Your greatest moment as a DJ?

[Ricardo_Mata]

Ok. I got a few topics started to which there has been a pretty decent response. Here is another one: What was your greatest, most memorable moment as a DJ? Here is mine.

By 1982 I had owned my mobile DJ business for about 4 years and had had limited succes with it; two or three parties a month, and several second and third places in DJ competitions. I had managed to become a fairly decent DJ but by no means a good one, much less a well-known one. What bothered me the most was that we had never won a DJ competition.

In July of that year we got invited to participate in a DJ competition. I had a feeling that we always got invited as "fill-ins" not as real challengers for first place.

I was so fed-up with always being in third or second place that I talked to my partner and I told him that if we didn't win the darn thing I would sell all my stuff and buy a drum set or something...

The competition was supposed to be in late August so we had quite a bit of time to prepare. My partner and I got a bunch of new music that very few DJs had at that time; we rented a bunch of sound and lighting equipment; and put together a show with 7500 watts of audio and all the latest lasers, lights, fog machines, audio effects, and a real novelty for DJs in Venezuela at that time: a coreographed group of dancers. These dancers were classmates of ours.

We prepared several sets with a total of over 4 hours of music, even though the usual set in competitions like that was 30 minutes. I have to say that some of those mixes were really, really good and we coordinated everything to the slightest detail. We worked our little rear ends off getting ready.

The day of the competition arrived. I still remember the faces of the the other DJs, who were used to see us arrive with all our stuff in my dad's station wagon, when they saw us arriving with a Ford 350 truck with our business's name on the side. They were even more impressed when we started unloading and setting up all our equipment.

When we turned everything on and tested the audio, some of them just couldn't believe what they were seeing and hearing. As part of the audio test, my partner did a 10-minute set in which we had a mix every thirty or forty-five seconds. The other DJs were pretty impressed and I remember this one walking over to the judges asking them to disqualify us because we were not participating with our usual equipment so we were not really who we were supposed to be...

We didn't get disqualified, of course, but we did have to go first --as usually happened since we always were the "opening act."

When we started playing, people just couldn't believe what was happening. Everything was just perfect; the audio was excellent, the lights worked without a glitch, and the dancers performed as expected. After the first couple of minutes, we had everybody dancing, which meant about 3,000 people on the dance floor.

When we finished our first set, people asked for a second one and the judges OKd it. We did an even better set! Everybody asked for a third set but the judges asked the audience to wait because the other DJs deserved a chance too.

The guy who had requested to have us disqualified played after us and his set was miserable. He was booed after about ten minutes and he stopped mixing, turned his equipment off and walked away.

There were three other DJs, including one that I have written about in previous posts. This guy was my idol! A mixing God! He did his usual outstanding set and closed the regular playing time.

When the judges were getting ready to announce the winners everybody started clapping for us and yelling out our name, not my idol's name as they usually did.

The judges called third place and it came out to be a friend of ours, not us! Then they called out second place, and it was this outstanding DJ! We were not in second place, we were in first!!!! We finally won one! I swear I still get goosebumps remembering that moment!

My partner and I, along with all our dancers hugged for what semmed like an eternity. When we walked to the judges' area to pick up our trophy and our check we were in heaven! And what made it even more enjoyable was that this DJ I admired, the one who got second place, gave us the trophy and told us: "I'm so proud of you guys! You deserve this!" That was a magical moment.

After picking up our prizes, we played another set as customary. After that one everybody requested another one, and then another, and then another! We kept playing until dawn! I still remember the sun coming out and my partner and I just spinning records like maniacs!

It was one of those unique, magical evenings that only come once in our lifetime. Unfortunately, the magic didn't last too long. We returned all the equipment we rented and, even though we used our prize money to get better equipment, we couldn't match what we had had that magical night.

In September of that year we graduated from High School and in October I came to the U.S. as an exchange student for a year. During that year my partner kept our DJ business running but it wasn't the same. Things were changing and so were we.

When I returned from the States in June '83 I went into college right away and had no time for DJing. I sold my share of the business to my partner and bought a used car. Since he wasn't planning to go to college right away, he kept it going for a while under a different name. Then he merged with with this other friend of ours (the one who got third place that special night) and last time I heard from him they were doing alright. That was in 1986. I emmigrated to the U.S. in '89 and never heard back from him.

Wow, long story, wasn't it? Now tell me yours!


