DJ MC

DJs who say nothing and DJs that talk to much.

Essentially there are three types of DJs these are radio DJs, club DJs and party DJs. A radio DJ will obviously need to use the microphone a lot, where as a club DJ will almost never do mic work. A party DJ however needs to do something in between and although a microphone is an as essential part of the DJs kit its over use can kill the party atmosphere.

Some party DJs think by introducing every record and cracking corny jokes they are hugely entertaining and everyone will love them. We think however the microphone is a tool that should only be used to help build the party. One of the worst DJ mistakes is to introduce a record that everyone knows or give an opinion on how good or bad they think a record is. Worst still are DJs that insist on telling the audience what the last record was before saying what the next record is going to be. If its general party like a wedding, anniversary, birthday party etc the DJ will almost certainly be playing a mix of music that is very familiar and so introductions are not necessary.

To build the party the DJ needs not just to play the right music at the right time but encourage a feeling of collective goodwill that gets everyone joining in. In the early part of the evening we use the microphone to make announcements such as the buffet is being served or the cake is about to be cut etc. Later we mention we would love to get some requests and that we hope everyone will enjoy the evening. As the evening develops we would again remind everyone that we play requests and that it would be great to see loads of dancing. As the evening moves on and the music tempo increases there is normally a point when the ice breaks and the dance floor suddenly fills up. It would be a disaster to use the mic at this time as people can become more self conscious, instead its very important to keep the momentum going and continue to build the party to the next level.

When the party moves into the next phase we use the mic when changing from one style of music into something that's completely different. Parties such as weddings, anniversary's, birthdays etc will require the DJ to play a mix of music from 1950s rock and roll to the current charts etc, and sometimes the best way to blend the changes is simply to do a talk over. We also use the microphone to introduce requests and make special dedications. The reason for this is that this will encourage others who did not hear the earlier announcements to give the DJ requests of their own and this also helps to develop the sense of involvement we are aiming for.