A: Hi XXX, I have just seen you are DJing at XXX. I am thinking of coming to the milonga but it would be a significant detour from my route home. Would you be willing to share a recent set list for travel purposes?
B: Hi! I am not sure I understand what you are asking for. If you are wondering about what kind of music I play, I will happily tell you. But I do not share set lists.
A: So what kind of music do you play?
B sends standard DJ blurb for a marathon and tries to palm me off saying they play danceable music (does anyone claim the opposite?) and covers everything from drama to Guardia Vieja none of which tells me anything useful.
A: If you don't mind my asking what is your reason for not sharing set lists for travel purposes?
B: My set lists are my work. I spend time and effort on them. I see no need to give them out to a complete stranger. As I say, I happily discuss music and musical taste, but will not give away my work.
I ask DJs if they will share set lists quite often.
Sometimes I ask them to share privately because I want to know whether travel to hear them may be worthwhile though I know from experience that even a good sample set is no guarantor because poor soundcraft can - and often does - ruin a good or good enough set. Most of the time I get a positive response - but then I don't ask everybody. That tells me a lot: that most DJs I ask are probably relatively nice, trusting, relaxed, open, good-natured and secure people.
Sometimes I ask people I know if they will let me share a set publicly (I think always one I have heard) on The Outpost or on Milonga Review for all the many reasons that sharing sets is useful. I can't remember anyone I've asked who has said no. I found that slightly surprising and very heartening. I've had - still have - one waverer but that's all.
Although these are genuine reasons for asking people to share probably the most interesting thing for me is to see what kind of person shares sets versus what kind of person will not. And - the reasons they give when they don't (if any).
I understand people may not want to share setlists but I rarely buy the "can't" argument. It is so unpersuasive I don't hear it often. Sometimes I have written sets out by hand, photographed and posted them. Once I wrote down a set on paper from an agreeable DJ's computer at the end of the night and - short of spare time - typed it out on the train on the way home and posted it from my phone. It didn't have the dates so it wasn't ideal but even with just orchestra name and track names an experienced DJ can tell at a glance what the set was like, it gives even a new DJ some idea, it tells dancers who want a reminder about a track they loved what it was, it tells a potentially travelling dancer what this DJ played and it tells everyone that this person shares.
I have heard many reasons people give for not sharing playlists - not always from people I have asked. One tends to get a vibe from that sort before asking. They are nearly always to do with my work, my effort, mine, mine, mine and - always unsaid - my fear.
Still, I love to see the ones who say "No" publicly. It's so revealing.
The first one I saw was Charles Long's (of Eton) and can still remember the surprising sense of being pushed away since I'd recently seen someone taking a completely opposite approach.
Of course, if you are going to share a set it is better to do it well. I saw some questions here about how to share setlists but have yet to see them well answered.
>> I saw some questions here about how to share setlists but have yet to see them well answered.
ReplyDeleteAnswered here