The concept of DJ in the local swing scene needs some serious re-evaluation, and maybe a firm smack upside the headphones.
I will say there have been several DJs to date that I've found really quite good, and some that acceptably get by. They are rarer than they should be. Understand that there are of course exceptions to these observations... but also, understand that we're all guilty of some of this at some point in our DJ 'careers' - myself included. I've committed many of these sins in clubs while growing my career, and I'm sure I'll bring a whole new list of damnable offenses when I finally drop some records on this swing town.
Note that I'm pointing this out strictly to be helpful; everything I'm saying here is with intent to help 'the scene' improve retention of newbies - and specifically new leads, who have to (a) feel comfortable leading, quickly, and (b) have to rapidly acclimate to beat and tempo of the unfamiliar music they hope to lead to.
Consider the following:
1. DJs have no idea when half the people in the room are saying, audibly, the music sucks tonight. When I first started pointing out that most "DJs" around here are quite literally pressing play on their iTunes playlist, and as such are replaceable by a CD deck, I got a surprising amount of backlash. "They're paying attention to the floor, choosing what should come next based on the crowd". I call shenanigans. That's what they -should- be doing, yes. But if this were true, you'd never see the dj walking away for several songs at a time - nor would you see floors full of people dancing and having fun to an energetic track, only to find themselves struggling to care about the next. The fact is, most of the DJs aren't guiding their audience as much as their stalwart defenders think... and the end result is a dancefloor full of people dancing to stuff they don't truly like.
DJs - you are VERY lucky with the social partner dance scene; people ask each other to dance sometimes PRIOR to knowing what the next song is. You don't even have to WORK to get people on the dancefloor! Don't get lazy because of this!!! If you're replaceable by a pre-mixed CD, what value do you add to the scene?
2. DJs have *zero* idea what should never be played in their current environment (venue). This one's a little trickier for me, because I have to admit I haven't been around long enough to know what some people do actually enjoy (some people appear to like blues dancing to ultra-slow, near beatless tracks). But really, as a "DJ", you have to understand the acoustics you're working with - and work with them. Partner dancing requires a beat... if your music is so poorly recorded and the equipment you're working with is insufficiently powerful; your music no longer has a discernable beat. And frankly, the portable PA equipment in most venues - while generally quite adequate - is not nearly accurate, clean, or detailed enough to get away with playing tracks with questionable fidelity unless the DJ understands how to use the parametric EQs on their boards (I've yet to see someone even attempt to touch those). This is not necessary knowlege when spinning modern pop music that is mastered for the worst of speakers... but vastly more important with vintage tunes, much more so when those tunes are already in compressed formats.
Advanced side topics to this point include, but are not limited to: intros with no beat to jockey to, strange tempo changes, unclear breaks.
3. DJs succumbing too much to being an MC - at risk of alienating newbies. Again I'll caveat this one with "I'm new and can understand that maybe I don't 'get it' yet". But at some of the social dances, I've literally seen DJs shut -everything- down for announcements, and then bust out what I'll refer to as "the inside joke", namely those choreographed dances (the big apple? I think is one?) that only certain people know. Mind you, I've no problem inherently with this - I get it - but note that chaining this with announcements and then the birthday jam and others, it makes this really convenient segment where the newbies in the room decide to get their stuff and go home - ne'er to return. This is a HUGE blow to newbie retention... standing around watching people enjoy something you're not a part of - and don't even know where or how to learn. (And it smacks of 'wedding dj', but that's me being catty.) I literally run away from these dances as I just don't care to do this OR the electric slide. Line dancing... is boring.
4. Promoters/Organizers appear to be ordering djs based on seniority/cred instead of impact on crowd. This is of course not the DJ's fault, per se, but as such, a DJ should have some understanding of the impact of their timeslot - if you're the opening DJ (first DJ), there are different realities than if you're the middle or closing DJ. The opening DJ has it easier in this scene than in nightlife-oriented scenes - at start, there should generally be people already there and ready to dance. However, the opening DJ has to be prepared to cater to -beginners- fresh out of their lesson. This slot is HUGELY important!
A good DJ in the opening timeslot should be sensitive to the higher beginner-to-expert ratio earlier in the night, and consider (a) what did the pre-dance lesson entail and (b) focus on playing clearer (well-mastered), tempo-appropriate tracks for beginners. Especially beginner -leads- who are struggling to acclimate to the count (beginner followers need to follow their lead, not necessarily the music).
For middle / closing DJs, you need to pick up the intensity, bring the energy level up to 11. I know, you're a blues dj at a blues night. I get it. Doesn't matter; the closing (headlining!) slot is your time to shine. Drop huge tracks. Drop hits. Drop amazing new stuff you've found that defines your sound - even if that's blues. But don't -drop- the energy level. Don't drop the tempo for song after song. Blocks of slow songs 30 min to close is a SURE way to ensure you have a half-empty venue by close. That's -bad-; and organizers reading this should learn to steer clear of filling their closing slots with DJs that don't understand this. Slow tempos in the late slot remind people that they've got a bedtime fast approaching. You should instead be tempting your dancers to go to work tired the next morning, and with a huge grin on their face. THAT is guaranteed return business, as one of the greatest reviews a DJ can ever have of his set the night before is "I am so tired at work today".
5. DJs don't take many risks. I hesitate to say this - I do. I have only been dancing in this scene for 2 months or so, and have only seen probably a small subset of DJs. But it seems like there's too much shared music, not enough 'intellectual curiosity' for new or different music, and frankly, too much catering to the traditional. DJs are staying in their wheelhouse; few venture out of their comfort zone and challenge people to dance to something else. Blues DJs have been much less victim of this, I'll say - as at least a few DJs there have seemed to seek out more modern tracks.
Just look around online - many great videos of swing are choreographed to music that you'll never hear socially. Why is this? Do DJs truly believe that (given ALL the above comments) people will suddenly leave the floor? They won't, and I intend to prove this theory in spades. Sure, some of the traditional folk will be annoyed - this should be seen as a good thing; growth and retention of this scene will be vastly improved through evolution of sound and improvement of accessibility. If that evolution pisses off a few people who want to see swing firmly rooted in - rather, restricted to - the traditional... so be it. If sticking strictly to the traditional is a requirement, we should all be asking ourselves how much longer we'll be dancing; because mark my words; we'll be the last of it.
Food for thought, eh?
And with all that, I can only link ya'll to some swinginnovation -
Wax Tailor - "Say Yes"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRz-_u2tN0c
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