DJ’ing is like standup comedy

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[photos: Vix, Mezzanine SF]

A little over a week ago I checked out Wanda Sykes filming her new HBO special at Warner Theatre. Other than nearly laughing myself into urinary incontinence, I was struck by the strong parallels between the crafts of dj’ing and standup.

My observations:

Timing

This is the defining skill of every good comic. The difference between a huge laugh and the sound of crickets can be measured in micro-beats. And so it is with the DJ. Drop a record a hair’s breadth off of the “one” and your dancefloor hiccups (at best) or you lose all of your momentum and everyone stops to stare at you (at worst). Nail the right transition on beat and everyone goes apeshit.

Narrative, flow and pacing

A comic’s jokes are like characters in a story. Sometimes those jokes are mini tales of their own that are woven together into a grand narrative by linking together common strands. A real DJ always tells a story on the decks. You should be able to follow a narrative that includes setting, plot twists and climaxes. Individual songs become building blocks in a discernible audio journey with all the characteristics of a well written novel.

The role of the opener

A night at a show or on the dancefloor follows an energy arc with a beginning, middle and end. A comic or DJ opening for a headliner is tasked with getting the room warmed up and prepped for peak time energy. Go too hard and the crowd will run out of steam prematurely. Don’t come with it and the crowd sees you as the enemy delaying them from enjoying the headliner. Strike the right balance and everyone wins, especially the opener who earns new fans and more gigs.

The tightrope walk

It’s sooo easy to go from killing to being killed. The crowd loves you until they hate you, although comics have more leeway to dispatch hecklers. The flipside is that it all comes together when the dj/comic builds a relationship with the audience. There’s a tipping point in the evening where trust is established. Once that point is reached, the comic or the dj can really go in, which builds more good vibes in the crowd, and a feedback loop of positive energy is created.

You’re all alone

It’s just you on stage with a microphone, just as the dj commands the decks alone. Some dj booths are set further away from the dancefloor so you’re less accessible but still, all eyes are on you. It’s a position that’s simultaneously powerful and precarious. When you as one individual can command a whole room, club, hall or arena’s emotions, it’s a unique rush that you can’t stop chasing once you’ve experienced it.

Stay tuned for other installments in this series such as:

DJ’ing is like video editing.
DJ’ing is like distance running.
DJ’ing is like sex.
DJ’ing is like being RNC chairman Michael Steele (bad nights can be really bad.)

5 Replies to “DJ’ing is like standup comedy”

  1. Ooooof! i enjoyed this post so much. bravo

  2. reposting my tweet at your request, but definitely you should add the comparison between taking risks in the two disciplines. Can pay off big rewards with crowd reaction and respect or get you into more trouble with the audience…

  3. DJTruBlu

    @djstylus,

    I’m still fairly new at this dj’ing, but I had a few simple questions..

    1. How do you handle switching from tracks that are not close in their BPM range? I try to stay within 7BPM+-, but sometimes, I may go from a track at 88bpms into a track at 95.
    (There’s no smooth way to do it.. I usually just fade out..)

    2. This gets me to my next question.. when working the crowd.. do you start off slow with tracks in the 80bpm range and work your way up to a fast fever pitch by end of night.. ? Guess I’m asking how do you plan your track selections? Any specific order?

    Thanks.

  4. Good questions, TruBlu.

    1. It’s about planning ahead. I’m always thinking anywhere from 2 – 5 records in advance, taking stock of the energy in the room and planning where I want to go from there. It also helps to keep a collection of transitional tunes. Ones with a breakdown or tempo changes that you can use strategically. As a last resort, you can ride the pitch while playing a track. You have to do this sparingly so it’s not jarring to the dancefloor, but I don’t have a rule against changing the speed of a tune once it’s playing.

    2. Depends on the gig.

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