"I'll give you my perspective looking at the NYC scene. The salseros here love the older rarer tracks they've never heard of. It challenges their musicality, as opposed to hearing Rebelion for the millionth time. The older the better, and with a lot of flavor. Age and race don't play a part in music choice. Whatever you do, DON'T blend tracks. Give them a second to get out of their dips, say thank you and move on. The very hard core spots will have a healthy blend of cha cha, and some of the less hard core will throw in bachata and merengue."
Observations The Scene
"So again... some DJ's are mixing songs together. Please stop doing that. Especially with Bachata, they would slice half a song, with another one, and another one, and another one, beat match every song to the exact same tempo, and keep going for like 15 minutes straight. "Corazon Sin Cara" sounds like crap when it's sped up just to match some other Bachata song. Fast bachata songs should be fast and slow Bachata songs should be slow.
Unsurprisingly, the DJ's that like to mix also have very poor song selection skills. They play songs that are too fast, or too long, or sounds like... well you don't know what heck it is.
If you are in Southern California you may have visited this chain Mexican food restaurant called Baja Fish Taco. They play better music than some Salsa DJ's out there. Their secret? XM radio. They put it on and leave it on all day. If those DJs could do the same and just plug in their XM radio and go take a nap, that'd be already one step up.
With that said, there are good DJ's out there. I find usually DJ's that are good salsa dancers themselves tend to be better DJ's."
Another Observation
"Depends on the music, and the people. From my perspective, if the music is to provide atmosphere, yes then it should flow without stopping. As the case with hip hop clubs. People are there for drinking and looking cool. Music is secondary.
For salsa, music is NOT secondary. It is extremely important.
Also for salsa, you need definite stops. Because it signals it's time to change partners. Where I am, it's considered rude and an insult to stop dancing in the middle of a song.
So unless the person did something really bad, like intentionally grabbed your crotch, you finish dancing the song, even if you find the person boring to dance with, even if the person has bad breath. That's just the etiquette as far as I know. And unless you already know the person, or you're trying to create more connection, you dance one song only. If you want to dance again, come back and ask later.
So mixing songs together creates problems for all that."
Another Observation
"A DJ's job isn't necessarily to "mix". Maybe for certain types of clubs/music, but that's certainly not the case for salsa. But even when a DJ isn't mixing, it still takes a lot of abilities, knowledge, and understanding.
Their #1 goal is to please their clients and their employers at the same time. And that's not easy to do. So I have respect for good DJ's, and really, they don't need to "mix" to feel like they're doing something."
And
"I have yet to encounter a DJ who can mix songs "properly" - I mean finding songs with the same BPM and stacking them together, instead of speeding or slowing songs just so they match each other (as is done with other kinds of music).
Also, I think mixing should be live, instead of some pre-recorded mumbo jumbo. Unfortunately for salsa "DJs", this would require them to have real DJ equipment instead of iTunes.
Regardless, as a dancer, all I care about is clear demarcation. Each song should have a (reasonable) end.
Can any DJs here post an example on YouTube or something that is a mix of salsa/cha-cha/merengue/bachata that could sustain several dances and would cleanly rotate the floor?"
Another Observation
Salsa DJs need to recognize that a Salsa night is different from a Club or a R & B or a Hip Hop night as this Salsaro notes,
"I like DJs, but only at salsa socials. The stuff that I'm about to mention usually happens with club DJs only. They mix salsa songs together as if it is a hip-hop club.
Random club goers may not care, but as a salsero, I want to hear the entire song. I don't want it cut short after the 2nd chorus and have it flow into the next song. I don't want the song looped and repeated unnecessarily, if at all.
I want to hear the end of the song w/ minimal overlap to the next song so that I can end my dance with dramatic fashion if I so choose.
I also want the song to end so that there's less chance of a random dude handcuffing [Bogarting or hogging] the girl I want to dance with next because the music hasn't stopped."
Another Salsero notes,
"A DJ should play music for the crowd and not for himself. Have experienced a DJ who insisted on playing 'his' kind of salsa music even though there was no one dancing. When given feedback, he actually said it was good for us to be educated to learn to enjoy that music! He didn't last very long after that.
A DJ should also be open to comments and requests. DJ Xavier who spins at Salsa Havana on Fridays, and DJ Lee who spins at Little Havana on Saturdays are top-notch when it comes to accomodating requests from the floor - if they have it and there are no other requests pending, we'll get our song within 2-3 songs. Xavier will always have my gratitude for playing my 3 favourite songs 80% of the Fridays that I've been there.
There have also been times when I've been near the DJ console when I've realised the song is too fast / loud when it starts, called the comment to the DJ, and had it fixed straight away. That's great, because these DJ's don't make it a pride thing, like "I know better than you and who are you to tell me what to do" like one other DJ that I've encountered.
A good DJ also reads the crowd - and does not have the floor empty for more than 1 song."
...
"Oh, and I agree with KP - make sure dancers can hear the ending of songs."
SalsaTO's Observations
A DJ's music has the same value as a craftman's tool has - priceless, with years worth of acquisitions. That music reflects the DJ's own character and attracts a given crowd of dancers. It is that DJ's livelihood. Dancers and other DJs must respect this.
Dancers should not blindly ask the DJ for a copy of a given song. Asking for the group name and title of the song, so one can find it on one's own will establish a relationship of respect with the DJ. In a rare instance, the DJ may actually make a copy. If so, respect their wishes and do not copy it to Facebook or send it to one's entire email list. That DJ is entrusting one with something for one's own enjoyment. It is not something to be given away to the world.
DJs also need to respect other DJs. When two DJs share a night, the night does not have to be a clash of egos. The crowd picks up on this and it leaves them very uncomfortable. There are enough dancers and crowd for everyone to share. Make it a might to remember for the crowd and the venue owner by showcasing the best way to work the crowd.
When CDs are left out for cuing, a professional and honest DJ will not steal that other DJ's CDs, music and threaten their livlihood by copying them onto their laptop computer.
Sooner or later that theft will come back to haunt the thief. The salsa scene is not huge. That music, especially hard to find or unique tunes that were stolen will be heard elsewhere and word will get back to the DJ who suffered the theft. Being labelled a thief or being dishonest is not good for anyone or the scene. Eventually, the dancers find out. Promoters will find out too, and gigs may disappear.
If that DJ steals music, what else will they steal?
A DJ ignores the founding principles of Facebook or "The Six Degrees of Separation" - everyone is connected - at their peril.
