DJing at Fashion Shows

[Ree Fresh]

I did this once and learned a lot in one night, but im just curious if any of you have had a fair amount of experience djing fashion shows and or have any advice or suggestions?

What kind of music?
Music with lyrics?
BPMs?
How to work around music with break downs? Or are break downs ok?

Even if your a fashion fanatic and have suggestions anything will help!

[Phrenetic]

just play dream trance loops and fade in and out Veeeeeerrrry slowly.

i think thats what they do

[Allya]

Fashion Shows are a double edged sword. On the one hand they can pay very well. On the other hand you sometimes end up working for a total prick. I did a few shows over Fashion Week a few years ago. All went fine until the last one, when this asshole decided he needed to listen and give his blessing for each track I was to play during his runway collection.

Think about it. If you have a specific genre or track in mind, bring it with you! Don't rely on the DJ to play EXACTLY what you are thinking especially when you don't know the name of the track, can't give an artist who is typical of the genre, and can't even describe what you would like to hear or the type of mood you want to set.

If the same DJ did well with the last five sets maybe you should just screw off and leave him be! /rant ...damn I hate fashion week.

Okay, actual advice now... Keep it at 125. Maybe 130 if they want a more upbeat atmosphere. Try to stay away from tracks with long breakdowns. Typically, they like a constant beat going at most fashion shows. Throwing in
vocal tracks is fine as long as the lyrics arn't too harsh/grating.

If its a more commercial audience attending, then you'll end up putting club edits on *shudder* but when I played, I always stuck to Sexy House and a little bit of Deep House without putting people to sleep too much. Pull out your Ian Pooley stuff, you can't go wrong with him :)

[kiMMie]

Ask the event organizer on the theme of the night.
Provide them with sample songs to see what type of style they prefer.
Never "guess" prior to what they want - let them decide.
Be knowlegeable of all styles they require.
Moderate any specific songs that they want played throughout event.
Be open and very prepared for last minute changes.

[dj_soo]

i've done a couple - really depends on the organizers and the designers.

The last one I played we had a big meeting and I met with every designer and asked them if they had specific songs in mind or if they had a specific theme. Worked out pretty well actually, every designer was happy with my selection and only one had a specific song in mind (which she provided in CD format).

*Definitely* do not go in cold - talk the designers first and ask them what they expect/want. Some will be awesome and trust you and others will be frustratingly vague ("I need something that sounds like the wind").

Don't pigeonhole yourself into one genre or one bpm - mix it up depending on what the designer wants. I know house is like the standard of fashion shows but that's generally because they don't know any better :).

[Wood]

ugh, i hate djing for fashion shows... djing for strippers is much better

[Ree Fresh]

^lol

Thanks, that was some very helpful info. I guess im pretty lucky as I know the organizers dont have big expectations. Basically they told me last year they had "techno" so something like that is great. I will be going to a meeting soon to discuss themes etc.. I really like the idea of asking them to name a few tracks to get idea of what they want.

Im really surprised that 125-130 bpms would be suggested. I would of thought a much more intense and energetic type of electronica would be desired? Models what do you prefer?