Ok, so I'm at a club in downtown detroit!
Apparently he played the song before 12 midnight when the club was half full.
When I arrived it was 12:40am, the club was packed and the dj was asked to play "Black Sweat" by Prince.

Of course he had a smirk on his face and said ok, but then I questioned that smirk. I said, your not gonna play are you? he replied, I will, but I already did, so I will close the night out with the song.

At 2:02am the lights came on and Prince wasn't played (just as I thought).
So I approached the DJ and said "we need to talk" and he replied, I just couldn't play it, it didn't fit into anything I was spinnin at that time and besides I don't want to stop everything I'm doing to play something totally different. So I didn't have the chance. I asked him if he liked the song and he said he wasn't to into the song and he just don't think it'll be something he'll play on a regular unless tons of people request it.

I made a point to tell him that if ppl don't hear it, they won't request it and I also told him about radio and how they are afraid to break new music. I also told him how much of a genius prince is and that he's been in the business for years and has had many radio hits, million records sold, and top tours, not to mention that the charts have him at #1 for the hot 100 singles sales.

I also, told him that I am a Dj and he should be able to put "Black Sweat" in the mix without any problems because Prince's single is just as good as anything else he played.

He then called someone over and tried to make a point by asking the guy -"How many songs do you send me?" and the guy replied..."about 5 this week and so far you've only played 1 of the songs, because the dj hated 4 of them and refused to play them. He said, that thou the song may be hot and on mtv, he doesn't think his crowd would dance to it and be critical.

But were talking about a dj that plays...everything from hip hop/r&b/ old school and some pop songs.
I mentioned to him, that the club is mostly black and yet he still managed to play Gwen Stefani's Rich Girls & Holla Back Girl. But he thought it would be difficult to play Prince a black artist, who is often seen on BET,MTV AND VH1!

I also told him about Musicology and the fact that he didn't play anything from it and it was #3 when it debuted and now he's got 3121 and he's not gonna support it. He the dj then told me that he doesn't believe in promoting artists...but when you play them...aren't you promoting them also ? (lol)

Anyhow, he said he will do his best to mix him in...but for now Prince most likely won't be played anytime after 12 midnight at the club he spins at.

WHAT A DAMN SHAME!!!

www.newpowerdetroit.com
I guess we'll have to wait til the next Prince Music Night iN ANewPowerDetroit!

NPD313 said:

And now you can put your toys back in your pram..Prince not played at Detroit club...big deal..move on

NPD313 said:

Ok, no offense, but I'm a dj too and just got back from playing at a local club. I had dumbasses in my face too often tonight asking me to play shit that didn't come close to fitting what I was playing (case in point - I'm in the middle of DMSR and this group is pestering me to play Gold Digger. Eff off, please!). OR they asked me to play isht that I'd already played earlier in the night and in no way, shape or form did I want to play again and look like an inexperienced putz in front of the folks that were there since the beginning of the night. I wasn't at your club, so maybe Black Sweat would have fit with the his set at the time - I don't know - but I do know that I wouldn't play something twice in the night unless it was the F-I-R-E and knew that EVERYONE would lose their friggin' minds if the song came on (think Biggie's "Hypnotize" in the late 90's). Unfortunately, as much as I love Prince - and Black Sweat is growing on me - its not THAT F-I-R-E. From one dj to another - leave the dj alone...if he/she says they already played the cut, respect their art and trust they will still play a great set. If they don't - leave and go to another damn club. That couldn't have been the only club in the D...
Sorry for the rant, but I just got done with jackholes in my club getting on my damn nerves and disrepecting me. I'm stepping off of the soapbox and going to bed...
[Edited 3/4/06 2:43am]

shockadelica777 said:

Fair enough if you've already played a track but the disrespect you're showing towards your target audience is astounding. Dumbasses? Jackholes? Just because they want to hear a song they enjoy? It sounds to me like you are playing your set for your own pleasure. I'm sure you do a great job and everything is highly technical and perfectly mixed but who cares? There maybe only a handful of people in the club that really appreciate the intricacies of what you do, the rest want to dance and have a good time. If the set was so perfect maybe you wouldn't get so many dumbasses and jackholes coming up to you .

