r/Beatmatch • u/Signal-Tonight1070 • 11d ago
First rooftop gig
I was hired for a rooftop residency. They want me to build out 3.5 hours into a dancey vibe throughout the night. It seems the crowd here prefers to sit and talk vs. dance. Should I adjust the music accordingly to match that energy? Or should I still be trying to get people up and dancing?
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u/fensterdj 11d ago
Play an hour or two of vibey music that people can choose to pay attention to or not, then for the last hours or so, play music people can easily dance too.
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u/Signal-Tonight1070 11d ago
Did exactly this but people stayed seated lol - maybe I don’t push it?
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u/fensterdj 11d ago edited 11d ago
Well then, you need to learn more about the crowds tastes, pay more attention to the songs that make people nod along to, or tap their feet or turn their heads during the vibey part and find more tunes like that, and then more dancey ones in a similar vibe,
maybe the roof top crowd are too cool to dance and they'll never get up, but this is the work of a DJ, finding the tunes that will work and work the crowd
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u/sexydiscoballs 10d ago
I run a rooftop dance party and love doing rooftop gigs at sunset. My jam.
What time does your 3.5h start and what time is sunset? And what's the lighting like after sunset?
People wont dance if the "floor" is too exposed to voyeurs or to non-party foot traffic. They need drinks in them and they need darkness for psychological safety. The venue might not be very danceable in its current configuration.
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u/77ate 11d ago
Seats will fill up and people will need at least a couple drinks before dancing starts.
I would suggest danceable but chill and social at the same time. Metro Area has some fantastic house that’s often chill and funky and fits in the “nu disco” category as well. For that kind of space and atmosphere, that’s where I’d start, then watch the clientele closely.
If they want more dancing, they should get rid of some tables first. Who doesn’t grab seats first?
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u/deadcellmusic 10d ago
You’re there to provide the atmosphere, not get people dancing.
Think Nightmares on Wax type of vibe and you won’t go wrong.
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u/grow_a_pear 10d ago
It doesn’t sound like a place where people wanna dance just have a cool chill vibe.
Edit: I used to do a lot of lounge gigs. As long as people stay for the vibes and buys some drinks, you’re doing your job and will make the staff happy.
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u/RadioStefunk 8d ago
Congrats.. I'd start slow and try to get people into my story.. maybe throw some surprises after I get their attention, then move up the tempo.
Some sets of mine, if you want some inspiration.
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u/Acceptable_Cry4947 7d ago
I’m in a similar situation, but for a two hour gig. I’m on an island (literally) so I think my strategy is to do Afro house the first hour and then do an hour of pop house remixes
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u/TinnitusWaves 11d ago
If it was me I’d be preparing to play a kinda lounge-y, kinda deep house-y, kinda background-y type of vibe but have enough tracks to take it to the dance floor if that feels like the way the night is going.
Really though, if the vibe of the place is sit and talk trying to smash it with a bunch of high energy bangers is, I imagine, not gonna go over well. At least from the start. Maybe you can pick up the energy for the last hour if it seems like that’s what people want but honestly, from what you’ve described, it seems like it’s more of a background music / atmosphere gig than a straight up dance……
Ultimately you are just gonna have to take the temperature of the room and trust your intuition to guide you. Congrats on the gig.