Starting a new night in untried territory... Advice?

[Prince HiFi]

Scenario: The owner of a small neighborhood bar gives you the green light to start a weekly dj night where you (and guests) will do your music thing. It's sort of a run down place (small but adequate dancefloor though), which on most nights sees about 20 mostly older patrons spending their pension cheques. But you're in, because you told the owner you could bring in like 50 younger folks into the place.

Question: How do you approach the first night musically so that you don't a) scare the owner off the your concept b) bring hostility from the 20 or so regulars that frequent the place?

How do you break in a brand new night in untried territory? Ideas? Experiences?

Prince HiFi

PS: I told the owner (being vague on purpose) I'd be playing "Some disco, some stuff from the 80s and some contemporary styles." I'm not sure he's ready for the full onslaught.

[ July 22, 2003, 08:33 AM: Message edited by: Prince HiFi ]

[mdpm99]

Don't rush anything......play it by ear.

Try to create a balance and be fair to one and all.

Most important....do you trust the owner? Be careful.

smile.gif

d

Ps.

How do porcupines make love?

ans. -very, very, carefully!

[Martin Red]

graemlins/lol.gif @ porcipine gag, nice one david, no one likes too many pricks.

Prince,
Sounds like you already have the right idea, perhaps bring more records to cover all eventualities, but also make sure you don't get stuck playing for the pension cheque people. At the end of the day a bar is a business - 50 young ones should carry more weight than the guys at Moes place, uuurrm Duff.

[liL Ray]

For at least the first 3 parties play to the twenty or so regulars in a balance format....some music they would know and some of your style....play at a 3:2 ratio...get to know them...come out of the booth, buy them drinks, schmooze them, they will bring others....then after they are comfortable with you start showing them what you know. Whatever you do, don't chase them out the place or diss them....they will be the ones saying stuff to the owner...you want them to be saying nice stuff about you instead of the other way around.

Also, play exactly what you told the owner "Some disco, some stuff from the 80s and some contemporary styles."

Good luck...let us know how it turns out.

[Prince HiFi]

Originally posted by david mancuso:
Don't rush anything......play it by ear.

Try to create a balance and be fair to one and all.

d

This is good advice and is helpful..

As for the owner, no I don't really trust him but I understand what motivates him. For my part I am risking nothing by doing this except my time. I would like to have a percussionist play with me and a box of hand percussion for dancers to pick up but I'm afraid this may freak the owner out. I'll take it slow, thanks d.

HiFi

[Prince HiFi]

Originally posted by liL Ray:
For at least the first 3 parties play to the twenty or so regulars in a balance format....some music they would know and some of your style....play at a 3:2 ratio...get to know them...come out of the booth, buy them drinks, schmooze them, they will bring others....then after they are comfortable with you start showing them what you know. Whatever you do, don't chase them out the place or diss them....they will be the ones saying stuff to the owner...you want them to be saying nice stuff about you instead of the other way around.

Also, play exactly what you told the owner "Some disco, some stuff from the 80s and some contemporary styles."

Good luck...let us know how it turns out. Thanks for breaking it down like this... very helpful! graemlins/thumbsup.gif

Also, thanks Martin!

[mdpm99]

Ease on down the road..... make friends along the way. Remember the MUSIC is bigger than ALL of us.

d

[darrow]

you said you told the owner you could bring in 50 people. Was your statement to him an accurate one? I'm asking because your wording of the sentence made it not clear. Also...50 people per week? From the start? If you have set a realistic expectation with him (50/week from the start) then great. If you have set an unrealistic expectation, then I feel like doing an impersonation of the robot on Lost In Space - "Danger Will Robinson! Danger!" (my arms are flapping around but that's hard to display on DHP).

[Prince HiFi]

I know I can bring 40 in for the first night at this bar. I'm already getting that many on Sunday nights at a cafe spot just down the street (where all amplified music - including my 8 month running 'Rhythm Method' night - is being cancelled due to noise complaints). I fully realize that bringing people in is the key to being able to do this thing. I told the owner that the goal is to hit stride in the fall when students are back in town, there's alot of them in this neighborhood. Appropriate concern, though, certainly the owner's yardstick of a successful night.

HiFi

[darrow]

Originally posted by Prince HiFi:
I know I can bring 40 in for the first night at this bar. I'm already getting that many on Sunday nights at a cafe spot just down the street (where all amplified music - including my 8 month running 'Rhythm Method' night - is being cancelled due to noise complaints). I fully realize that bringing people in is the key to being able to do this thing. I told the owner that the goal is to hit stride in the fall when students are back in town, there's alot of them in this neighborhood. Appropriate concern, though, certainly the owner's yardstick of a successful night.

HiFi cool.

The folks that go to the cafe...will they switch to the new spot? Are they regulars because they like the cafe and you are a bonus or are they really coming there for the vibe you bring.

I hope you don't mind the questions.

[D J 1 3 8]

Find out what kind of music the owner likes and try to work at least one song like that in, preferably when he is present. Example: if he likes Jazz, play "Rose Rouge". If he likes Rock N Roll, play "Miss You" by the Stones. There's a dancefloor cut for almost any genre. This sounds like kissing ass but it is really just being diplomatic.

[Dj Alex]

Hello Hi fi,

Yeah I would maybe see how the music will go down with some of the regs as well . I found a good thing while touching on other types of music , people you would not expect come up and ask about particular rec's .
Also though you try to break in a little gradully use some psychology business and read what you can . Hopefully it will be good , I hope it goes well for you we are just starting our new night here in London as well .

Peace Alex .

;)

[imported_Chr_stopher]

Originally posted by liL Ray:
For at least the first 3 parties play to the twenty or so regulars in a balance format....some music they would know and some of your style....play at a 3:2 ratio...get to know them...come out of the booth, buy them drinks, schmooze them, they will bring others....then after they are comfortable with you start showing them what you know. Whatever you do, don't chase them out the place or diss them....they will be the ones saying stuff to the owner...you want them to be saying nice stuff about you instead of the other way around.

Also, play exactly what you told the owner "Some disco, some stuff from the 80s and some contemporary styles."

Good luck...let us know how it turns out. in my case when i said i played disco, the owner wanted all of the popular stuff and so did some of the patrons.

just a thought

[Prince HiFi]

Originally posted by darrow:

The folks that go to the cafe...will they switch to the new spot? Are they regulars because they like the cafe and you are a bonus or are they really coming there for the vibe you bring.

I hope you don't mind the questions. No problem on the questions, they get me thinking, probably half and half on the attraction of cafe vs. vibe thing. Along the same lines, the advantage to doing this new place, at least initially, is that a lot of young people in the neighborhood would love to see something happen in this dive of a bar a.k.a. 'Gus's Pub'. I'm getting an excited reaction from people I mention this to about a party 'at Gus's'. Good questions.

Any similar 'experiences'?

HiFi

[D J 1 3 8]

I used to throw parties in dive bars in college, and while the crusty old bar-fly regulars surely hated the music (hip hop), they were clearly so glad to actually have cute girls in there under 50, so it was all good. Cute girls make everybody happy.

[Dj Alex]

Originally posted by DJ 138:
I used to throw parties in dive bars in college, and while the crusty old bar-fly regulars surely hated the music (hip hop), they were clearly so glad to actually have cute girls in there under 50, so it was all good. Cute girls make everybody happy. You have a point graemlins/lol.gif

Peace Alex .