How to handle a dj, your guide to....

It's actually quite rare for me to do or say something like this, yet as we move forward with all of our techy gadgets, i think it's about time we re-draw the lines on what a dj does, what you can expect and the basic do's and don'ts when it comes to your dj.

Years ago, the typical dj would have some vynal and if you jumped too hard on the dance floor, you'd make the track skip. Then came along cassette tapes, this reduced the track skipping, but was never too much of a popular option with dj's, i mean, who had time for rewinding and fast forwarding tapes? We moved onto cd's, but as with vynal, these tended to skip and of course cd's don't last forever.

These days you'll find most dj's with a laptop and a screen for doing karaoke or playing music video's, not forgetting of course that over the years your typical dj has seen a change in music, attitude and the tech stuff that people have and bring to parties. Here's some of the don't do stuff, that is really going to rub the dj up the wrong way and in the long term, probably make the dj dislike you a little more.

• Don't ask if you can plug in your mp3 player.
  - Dj's these days are packed with their own music, if they don't have what you want then try asking for something a little more popular, they're bound to have it. If you want a party where you and your mp3 player are the dj, hire your own sound and lighting equipment.
• Don't tell the dj to turn a song off part way through, or complain it's not what you like.
  - Dj's are there to play all sorts of different songs, just because you don't like it doesn't mean that it's not liked by someone else at the event. It's also possible these days to have an empty dance floor, yet everyone who's sat down to be enjoying the song.
• Don't expect the dj to be the baby sitter.
  - While it is possible for dj's to be vetted out with all these criminal checks and such, we are there to dj, not look after your children. If a fire door is open and your child walks through it, it's still your child. If a child goes near dj equipment, sure, LED lighting isn't hot to the touch, yet smoke machines can still give off alot of heat and of course cables can be tripped over and most importantly, everything the dj is is electrical, theres always a risk of shock. Look after your children at events!!!!
• Don't complain to the dj if your song cannot be played.
  - More and more often these days, 10 minutes before the end of the party, i'll have a que of people requesting songs. They forget all the people that have asked for songs before them and as a result, some people get un-happy when told "Im sorry, i've not got time to play that". Always get your requests in early, us dj's know when to play songs and when not to, so if it's not played next, it will be on soon.
• Don't keep asking for the same song over and over again, we get bored, so do the crowed.
  - This happend alot when gangnam style first came onto the scene, it wasn't rare for me to have to play it 2/3 times per party. I quickly grew tired of the song, but so did the crowed. You may well love a song, but when it comes to keeping the love of that song, less certainly is more.

The list really could go on much longer, but i think thats kind of the main stuff coverd there. Now we've coverd most of the don't do's, what about the good to do things?

• Do give us compliments!
  - We're cheap, if we've chosen the right music for you and at the end of the event you've really enjoyed yourself, please give us some feedback. If you see an area for improvement, we will always listen, but make sure you're just going to insult us.
• Do understand our job.
  - As a dj, our job is to cater to the masses. If you request a song that you and us know, only you are going to want to sing along to, we're probably not going to play it, because we're too busy trying to keep the majority of people happy.
• Do speak to us before the event.
  - Dj's who work for agencies will know exactly where i'm coming from here. The first time we'll have contact with the person who's party it is, will be at the event... even then it's down to us to say hello to you? No. It's your party and while we are there to cater to the masses, it's down to you to tell us what sort of music you and your audience will like.
• Do leave us to get on with our work.
  - Even though we may be using a laptop, there's alot of skill that still goes into being a dj that you might not understand. Sometimes it can be playing around with the base levels, mixing, controling the lights etc, theres usually something for a dj to do, even if it's just thinking ahead as to what the next track will be. For all of this, we need our brain, so if you're not requesting a song then please leave us to get on with our work.
• Do enjoy yourself!
  - Can't believe i even have to put this, but yes, enjoy yourself at an event! You're all there to enjoy yourself in one way or another, so what if the lights a little bright, the music's a little loud, it's a party, enjoy it!

Us dj's can make or break an event, trust me, it helps to keep us happy!!!!