A good salsa DJ?

[Pacion]

What do you makes a good salsa DJ? Someone could have 10 CDs and be deemed not just good, but great, and someone else could have 1,000 CDs and still be uninspiring.

[Sagitta]

A person who plays to the crowd, willing to change music depending on the crowd mood that night. A dj who does not play sets of 6 salsa, 6 cumbia, 6 bachata, 6 merengue etc, but knows how to put in enough variety to satisfy the varied tastes of the crowd. A dj who will even vary the music of a particular style, such as putting on a variety of salsa songs...and not, for an extreme example, all turbo songs or all slow songs

[Pacion]

A person who plays to the crowd, willing to change music depending on the crowd mood that night.

How would he/she gauge this though :?

[Sagitta]

A person who plays to the crowd, willing to change music depending on the crowd mood that night.

How would he/she gauge this though :?

Seeing the people who are there. You put on a merengue and how many people dance. You put on a cumbia, how many do? What about forro or salsa. That's why it's good to cycle through song styles at least once. What's the crowd mix? Is it just the regulars? Are there lots of new people? I can go on and on and on...

[youngsta]

The same things that make or break any DJ (said by the DJ!! :lol: ):

Know your crowd - Know your regulars and what they like. Remember you are not playing for you, it's for the dancers.

Build up your sets - Meaning there should be a rise, a plateau, and a fall. Definitely vary song tempos.

Vary musical selections (son montuno, guaguanco, salsadura, etc.)

Experiment - drop one or two new selections each week and see how the crowd reacts. No one ever became great playing it safe.

Be approachable - Really listen when patrons make recommendations or have questions. You don't have to act on every one by any means...but listen.

[Pacion]

Know your crowd - Know your regulars and what they like. Remember you are not playing for you, it's for the dancers.

That sounds good in theory, but, how do you put it into practice? For example, a DJ, playing at the same place, same day of the week, will get to know the regulars.

BUT
a) he would not have known them when he first started
b) if he travels to places/events like Henry Knowles does, he would not know the regulars the first few times
c) even if he plays in his home town, say LA, and plays at the LA Congress, whereas he might know the regulars there, with such a huge event with so many people from out of town, he would be lucky to spot one of the regulars that he knows, no? :lol:

[Jmatthew]

On a related note (I'm taking over a multi-dance venue in a couple of months) does anyone know a good site that has some info abou the different types of salsa music, and maybe lists some examples of the different genres?

The dance I'll be DJ'ing has some club dances (west coast, nightclub and hustle) some swing (lindy and east coast) and some ballroom (foxtrot, waltz, vienesse, tango) all of which I'm at least passingly familiar with musically, but I'm totally lost on salsa. :)

[Pacion]

Hi Jmatthew. You can try descarga.com

They have CD reviews, make recommendations etc.

Here is a thread that you might find useful also to help you to become familiar with some of the terminology. It is not complete, ie. there is a lot more out there, but, its a start :wink:

Salsa Terminology (http://www.dance-forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=3100&highlight=salsa+terminology)

[peachexploration]

Know your crowd - Know your regulars and what they like. Remember you are not playing for you, it's for the dancers. ....


One of the best Salsa DJ's I know is really good at this. If he sees even one dancer not having a good time, he will make it a point to go and speak with them if he has time between sets. I've never seen that but then again, that's why he's good. :D

[youngsta]

Know your crowd - Know your regulars and what they like. Remember you are not playing for you, it's for the dancers.

