Do you love being up in the DJ booth during a show? Here is an excellent list on booth Etiquette that Anjali Handa from www.beyondthedrop.com found that was posted by @TranceInNY on twitter last year. It was edited and reposted here.
We used her list as a base, added our own version of why that rule is important and added a few rules of our own that we feel were left out.
- Do NOT touch anything!! We cannot stress this enough. We have seen a lot of people think it is great to act like the DJ. The slightest bump or touch can cause the DJ to miss a beat or worse, cut the music off. Probably one of the best ways to get instantly hated by everyone in the venue.
- Give the DJ space. Stay out of the DJ's way. They need room to work and keep the crowd pumping.
- Unless the DJ talks to you, leave him/her alone. Do not ask questions, get phone numbers, ask for a photo and above all, request songs.
- Smile and look like you are having a blast. There is nothing worse than a few bored looking people, texting god-knows-who, behind the DJ in the booth. It is a privileged to be up there. If you get bored, go somewhere else.
- Respect the people around you. No one wants a cigar smoking jerk or some angry bitch around them. Lose the attitude and have fun in the moment. Keep the drama out.
- Do not invite friends. You got lucky enough to schmooze your way into the booth. Let your friends figure out a way in themselves. There is only so much space, and each person you bring into the DJ booth increases the odds that the stage manager will clear out the whole crowd including you.
- Don’t be wasted. The chances of you falling into the DJ, spilling liquids onto equipment, or generally making an ass out of yourself increase directly with the amount of alcohol you have swirling around in your belly. We have seen too many drunks fall out of the booth and into a youtube fail video.
- You are not the star of the show – so don’t act like it. Just because you are in the DJ booth doesn't make you part of the show. If a photographer needs to get a shot, move out of the way.
- Don’t overstay your welcome. If they need to clear the DJ booth because of a lineup switch, something potentially dangerous, or it gets too crowded, leave immediately. The best way to never get invited up again is to throw a fit because you are asked to go.
- Manage your expectations. Don't expect to be invited up each time. As you get to know people, and embed a good impression about you into their memories, you will probably get invited up again. However, it's never a guarantee.
- *Never ever help yourself to the DJs bottle. If the stage manager or DJ offers you a drink, feel free to accept it. We have seen people get banned from a club for (we kid you not) taking a bottle out of a DJs hand and taking a swig from it.
- *Do not walk on stage in front of the DJ booth. Many clubs have stages in front of the DJ booth. Do not walk out there to get a picture, dance or try to get the crowd pumped up. It's a good reason to get tossed out of the club.
*Denotes added by beachmonkey.com
Do you have your own rules you want to add? Just include them in the comment section below.
