How far will you go for principal

[Hippie]

OK here is what happened back in the 80's when house started to become popular I was playing records like Gotta Have House Music ( this was before it became a hit ) and me and the club owner use to have arguments about ( what he called ) that kind of music. Now mind you the club I played was a true Italian club but they hired me because I use to play soulful stuff which alot of the clientel liked but when house started coming around they hated it. The bouncers would say why are playing that jungle music ( I took it to mean black music ) and I would always have to defend my choice of music. Needless to say after about 4 months of me trying to break in house the patrons were digging it but the owner and staff wanted to keep a certain image so the owner called me into his office and gave me the pink slip. His explanantion was look this is like a Mcdonalds and our clientel wants the same burger every week. My response was look I'm like an artist and what you want me to do is paint by numbers. Well it turned out we were both right. I left and got to do bigger and better things and his club got crowded again but with more Italians than ever. So how far are you willing to go for your music?

[And]

I'm willing to beg shamelessly on this board and others for music to be sent me.
I'm willing (okay ... more like I do it anyway) to drive over 200 miles most weekends from my house to dc to hear good music.
Groceries? - Who needs to eat when there's so much music to get.
I'm willing to pass along and share great music I hear.
Staying up all night wanting to throw my laptop through the wall (buffering) but not to listen to Roberto's show ...
-
Yeah I know you probably meant this for only the Djs .. but er .. there it is ... There's more I'm sure .. graemlins/respekt.gif

[richierich]

I guess If I was spinning to make a living I'd play whatever payed the bills... Thank God that I don't have to though.

[JMJ]

I quit plenty of big clubs in the Chicagoland area over musical direction over the years. No clueless owner was going to tell me what to play, and I told them that going in. Here were my exact words, "If you want a jukebox, go out and buy one" and, "Only ONE of us is going to be the DJ here. You decide if it's going to be you or me." "The day you tell me what to play will be my last one. Try me...." I had owners and managers try to pull that shit, wanting me to change the direction of the music because it seemed to them that there were too many Blacks or Hispanics on the dance floor for their liking. I'd warn them one time, quit after the second, and eventually take THAT crowd to the next club I played at, leaving them nothing. It's all about the music......JMJ ;)

[Linedog]

Back in the mid 80's I too got fired from a club because the owner wanted more of the college alternative music than house/R&B/soul music. As it was he lost a huge crowd when he fired his club manager, Who had built a good party spot filled every weekend playing R&B music. Then I came in and started to build a crowd and was told that I had to play Alternative only. I continued playing underground music and was fired. The club, after several months of being empty each week, closed down and was reopened as a convention site for a hotel.

[MusicFilter]

I've remained the type of DJ I've always been, yes the music has changed, at one time I had to play everything, house, disco,hip-hop, reggae, r&b, old-school and slow music all in one night.

I'm still a mobile DJ and I play what you pay me to play, but I work on my own terms. I've done parties where in the middle of a house set someone might ask for hip-hop and I let them know "this ain't that type of party". I've played hip-hop, but only when compensated properly to do so.

I could have made records back in the day and could be spinning hip-hop on the radio like some of the guys that use to spin with me, but I chose to stick with what I like and work a real job with 401(k), vacation days and insurance.

I don't regret my choices.

It sounds like that club may have been holdin' you back anyway. I'd hate to work for goombas who refer to my music as jungle music (unless I'm playing Su-ka-lai-i).

graemlins/acclaim.gif

[Ronnie Ron]

Well if your gonna get hired for a gig then all the cards should be on the table. if the cat says look RonnieRon this is a lounge i want it loungy none of the harder shit i want this place smoothed the hell out can ya handel it. its then my opportunity to say yes i can or hell no and walk, but to change in mid stream is bullshit and i wouldnt tollerate it for a minute id be gone.

Tell me what you want from the begining and ill give it to you if i have those types of records. but if you want me to play R&B i aint goin out and buyin up a bunch of that shit i dont really like it so i aint buying it for a gig i may not have to long anyway. I play what i got what style do you want ill give it to you but tell me up front.

R-R

[Hippie]

I should point out I already had been playing there for about 2 years so they knew I liked soulful stuff it was just that house was so new to them they did not understand it. Needless to say after I left Gotta Have House was one one of there biggest records.

[Jamie 3:26]

I play what I have to,in order to get paid.I do mobiles and I play the radio shit too.It's the easyest gig to do.

I am contemplating getting back into the clubs,for the loot.Hell,most of the hip-hop jocks don't even blend.Very easy.The only differance is those types of sets like the jock to mc also.

I have found out the hard way that if you do not stand your ground,you will get ran over or end up like a jukebox.I made good money playing the hip-hop sets,but it just does not get me as amped as rockin' some house/disco.

[Linedog]

Originally posted by RonnieRon:
Well if your gonna get hired for a gig then all the cards should be on the table. if the cat says look RonnieRon this is a lounge i want it loungy none of the harder shit i want this place smoothed the hell out can ya handel it. its then my opportunity to say yes i can or hell no and walk, but to change in mid stream is bullshit and i wouldnt tollerate it for a minute id be gone.

