FROM THE BOOTH

I am an avid salsa fan from different perspectives; musician, aficionado, dancer and DJ. In the past two years I’ve had steady gigs as a DJ, and there are many things that go on in the booth or as some people say in Spanish ‘en la cabina.’ I‘d like to speak about these things.

Talking to the DJ

Most DJ’s are personable people and want people to recognize them. We are talking about a specific group of people who are constantly listening to music and matching it to specific crowd conditions. Let’s examine a specific scenario. You walk into the club, any club, in this case let’s say The Club and you are ready for a night of dancing. You’ve been there an hour and you haven’t heard YOUR SONG play and immediately you find a way to get the message to the DJ. You ask a friend or an acquaintance that knows the DJ to play your song, or you go up to the booth and ask him/her to play your song.

First – when you arrived at the club, did you wave or even say hello to the guy or gal in the booth? Did you attempt to compliment him/her on a selection you hadn’t heard in a while and establish some form of contact with that person?

Second – if you answered no to any part of the first question, why would you think the DJ would want anything to do with your wishes?

Believe it or not most DJ’s are warm people that are willing to please folks, whether people notice them or not. The fact that you are there to dance sends the message that the DJ is doing his/her job. However scientific any job or aspect of any job gets, dancing is a social function. It can be traced to any of the various indigenous peoples that inhabited this world before explorers and conquistadors. If dance or dancing is a social function then the person that gets you dancing, in modern society the DJ, is performing a social function. I would recommend everyone to try these tips out and see if they help.

SAY HELLO – Every Thursday when I walk into THE CLUB I have a lot on my mind. I ask myself, will they dance? , Will there be people?, will the equipment make me look bad?, will I have the music they like? While I’m setting up I get a few Hellos and they calm my nerves. When you walk into a club, if it’s your weekly spot, or you are a regular there just say hi or wave at the face in the booth. Most likely he/she knows what you like to dance to and they’ll play it without you having to ask for it.

REQUESTS – Most DJ’s have enough music otherwise they wouldn’t be working at clubs. Some DJ’s have a limited number of CD’s or tapes or vinyl and carry only what they need for the evening. When asking for a special request keep two things in mind (1) the DJ may not have the tune you want to hear (2) the DJ may have something similar. Don’t be insulted if he/she turns you down or is unable to play your request. There are but so many CD’s that you can carry for a gig. I carry 200 CD’s to every gig and there is always some request that I can’t fulfill.

ACKNOWLEDGE THE BOOTH – One Thursday I was spinning and someone alerts me to the fact that a certain individual is fond of a particular artist. I play that artist and the gentleman comes to the booth to give me a tip (we’re talking money here) but I turned him down. I told him this is my job. If you want to do something for me, buy me a beer. This gentleman was merely acknowledging the fact that I was doing a good job or probably catering to him. As a DJ you learn what people like and you do the best you can to please them.