Did you ever stop to think that if all those people left your club may be much more empty and you would end up out of a job? Primadonna DJ's make me chuckle when they talk about their 'art' like it's something meaningful. At the end of the night you might have entertained a few hundred people, which is obviously great, but it's not like you're creating something more meaningful. It's hardly Da Vinci.

Having said that though, if everyone was as pushy as the original poster then you probably have the correct attitude .

i guess it's not just radio DJ's that r up there own arses then...

TheEnglishGent said:

(ok, so I haven't quite made it to bed yet)
Great reply, b/c you're dead right. I was ranting and didn't provide the proper context of the situation - no need to at this point. I always respect my audience and am super accommodating whenever I can be. The dumbasses & jackholes were not my target audience at all and they deserve my ire. It was a select group of folks that caused some problems for me tonight. But, there is an ebb & flow to the energy in the club and the dj has a lot to do with it, or at least the 'maintenance' of it. Its not my thing to kill the flow b/c someone wants to hear a particular cut at that very moment. BUT if the opportunity presents itself later in the evening, I'm happy to accommodate if I can.

As far as being prima, I don't think so. I do consider it my art...its definitely my craft. I'm not that self-absorbed to think its rocket science...in the grand scheme of things, it certainly isn't important in any way shape or form - its just my passion. And I feel what I do in the club is fairly unique and different from the usual club dj formats. That's something I'm really proud of and use that to separate myself from the rest.


Orgnote me if you want to hear some of my mixes - I'm happy to share!

As much as I love Prince's music, I would have to agree with my fellow dj's here.
If the track is played, be happy, don't ask for it to be played again if the place didn't absolutely go nuts the first time. Black sweat probably was played when the place was half-full because that was the only time the song would "fit".
I like black sweat the song, but it ain't no housequake, erotic city or let's work, and I can see a dancefloor empty out if the right audience isn't there.
Best thing you can do to get the song played more often is tell the dj at the end of the night what a great set he played, and ask him what that black sweat song was, and that u really liked it. Or just give him a nice tip and see if he will play it again.
But then again, I don't think Black sweat stands a chance on a mainstream dancefloor during peak hours, it could be played but only a small piece of it. It would do more damage that way.
It will do great on a dancefloor full of prince fans though.
That's just my opinion, y'all don't have to kill me...

Ok.

When you want a dj to play a song, you never insist. You request the song again some other time you're at the club. DJs hate being pressured by fans unless the act is very popular at the moment or they themselves like the music and want to spin it. It's easy to understand... just imagine if you were the DJ and someone would insist you play some song by an artist that isn't particularly hot or a song you don't like much and that no one else is requesting. Personally, I'd hate to be pestered by MJ fans, for instance.

IT'd be interesting to see how Fury would do in a club eh?

I think BS is worthy of being spun in the clubs. The DJ apparently played it earlier in the evening so all must not have been lost in that area. The song is still relatively new so who knows what'll happen with the clubs.

You all have it twisted!
He said he played it earlier when no one was there!
So Its not a big damn deal to play it again when ppl are there...so he wouldn't really had known anyones reaction to the song,because he didn't play it again.

I am a Dj and I think it should be played.
Its much better than all that damn Beyonce "check on it" bullshyt!

That's why I don't go to clubs anymore unless it's a Prince night.

NPD313 said:

Ahhhhh now I see. I think you were right to call his ass on that then. Let us know what happens when you play the song for your crew. I hope they go apeshit for Black Sweat! Oh, I couldn't agree more with that line on Beyonce's song. Sick of that type of shit.

dont'cha know? never bug the DJ. let them do their own thing.

dude didn't play yer request...big deal. there's always the next time.

