Pope's new gig

There was some shocking news this past week about the Pope Benedict XVI retiring. This was the first time a Pope has stepped down in the last 6 centuries! But the good news is we found out why he retired and we completely understand why: he's DJing!

Some reports are coming out of his DJ name but nothing confirmed. Among the names are DJ Benedict Beats, DJ Bass Blesser, DJ Breakdown Holiness, DJ Sin Scratcher, and DJ Lady Killer. All are fine choices. We wish him all the best in the business and if he's looking to join the best dj company out there then I think we can help!

Bad DJs: Bongo Man

We could write multiple posts about bad and/or funny DJs, but one of them has to take the wedding  cake. And for our money it belongs to the infamous bongo, wedding DJ. He definitely was lacking in his crowd reading skills.

He starts off the video mumbling and seemingly trying to rhyme to get the guest to join a congo line. After that debacle he approaches to what we hope is his assistant and not just a surprised party goer, and tries out his bongo skills on her. Watch and be amazed.

Remember, you get what you pay for so hit up Mixing Maryland for your professional DJ needs.

DJ Skills: Reading the Crowd

DJing is a heck of a lot more than just pushing play. Real DJs spend many years building up a unique skill set that includes sound and equipment knowledge, music discovery, mixing techniques, crowd interaction, and of course reading the crowd. Good DJs will be able to do all of those things and much more.

In order to be able to read the crowd, there are a couple main things to keep in mind. One is that you need to know your music. In order to adjust on the spot depending on how your crowd reacts to certain artists, songs, genres, etc, you'll need to know your library, and more so, you'll need to know your individual songs to know what to predict and where to drop in and come out of a song.

Watch them, see how and when they dance, they'll give you cues as to what they're into and what they're not. A good DJ will listen to requests. Just because a request is made, doesn't mean you have to play it but can be a good indicator for what your crowd is into. Another tip is to experiment. You can't learn to read a crowd and make adjustments if you never do it. Play around, be free, see what works and what doesn't.

How to Deal with Bad Requests

Let's face it, everyone has a different taste in music and they're not always good. In fact, a lot of times, DJs get requests for songs that are just too overplayed or not right for the atmosphere or the type of crowd you have. Somebody at a wedding might request a song that is on the Bride and Groom's DO NOT PLAY list. In those cases, you'll need to know how to handle them and give an appropriate response.

For weddings, you can always say that you have a plan with the bride and groom and that if the request fits in, you'll play it. For parties, bars, clubs, and other types of gigs, just use your best judgement, tell them you'll see what you can do, but never commit to doing something you know you're not going to do, after all, you do want these people to like you.