Over To You: Should DJs Sit Down While Playing?

Reader DJ Malarky writes: “I was recently at a wedding where the DJ had a house table that was draped to match the room and his equipment was laid out very nice on top. However, throughout the night I happen to notice the DJ sitting behind the table as he played his entire set this way. I might add, he did stand whenever he made announcements but then sat back down when playing his set. I hadn’t really thought about this much except it did look a little different to me. What are your thoughts on this matter? To sit, or not to sit… that is my question.”

Digital DJ Tips says:

DJing is done stood up. If you want people to dance, you should be stood and at least moving a bit to the music if not dancing yourself. Sitting down is a cop-out! However, “older” DJs, wedding DJs playing long sets, DJs with health issues, or DJs playing to completely empty dancefloors… you can see the attraction of a quick sit down. My feet certainly ache at the end of a six (or more) hour set. However, I would never dream of sitting to play.

I used to DJ on a dance radio station, and their studios had no chairs in them, the thinking being that you are on your feet in a club, so the DJs should be on their feet when they play dance music. And that was in a radio station! No excuse in a venue.

Over to the readers though: What do you think? Are there any occasions when it’s OK to sit down when you’re DJing? Let us know what you’ve seen out there…