Not even all radio DJs are allowed to sit down. Is it ever acceptable for a performing DJ?
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!
If you want people to dance, you should be stood and at least moving to the music…
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…
Now go to:
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Tags: dj chairs
DJing is not always about making people dance.
Chill rooms? 8 hour back room sets?
[ link ]Good point…
[ link ]Exactly. I used to dj chill-out gigs at a very posh chinese type tea lounge, where people would lay on pillows, smoke water pipes and drink tea. Dj table was 20 cm of height max. These days it’s all about dance venues and I stand up when I dj, but for example legendary Paul Johnson is in a wheelchair and still rocks it pretty well.
[ link ]Radio deejays can.. But deejays who directly interact with their crowd must do stand!
[ link ]If it doesn’t mess up your vibe, if it doesn’t look bad and if you want to do it, I think it’s okay to sit.. Sometimes one minute of rest can get you through one hour of awesome music, so why not?
As always a good article and a great point of discussion
[ link ]This!
Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. When I’m playing around at home I try to avoid sitting down but after hours and hours of playing you have to either sit down or break down. If the rest is going to help the rest of the performance, I’d say sit.
[ link ]If you’re in a situation where you are supposed to be making people dance, you should absolutely not be sitting down.
I’ve been playing sets whilst totally exhausted, but always force myself to at least look like I’m enjoying myself and moving a bit, it helps create a connection to the crowd.
[ link ]Generally, no, but it can be done. I saw a dj spinning a late spot at a festival rocking back in a recliner with just a laptop on his lap & a lollipop in his mouth. He was cool as shit & had buckets of presence.
[ link ]Love it.
[ link ]I am a staunch believer in not… If you need a break I will usually put on a long track – mingle with some people and sit down for a bit… get a bit of interaction with the crowd, rest and not look like i’m not taking it seriously. But I do understand it can be done just personally don’t like it – especially as a digital dj we already have to fight the notion that “computers do all the work anyway”.
[ link ]I like that last statement, lol. So true. That would make their point just that much more valid in their own mind.
[ link ]Not unless you’re stuck in a wheelchair, be up with your crowd.
[ link ]I have only seen this once – a mobile disco hired for a 40th birthday. The 2 guys set up a desktop on a desk and sat huddled behind the screen all night. I wasn’t impressed and am not surprised that their track selection seemed at odds with crowd reaction – I don’t think they even looked up.
[ link ]My setup at home requires me to stand up and I present live mixes on radio standing up. When gigging I feel passionately that I should be moving to the music at all times – I’ve said it many times – “Never trust a DJ who doesn’t dance”.
I also try to get out of the booth at some point to dance with the floor, and find both the crowd and the venue managers love that.
The only time I have compromised on this was to lean on a bar stool during an all-nighter! (And yes, everything aches the day after a gig!)
I think like always, it depends on the time and place.
If I was playing a big club with a bumping set, people dancing, etc…me sitting would kill the vibe. Give things an “I don’t care” atmosphere. Those occasions are when you need to be active, interactive, and show you’re there.
Chill rooms can be a spot where you can sit…seen even the idea of the DJ more on the floor with his stuff to give it an even more relaxed atmosphere.
I also think when you’re in a lounge or bar like the one Phil is working, it’s ok to have a bar stool there to sit on at times. I just think that unless you’re promoting dancing, it’s ok to have some kind of relief when your feet hurt. I even think if you’re in a club with a booth that’s basically inaccessible to the crowd, then it’s ok.
In the case of that wedding, I think it’s ok to sit when it’s the dinner music and such, but not when you’re now trying to incite people to dance and get loose. Many times I’ll see mobile DJs who are more getting out of the booth and interacting with the crowd, like leading them in the Electric Slide.
[ link ]I wouldnt dream of sitting down where I play – I play music to dance to, even if in a beach bar that only sometimes constitutes swaying or tapping your feet in the sunshine! I tend to dance at least a littlelfall the way though my sets
[ link ]I do the same. When I played that European cafe for several months, I would mainly stand…but would sit at times when things are slow and I was just plain tired.
