Music Selection for DJs
A mobile disco DJ needs to arm himself with many different types of musical genres before heading out to play at different events. This is because most of the events he will play at will have a variety of people from all walks of life. Their cultural backgrounds, age groups, ethic group and upbringing will influence their musical tastes, and a DJ needs to keep this in mind when selecting and playing music at a gig.
Typically, DJs in South Africa would need to carry a selection of the following music: Afrikaans, Kwaito, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s hits, house, rock/alternative, and of course all the latest commercial radio hits.
There are websites you can visit to find a list of the most popular songs currently out to purchase.
Specialist DJs need to carry an even wider selection of music. For example, if you want to cater for Jewish events such as Bar Mitzvahs you will need to ensure that you have a good knowledge of traditional Jewish music. The same applies to Afrikaans, Portuguese, Italian and Greek events.
When starting out as a DJ, it is difficult to know what music to buy. Your best bet is to get all of the commercial hits or “catch” songs. These are usually the most popular songs and remember, recognizable hits work well on most audiences. You will then need to grow your music collection. Always ask your client to provide a list of preferred songs so you can get an idea of what the client wants to hear at their event. This also ensures that you have the music on-hand to play at the event. Some DJs use their laptops and 3G cards and actually download music at each event as per the audiences requests. This is also a great way to build your music collection.
For an average 5 hour event, you can expect to play between 70 and 90 songs!
This number may seem quite small but in retrospect, this can be a daunting task especially if you have not had much experience and if you dont know what sort of audience you are catering for.
Remember that your best bet, as a beginner DJ, is to be very well prepared, and communicate with the client and make sure you have complied a list of the most important songs your they want to hear. Try and stick to the style of music on your list, but remember to keep reading the general audience and give them what they want.
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