There’s no nice way to say this, so I’ll just be blunt: the music that gets played at clubs in Starkville is hopelessly and utterly wack. It’s horrible. It’s wretched. And what’s even worse is that nobody seems to care.
Seriously, Starkville’s DJs are not doing their jobs. And we really ought to start demanding more from them.
DJ-ing is an art, a craft and a service. And when it’s done right, it can be absolutely inspirational. But we, the cover charge-paying public, are being ripped off on a weekly basis.
I believe it’s about time that we begin holding these dudes accountable for their actions, i.e. the songs they play.
Is a little creativity just too much to ask?
Look, I realize that everyone loves an old favorite, but how many times is the club going to go crazy when “Pour Some Sugar On Me” comes on? Come on people, the same songs get played at about the same time on the same nights every week of the entire semester. Doesn’t it ever get old?
To all the DJs out there, give us a chance to miss the song. Let it cool off for a few weeks. Give us time to forget about it. Then, when the time comes to play it again, not just the drunk people, the whole club will go bananas when those first few notes play.
It’s the DJ’s responsibility to rock the party. It’s up to him or her to get everyone involved. It’s up to him to get as many people crunk as possible. And you just can’t do that when you play the same list of songs every time you perform.
And let’s be clear, it is a performance.
DJ-ing is not just playing records. It’s playing the right records.
But with DJ-ing in Starkville being as predictable and lame as it is, the DJ might as well put on a “Now, That’s What I Call Music” CD and walk away from the booth.
Or better yet, just plug the sound system into the radio. That way we’ll get the same stale list of ultra-familiar songs with a few new hits tossed in, and the club owners won’t even have to pay a DJ.
Now, I’ll admit, some Starkville DJ’s do try to mix it up a little bit. But even those guys tend to lean too heavily on their alternative choices.
Yes, you get due credit for playing a Beatles song or a personal ’80s favorite. At least you’re attempting to stretch out people’s listening patterns. But after you play that song, put it away for as long as possible.
Ideally, a DJ, the person we expect to be up on his music game, will have a large enough collection that he can wait a week or two, or at least a show or two, before he recycles a song. DJ’s are expected to have an innate understanding of when it’s time to play a particular song again. A good DJ can sense when a song will enjoy maximum effectiveness, and he won’t play a song until that time comes.
And, speaking of timing, Starkville DJs have a particular knack for playing the wrong song at the wrong time.
Nothing will murder a healthy vibe quite like sticking an off-the-wall request right in the middle of a set, complete with a corny shout-out to the person who requested it. And nothing will cool off a hot dance floor faster than an old country favorite right on the heels of the latest Neptunes beat.
Shows are supposed to have an arch to them. Imagine an evening at the club as being on a bell curve. There’s the warm-up, the acceleration, the climax and then the cool-down. Assuming this is done right, the DJ can put the whole club in hysterics. But instead we end up with this stop-and-go style of back-to-back songs that don’t fit together at all. It’s as if the DJ comes to the club with his set on a CD and sets it on random.
So, to all those DJ’s who feel they’re doing their jobs because they play the hottest song of the night around midnight when the club is as full as it’s going to get, it’s time to step your game up.
And to all the people who are happy with the music in the clubs, may all your Ying Yang Twins songs, or whatever, be extra hype.