salsa DJ-ing

PielCanela

PielCanela

Changui
I would like to get your opinons in how to setup a playlist, in our club we don't have a dj, ( we don't want non salsero to choose the music, and the salseros want to dance not dj)

So we are preparing a playlist before hand, at least until we solve the dj problem.

now I would play salsa the whole night, with a couple bachatas in between, however I need to be mindful of non salseros who do make up the majority of our crowd ( we hope to convert them)

So we are playing the following rhythms, salsa, merengue, bachata, reggeton and cumbia.


how may salsa songs should I pay before playing something else

when i switch to merengue, ( or non salsa music) should I play in blocks also ? or combine rhythms.

any type of feedback will be appreciated

thank you
 
I can't dance Bachata, Chacha or Merengue (at least not very well), so I really resent it when a salsa event plays more than one of these in a row. Especially Bachata, since it's such a slow rhythm. Fastest way to kill a party: play 3 bachatas in a row.
 
NYCsalsero has a point. Too many bachatas can definately kill a party. I love dancing bachata, but just too much - too slow.

There was a club in Seattle that would play two salsa songs, two merengues, two bachatas, two cumbias and then two of something else and then repeat the whole process. The repetitive nature is sort of nice, because you know what to look forward to. And having two in a row is good, becuase then you can get out on the dance floor and you don't feel like you are constantly having to get up and then sit back down again.

In your situation, you may want to play a couple of salsa songs, two ragaetons, one cumbia, and then one of the following: cha-cha-cha, merengue or bachata and then repeat.

Good luck man and let us know how it goes.
 
PielCanela said:
...now I would play salsa the whole night, with a couple bachatas in between, however I need to be mindful of non salseros who do make up the majority of our crowd ( we hope to convert them)

So we are playing the following rhythms, salsa, merengue, bachata, reggeton and cumbia.

how may salsa songs should I pay before playing something else

when i switch to merengue, ( or non salsa music) should I play in blocks also ? or combine rhythms...
Click to expand...

If you are serious about converting people into salseros, remember that the one dance they associate more closely with salsa is merengue.

Play 3 to 4 salsas to satisfy your hard core dancers, then 3 merengues for the beginners to get some seroius practice with turn patterns and for the salseros to grab some beginners and show them how much fun it is to dance with a partner and then 2 bachatas for the cruising crowd. Repeat this pattern a few times.

Someway in the middle of your party play a whole reggeaton / R'n'B set -5-6 songs- so the people who do not do latin dances can feel like they got their own and the latin dancers can relax, get some drinks and go to the washrooms.

Go back to latin music for another 2-3 sets and then back to regeeaton / whatever so the non dancers have a reason to hang out til the end.

Always finish your party with bachata or slow music. (this way the salseros can make a dash for the coatcheck and the parking lot.)
 
3 Salsa
2 Bachata
2 Merengue

Good receipe here for overall parties.
Then after 90 min maybe throw in some reggaeton but not too long.

I am pleased to notice that parties with more Salsa than the receipe above become more and more popular in the place where I live.
 
Agreed Dippy.

Salsa has grabbed me in a way that we're all familiar with here. For me Bachata has just as much appeal, but it's a different ..... 'flavour'.

3 Bachatas in a row and I'd be in heaven - but I do appreciate this isn't everyone's feeling however.
 
You're right, I know :)

But I do love to Bachata ! However, just one Bachata can leave me hotter than salsa - it's the close body contact, innit :lol:
 
Merengue is a must because its probably the most popular latin dance in the USA and a good transition to Salsa/Mambo. Obviously play Salsa/Mambo and a good amount of it. You might want to do everything from pop salsa to salsa dura. The other type of music you might want to focus in on as a transition to Salsa is Cha Cha. I could skip the Bachata and Reggaeton, unless its big up there, or you want to cover all bases.
 
Jones said:
Always finish your party with bachata or slow music. (this way the salseros can make a dash for the coatcheck and the parking lot.)
Click to expand...

lol, you have no idea how much I have enjoyed this comment ...ha ha ha is priceless :):):)
 
Terremoto said:
There was a club in Seattle that would play two salsa songs, two merengues, two bachatas, two cumbias and then two of something else and then repeat the whole process.
Click to expand...
But that's two salsas followed by eight non-salsas :shock: -- not enough salsa!

One trick is to build up a good collection of songs salsa dancers will happily dance salsa to but non-dancers also enjoy bopping to -- songs like La Pantera Mambo and Vida Es Un Carnaval seem to go down well with both camps. Some boogaloos also work well.

Playing 2 songs from the same genre together seems to be a norm around here too.
 
Our existing salsa (-ish) Wed night has now been around since we launched it in '02.

Despite the changes that took place over time, I think the main reason it works is:

- Free entry before 10pm. Cheap (used to be free) classes starting 8.30.

- Your DJ must understand NOT to muck around with salsa music.

- Play mostly die-hard salsa from 9pm til mid night, with a little merengue/cumbia/bachata breaks (2-3 songs in each genre, alternated with salsa songs so you don't end up with a long non-salsa block)

- Some 'commercial' salsa such as Marc Anthony thrown in, to warm the budding interest in the crowd. Familiarity (in small doses) is good for business.

- After midnight, when all the regular clubbers (read: the kind of crowd you wish to convert) turn up, play something that appeal to them (for us, it was the young R&B crowd).

- Do about 30-45mins worth of the above, then throw in two or three sure-fire, must-dance salsa classics. This is to ensure that (1) salseros stay around (2) gives the seasoned salsaros a chance to make mini/improtu show pieces around the club, to give visual/entice the crowd to pick up salsa properly.

These are the elements that worked for us, for this particular night. But we did put in a lot of work getting it built to a point of having momentum.

I had some of the most memorable dances while promoting for this night 8) .
 
1) Don't - make - more - than - 3 - songs - in - a - row - non - salsa.
Party killer.
Those who don't know how to dance don't care about what's being played, and salseros only want salsa.

2) 70% of your playlist should be medium, medium-fast, paced songs 10% fast ones
10% slow ones
1 or 2 very fast ones during the evening is enough for the fun

3) Don't understimate the fun factor of timba and don't make people believe that you cannot dance mambo on a timba. You can, and it's enjoyable.
 
MacMoto said:
Terremoto said:
There was a club in Seattle that would play two salsa songs, two merengues, two bachatas, two cumbias and then two of something else and then repeat the whole process.
Click to expand...
But that's two salsas followed by eight non-salsas :shock: -- not enough salsa!
Click to expand...
Ditto! 8) Don't play too much non-salsa...
 
Piel, what time do salseros show up? When do they leave? When do the non-salseros show up? When do they leave?

Look, if you could lean heavy on one type of music in the beginning and then lean heavy the other way at the end of the night then everyone may be able to be happy. Also, you could let the salseros know that you will be playing almost all salsa/bachata in the beginning of the night and then start fading in some more and more ragaeton as the night gets later and later and then by the end of the night its mostly regaeton. Or maybe reverse the direction. This way the salseros know when to show up.
 
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