I am not a DJ. A few days ago, I was invited to collaborate with a local dance school for a social dance event. My task: to take care of the music. I am always happy to contribute to the city’s dance community, so I accepted with enthusiasm. Being a DJ is not difficult; the hard part is doing it well. Anyone can play the most popular songs; the more challenging part is creating an original and unique playlist.
Those who deal with music carry a great responsibility on their shoulders. Dancers who participate in social events want to have fun and they expect music that is suitable for dancing. The repertoire to draw from is immense, yet DJs tend to select the same songs, the most popular ones. The point is that the audience is diverse and could be difficult to please. I think this is why most DJs don’t take many risks: they fear that their tastes will not be appreciated by the audience.
I go to social dance events regularly, so I listen to and dance to more or less the same songs every time; after a while, you get tired of those too.
For a DJ, creating a good playlist is a time-consuming task. I understand perfectly well that no one can afford to revolutionize and to create new playlist every week, which is why I really admire those who know how to vary.
To do a good job, you need to know how to read the dancing audience; however, the playlist must be prepared in advance, and it’s definitely not a good idea to improvise at the last minute. Instead, I think it’s very useful to have good planning skills.
I wanted to propose a playlist that would make the evening unforgettable, a playlist specifically designed for the event, dynamic, and that somehow bore my signature.
What does a DJ really do nowadays?
Back in the days, DJs were music experts capable of handling physical media – those wonderful vinyl records – and creating original transitions between tracks. These transitions require the DJ to synchronize the BPM (“beats per minute”, which is the measure of a song’s speed) by slowing down or speeding up the music. This is achieved by listening to the song being played with one ear and the next song with the other ear (through the headphones that DJs carry with them), so that the transition between them is smooth.
With technological progress and the advent of software, things have become much simpler. Computer programs allow you to synchronize bpm automatically. With these software, anyone can improvise as a DJ even without a solid foundation in music.
Today’s DJ programs are highly advanced; if desired, the applications are also able to mix tracks together completely automatically, creating smooth transitions without any human intervention. The icing on the cake is that some programs (even professional ones) are even free, at no cost and requiring no subscription.
Even places where Salsa and Bachata are danced have a DJ, but not all of them use applications of this type, and I’ll reveal the reason why in a moment.
The case of Salsa and Bachata
As far as Salsa and Bachata are concerned, my personal opinion is that mixing tracks is a (terrible) mistake. The reason is that on a social dance, the protagonists are the dancing and the interaction between people; the music is a support to this end.
At social dance events, the main focus is on the social aspect, which takes place through dancing.
When a DJ mixes tracks, the transitions create a continuous musical flow without interruptions: dancers have no way of taking a break without interrupting the dance “halfway through.” Interrupting a dance halfway through a song is always a bit awkward and creates an impasse: it feels very rude, as if we were tired of dancing with that person, even if that’s not true.
The pauses between one song and the next allow dancers to exchange compliments and thank each other for the dance; they give them time to go back to the edge of the dance floor and invite other people to dance (or be invited) or ask the same person for a second dance. Dancers know how important this brief moment of silence is: a few precious seconds that encourage socializing!
Mixing songs eliminates this possibility, thus hindering the pleasure of exchanging compliments.
That’s not all: Salsa and Bachata are music genre created specifically for dancing, which is why the ending of a song is an important part of the song itself. Mixing two songs together eliminates the ending, thus depriving dancers of the opportunity to finish the dance on a high note.
When I created the playlist, I took these considerations into account, looking for songs that would facilitate dancing among the participants.
Music for beginners and music for connoisseurs
Physiologically, it is impossible to please everyone. A more realistic and intuitive idea is to balance things in such a way that the dance event, as a whole, is enjoyable, entertaining, and a success. This is primarily for the intrinsic value of creating something beautiful and exciting for others, but also for the practical purpose of opening the door to the possibility of repeating the event, either occasionally or regularly.
In my case, the event was organized by a local dance school, so inevitably many of their students would be participating, including absolute beginners. Having to choose songs that were also suitable for them, I decided to propose some (but not only) of the songs that their instructors use in class. This makes it easier for them, as these are recognizable songs that they have already practiced in the past; “familiar” songs for those who, like them, are new to Salsa music.
Instructors usually choose carefully which songs to play in their classes, based on criteria (suitable speed, rhythmic clarity, etc.) that allow learners to concentrate on the steps and figures.
Beginners usually show up at the beginning of the evening, when the dance floor is still warming up. During the first hour, I therefore proposed a selection of music designed with them in mind.
At the same time, I think it’s a mistake to forget those experienced dancers having vast knowledge. I think they deserve a place too. Some well-chosen classic songs from the past are a good example of dance music that is generally appreciated by those in the know.
Trendy songs
I have nothing against the most popular songs of the moment; in fact, some of them are really beautiful. As I described earlier, the problem is that, because of their popularity, DJs tend to play them over and over again. Sometimes they are not even really “Salsa” in the strictest sense of the term (don’t start a debate about this, just try to understand what I mean). People who have been dancing for a long time generally leave the dance floor in a huff when the DJ plays the same song for the hundred thousandth time, a song they have already heard and danced to a trillion times over the last few weekends.
