What turns you on or off in a DJ?

[Rugby]

What do you like or expect from a DJ whether it be at a competition or at a social dance?  Do you like it when they play for example two of each type of dance in a row, or one standard/smooth then one latin/rhythm, or that they mix it up?  Do you like old music, modern, strict tempo, singing in the song or a mix?  What turns you on or off in a DJ (please do not give the DJ's name) and would you travel further so you can dance to their music?  Would you prefer to dance to live music over a DJ?

[Graham]

What do I like? In order of priority.
Firstly - tempo that is danceable (if not strict tempo, close to it).
Secondly - lively music as I try to dance WITH the music rather than TO it.
Thirdly - a good variation from one day to another.
Fourthly - alternate 2 of each latin/standard

I don't mind a few tunes that are non-ballroom (such as line dance, occasional salsa/merengue/AT/WCS etc.), but prefer split of at least 75% ballroom (and higher is even better), the other 25% is social time. Famee Furlane DJ (Toronto/GTA) tends to play 60% ballroom and 40% other stuff. I refuse to have anything to do with the venue when he is playing.

Graham

[Rugby]

I like it the other way around, or at least 50 /50.  We did a demo and used all non-ballroom music and we had many, many people that ballroom dance say how it opened their eyes to using different types of music.  I always say if you are a good dancer you should not have trouble dancing to anything.  I find some of the old ballroom stuff boring to the point where it gives me no inspiration to want to even dance.  I suppose for me it is how the music makes me feel that creates how I dance, I don't care if it is ballroom, country, top 40 or what have you.  Every waltz, every cha cha etc. should be danced differently depending on how the music and singer makes me feel.

I too like the music to be mixed in that I don't like it where I know what tune is going to be played next because the DJ is so predictable. 

[QPO]

Interesting about the music I like that they would have different songs for each heat, sometimes you go to a comp where they have 4 heats and then play the same songs for each heat  . which I think is wrong. it should be different as the first group going on does not know what the Music is going to be why should the other heats know?

I have been to comps where that is not the case but the prior is not unusal. As for live music to taped music... as long as it is the right tempo I would not mind live music, I did not to a function last year with a live band and they just played the same temp different songs all night, very uninspiring 

[elisedance]

Interesting about the music I like that they would have different songs for each heat, sometimes you go to a comp where they have 4 heats and then play the same songs for each heat  . which I think is wrong. it should be different as the first group going on does not know what the Music is going to be why should the other heats know?

I think they are trying to make fair - if the music was different one or other group might compain that their music was harder.  Its a bit of a rock and a hard place argument

[cornutt]

It's a good question.  If I could give two pieces of advice to DJs starting out, it would be:

1.  Don't play a bunch of music that's not in strict tempo.  You can do a little bit, but the dancers are going to get frustrated if they're chasing the one all over the floor.
2.  Don't play the same set every week.   

[SwingWaltz]

Pet peeve is the DJ gets the tempo wrong. Big pet peeve!

[elisedance]

Bigger pet peeve, DJ puts on a social dance during a competition.  I wonder what they would do if we all started social dancing

[catsmeow]

so what makes the music social?

[elisedance]

so what makes the music social?

simply when its not on time for competition dances...

[QPO]

the dj for our comp tries to play music that is a good mix of new and old ones. some of the soical providers well they play organ grinder music.....very uninspiring.

[cornutt]

so what makes the music social?

simply when its not on time for competition dances...

Are there set tempos for International dances?  I've long noted that at any American-style comp, there will be at least one heat in syllabus where the DJ will try to throw the dancers off by playing something that is on the very edge of being a workable tempo for the dance.  They particularly love to do this with foxtrot for some reason -- I've done a few foxtrots at comps that were almost quicksteps.   

[elisedance]

There are very strickt tempos for International dances"
Waltz 28-30
Tango 31-33
VW 58-60
FT28-30
QS 50-52

SB 50-52
CC 30-32
RB 25-27
PD 60-62
PDO 1-99
JV 42-44

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballroom_dance

[cornutt]

PDO 1-99

 

[MusicChica]

simply when its not on time for competition dances...

Are there set tempos for International dances?  I've long noted that at any American-style comp, there will be at least one heat in syllabus where the DJ will try to throw the dancers off by playing something that is on the very edge of being a workable tempo for the dance.  They particularly love to do this with foxtrot for some reason -- I've done a few foxtrots at comps that were almost quicksteps.   

Well, what happens is that since there's a range of acceptable tempos, DJs futz with the speeds based on the level of the heat.  Especially in Bronze, songs are played at the extreme ends of the allowable tempos.  Slow dances (rumba, foxtrot, waltz) are played faster, because the dancers don't yet have the control or ability to dance the slower, and fast dances (quickstep, cha-cha, jive) are played slower because the dancers don't have the speed to dance them at full tempo.