BUT
a) he would not have known them when he first started
b) if he travels to places/events like Henry Knowles does, he would not know the regulars the first few times
c) even if he plays in his home town, say LA, and plays at the LA Congress, whereas he might know the regulars there, with such a huge event with so many people from out of town, he would be lucky to spot one of the regulars that he knows, no? :lol:
In some circumstances you may be at a disadvantage, but you can still observe how they react to what you do play, and adjust your style throughout the evening. That's how I used to work when I played places where I wasn't the resident DJ. Good topic though, looks like I may get a gig as a salsa DJ real soon! :wink:

[danceguy]

Road trip to Youngstas gig! Please let us know if you do get it! :D

Enjoyed reading the posts here...and I really liked the mention of the DJ tossing out new tunes to see what happens. I've seen some do this, while others play the same tunes over and over...*ugh*... :x

Very rarely are any slower tunes played where I go dancing...and it tends to be the same week to week...one of the reasons I'm shopping for new venues out of town! :shock: :? :wink:

SG

[Jmatthew]

Finding new stuff is the hardest part of being a DJ, especially if you have a mixed crowd of beginning/intermediate/hardcore dancers. I DJ swing, but I'm sure salsa is the same. The music that the newbies know (which makes it easier for them to dance to) is old news for everyone else, and the lesswell known stuff that the hardcore people would have fun dancing to basically sidelines the new people.

And that's just the problem AFTER you find the new stuff. Before you can even have those problems you have to go spend a bunch of money and listen to a bunch of CDs and decide if you would spin any of the songs, and then figure out tempo ranges and appropriateness for venue, etc etc etc.

It's probably the 2nd biggest pain in being a DJ, but it's also one of the funner bits. :)

[Pacion]

Another thing, IMO (and I have never attempted to DJ, other than at my own parties :lol: which amounts to putting on one CD or in those days, a cassette :lol: and letting it play until the end) is knowing your music well enough in order to blend them so that the songs flow.

I was visiting a friend a few weeks ago and I don't know what the DJ had been drinking but a soft ending was suddenly replaced with a heavy intro :roll: and vice versa. I guess that is where working out your tempo ranges so that you have a buildup and then a cool down.

Then of course, you will have the people you just can't please, for one reason or another. Especially if the evening started at say 8pm, you have played the buildup, then someone arrives 'cold' about 10pm and then moans for the whole world to hear, that the music is too fast - when, for those who were already there since 8pm, the tempo is just right, as they are already warmed up :roll:

[youngsta]

Good points Pacion. Especially about knowing your music. That's why I've waited so long to start DJing Salsa...I didn't know it like I knew other music. I'm learning fast though! :wink:

One thing I learned DJing House is, you will NEVER please everyone.

[tsb]

speaking for a club owner/potential employer viewpoint, if you're dj-ing at a club, you will also want to keep the owners happy. one way to do this is to play an occasional song where people actually won't want to dance, prompting them to go to the bar for beverages. if it comes to a choice between increasing profits & making the dancers happier, all other things being equal, most club owners will go with a dj that makes the club more money.

[youngsta]

Trust me I understand that side of the business well. The great thing about a 'latin' music night is that's built in when you rotate salsa, merengue, cha cha cha, and bachata. You'll cycle through the entire crowd not dancing at some point.

[pelao]

Well, strictly salsa?

I'd say someone who can play old songs, to the latest unheard ones - as long as they're good. Someone who isn't afraid to play heavy and romantic tunes. Someone who isn't afraid to play tunes from unknown bands.

You have to be able to cater to everyones caprices. Its that simple. All it takes is knowledge and wisdom (being able to 'feel' the crowd).

[MacMoto]

speaking for a club owner/potential employer viewpoint, if you're dj-ing at a club, you will also want to keep the owners happy. one way to do this is to play an occasional song where people actually won't want to dance, prompting them to go to the bar for beverages.
:idea: Never thought of it this way... "merengue breaks = happy club owner" Makes sense, I suppose.

As long as the DJ doesn't overdo it. :evil:

[youngsta]

Road trip to Youngstas gig! Please let us know if you do get it! :D
I got it :P Big event here in Denver in February :D

[danceguy]

Road trip to Youngstas gig! Please let us know if you do get it! :D
I got it :P Big event here in Denver in February :D

Awesome! Hmm...I've always wanted to visit Colorado...how's the follow to lead ratio in your area? :car:

[squirrel]

Our DJ is one of the worst I have ever seen... not only that he plays whatever he likes, and ignores the crowd... he also plays the same darn songs every day... we even know the sequence... :(.