<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Ricardo_Mata on 2002-06-02 23:43 ]</font>

[sirius]

Dear Ricardo Mata!
I would like to describe the most beautiful
moments in my life as DJ.
1)It was about 1990 and I played with DJ
Pure at the TEKKNODROME, an eary Rave-
and TechnoThing...then about 5.00 a.m.
I put MOBY´s "Go!" on the decks, everywhere
there was red light and tons of mist around
People were screaming and crying...
2)It was one of these famous XXX-Nights in
Vienna and there was the battle HOUSE Vs.
DISCO. "Last Dance" from DONNA SUMMER was
the last track...it was a warm summer-night
outsight and people were again shouting
and stomping and were really excited with
shouts of More!This was 1994.
3)In the year 2000 I was playing the first
time at the LIFE-BALL (now they need me
everytime...because I´m "Tradition")...
but there was this wonderful "If You Could
Read My Mind" by VIOLA WILLS...again not
inside...a nice spring affair night...the
stars from the DiscoBall were glittering
everywhere and met the stars of the sky...
Oh God! How sentimental...
Cosmic Love & Kisses From SIRIUS & DARKTUNES

[JussiK]

1982. The club owner hates me for spinning far too LOUD, has another brief shouting match with me, gets truly pissed off and marches to the electricity control cabinet and pulls the switch, plunging the entire room into pitch blackness at the precise moment T-Connection's DO WHAT YOU WANNA DO reaches the climax of the first break - there's a final earshattering whoop from the speakers and the whole place shuts down. After that I quit, but laughing.
2) A couple of years ago at Heaven when people screamed as I sequed into THE QUEEN OF CHINATOWN by Amanda Lear. The magic was still there.

[Ricardo_Mata]

Pretty cool stuff guys! Venezuela, Austria, France, Finland, the U.S... here you can experience the global power of disco and dance music!

Anybody else?

[KBallenger53]

I started playing at little Hole In The Walls around town in E. Orange, and Orange, NJ. Namely: The Volcano Room, & Sultan's 2001 Club. (Both are no longer there.) Then I played at the Exit 11 (formally the Polar Star), The Archway Lounge, The Redwood Lounge, and The Peppermint Ballroom. The Peppermint Ballroom was my first step up from playing at the local Jukejoints because it had a large dancefloor downstairs, and a smaller one upstairs. I played both, depending on the occasion.But then, I had the priviledge, to headline Thursday nights at the Cheetah Club in Paterson. This was during the early 90's. Friday and Saturday nights belonged to DJ Mark Thompson, who also used to DJ at Club Sensations in Newark, NJ, and I believed he played at the Eleganza Lounge in Newark as well.But my greatest moment came when I was invited to play at the famous Club Zanzibar on Broad St. in Newark!!! But, by this time Zanz was on it's way out, and had far seen it's heyday, and anybody who could spin was allowed to come and play. But just the thrill of playing at a legendary club, sent chills down my spine!!! Just imagine me spinning in the same spot that famous DJ's such as: DJ Hippie, DJ Larry Patterson, DJ Tee Scott, DJ Tony Humphries, DJ Naim Johnson, DJ Timmy Regisford and others had once played!!!I still sit back and reminice over those days. That's when going to Clubs was fun!!! Especially with the friendly rivalries, us DJ's would have with each other during the night, then go somewhere afterwards to get something to eat. Namely White Castles because they were usually the only thing open at that time of the morning.'NUFF SAID

[70spop]

Other than playing at a friend's wedding reception on my home stereo equipment, I only have one public dj-ing moment, but I consider it a success. :icon_cool:

A group of us decided to check out this recently (re)opened bar/club at one of the local suburban Holiday Inns - it was supposed to be a happining place. This was in 1990. It was a Saturday night, and it was pretty dead. Not crowded at all, and mostly middle-aged/older couples sitting around having drinks. Sometimes there would be a smattering of folks on the small dance floor, but it wouldn't last long. I don't remember exactly what the dj was playing, but it was basically stuff that was better suited to background party music than to actual dancing. Lots of moldy oldies, too.

After dancing to a few songs and a LOT of sitting around, I asked the dj if he'd play a song if I brought the tape in from my car. He said, "Sure." So I went out and got the cassette single of the Pet Shop Boys' "So Hard", which had recently been released. Brought it in and said, "Play track 2. It's already cued up."