NPD313 said:

Yes, agreed - its definitely better than the nonsense littering radio & MTV today. And yeah, if it was played when the spot was empty, sure, you might be able to find a way to rock it again so folks could actually hear it and hopefully say "oh shit, whats this new Price cut?" BUT you have to remember - if the DJ has moved on in the set and is playing DMSR type tempo stuff, no way does Black Sweat fit and probably won't for some time. That being said, I woulda got it on for you around 1:30 when we're winding down - and I woulda done b/c I woulda been excited that someone asked for a Prince song, and a new one no less.

Aerogram said:

bingo!

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

Fuck the DJ! You want to hear it play it in your car or home. Don't need no DJ to approve on a groove.

I think sometimes DJ's need to take a risk. That might be the problem more these days in that they want to play it safe. Good thing most of these DJ's weren't playing back in the late 70's. I think it's a DJ's duty to educate the audience. Sure the newer artists need to be played. But so do the older ones. Sure "Black Sweat" is different, but so is any Prince song from other singers. A good DJ would find a way to fit "Black Sweat" in the mix. How can a song be hot if it isn't played? I really do think that some songs are played because the singer is the
flavor of the month".

NPD313 said:

Everyone and their sister was a dj at one point or another. I think you took it too seriously and should have been happy he was playing it earlier. I would just have said "Oh you already played it! I hope I catch it next time you do." And maybe then, just because you were so appreciative, he'd play it next time he sees you, maybe that very night. A couple of DJs have done this for me and it was very pleasant (though it wasn't for BS).
[Edited 3/4/06 9:19am]

lmao...your right, i play it all the time in my car and at home.
Once again, I am a DJ myself and I work in radio, so I know how annoying it could get with requests, I didn't insist, I just requested the song and he gave a reaction, so I questioned that reaction, but he told me he would play it before the night was over and he didn't so, I was joking around, saying...yo man we need to talk and he laughed, but I went into conversation about the song with him and he kept talking, not me, so I questioned him and just like he was making a point and I am also a dj, I wanted to state my point too.

I've heard the same songs played over and over again at clubs at times, so don't give me some BS! saying if it was played once, you can't play it again, cause you can!

Like I said, It was a request, he didn't play it, so I got over it once we talked about why he didn't play it and I found he didn't have anything personal against prince, but as I said too him, if Usher made Black Sweat, he wouldve made sure it was played. Not saying the song is trash, but the difference between legend and current teeny pop sensation and everyone's fascination with disposible pop acts over legends who still make bangin music!

Thumparello said:

exactly.

sthoudek said:

Everybody aint been no dj!
If they were...then please forgive me lawd, but not everyone is good at it!
Its not that easy of a job!

I take risks and thats why I'm good at what I do.
Thats why Prince is good at what he does, thats why Howard Stern is good at what he does, thats why david chappelle is good at what he does!

So being a risk taker and dj can benefit sometimes!
Just ask MOJO and the folx in detroit who listened to him!

Peace

NPD313 said:

Make up your mind!

I think we're giving you an hard time for nothing all things considered.

99% of the time I won't play a song twice...too much music out there to be doing that.

As for "Black Sweat", I've been playing in late but I have been placing it between 2 of the "hot" tracks...seems to be working.

DJ506 said:

That's good news right there.

NPD313 said:

Not everyone is a heavy Prince fan like some of us are. One day ya gotta realize this.

DiamondGirl said:

I hear what 313 is saying thou. If more dj's would give the song a chance I am sure it would catch on like wildfire.

But on the other end, this is not gonna be a club anthem.. it may be a better quality track then most of wha' is spinning @ the clubs but that ain't gonna cut it. The 13-30 crowd who pushes alot of the music up the charts aint diggin' PRINCE..

How can "Black Sweat" fit in with "Lean wit it, Rock wit it" and "Poppin my Collar"?????

This is a shame! But, nice effort anyway NPD313 .

shockadelica777 said:

Hey, Mr. DJ - your job is not to play what you want - IT'S TO PLAY WHAT THE PEOPLE WANT! Get over yourself!