Mo Niklz and DJ Halo in the Fairfield Weekly

[Sketch Tha Cataclysm]

DJ HALO

Hey, Mister DJ
Seven rules of dance floor etiquette
by Adam Bernard
http://www.fairfieldweekly.com/article.cfm?aid=11890

In all of music there is only one performer people feel they can walk up to, talk to and even make requests of while they're performing — and that's the DJ. While it's all well and good to say hello or put in a request, there are right ways of doing these things and wrong ways.

To find out the dos and don'ts of approaching a working DJ, I sat down with three of the state's finest turntablists. The roundtable included:

DJ E.L.: A time-tested battle DJ from New Britain, E.L. is a four-time Connecticut champion of the Guitar Center DJ Spin Off and a two-time top ten regional finalist of the Technics DMC DJ Battle.

DJ Halo: One of Bridgeport's biggest names, Halo has been featured on stages all over the U.S., completing two national tours that saw him spin everywhere from South by Southwest in Austin to the Viper Room in Los Angeles.

DJ Mo Niklz: A Danbury native, Mo Niklz can be seen spinning at numerous local hotspots, including Cousin Larry's and the Heirloom Arts Theatre. He's also toured the northeast with Connecticut hip-hop crew AFA.

Here's what they had to say about approaching a DJ while they're working:

Pick a good time. Most DJs are open to requests, but you need to find the right time to put them in. Mo Niklz says, "The best time to approach a DJ is to wait for a moment just after he's fully mixed into a song because he should have the maximum amount of time to talk with somebody before he has to start working on getting the next track played." But the ideal time is early — before he's started at all. Halo adds that "if it looks like I'm not having to concentrate too much on what's going on, like when I take a sip of water, or when I'm not totally hunched over the turntables, that's really the best time."

Make it quick. Don't loiter around the turntables. "Just give your request and walk away," says Halo. And though it might seem nice to heap praise, E.L. recommends a different kind of thank-you: "Go enjoy yourself." He adds a surefire way to annoy the DJ is to stand around waiting for your request to be played. E.L. says another way is to keep coming back to the booth to ask, "Are you going to play my song next?"

Don't get too specific. No DJ has every song ever recorded. Mo Niklz suggests you make your request as broad as possible. "The best thing is to give the DJ a genre, a time period and an artist and have him build from there," he says. "That should give them a good idea of the type of music you want to hear."

Recognize the mood. Take into account everything else the DJ is playing. "If it's a song that goes with the format I am playing, then the request will get played sooner," E.L. says. "If I have the dance floor packed and someone requests a slow song, or a song that is totally not with the flow, there is no way I am going to kill the momentum. I try to stress that I am not a jukebox or the radio. If I am playing house music don't ask for country music."

A tip never hurts. Mo Niklz says the simple way you perform to thank the bartender for getting you your drink might also go a long way in getting your request worked into the mix quicker.

Avoid criticism and don't get greedy. Halo says one request is fine; half a dozen is not. But nothing, he says, is more aggravating to DJs than a random person telling them how to work the crowd. "I'm the one they booked," he explains.

Remember they're at work. "I don't mind being approached," Halo explains, "but you must realize I am working and I do need some modicum of concentration." Mo Niklz adds that people also need to keep in mind "the DJ isn't there to just talk with just you, he's there for everybody."



Read Adam's blog at www.adamsworldblog.com

[Othello repping the Nauts]

I guess DJ Helen Keller wasn't available for the story...

[Mo Niklz]

These are the best dj's this guy could find?

[Sketch Tha Cataclysm]

Tip Mo Niklz people!!