He plays like 30-45 minutes of Salsa, sometimes 3-4 very fast songs one after the other, and then 30-45 minutes of merengue... Gosh!

So I dance till I drop on the Salsa... and then sit down and get sleepy on the merengue... occasionally I dance a merengue or 2 ... but he plays 10-15! :( In a row! :evil: :evil: :evil:

We have sworn to kill him one day! :twisted: :twisted: Or even better: torture him!

[dancin/dj]

interesting subject, i dont dj (all salsa ) dances.i could, i have the music,but its locked up with certain people and thats it.anyway most of the salsa dj"s bore me in philly(one or 2 exceptions) they play the same style salsa and songs ,one guy whos really well known and has a big name ahhhhhhhhh i dont even want to go where he dj"s ,and in the east its almost always east coast style salsa-they dont want too play salsa that i hear when im in miami-or california style(bands) or colombia etc... and never span/english ,even the big name fellow from ny without saying who,though he"s good and a nice guy-he goes in a rut with the same style music :roll: . i like some of the remakes like just the two of us in span/english- geez its done by a latin band , theres more but i'll stop.

[borikensalsero]

More and more I'm starting to fall in the impression that there aren't many good salsa DJs.

I was at the NY/NJ salsa festival this weekend and if it wasn't for the live bands, the music would have stunk!

I can't even remember more than a hand full of songs that actually got me in the dancing mood.

Being in NY City is good and bad... Good because from time to time you get lucky and the DJ will have a great night, but more times than not, the same style of songs, even same songs are played each and every night. It is horrible, from the biggest DJ names to the smallest, there is a slight chance of the music being good any given night. As it was mentioned before, there is no cuban salsa played here, there is about 10% rican salsa played at hardcore salsa venues, there is about .5% new salsa played. All that is played in NY is 70s NY style salsa, nothing else! Plus La Sonora Ponceña also gets good play, besides that, NOTHING!!! As if New York style salsa was the only acceptable salsa! I truly dislike the style of DJ play in NY city. Even if the music is better than other DJs from around the world I've gotten to hear.... I guess it is the price I have to pay for knowing so many songs. I can tell from the first bar thousands of songs, funny thing there are also thousands I don't know. I don't see a reason why a Salsa DJ can have a bad night, there being so darn many great songs from all periods and styles!

It really seems that most DJs have no connection between dancers and themselves.

[tj]

It really seems that most DJs have no connection between dancers and themselves.

So true! (which is why R is gonna kick some a** in February!)

[peachexploration]

I wish DJs would play more Boleros if it's latin night. (There are NO all salsa venues here.) Too much Bachata!!! Starting to wear on my nerves. :? I just can't take ten of them in a row. I'd rather hear Boleros. :x

[ElSereno]

Hmmm... an interesting thread, as I am starting to be a salsa DJ. Mainly because I love the music, and the DJs don't seem to play a wide enough range for my own taste.

Around here there is little demand for very much bachata/merengue, only as the occasional break track. Someone who puts on even 3 merengues in a row is unpopular. And boleros are not really in demand at all.

But even playing just salsa music (as defined by "music that people will dance salsa to" :-)) I'm totally with boriken on this one -- there is so much good stuff out there. My problem is not what to play, but what not to play. Personally the way I like to keep things interesting is not just with variation in tempo, but also variation in style, from the greats of 1970s NY, to the Cuban greats (including timba), to people who mix in some R&B, to salsa from other parts of the world -- I don't know how many of you have heard of Salsa Celtica, some of whose songs feature bagpipes, or Hanine y Son Cubano, who sings classical Arabic songs to a son backing.

Anyways, I'm just starting out at this, but so far the response has been favourable. I'm also totally with youngsta on responding to the room, but this is something I'm still learning.

For any of you in the UK who are going to be at Pontins this weekend, I'm supposed to be doing a few spots there, so any feedback -- however honest :-) -- would be appreciated.

[Sagitta]

How about reggaeton? I am finding that this is becoming really popular. I have a salsa celtica CD, but will check out Habine y Son Cubano. Thanks.

