So, recently, I had the opportunity to DJ for Blues Muse, an awesome follower-focused event up in Philadelphia, PA. I also, lucky me, had the chance to DJ for some of their regular venues, including Jazz Attack on Thursday, Powerhouse Blues on Monday, and was scheduled for Lindy and Blues (LaB) on Tuesday but couldn't DJ because my computer chose that day to fall apart. Long story short, I had way too much fun and did a whole lot of DJing, despite the last-minute disaster-adventure of my motherboard failing.

I played a good set at Jazz Attack, there was great energy and I got several compliments on it. Same with my set at Powerhouse on Monday. I even got plenty of compliments on my sets during the weekend for Blues Muse! But DJing for that event was one of the more stressful DJ opportunities I've had in a while. Why? Because, generally, I am not as familiar with my blues music (or bluesy-jazz) as I am for any of the music I would play for a lindy hop or balboa crowd. Jazz Attack was natural and flowing, even Powerhouse was only an hour and didn't make me panic. Blues Muse, however...eep!

Don't get me wrong, the event was great, the organizers were great, and I think the music all weekend long was great. My issues stemmed from the fact that I really wanted to impress the crowd, as it's a crowd I don't see very often, and I don't DJ (let alone go to) very many large-scale blues events. I definitely wanted the organizers to feel like it was worth asking me to DJ for their event. I wanted to put my best stuff out there, and regardless of how prepared I was, I never felt completely certain that I was doing so. The longer sets (1.5 or 2 hours) made me question--did I even have enough good music to play? Could I keep the dancers interested? I even got a little worried when the first DJ on Friday, Christine Moser, played several of my go-to favorites, which of course meant that I couldn't play them later that night. 

Overall, the worry was for nothing, and just like the last time I DJed a blues weekend, I came out feeling confident, successful, and stronger as a DJ. Of course I had more than enough good music, I was able to keep the crowd interested, and even able to throw in a few well-received surprises here and there, to put my own stamp on my sets. I'm grateful for the opportunity to have DJed for the event, and I'm even more glad that I was able to attend (and hang out in Philly) at all, because it was one of the absolute best weeks I've had recently. Sometimes it's just worth putting out there--your DJs really are concerned with giving you their best, and there are times when they work really hard to do so. Or at least, I do!
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I got back from Rochester, NY earlier this week, after an amazing weekend DJing at Girl Jam. I ended up being only one of three DJs for the weekend, betwixt two other fabulous gentlemen, Michael Gamble and Mike Thibault.

This weekend was the first I've had where the bulk of the DJing work fell to me, and was the first event not-my-own where I DJed a competition. I'm pleased to say that I got several compliments from competitors afterwards, approving my choice of songs.

In fact, I got several compliments throughout the weekend on my DJing, from attendees who hadn't ever heard me before, from organizers, from instructors, and even from those who had seen me as a DJ at other events (mostly in Ohio). It felt great to be in such a prominent role and be praised for my skill in it.

The compliments, plus the DJing stresses that I faced and overcame throughout the weekend, made for one of the most satisfying weekends as a DJ that I've had in a long time. The closest comparison would probably be in 2008 at Oberlin's Jazz Dance Festival, which was essentially my first major out-of-town time as a DJ--and also a weekend full of compliments.

I've been lucky enough to be DJing for a couple years now and to not have had any horrible experiences as a DJ. I've found that the common thread in my most memorable DJing, though, is compliments from the other dancers at an event. Everyone likes compliments, of course, but I also feel that comments--especially specific and direct ones, which are most helpful--put me more in touch with what the dancers on the floor want to hear.

What to take from this? Well, in my experience, DJs don't respond well to requests for specific songs (how many of you have heard the joke about the guy that asks the DJ "Hey, can you play that Jump, Jive, and Wail song?"). On the flipside, they WILL respond well to praise and your actions. So be sure to let your DJs know when they've done something that pleases you!
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