Author: Jeremy Childs
There are a few things one comes to expect when attending a dance at Occidental: drunken first-year couples shamelessly making out, awkward exchanges in the Marketplace the next morning and, unfortunately, a DJ who chooses songs nobody can dance to at all.
The job of a DJ is more than just to play music — it is to make sure everyone on the dance floor has the best night of their lives. However, it seems like most DJs at Occidental dances have other priorities. For instance, it often feels as if these DJs deliberately pick obscure songs that end up pleasing them more than anyone in the crowd.
It doesn’t matter how carefully selected each track was for the mix. School-wide dances are not the place to showcase a deep, intricate understanding of largely unknown Electronic Dance Music (EDM) genres; leave that to off-campus house parties and KOXY radio shows.
The fact is that people know what they like and like what they know. Songs by popular acts like Avicii are much more likely to get people on their feet than some track off a random Soundcloud page. If a track doesn’t make people dance, sing along or even get them excited, there is really no point in playing it.
When the DJs do play something unfamiliar to people, the crowd begins to tune out and lose interest in the dance. Even worse is when people think they know what song is coming up, only to discover it is actually a remix. Unless they are equally as well-known as the original version, most remixes tend to not go over very well at school dances.
Another important thing DJs should keep in mind: it’s called a “dance” for a reason. At the very least, tracks should have a consistent beat for people to bob along and pump their fists.
The current predilection towards dubstep and trap music makes it very difficult for students to actually dance. If a DJ were to make the music more danceable with some good old-fashioned four-to-the-floor beats, people would be less likely to stand around awkwardly and talk to each other.
Finally, the ultimate pitfall of Occidental DJs is that they tend to stick to a very narrow range of music genres. Most of these are in the overall realm of EDM, and while there is nothing wrong with this intrinsically, it can make their sets repetitive and uninteresting.
Just a quick survey of other genres reveals an abundance of new tracks to perfectly enhance any DJ’s mix. Hip-hop has been productive as ever in pumping out hot new jams that are irresistibly danceable. The most recent Danny Brown record is a prime example. Indie pop bands can also be a good source of dance material; CHVRCHES, Grouplove and St. Lucia are a few acts that initially come to mind.
Even tracks that have been out for a while can be successfully implemented in a dance mix. Songs that were fun to dance to in 2009 are still fun to dance to in 2013.
Additionally, DJs should not underestimate the value of a good throwback. Used sparingly and with good timing, a 90s hit by someone like Lauryn Hill or a middle school classic like “Sugar, We’re Goin Down” can make any college crowd go wild.
So to the next Programming Board dance DJ, here’s some advice: branch out a bit from EDM. Use the original instead of the remix. Pick songs that make the crowd move to the beat and sing along with the lyrics. Play what the people want to hear, and everyone will walk away saying “that was the best DJ Occidental’s ever had!”
Jeremy Childs is a junior English and Comparative Literary Studies major. He can be reached at jchilds@oxy.edu or on Twitter at @WeeklyJeremy.
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