A few songs later, he played it, and the floor started filling before my friends and I even got out on the floor. Everyone in the place was dancing to that song and loving it. After it finished, several people even came over and thanked me for lending the dj my tape, saying it was the best thing he'd played all night. :icon_mrgreen:

That's the whole of my "dj-ing" experience :icon_lol: but I went out on a high note.

Brian

[Zef]

Early nineties
at a magazine launch in London, a really hot summer evening and I was spinning in the deep basement. Played some great soulful house/disco stuff but it was so hot people were mostly standing upstairs outside to catch some air. I thought what the hell and started playing all the disco tunes I loved but were not so known. I played Linda Clifford -Don't give it up. After the first few bars people were rushing downstairs which suprised me. Then it dawned on me that they thought it was going to be Runaway love which was going through a bit of a revival, and people were really perplexed when it turned out not to be and then were really grooving away like crazy and then asking what it was. Those who did know were ecstatic to hear it again. Anyway that completely changed the night and the dancefloor was packed and very very hot. other tracks I remember playing were Tom Brown-Thighs high, Patrice Rushen-Number one, Sharon Redd-Somebody save the night. At the end of the night there was a standing ovation which was a really strange thing in London at the time.
And got some offers(!!?!!) that really pissed off my BF at the time.

[STEPHEN L FREEMAN]

I couldn't have spent 20+ years behind the turntables, if it didn't provide me with more than a few "greatest moments".
But the best are all times when I took a gamble..and it payed-off.

#2) Summer of 1983... At 13 Buttons, Miami... 6:30isham on a very hot, Miami-summer, Saturday night / Sunday morning... All the house-lights were up... We'd stopped serving an hour & a half, earlier... All 4 double-bay doors open to the parking lots... Garbage being drug out to the dumpsters... Beer coolers being cleaned...

And over 200 people still on the dance-floor

Hit-N-Run Lover --> One Monkey Don't Stop No Show (workin' the hell outta 2 copies of the 45) --> Disco Lucy --> The Best Disco In Town --> fade-out, to the most amazing sound of applause I'd ever heard.

That was one of the GREATEST 30 minutes of my entire career.


#1) Summer of 1991... I was playing my first Black Party, at PROBE LA...

Rick Nelson & I had just finished our first production with Vicki Shepard, "Hold On To My Love", but we knew it wasn't being released for another couple weeks. In Fort Lauderdale, we just mixed into a cassette we made of the final mix. But I had to have a vinyl copy for my big-time DJ, LA Premier:icon_rolleyes: So, I got an acetate cut at Miami-Tape, the week before I was to go-Hollywood.

It was another hot summer-night. This time, at PROBE. Their in-house DJ played the first part of the night...11pm to 4am
Then they had Marlena Shaw on stage, performing the entire "Suite Seventeen".
Then, around 4:30isham, came little ol' MOI!:icon_eek:

To open after the show, I took out my cool acetate copy, of my first record production
(seriously... It was SUCH a dog-&-pony act recording. But it was the BIG-TIME to us, back then.)
And I chose a, possibly career-destroying move, and opened the "morning" with it.
I opened my first LA "morning" with it.:icon_confused:
There had to be nearly 1000 guys in the building...

The acapella choir & piano intro went over well, but I got scared by that "we don't know this" vibe, that a dance-floor can give you, especially from that many people (and no one opens the morning with something new)... They all kinda grooved to our little house beat intro... Our little Italo-groove piano (plink, plink, plink plunk, plunk), gets some hoots-n-hollarin' going...
Then Vicki starts singing the opening lines: "Today, you came by... Tellin' me you're leavin' me..."...

The moment of truth is here. Will they accept what we've done? Or (as my then-b/f suggested...) Will they turn on me with fury, for desecrating a Classic? And I was scared-shitless! I've been to clubs/events where the crowd has thrown SHOES at the DJ booth, for not being happy with the job they were doing.

After the first 2 lines of the song I hear a sound... a cheer... a roar come rumbling it's way, up from the dancefloor that's 2-3 stories below me, and pouring into the DJ booth! 1000 Men, each making their own, distinct "OMG!" sounds of approval. Whether applause, or a whistle, or tambourine, or cheering, etc... All realizing what song it was, at the exact same freakin' second!!

Okay... So, it may have only been in my mind, but...

Baby, I'd ARRIVED!

[Birmingham Gigs]

Really looking forward to this album. lovely track.