A Question for the DJs.

DJ Ara

DJ Ara

Son Montuno
Here is one for the DJs.

Instead of naming specific songs, please list and/or talk about some of the salsa artists that are prominent in your salsa set on given night.

I believe that the level of the quality and class of the artists whose music one plays during a given night, is very telling as regards that night's authenticity as a SALSA night.

For example, if you go to a club where the DJ's set included the music of Eddie Palmieri, Tommy Olivencia, Tito Puente, Angle Canales, Flamboyan, Oscar D'Leon, Roberto Roena, Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz, Willie Rosario and El Gran Combo, it would be very difficult to walk away and say that the music was bad.

Of course, I am assuming that the DJ played the right stuff and combined them in a suitable manner.

So DJs, what are the bands/artists that your set can't do without, including the ones whose "presence" will give you,the DJ, SALSA clout?
 
Africando, Al De Lory, Alex Wilson, Angel Canales, Charles Fox, Cheo Feliciano, Cuco Valoy, Eddie Palmieri, El Gran Combo, Frankie Ruiz, Jimmy Bosch, Jhonny Pacheco, Hector Lavoe, Javier Vazquez, Joe Cuba, Johnny Colón, La 33, La Playa, Larry Harlow, Lebron Brothers, Machito, Mon Rivera, Ray Baretto, Ruben Blades, Sonora Ponceña, Tito Puente, Tito Rodriguez, Tommy Olivencia, Yuri Buenaventura.
 
Smejmoon said:
Africando, Al De Lory, Alex Wilson, Angel Canales, Charles Fox, Cheo Feliciano, Cuco Valoy, Eddie Palmieri, El Gran Combo, Frankie Ruiz, Jimmy Bosch, Jhonny Pacheco, Hector Lavoe, Javier Vazquez, Joe Cuba, Johnny Colón, La 33, La Playa, Larry Harlow, Lebron Brothers, Machito, Mon Rivera, Ray Baretto, Ruben Blades, Sonora Ponceña, Tito Puente, Tito Rodriguez, Tommy Olivencia, Yuri Buenaventura.
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Heavy Duty!!!

When a Salsa DJ finishes his night knowing that he has played a set that contains mainly the above calibre of musicians, then he can go to bed happy.
 
I actually disagree. If a dj plays many of the same songs from whatever artists they have in their sets night after night then I think it stinks! If they play the same song more than once the same night, it is even worse. I don't like hearing the same song over and over again no matter how good it is.
 
sagitta said:
I actually disagree. If a dj plays many of the same songs from whatever artists they have in their sets night after night then I think it stinks! If they play the same song more than once the same night, it is even worse. I don't like hearing the same song over and over again no matter how good it is.
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You misunderstand.

It is not about playing the same songs all the time, it is about playing great songs from genuine hardcore salsa orchestras, as opposed to a mish mash of low quality commercial stuff, together with perhaps "salsa-esque" tunes, and so forth.
 
sagitta said:
I actually disagree. If a dj plays many of the same songs from whatever artists they have in their sets night after night then I think it stinks! If they play the same song more than once the same night, it is even worse. I don't like hearing the same song over and over again no matter how good it is.
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Consider this....

I started a night at a new venue and contacted the inveterate mambo dancers of the area; who had followed another dj from the area for 20-30 years. While spinning the first night, there were two people who came to the dj booth whose comments illustrate my point:

Person #1: "I used to love DJ _______ because I heard him play so much I pretty much knew what was coming up next and I really had fun with him."

Person 2: "I used to hate DJ _______ because I heard him play so much I pretty much knew what was coming up next and I really was tired of hearing the same songs over and over again."

At the time, I thought that this was hilarious, but it really does drive home some instructive points that the DJ should understand.:

1. Many people can only relate to songs that they have heard enough that they can sing along with, know the breaks, etcetera, and are most happy when they hear them. Some people even are only happy if they hear the songs that they have at home, in their car, on their mp3 player, etcetera.

2. Many people would rather hear good music that they have not heard before.

So, what is my humble recommendation to DJs? Well, you have to cater to both crowds. How much time you give to each depends on the nature of the crowd each night. Each crowd has its collective personality and the DJ's main challenge is to understand it each night.
 
Also different people might love and hate the same songs and same people might like or hate the same song when played by different DJ. It's not very rational.
 
Smejmoon said:
Also different people might love and hate the same songs and same people might like or hate the same song when played by different DJ. It's not very rational.
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Ive DJd for totally latino clentele in a latino club, a mixed clientele ,and all "anglo".

GOOD music trancends all the all of the above. Yes, I do cater in the first hrs "set " to the less informed, but even then, it needs consideration and care in selection, hopefully giving a broad perspective, musically speaking.

One thing I know for sure ( and Ive DJd in the disco era as well as B/room ) ya just cant please everyone !
 
El Caobo said:
Consider this....

I started a night at a new venue and contacted the inveterate mambo dancers of the area; who had followed another dj from the area for 20-30 years. While spinning the first night, there were two people who came to the dj booth whose comments illustrate my point:

Person #1: "I used to love DJ _______ because I heard him play so much I pretty much knew what was coming up next and I really had fun with him."

