Had a blast DJing the night with Whitton Frank - she is still one of my favorite DJs to play with, and our sets always flow seamlessly. We each played 45 minute sets, and transitioned with 3-song trades. Check out Whitton's (DJ Lil'Red) setlists here
-Come On In My Kitchen - Chris Thomas King
-Flesh and Blood - The Waifs
-In The Mood for Memphis - Reni Simon
-Get Back Temptation - Ollabelle
-When the Lights Go Out - The Black Keys
-Mercy On Me - Christina Aguilera
-Let's Burn Down the Cornfield - Etta James
-Black Night - John Lee Hooker
-Blues in the Night - Ledisi
-Dark Sunshine - Dr Michael White
-Last Call - Ronnie Magri & His New Orleans Jazz Band
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-Muddy Water Blues - Paul Rodgers
-She's Gonna Take Sick and Die - Collard Greens & Gravy
-Please Mr Jailer - Wynona Carr
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-O Death - Tangle Eye
-So Long I'll See Ya - Tom Waits
-Back Back Train - Aerosmith
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-100 Days, 100 Nights - Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings
-I Put A Spell On You - Kim Nalley
-Can't Stop Thinking About You - Martin Sexton
I made an observation/realization last night. For a while now, I've seen "fusion" and blues dancing to alternative music rise in popularity. It seems as though most people are not interested in blues music any more, and as a blues DJ who plays because I love the music, I see that with a certain sadness. DJing wouldn't mean the same thing to me if I was playing a different style of music, because when you get right down to it, blues, with all its wailing, grit and soul is what makes me move and what makes me happy. But last night, I think my fears were laid to rest a little bit. Shades is an alternative blues venue, and I know many DJs that play there push themselves to find new songs or play more in fusion/pop styles than blues. Though Whitton and I were a lot more liberal with our definitions of "blues" than I know I normally am, the truth of it is that both of us played blues sets. And the dance floor loved it.
I think a lot of what DJs are struggling with currently is identity. As the music that is "allowed" at a dance expands and we have more and more choices, it's hard to find an identity for yourself as a DJ. One thing I've found works well for me is to be decisive in my sets. If I try to cover too much ground and make everybody happy, my set will sound disjointed and I will most likely lose my dancers. Usually I pick 2-3 styles and move through those within the set, making sure that my transitions are easy to follow and I don't leave my dancers behind. And regardless of where I play, my foundation starts in blues music. Not only does this approach help me ground myself and feel more confident, but I find that it makes my sets more memorable to dancers, which definitely helps.
2 comments:
Kickass set last night. I realize some people go to Shades for the alt/pop/weird songs though personally I prefer music with a pulse to it. My thought is that blues has this heartbeat to it, it's alive, it makes you want to be living with it, feeling it. It may be down and out but it's still kickin'. Some of the alt blues feels too surreal, no pulse, and makes you feel like you are passing on to the next world. My style of dance just feels more comfortable when the music is alive. You and Whitton both played songs with strong roots in blues but had a modern take. I especially liked Harmonica Beatbox and Mercy On Me. Different from most blues music but still providing a strong beat. People were not lost on what to do, but given incentives to be creative. Awesome stuff.
Thanks Kenny, I really appreciate the feedback :-)
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