I Am Not Going to Make Much of a DJ
Well, I’ve had a couple of goes at it now and I think the general conclusion to be drawn is that, bar one or two very specialist nights, I am not going to make a particularly good DJ. I’ve had a fine old time both times I’ve done it, and thanks loads to Tallah and Solen for inviting me, but in the long run this is going to be a sporadic relationship at best, I think.
The reason? Well, although at Electric Circus I did get plenty of people dancing, it was at the expense of playing a lot of my favourite music. No Tom Waits, no Nick Cave, no Honeytrap – know what I mean? Basically, the stuff I like the best is simply too sad or too slow to dance to, and the idea of standing in a club whilst I shuffle through the Morose Hits of a Life Spent Mostly in One’s Room Sulking doesn’t strike me as one which will appeal to most people.
Equally, there are reasonable portions of my record collection which are acutally quite danceable, but it tends to be the cheesy hits, not least because I don’t have a lot of modern music on vinyl and taking the laptop along seems like cheating – I might as well email in a playlist and ask them to click on ‘crossfade’.
I could make the blog quite popular as well, if I wanted. I have plenty of MGMT and Fleet Foxes and Bon Iver and all the sort of stuff which would make for a much more hit-friendly indie music blog, just as I have plenty of Bowie and Pet Shop Boys and Springsteen for people to dance to in discos, and it’s all music I really like.
It’s just, it’s not music which actually interests me as much. So whilst I could happily filter my pile of vinyl for dancefloor-friendly pop tunes I don’t think I am going to do much more DJing unless its at places who don’t mind me fairly frequently playing music to which you absolutely, definitely cannot dance at all.
Look, it’s not the really obvious one by the Smiths!
Willie Nelson – Mr. Record Man (Live)
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Though you have to admit, you do look ever so swish in those natty little red headphones.
Tallah wants them back though, unfortunately,
The bitch.
Dammit, I have missed both your superstar dj appearances, you have to do at least one more..
Oh I’m sure I will, just not all that often. You’d be as well just coming round the house and getting pished because much the same thing happens: I drink too much gin and hog the stereo!
since when did you love downbeat miserable music??? you don’t know what downbeat or miserable is!
I bow to the master.
Well I’m glad you’ve not made any silly vows to never do it again or anything. If I ever find myself in that far corner of the world once more you know I’m demanding two things:
You DJ’ing a night and Shongah cooking me breakfast
what happens inbetween is totally up for grabs xoxo
Tart – come back here!
Matthew – why not do your own night anyway, you might get more enthusiasm than you think : )
Well at the moment when we have gigs at the Bowery they close the bar so early there’s no time, given I have to do the door and the merch table and so on.
And I am not sure about the other venues, in all honestly. Sneaky’s is a dancing or live venue rather than a just hanging out one, and Electric Circus… well, I just don’t think I have much of a feel for the place yet.
I must admit to disappearing after the Sparrow + the Workshop gig at Sneaky’s and then reading on this blog that you’d DJ’d afterwards. So I apologise.
Don’t give up just yet – I’d be glad of the chance to attend a night of carefully chosen downbeat numbers. I’ve never been much of a dancer anyway. More of a drinker and a talker.
Perhaps you could dj wakes and funerals. I would think it’s a pretty untapped market.
Used to be that you’d get people djing great music without needing to make people dance, at The Southern. Sadly missed. Same deal in Sleazy’s… Edinburgh needs it’s own version I think!