In the world of the entertainer it is important to know there crowd. This is even more important in the dj bar/club world. Knowing the music of the day & the type of customer they are entertaining goes hand in hand. The thing to think about is every event or night at the bar is a fresh brand new night. The chance to make the party the best it can be or the worst of all days. Of course it is not the dj’s fault if a person is having a bad day but it is an opportunity to make someone’s day brighter & fun! This is the idea of what a dj can do. When a dj is reading the crowd you could say they are fishing. They are looking for the one song that will flip the switch & get the crowd excited. There are clubs that have a set play list or style so the dj has a better scope of the night. They know the style & normally do not take requests. A matter of fact sometimes you can’t even see them or they are in a booth you can’t reach. Yes they know their crowd for as long as that style of music is popular. Your bar dj has it tougher as they always get a mix bag of tricks. Just to be clear: A bar dj tends to work in bars that do not require a cover charge or a dress code. That really means anyone is walking into the bar. These dj’s will take requests & will support their crowd to the limits the bar gives them. The culture of the bar is determined by the folks that are attracted to the place of business. These kinds of bars are normally sports pubs & local places people hang out in. The format is a “Mix on the fly” idea. Their crowd tends to want it mixed up.
The job of the dj really dose come down to making sure the customer base is having a great time & building profit for the bar & or making the host happy at the end of the night.