Have you heard of "Santiago Fiesta Latina V.2 Bollywood Goes..."? Interesting take on popular Indian songs...

[BrookeErin]

First of all, I don't know much about latin music. I can tell salsa from merengue from bachata from punta from raggaeton. What I know is what has been played in Indianapolis.

I'm wondering if I am the only one who likes to dance a little bit of each. I wouldn't like it if it was all salsa. We do have one dj here in Indy who likes to play long stretches of reggaeton. I like a few songs, but I'd rather it be mixed up... besides I come to the latin clubs for latin music... raggaeton is too close to club music in my opinion (at least how we move to it)

[squirrel]

I don't like raggaeton... but they play it here too...we either sway to the music or dance Salsa... I sit down and have a drink instead! :)

[salsera_alemana]

Oh, I can tell you who a good salsa DJ is in my opinion.

Go to Berlin/Germany, go to Havanna on Friday nights and to Soda Club on Thursday and Sunday nights and I hope you will have as much a blast as my husband and I had when in Berlin at the end of August. This DJ really made our weekend. We went out every night during our visit there, 3 nights were great thanks to him, Saturday night was totally boring because another DJ played the music and it was the usual boring and uninspiring mix of music.

Here you can see DJ Ronny Sanchez from Berlin: http://www.ronny-salsa.de/ or go to http://www.salsa-berlin.de/ and click on "Salsa-DJ's".

On Sunday night we danced from 10:00 pm until 3:00 am without stopping, except for small breaks to give our bodies some water. We were just so inspired from beginning to end that we even danced the songs that we usually never dance (like Colombian salsa). You also must know that my husband is a salsero from the heart and Puerto Rican and extremely picky about the music. There are nights when we hardly dance at all due to the uninspiring music. If he dances for 5 hours in a row, the music must be extremely good. We have not danced as much and with as much enjoyment in one night since the Hector Tricoche concert we went to near Frankfurt in 1998!

And the key of Ronny's music selection is: ALL songs (without exception) are danceable! Very danceable! If you know what I mean. They all have a great dance beat no matter if they are from PR, NY, Cuba or Colombia. But mostly he played PR salsa. On Sunday night he played 4 merengues and 4 bachatas all evening, the rest was exclusively salsa. In Havanna it is only salsa anyway because they have a separate salsa dance floor.

Boriquen, as always you said it so well. I always thought, though, that you must have great salsa in NY. However, sometimes we have DJs from NY playing here and I am not excited about their music, I do not want to mention names. Sometimes they play the same boring stuff others also play: all songs have basically the same speed and are of the same type. And they are all fast!

I think that if a DJ is not a good salsero himself, he usually does not know which songs are danceable and which are not. Many songs that are played in clubs are nice songs to listen to but completely uninspiring to dance to.

Marita

[dancin/dj]

yes marita there is certainly some truth in (if the dj"s cant dance) they dont know what dancers like. i too refrained from mentioned names,however im still amazed at the spotlight dj"s get- i guess no one wants too say too them we (dont like your music anymore).i think we (as a dance community should come up with a way too let them know.after all we are in a sense there (boss) and when you go to your job, our boss tells us what too do :wink:

[ElSereno]

Well when I'm DJ-ing I certainly feel in the spotlight, but in the opposite way: play music people dance to, and quite rightly they're enjoying the dance and not concentrating on me. But play something they _don't_ like, and you're personally responsible for destroying their enjoyment. Add that to the previously-mentioned fact that it's not possible to please _everyone_...

[salsero-in-apprenticeship]

Your words in the ear of a special DJ in my area in Germany (Dusseldorf). This guy organizes party but really cant read the crowd and doesnt like it to be critisized.

