I plan on making this an ongoing series here on the site. I’ve been doing clubs for about a year now so I’ve had some time to build up my party skill, but on the flip I’ve had quite a bit of time to observe the type of people that come to party.
Before I get started ranting about the specific types of people I dislike, I first want to say that I do enjoy most of the people that are at the clubs I spin at. There’s nothing like the feeling you get when you drop a song and you get a collective “ohhhhhh!!” from the crowd (and it’s an especially potent rush when you can do that throughout the night). The people that come to a party and enjoy themselves with others, and just have fun are my favorite party-goers. They are the reason I really do enjoy Djing in clubs. However, like most subsets of people on earth, there are some bad apples.
The first installment of this series will be dedicated to someone I like to call Demandotron (fitting, since the transformers movie was just released). Demandotron is a person who makes a request (more on requesters in a future update) and expects to hear their song at that very instant. Just telling Demandotron that you will play their song is not enough. Once you run through two to three songs and they don’t hear what they want, they will make another appearance at the booth. It’s at this point that Demandotron will ask you “how much longer until you play it?” My answer will vary but for the purpose of this story, I will reference an actual event from a few months ago:
Demandotron returns to booth asking when I will play her song…
Me: Hmm, give me about fifteen minutes and I should be able to fit it in.
Her: Fifteen minutes?!?!?
Me: Yeah, I have to fit it in with what I’m doing now, so it’ll be a few minutes
Her: (in a high pitched two year old voice) BUT I WANNA HEAR IT NOWWWW!! (as she stomps her feet in a fit)
So as you can see, Demandotron’s secret weapons are a combination nagging and intimidation. Fear not fellow DJs, for I will teach you how to deal with her. The most effective tactic is actually quite simple, just ignore her! Once she is done with her fit, just get back to what you’re doing and act as if she isn’t even standing there. This will deal a devastating blow, as Demandotron is fueled by attention. Victory will be yours!
You may have noticed that I have referenced Demandotron as “her” quite a few times, and with good reason. Demandotron is usually a young woman (most often spotted while spinning for college fraternity/sorority parties) who is used to instant gratification and being catered to. If you’re lucky maybe you can be her first taste of reality.
The DJ is not your personal jukebox.
