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Photo credit: DJ P
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I've been a DJ for 14 years and a lot of the requests I get are spoken but some are written down and I started collecting the ones that were given to me. I was really getting into Tumblr at the time, this was 2010, and I decided to put some of the requests online. I found some others on the internet, it looked like there was a lot of DJs sharing these things and one thing led to another till eventually people were submitting 10 a day. Three years later I decided to collect some of the best into a book.In the 14 years you've been DJing what's the weirdest request you've personally received?
I think probably one general one that I remember is someone asking: "Can you play something that people can dance to?" And it was at a time when the dancefloor was packed out and loads of people were dancing. I was just like: "Look out there." Another time I was spinning at a goth club and somebody requested Mariah Carey.
They're not always a bad thing; in general I do like taking requests. Part of our job as DJs is playing what people want to hear and sometimes when they tell you directly that's a great gift.You have to use your judgment, there has been times when someone requests something and I play it and the whole dancefloor clears, including the person and their friend who requested it. But then if you're not clearing the dancefloor at least once a night, then you're not taking enough chances. I think it's a good metric to push yourself out of your comfort zone.
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I think it's a combination of what people want to hear and what people don't know they want to hear yet. It's a mixture of leading and following but ultimately you're the captain up there and you're paving the way for a good time.Do you think that DJ requests have become more common in an age where music is instantly available on-demand?
I think we do live in an on-demand culture in which people are use to getting what they want exactly when they want it. People are used to hearing what they want immediately and I think some of that thinking applies to when they go out to the club.Reading through the book, I found myself having more empathy for the requesters than the DJs: most of the notes written by DJs are elitist and patronising. Do you think that maybe occasionally the DJs go to far?
When DJs say no requests I think that's going too far, I think you need to have a dialog with the dancefloor and the people out there. To me it's a little bit strange and off putting to not take any requests. There are a small percentage of DJs that give other DJs a bad name.What about the title of the book, how did you choose that?
It comes from a photo I found online that was one of my first posts. When I was thinking for a name for the blog, I wanted something provocative, something that'll get noticed right away. A lot of people think it's a controversial thing and ask if that's my policy but it's not – obviously I'm open – but it comes from another DJ.
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There are a lot of women DJs out there but, yes, it is a male-dominated field. I think some DJs think they hold a powerful position and in exchange for some of that power they're looking for something in return. It's a lot of young people, a lot of alcohol and a lot of sexual energy so I'm not surprised that some DJs have fun with that. I'm sure they're not serious but I don't think they'd turn it down if it came their way.I would never do it but I think it's funny when others do it and I encourage them to submit a picture to the blog when they do. There is something uncomfortable about it and that fun tension makes it entertaining to watch.
Translation: "REQUESTS ONLY AFTER ORAL CONSULTATION". Photo credit: DJ SRP
I don't think so; I think with social media it's probably going to be even more present. I see a lot of DJs on Twitter asking their followers: "I'm spinning tonight, any requests that you want to hear?" Or even people spinning right now, where it's like: "What do you want to hear right now?" So I think it's probably happening even more now.That does pose a problem for Vol. 2 of No Breasts No Requests if people aren't writing things down anymore.
Yeah, I've begun to see people just holding up their phones more and more rather writing stuff now.
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