Every SalsaDj should read this thread and the thing published on Edie Site (www.salsafreak.com) => http://www.dancefreak.com/stories/DJ_mixing.htm

[salsera_alemana]

Dancin/dj,

however im still amazed at the spotlight dj"s get- i guess no one wants too say too them we (dont like your music anymore).i think we (as a dance community should come up with a way too let them know.after all we are in a sense there (boss) and when you go to your job, our boss tells us what too do :wink:

Believe me, I used to do it for a long time. No, I was not undiplomatically telling them that I did not like their music (although that was the truth), I went to "beg" them politely and sweetly to please (!!!!) play some decent salsa songs. I did not say "decent", I asked for Puerto Rican salsa. I am not doing it anymore after years of disappointment. It is just not worth the trouble. When they decided to please me, they played one or two songs and then went back to their old stuff. I am not even getting into the dance spirit with one or two songs, especially if he has gotten me totally out of it with his music.

I also learned that it is not enough to specifically tell them the singer/band, you also have to tell them the song number on the CD, otherwise you are up for more disappointment. If you leave it up to them, they certainly pick the fastest or most boring song on the whole CD.

So I have given up on begging DJs for some different music because it does not increase my enjoyment even when they play 1 or 2 songs that I like. That is just not enough to get inspired for a whole night. However, whenever a DJ is good, I go and tell him! I think that rare species of good DJs really deserves that. And it might motivate them to become even better!

Marita

[ElSereno]

Every SalsaDj should read this thread and the thing published on Edie Site (www.salsafreak.com) => http://www.dancefreak.com/stories/DJ_mixing.htm

I quite agree with Edie -- I've been told by other DJs that it's "unprofessional" for there be a break between tracks, but as a dancer I know that even if you want to dance non-stop, you still want to be able to change partners. And it's great to have a little flourish, dip, or something at the end of a track -- not to show off, but because it's fun!

It seems to me that the only DJs who responded negatively to Edie's article were guys (yes, they're all guys!) whoseemed to think that the DJ leads the dancers. But any dancer knows that it's the music that leads the dancers. As a DJ, it is a privilege to be able to choose from all the fantastic music that's out there. If my instinctive choice of music, my taste, my mood, fits in with the dancers in the room, then I'm doing my job. If not, then I shouldn't be doing it.

[salsalawyer]

I gotta add my two cents here as well.


You need a break between songs especially with the faster tempo songs being played more and more now.

It also serves a business purpose for the club -- give people time to go to the bar and buy drinks so the club can stay open!!

[ElSereno]

I gotta add my two cents here as well.


You need a break between songs especially with the faster tempo songs being played more and more now.

It also serves a business purpose for the club -- give people time to go to the bar and buy drinks so the club can stay open!!

Well around here people don't want breaks between songs, just variations in pace. But there are so many different styles of salsa music these days that if you play most of them, sooner or later everyone will find a track where they will prefer to stop and take a drink. But this will be a different track for each person, depending on their preferred style of music.

[tchaguito]

Since practically every DJ around here plays about 60% salsa during one night, I can't afford to miss out much, so for most salsas, I tend to dance them, and try to make my breaks when they play something else, like kizomba. Very seldom I don't feel like dancing some salsa song. The DJ has to play some really weird and strange salsa song for me not not want to dance it.

Tiago

[ElSereno]

Since practically every DJ around here plays about 60% salsa during one night, I can't afford to miss out much, so for most salsas, I tend to dance them, and try to make my breaks when they play something else, like kizomba. Very seldom I don't feel like dancing some salsa song. The DJ has to play some really weird and strange salsa song for me not not want to dance it.

But it would be different if the DJ was playing 95% salsa, right? :-)

[tchaguito]

Oh absolutely! It would be humanely impossible for me to dance all of them! I think that a hypothetical night where all the girls accept my invitation, where I don't need to rest, drink or hit the loo is a utopy, so fitting all those factors in the equation I guess I could probably dance 80% of the time the DJ plays salsa! And I'm being optimistic! Sometimes I look around and everyone seems taken. I mean, there I am, available, and I seem to be the odd one out!

Tiago

[salsalawyer]

Yes, savor the salsa!!

In LA, the Mayan club plays 30 minutes sets of salsa then something else, then salsa again, etc.


But even then mixing doesn`t work!