It makes no sense to play a song just because it’s the most popular one at the moment. As I mentioned earlier, my vision of a dance evening is that of a place for socializing where music provides the backdrop. A song must be danceable, that’s what matters.
The difficulty, therefore, lies in playing a few carefully chosen songs from among those that are popular, that people like and that dancers generally expect to dance to, without flooding the playlist with the same music they have already heard too many times; without playing the “usual” music every time.
Classic songs
Classic songs are those songs that belong to the history of music. Most of them are songs from the past, but some are more recent. They are masterpieces that perfectly combine melody and rhythm in a form that everyone can dance to, and you never get tired of them.
Classic songs are conspicuously absent from modern dance events, which focus more on other targets. I can’t say why DJs “snub” them, but this fact has worked to my advantage as I have been able to suggest some myself.
Many of the participants have only been dancing for a few years. For them, the classic songs are still new music they have never heard before. When they listen to them, they recognize that they are older songs. However, in the world of Salsa and Bachata dance, this is not synonymous with “out of fashion”. On the contrary, there is “immortal” music that we will dance to for the rest of our lives.
I have therefore added a selection of classic music to the playlist.
The remaining music
Dance events last several hours. The average length of a Salsa/Bachata song is just over 3 minutes. We “consume” about 20 songs per hour, which means that the playlist needs about a hundred songs, including backup tracks.
Finding 100 songs that meet the criteria I listed above is no easy task. DJs usually have their own music collection that they update from time to time and prepare playlists from. I didn’t have such a vast collection because, as I said, I’m not a DJ.
The possibilities are almost endless. There are thousands of songs, and sifting through them all is a mammoth, impossible task. Instead, that’s exactly what I did. I scoured the internet and made a note of all the songs that were candidates for the playlist, then I got hold of them.
I had collected several hundred songs of all kinds, all of which could potentially be played during the evening. DJs, as I said, already have their own database of songs and playlists: now I have one too.
A dynamic playlist
No matter how good a DJ is, not everything is under their control. This was also true in my case. A good plan is a flexible plan that always has a backup option in case the situation requires last-minute changes.
A playlist is a good playlist if the DJ can modify it on the fly.
Current software allows you to modify playlists dynamically, as long as the tracks are available somewhere.
For all the reasons mentioned above (tracks for beginners, popular tracks, classic tracks, etc.), I selected a set of additional tracks ready to be played if the need arose. And it did 🙂
The order of execution
What we have seen so far has to do with the preparation and selection of the music. The difficult part, in my opinion, lies in balancing the number of songs so that the music is not too repetitive or similar, but also not so different as to confuse the dancers. And this brings us to the final and most important consideration of all.
The order in which the music is played is fundamental to the success of the event. I have devoted obsessive attention to creating the “perfect” playlist.
In general, not all participants arrive at the beginning of the evening. The first tracks are therefore used to start the event with those few who are already present. These should be pleasant tracks, but not necessarily the “best” available. For the first hour of the event, I proposed an initial selection of songs that included all the combinations of the criteria mentioned above. At the same time, referring to the concept of a dynamic playlist also already mentioned, I had some additional songs ready for absolute beginners, as I expected them to be the ones to kick off the evening.
I chose the first songs to start the evening. After about an hour, I started playing the “real” music.
I alternated between moments of “wild” dancing and more romantic moments, ending with catchy, danceable tunes until everyone was exhausted. Again, I made sure I always had extra songs ready to play depending on the dancers’ vibe.
Keep the enthusiasm high until the end of the evening. Make sure everyone goes home still excited and smiling.
One key thing to remember is to keep the enthusiasm high until the end of the evening, so that participants go home still euphoric, satisfied, and eager to repeat the experience!
Final thoughts and reflections
During the event, I received a lot of positive feedback, which was very encouraging. Of course, there were also dancers who didn’t like the music, and they certainly didn’t come and tell me; I’m aware of that. For a first time, I’m satisfied. I still have a lot to learn, but I believe that my experience can teach something to those who find themselves in my shoes tomorrow.
In the days that followed, however, word spread that the event was fantastic, and this was partly thanks to my contribution. A few days later, I went to help the instructors with one of their dance classes. The students recognized me and gave me a wonderful round of applause. I won’t hide the fact that I was very touched; it was really nice to know that they enjoyed themselves.
I am very proud of this result because, as you can imagine, I worked very hard to make the evening a success. It was very satisfying!
One consideration is necessary.
I was there to serve the event, not to take credit for it. The freedom I had in choosing the playlist had to be well rewarded, and in these contexts, my subjective musical tastes matter little.
What matters is understanding the tastes of the expected audience and “speaking their language”. In short, I didn’t play the music just because I like it: instead, I tried to guess what would entertain the audience, the songs that the participants would enjoy dancing to, and the music that would thrill everyone. Yes, I also included a few of my favorite songs, a bit like my “signature” 🙂
The entire preparation took a lot of effort, which I offered freely and gratuitously as a form of altruism and as a contribution to the city’s dance community. I put a lot of passion into it and a genuine desire to make the dance evening unforgettable.
Next time, you can be sure, I will propose an even richer selection of songs!