At a club or party though I wouldn’t dream of it.
[ link ]That’s fair enough – it happens.
[ link ]LOL at the tag: dj chairs
[ link ]In my last gig I was supposed to play 10 hours straight. However, as there would be few people in the venue beside the staff until a certain hour due to the fact that was in a university campus, I would let play a few chill-out/downtempo as I would walk around the bar and the bar terrace to talk a bit with the people around just going to the pc to shift a bit the mood of the music. But at peak time I faced a big problem: a pain in the knee which would get worse as I would keep on playing. My solution could never be sitting down, just called a member of the staff for a bag of ice and kept the night pushing my knee against the desk with the ice bag in the middle.
So, as you may conclude unless you really must have to, sitting down is no option to be choosen.
[ link ]I’d go with standing too … however I played sets after a car crash where I was suffering a whiplash, I had a bar stool behind me so I could lean against … but laid back in a chair dj’ing that’s a no no.
And maybe a tip for playing long x-hours sets … drink a lot of water to keep your blood flowing through the legs and wear pressure socks. They aren’t a fashion statement but nobody sees them under trousers and they keep you from getting cramps when standing up for a long time (especially useful when playing several evenings in a row)
[ link ]In a local strip club, I used to see this middle-aged and overweight guy sitting down. When that club closed, he went to one of those hotel lounges and started his gigs. He sat there too. Yet, folks didn’t pay it any attention.
[ link ]I say agree to stand up while performing, in a venue and club or bar…
However… During weddings and “cocktail hour” and dinner, sitting would be allowed.. I mean really? 2-3 hours of slow background and jazz needs the DJ to stand? Hell some local DJs leave outside for smoke breaks and just let the 2 hours’ music play without them being there as I have seen at other events… Obviously I wouldn’t do that… But just saying….
I also sit at some private gigs, because I suffer from a moderate case of cerebral palsy…. So for medical reasons sitting to rest is needed for leg pain issues…
[ link ]As a mobile DJ, I agree that standing is probably the preferred M.O. as DJing in almost any sense is typecasted into you standing. I do agree from a medical point-of-view though that many variables are going attribute to your comfort. Having done this for 15+ years, posture to even the type of foot wear have had me on certain nights where I feel like I’ve been participating in the world’s strongman contest. I think, within reason, it’s okay to sit if after a while your back/feet/legs are getting to you. If there’s downtime while you’re spinning, I think it’s okay to be in an actual chair that you’re sitting in. But if you’re in the middle of your performance, I’d probably recommend something that props you up higher so that you’re still visible but are able to sit. If anything, a lot of posture guides recommend a combination of standing and sitting and I think this easily applies to the DJ world. Heck, given the venue, I’ll even remove my shoes to stand on the nice, soft rug.
[ link ]There are actually DJ stools for just that purpose…
[ link ]I usually have a chair just in case my legs/feet start dying (I usually play four or five hour sets) but when I’m playing I’m always too amped to remember that my legs are sore so I never use the chair. In my opinion, the DJ sets the mood of the dancefloor and if you’ve got it rocking and then you sit down, you’re telling everyone that its time to be chilled which may kill the mood. However, if it is supposed to be a chilled out dancefloor (or not even a dancefloor at all) then sitting could be fine, its really just touch and go depending on the situation
[ link ]If you’re a dance-oriented DJ, it’s your job to be seen as much as heard. You need to be dancing yourself, and you can’t dance sitting.
Standing also tends to help with crowd interaction, as you’re more visible, you can see over the decks better, you can move around and generally be more “present” in the venue.
For chill zones and very low-impact DJing, sitting is optional – but I find I mix much better standing nonetheless.
