I’m not sure if anyone will agree but the ability to dance and create signature moves with your body hands and/or head.
I actually started DJ’ing to create my own dance mixes because I was a breakbeat popper that needed to produce my own material to have my dances choreographed the way I wanted them to … as a result, whenever I’m up there dj’ing I have this tendency to ask the host for a little booster and get on top of that and take over as one of the gogo dancers … now I know you might think this is excessive and you’re not concentrating on your music but if you’ve prepped enough that you’ve got this set in the bag in your head, then you can take little breaks like this and seriously elevate the energy out there.
The crowd loves to keep their eyes on the DJ, you are the leader after all, and when you can do some damage dance wise, that only gets them happier. It’s my favorite manner of interacting with crowds and it’s paid off.
I just did a private H-ween gig with 2 other djs and this was my first gig back home mind you. So I didn’t really have my decks (held up at customs, God I love the Middle East). I was forced to use an iPad and the Traktor software on my computer. So naturally I was handicapped, but I don’t let gear deter me from acing my set so I went to practice the two nights before to make sure I can hit all the cues and mash the beats with whatever fx i have in the units. The night arrives, and these two other guys show up with some massive pioneer system top notch quality and proceed to belittle my laptop/iPad combo. I didn’t take it to heart. Most of the partygoers were more interested in how I expected to match their music while dj’in off the iPad with just a headset and some audio interface hardware. Well, the night progresses and by the end of the night I’m bouncing off the walls with energy while the other two djs grab the mics and talk and just stand there smiling at the crowd. The end of the night arrives, and the host comes up to me asking me for my cards. I was ill prepared for this and had none. The guy next to me was irritated and ends up seeking out the host with his cards to pass out. But people are still inquriing into who I was that night, simply because they loved how in tune I was with my music.
And this really goes back to the point the MOD made in the video about 1) Loving the music and 3) Knowing why you love it. The technical ability I had allowed me to overcome my handicaps and put together mini sets throughout the night that not only rivalled my heavy geared partners but outshined them in the crowds eyes. And to them, it all stemmed from my interactions, my dancing up there.
So basically, to me, an unusual skill that I’ve seen seriously elevate my game has been my background as a popper and locker and simply a dancer. Brings me a lot closer to the people dancing.
