The Secret of Audience Management for Djs

This is one of those areas of life that is all aboutfor moving from some slightly mellow tunes to a
your brain. You know the phrase "fake it to makemore frenetic phase - oh, and I did my best to
it" - well, I'm not actually recommending that youlook as though this was just routine to me. Do
fake anything, but what I am saying may surpriseyou know what? When Susie came back after
you (if you're still an inexperienced performer).half an hour later, just as many people were
As an inexperienced DJ, I used to hang out anddancing as had been when she pulled her stunt!
study the professionals in my area. One DJ inWhat did this teach me (apart from enduring
particular - actually, and sadly unusually, a youngadoration for Susie)?
woman - took pity on me and began to befriendAuthority, composure, being in control,
me, mentoring me a little. She would chat to meprofessionalism, even coolness - they're in the
in-between tracks, checking out whether I waseyes of the beholder. The audience and staff that
able to explain back to her why she had madenight treated me like Susie's deputy, and so I was.
particular sequencing choices; asking me whatI even treated myself like it!
tune I would be planning to play three recordsIt's almost as though there is a cartoon DJ that
ahead; or getting me to tell her which segmentsthe audience sees as well as - and pretty much
of the audience that were not dancing at thatseparate from - the real you. The audience sees
moment she should aim some tunes at within thethe cartoon you, not the real you. Keep this idea
next 20 minutes or so.with you, and utilize it: the cartoon you - the
(You do think in these ways yourself, don't you,stage DJ - can have a different persona to your
when running your set? A pro-DJ should be highlyprivate self.
audience-aware, and be planning ahead to ensureEven if (like me) you're actually a bit shy, the
that as many segments of the audience ascartoon you needn't evidence any shyness.
possible get to hear tunes that suit them. That'sIf you act confident then your confidence is
good business. It also takes a lot of gigs to getbasically a matter of fact. After all, how does
your antennae working effectively!)your audience know you're nervous unless you
Anyway, what happened is this: one night, in atransmit that to them?
moderately busy club at about 1 p.m., my mentorThat lesson was scary at first, but actually I think
popped to the toilet. Except she didn't pop; sheSusie was very clever - if she'd built up to it so I
disappeared altogether. I was standing thereknew it was coming, I'd probably have crumbled
waiting for her to return as the track - "You'reinto a bag of nerves. She helped cure me of my
putting a Rush on Me" (what a joke!) - neared itsfears about performing.
end.By the way,if any of you are involved in training,
Suddenly, I knew exactly what she had done. Ior even in the same situation that I used to be in
knew this was a test; I knew she was watchingand you have identified a mentor - the type of
from somewhere in the club. I also knew that theinteraction I described earlier is, I now have
club's staff, and the regular customers, had gotlearned, one of the most powerful and enduring
used to seeing me nearby or alongside the DJ,training methods known in the business world.
and that they would assume I was taking overVery few people are privileged to get such
while Susie took a break.high-quality, detailed, practical, skills-based
So I did. The next record was ready, and I fadedmentoring from a successful practitioner. If you
it in; and for the next 30 minutes I was in heaven.can organize it for yourself from a pro DJ you
I picked a selection of tunes to play, with a planadmire, rip his or her hands off!