[ link ]I could see if u were in your room working n a set or just running thru it quickly to sit. but never at a gig now if your 60 and djing props to you your ass earned a chair. also people w back issues and such should atleast stretch n sit for a bit your health comes first. but if your 22 no way you should be sitting unless @ your house w no crowd
[ link ]The bar where I DJ on Sundays has a proper DJ booth. I use a bar stool. I shut the door to the booth and no one can see the stool. No one can tell I’m sitting down. It’s a bar, I’m playing background music.
But those are Sundays, a day after the weddings, baptisms and birthday parties. By Sunday, I need to sit down after Saturdays’ gigs. For those Saturday gigs, which I’m usually up on a stage at a hall or something, I stand up and dance.
Thus forcing me to sit down on Sundays…
[ link ]Odyssey offers a DJ stool that adjust super high! It looks like your standing. When the the dance floor is rocking, I always stand. When at a wedding and just playing cocktail and dinner music I’m on my Odessey DJ stool. I highly recommend looking into it. Just $75 bucks!
[ link ]At the bars/clubs…….Almost a priority…….At weddings…..you can get away with some sitting during cocktail and dinner time yet when it’s time to make announcements and dancing time, Standing up absolutely!!!
[ link ]What else were flight cases and record boxes invented for? If I was playing one of my five hour sets I’d certainly have the occasional smoke and a sit-down, usually when I was spinning some slower soulful tracks. No way I could sit during the fun parts of the evening though – it was all I could do to stop myself vaulting out of the DJ booth and onto the dance floor.
[ link ]I think that if you are doing a live show you should NOT sit. It looks unprofessional for one, and you have to look like you are enjoying your self. I also play in a band, we don’t sit on stage, only the drummer!! Radio….O.K.!! but not live.
[ link ]We can all think of reasons to sit briefly, but the rule of thumb is DON’T! From decades of lugging around crates I have some back issues after standing for extended periods as I know many of us do, but that is best handled by stretching, not just sitting. At least once a set you will see me bend down to a squatting pose to stretch my back or walk around a bit.
[ link ]It’s something I’ve always tried to impart to those I DJ with as well… if you are trying to promote this event & make it a fun dancing atmosphere you have to model that as well!
When I started DJing, club music was cool. People like Axel at the famous MADHOUSE in Hamburg, Germany, or Lupo who was playing at SUGAR, Hannover, used to sit back & watch. But those were the days. Club music now is often fast, intense, and technically demanding. It’s a fact that most DJs can only meet these demands standing up. Lately I also support a local acoustic rock band, playing percussions and/or backbeat drum rolls via ableton, and it’s true – you get more attention when you can face the crowd, stand up and move.
[ link ]I prefer to stand, I thinks sitting looks lazy, plus I like to move to the music a bit.
[ link ]Two Words. Hell NO!
Chill or High energy gigs, you can not reach your full potential mixing while sitting down. I’m sorry!
[ link ]Standing, absolutely. You need to personify the environment you wish to create.
If Ruth Flowers can stand (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cd/RuthFlowers_QueenClub02.jpg) so can you.
[ link ]If you are getting fatigued standing at gig, try going to a Barber/Beauty supply store and get one of those mats that the stylist stand on. It has worked for many times.
[ link ]I have not and will not sit on a gig. I have only seen a DJ sit once and i thought it looked real lazy! He had his gear right next to the dancefloor. No boot just a table, a chair and his gear. People where dancing around him and he just sat there. He could had the gig of his life if he just interacted more whit the people on the floor. He also had that “come on i want to go home” look in his eyes. I just could not understand that becourse the place was full…
[ link ]it would be so weird and non interactive with just yourself n the music, there is something about moving to your beat i could see myself loving djing sitting down
[ link ]it looks more pro to stand up
I’m pretty old skool on this one. I must stand up! Even at home and even after 6+ hours, thats just me though. It helps me concentrate/get in the zone. I just can’t enjoy mixing sitting down, I feel restricted…
However, this is coming from a chef who also works 60+ hours p/w on his feet
[ link ]