Tell me what you want from the begining and ill give it to you if i have those types of records. but if you want me to play R&B i aint goin out and buyin up a bunch of that shit i dont really like it so i aint buying it for a gig i may not have to long anyway. I play what i got what style do you want ill give it to you but tell me up front.

R-R True.. But i was never given any guidence on what to play until after I started re-building the crowd they lost after the other crew left. I think it was a little racist that he wanted to get rid of the colorful people .. if you get what I mean...

[The Real Dragonfly Jones]

Originally posted by Hippie:
Now mind you the club I played was a true Italian club but they hired me because I use to play soulful stuff which alot of the clientel liked... So.. they wanted to hear black music but not see black people!! graemlins/stupid.gif

[Ronnie Ron]

Originally posted by Linedog:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by RonnieRon:
Well if your gonna get hired for a gig then all the cards should be on the table. if the cat says look RonnieRon this is a lounge i want it loungy none of the harder shit i want this place smoothed the hell out can ya handel it. its then my opportunity to say yes i can or hell no and walk, but to change in mid stream is bullshit and i wouldnt tollerate it for a minute id be gone.

Tell me what you want from the begining and ill give it to you if i have those types of records. but if you want me to play R&B i aint goin out and buyin up a bunch of that shit i dont really like it so i aint buying it for a gig i may not have to long anyway. I play what i got what style do you want ill give it to you but tell me up front.

R-R True.. But i was never given any guidence on what to play until after I started re-building the crowd they lost after the other crew left. I think it was a little racist that he wanted to get rid of the colorful people .. if you get what I mean... </font>[/QUOTE]Linedog my coment wasnt directed at you. I was just stating my opinion about the subject. smile.gif

[Linedog]

Originally posted by RonnieRon:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Linedog:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by RonnieRon:
Well if your gonna get hired for a gig then all the cards should be on the table. if the cat says look RonnieRon this is a lounge i want it loungy none of the harder shit i want this place smoothed the hell out can ya handel it. its then my opportunity to say yes i can or hell no and walk, but to change in mid stream is bullshit and i wouldnt tollerate it for a minute id be gone.

Tell me what you want from the begining and ill give it to you if i have those types of records. but if you want me to play R&B i aint goin out and buyin up a bunch of that shit i dont really like it so i aint buying it for a gig i may not have to long anyway. I play what i got what style do you want ill give it to you but tell me up front.

R-R True.. But i was never given any guidence on what to play until after I started re-building the crowd they lost after the other crew left. I think it was a little racist that he wanted to get rid of the colorful people .. if you get what I mean... </font>[/QUOTE]Linedog my coment wasnt directed at you. I was just stating my opinion about the subject. smile.gif </font>[/QUOTE]I know.. But I thought it was appropriate to quote your staement to lead into mine ... :D

No worries mate

[Hippie]

Yeah correct. They did not mind the token black guy but if it was more than 2 in the club in one night then hell it was a gang to them. You have to understand these guys were also connected ( wink) so you had to be careful.

[mdpm99]

I commend anyone who can stick to their muscial beliefs and direction. I for one have always been in a situation where the music that was being presented was for, by, and of the people. I could never find myself in a situation where "one had to be a jukebox."

For the DJ's who sometimes have to take a gig on occassion where you have to follow at certain musical route to foot the bills, ...I commend you for having the ability to hang in there to get where you know you wanna go and will reach.

d

Ps. Hippie, do you remember that song 99 & 1/2 won't do?

[ August 08, 2003, 01:13 PM: Message edited by: david mancuso ]

[Hk]

Hmmmm, I dont know and am new, but in theory,
which is always easier to build than action....
its a matter of problem solving...

Perhaps if there were more clubs, OF THE QUALITY, type or perhaps club owners with progressive mind-sets then what ever got the people off, got'em off!

It's about the owner some in ways but in some ways if they were smarter..( :D ), MOST importantly its about the people and the music. The Dj is a important variable/vehicle in this equation also.

Simple math:

Dj+music+people=good times, exposure, mulla you name it.

(in agreement with 6:23's spirit) and XL is on point.

[Hippie]

As a Dj I can see why I took the stand I did and why I was right, but I can't blame the club owner for his stand. He truly new his clientel in the end would like his decision to keep them in the dark to certain music and the club has been around now for more than 12 years so he must be doing something right. But I am truly blessed not to have to give in to his demand and still work. I wholly respect anyone who Dj's for a living and has to adopt to extreme situations. The only advice I will give is that before Dj's bands were the thing in a lot of night clubs. And you had plenty of cover bands that did not play anything original and got payed to play covers. Now as you can see those bands are no longer used that often. So DJ's beware that you don't kill your own market!

[DJ Hutch]

as a ex manager and a dj of a club and bar i would give the dj one night r&b, hip hop and club/house music
and one night all club and house music and till this day it work out find for me and the owner he make his money and i get to play my music. all night long.

[The Buddy Love Show]

i usually am at the other end of the spectrum. The nightclub/promoter tells me what they want and i tell them if i can do it. My answer is usully 'yeah , i can play that'. Then i run don to the store and buy the top twenty jams of that genre and mix them with shit that most peeps like and its on.

I am such a whore