Person 2: "I used to hate DJ _______ because I heard him play so much I pretty much knew what was coming up next and I really was tired of hearing the same songs over and over again."

At the time, I thought that this was hilarious, but it really does drive home some instructive points that the DJ should understand.:

1. Many people can only relate to songs that they have heard enough that they can sing along with, know the breaks, etcetera, and are most happy when they hear them. Some people even are only happy if they hear the songs that they have at home, in their car, on their mp3 player, etcetera.

2. Many people would rather hear good music that they have not heard before.

So, what is my humble recommendation to DJs? Well, you have to cater to both crowds. How much time you give to each depends on the nature of the crowd each night. Each crowd has its collective personality and the DJ's main challenge is to understand it each night.
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Great comments here. One MUST be able to read the crowd, and act accordingly, playing the newer materia at every opportunity, and of course, a Salsa DJ has to be able to create the opportunities to throw in the lesser known, but great, salsa tracks.

In my humble opinion, those who are resident DJs have a great chance to "train" their crowds' ears, no matter how they start out initially. This needs patience and skill, but the rewards are well worth the headaches.

Personally speaking, I take it as a mission to "teach" the salsa dancing crowd about the best of this genre.:)
 
DJ Ara said:
Great comments here. One MUST be able to read the crowd, and act accordingly, playing the newer materia at every opportunity, and of course, a Salsa DJ has to be able to create the opportunities to throw in the lesser known, but great, salsa tracks.

In my humble opinion, those who are resident DJs have a great chance to "train" their crowds' ears, no matter how they start out initially. This needs patience and skill, but the rewards are well worth the headaches.

Personally speaking, I take it as a mission to "teach" the salsa dancing crowd about the best of this genre.:)
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Agree with you 100%, Ara!:)
 
Smejmoon said:
Also different people might love and hate the same songs
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It is even worse when they (together with their six months of salsa "experience") come over the DJ booth and tell a given DJ, who may be a connoisseur, in possession of thousands of records, and with decades of SALSA DJ-ing experience), that theys should not play a given song, because it is a "bad song". LOL!

Smejmoon said:
and same people might like or hate the same song when played by different DJ. It's not very rational.
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There are at least two good reasons for that. One is the given mood and activity of the person, when he or she hears the song for the first time, and second, the "placement" of the song, by the DJ.

Of course, you will always get the occassional nut who will cross a busy dance floor to tell you that he does not like a given new song, or that it is "bad", to then approach you again at a later date, when you are playing the same song, to ask you who sings it, because he liked the song.:eek:
 
DJ Ara said:
Of course, you will always get the occassional nut who will cross a busy dance floor to tell you that he does not like a given new song, or that it is "bad", to then approach you again at a later date, when you are playing the same song, to ask you who sings it, because he liked the song.:eek:
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Or they will complain you don't play artist that's on right now :)

Of course I don't have much experience as a salsa DJ. I get invited by other DJs to play and I have some experience to play other music that's not so demanding. (I have played a song and group of people were moving, grooving, smiling, even singing lyrics, but not getting up and dancing; maybe speed was a bit off, maybe they were tired, maybe something else I don't know).

But there always are some 3-4 songs at the start of the set with the disconnect between me and dancers and somehow during that time I gather enough clues to "tune in". As Ara said - mood, placement, training listeners.. all that might take time. So what I try to do is play some sure hits at first, but in different styles to get best starting point. Afterwards it's reading the crowd and listening to the music. That and dancing :)
 
Smejmoon said:
Or they will complain you don't play artist that's on right now :)
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...LOL...And when you tell them that the artist's song is playing now, they sometimes go blank, then recover to say, yes they know, but they don't like this particular song.

Smejmoon said:
Of course I don't have much experience as a salsa DJ. I get invited by other DJs to play and I have some experience to play other music that's not so demanding. (I have played a song and group of people were moving, grooving, smiling, even singing lyrics, but not getting up and dancing; maybe speed was a bit off, maybe they were tired, maybe something else I don't know).
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The phenomenon of people manifesting positively to the music, yet not dancing is something that you see a lot in Cali, mainly because a lot of people here love and feel the music for real, without the need to get up and dance to every song they like, in order to relate to the music.

Other times, people are just tired and taking a rest.:D


Smejmoon said:
But there always are some 3-4 songs at the start of the set with the disconnect between me and dancers and somehow during that time I gather enough clues to "tune in". As Ara said - mood, placement, training listeners.. all that might take time. So what I try to do is play some sure hits at first, but in different styles to get best starting point. Afterwards it's reading the crowd and listening to the music. That and dancing :)
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You have the right approach. The rest comes from clocking more DJ-ing hours and sticking to your mission as a Salsero! :D
 
Joe Arroyos- "Rebelion" ,seems to be one of those songs that gets people up and dancing. I've always wanted to try Dj'ing , ill have to build up my collection first.
 
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