just opened under new management so I'm trying to do my best but it's kinda hard at the same time with me being new to doing it live in front of people... but I'm having fun with it.



Give it a month of doing it every weekend and you will settle in. You will get to know the crowd coming. Although being new pub, crowd may changed up on you. Get to know the regulars, say hi and converse with them when you can. They will be your core group and will ask for you if you are not there. Kinda like job security. They will also help with word of mouth. If you have time, check out other DJs in that are in the same type of venue you are in and see what they are doing. The songs they play. How the crowd reacts to those songs. How they interact with the crowd. You may even want to come up and introduce yourself and befriend them. Good for networking. They may want you to cover one night. Its a way to get your name out there.
 
I think that's really important advice- especially if it's dead or only a few people in.

It's it's busy enough for an atmosphere then you can select tunes to fit the mood and get busy mixing and showing off your skills and building a dance floor, generally doing the "I'm such a cool DJ" thing. :-D

But if it's quiet the best thing you can do is get on the mic or even just go over to whoever's there and just say "hi, since you're the only people in I'll play whatever you fancy." Or turn it into a game to see if they can "test" you by asking for really random tunes and seeing if you've got them! (If they ask for something you don't have ask them "is that a good song?" "is that a new tune or an old one?" and then the key phrase is "okay, well I'll try and get that one for next week then in case you come in!")

If you're good at chatting to people then do that- ask them what kind of music they're into. Ask them what sort of music they think you should be playing- people love to give advice and offer their opinions (remember they could have the worst music taste ever and you don't have to act on their "advice" or suggestions.) Some people (guys especially) might have a passing interest in DJ'ing so you could "show them around" your kit and then pretend to look surprised and interested when they tell you about the good old days when DJs all had turntables... Lol.

Like someone else said, just keep them entertained! Keep them entertained and then hopefully they'll be back the next week. Thinking about chatting to people in pubs reminded me of this video from DJ Tutor - good advice for talking to drunk people who may or may not be idiots

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8rzquAc4O0

And remember all of the above only applies to people who look in the vaguest way interested. You could get on the mic and ask for requests and use that as a judge for if they might be interested in the DJ and or music in general. There's no point trying to force yourself on people who don't want to be sociable or who have no interest in music (I know- how could they not be into music, right!!?!?). But (sadly) some people might just be in that pub for a good drink and really wouldn't want to talk to anyone! Hopefully there's not too many of those and most people are there to have a good time.

Hope that helps.
 
Yes all the answers have helped in some way.

Thank you people.
 
I work in a very busy Yates's bar in Tamworth, West Midlands. If you are not too far away, you are always welcome to come down and have a listen if you want and then try a bit yourself.
 
My very first gig was actually at the biggest club in town. Yeah, not stressful at all. Also, I was the only DJ there. My dancefloor was the only dancefloor that was open.

I had to play from 11pm to 6am. Yeah, I know. First night was bad. I didn't have any of the mainstream music on my laptop, nor had I planned to play any of those tunes. I don't like most of them. By the time it was 4 something AM, the place was empty. Boss wasn't happy.

So, what I did before my next gig (every Thursday for a month, same club) was to stock up on all the stuff the radios play, from Guetta to Black Eyed Peas, among others, and mix them in along with the stuff I like (let's say, 60/40, and then keep progressing towards the kind of music I like as the night goes on and people are into it). It was insane. People were singing, dancefloor was packed, everyone was having fun, smiling, girls going crazy on the speakers (at some point, I couldn't even see the dancefloor anymore).

Also, the whole "girl wanting the DJ to 'take her home'" thing is actually true, haha.

Not a lot of things have ever made me feel like that, and I want to keep doing this, for sure. As for the topic at hand, I never used the mic once, but it depends on where you're playing. If it's a pub, use it to broadcast information regarding the pub itself (drinks, someone's birthday, etc). As others have said, never take too long with your speeches, otherwise you'll drown out the music, and people will lose interest. Keep it brief, and try to throw in a pun or two when possible, if you're confident enough to do so.
 


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