#Danceweekend - 5 Dance Tracks I Play When I Sort of Dislike the Crowd That I'm Playing For

iamevilradio (60)in #danceweekend • 6 years ago (edited)

I thought I would try something a little bit different with this entry for #danceweekend . I think when you DJ there is this temptation to only talk about the big parties or the ones that go super well, but if we are being honest, most of us aren't big DJs and the nights that are so-so outnumber the epic ones significantly. I would be lying if I said I didn't have the occasional night where... well... the crowd and I just don't really click. Maybe they just wanted to hear pop music or maybe we just don't click together. These things happen. It's bound to happen every now and then.

Because I've been playing for so long, I've developed a slightly cynical way of dealing with this. I keep a small collection of music who's lyrics in subtle ways mock the crowd and hand for those nights where my cynicism towards being a house and techno DJ in an area where punk and pop rule over all boils over. So without further ado, here are 5 tracks that I keep handy because I'm kind of a jerk.

1. Peace Division - Club Therapy

Has there ever been a song that defines the distance between someone who is in it for the music and someone who is in it to rage and party quite as well as this? The groove is undeniable, but the lyrics are what truly make this special. Describing a man who is there for the music rather than the lights and bullshit, this song is pure anti-EDM, which is sort of prophetic considering what EDM became as the genre grew to new heights.

When I go to a nightclub, you know
I'm not going for the fire that's coming out of the walls
I'm not going there to go be in the VIP area and drink fancy f**king champagne
Nah, I'm not going for none of those reasons to tell you the truth, you know

2. Audio Soul Project - Reality Check

Similar in vein to Club Therapy, Reality check has a relentless groove punctuated with lyrics about the reasons people go out. Are you there to let go and lose yourself, or are you there to be seen? While less well known than Club Therapy, the lyrics still pack a bit of a punch questioning the nature of the dancer and why they do what they do.

Are you letting go?

3. LCD Soundsystem - Beat Connection

LCD Soundsystem have made an entire career out of the irony of dance music. Hyper aware and meta as all hell, this song relies on a slowly building organic groove for the majority of the track before shifting into the electronics with a thunderous shift. Lyrically however, this pulls no punches calling the crowd the saddest night out in the USA and calling for people to loosen up and get behind the whole purpose of a party.

And nobody's falling in love
Everybody here needs a shove
And nobody's getting any touch
Everybody thinks that it means too much
And nobody's coming undone
Everybody here's afraid of fun
And nobody's getting any play
It's the saddest night out in the U.S.A

4. Butane - Hey Hipster

This one is a little less straightforward than the others to this point, but Butane's Hey Hipster does it all in with the throb of a late night underground pulse. Instead of mocking the scene, it goes a little more subtle instead mocking the generic lyrics and content of the songs themselves almost inviting you to make fun of the content of what is historically the lyrical content of these songs. It's subtle and sharp, perfect for those rebellious moments where you want to mock expectations.

It is not necessary to talk about love.

5. The Rapture - WHOO ALRIGHT YEAH UH HUH (People Don't Dance No More) (Simian Mobile Disco Remix)

Based on the title, I'm sure you can get what this song is getting at here. The original is a disco punk masterpiece, but the remix aims squarely for the dancefloor in the way that you would expect 2000s era Simian Mobile Disco to do. It's a pretty fun stuff, but the lyrics really draw attention to how some people are more comfortable standing in the corner judging rather than dancing.