Karaoke Forums

Now I know that many KJ's consider dance music and dance sets to be SACRILIGIOUS and a SIN!!! However where I KJ its a major component of the evening and dead airtime is kept to an absolute minimum. Lots of dancing and dance sets.

In terms of the dance music heres how I do it:

I like to take the evening on a "Musical Journey".

Start off with disco and stuff like Earth Wind and Fire, some 70's. Sometimes Ill start off with some groovin blues dance tunes also. Always UPTEMPO!!

Next some 80's dance music, a couple swing songs(Brian Setzer, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Cherry Poppin Daddies.

Then perhaps a couple of contemporary blues songs(Kid Ramos, Rod Piazza or local blues band cd cuts)

Then perhaps a couple country dance tunes(Gretchen Wilson, Cowboy Troy)

Then transition into old school hip-hop(Digital Underground, Salt & Pepa-"Push it")

Then full on modern hip-hop(Usher, Jay-Z, Black Eyed Peas, Gwen Stefani, etc and keep it up with that for the rest of the evening---maybe slip in a couple Micheal Jackson and Prince tunes to mix it
up)

Also slip in a couple Salsa and Reggaeton songs for some Latin flavor.

So its a VERY WIDE variety of music.

I even have a set of CONGA drums for people to play on with the dance music!

I also set up a video camera that show the singers and dancers on 3 monitors throughout the bar.

And of course my BIG SILVER OLD SCHOOL ELVIS MIC!

What does everyone else play for dance music? or do you even play it at all?

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"You know that I sing the Blues and I do not suffer fools. When I'm on that silver mic, it's gonna cut ya, just like a knife"-The SWINGCAT

Generally don't do dance music because we get people dancing to the singers all the time - no point in stopping the show to throw on a dance tune in that respect.  If I do happen to do a dance break it's no more than 2 songs 1 time per night on request of the patrons - including the singers, & those are generally the line dance type songs.  Cha Cha Slide, Electric Slide, Strokin', Macarena (not as often anymore), etc...
If I don't get  requests for those, I don't do dance breaks at all.  
If it comes down to the point where I need to, then I will.

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LIKE Lonman on Facebook - Lonman Productions Karaoke & my main site via my profile!

Most of our private parties now are DJ and inserting singers at the appropiate time. We take requests for regular music dance or karaoke. For fill or dj it depends on the requests but we have savedplaylists which we can load in an instant. These are just samples and requests are added to the playlists. Even at a regular karaoke show our singers are getting used to the idea if they dont get up to sing right away and people jump up to dance they are going to wait until the song is over. More often than not they dance too but are ready to sing when the song is over..It's breaking all the old rules but it makes for a faster paced and more professional show. When you are doing shows like this especially at a new venue be sure and have business cards with...

Yes 2 dance songs at a time are ususlly the extent to "dance sets", but every so often they want a third song so they can keep the groove on. But ususlly everyone is tired out after 2!! Except for the salsa dancers--they can go ALL NIGHT LONG without at break!! Amazing stamina!!

Often what I do is if say someone sings a blues song, then I follow it up with a really cool blues dance song as for fill. Same with a swing karaoke singer--follow it with a swing song. Or latin--follow it with a salsa song or reggaeton. Someone sings rap--follow it with hip hop.

Besides just catering to they usual karaoke songs I try to introduce other musical forms that maybe the kids havent heard before---like blues, swing and salsa and reggaeton--once they here it they really jump on top of it and start asking if we have that on karaoke!

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"You know that I sing the Blues and I do not suffer fools. When I'm on that silver mic, it's gonna cut ya, just like a knife"-The SWINGCAT

As to Lonnies situation---hes usually SOOOOO PACKED up with a LONG LONG rotation that hes correct in saying that theres little or no time for actual dance sets, expecially on weekends.

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"You know that I sing the Blues and I do not suffer fools. When I'm on that silver mic, it's gonna cut ya, just like a knife"-The SWINGCAT

Another thing Ive taken to doing is with the blues songs---Ill make every effort to play songs by LOCAL blues artists that Ive met or done storys or photo work for---get their music a bit of exposure to a non-blues crowd. Again once the people hear it they ask who is that do you have it on karaoke?

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"You know that I sing the Blues and I do not suffer fools. When I'm on that silver mic, it's gonna cut ya, just like a knife"-The SWINGCAT

People can flame me as much as they wish for what I'm about to say.  But 1975 or 1976 the Trammps were playing the Waldorf Astoria in NYC New Years Eve.  There will likely never be a free-form of partner dancing that incorporates the grace and jazz incorporated in Disco dancing, and acrobatics incorporated in break dancing. These couples were F____ing phenominal, never have I seen an artform as amazing as dancers who've studied (obviously) classical ballet, modern dance, and jazz as well as ballroom dancing, and have gotten into Jazz/Funk Disco type dancing. It's just amazing to watch,  some of these couples look as if they defy gravity, and other law's of physic's given what they do... Not to mention Kinesiology..

Now my histrionic's aside (I was truly amazed)... Decent disco songs (they aren't ALL tacky) often have the charged energy to get couples dancing who are 35 up...
The style is basically just duple meter "Shuffle" about 120 bpm, and there's nothing like it for free form dance. I'm going to include earlier Soul/Funk in this category such as Cool and the Gang, Ohio Players, and even believe it or not...Funkadelic's  "Standing on the Verge"  (very difficult but amazing for fusion dance style). As Kurt mentioned,  Swing (Big Band) is fun too for many.. Yet I'm not including "The Bump" in this...

This might include groups such as the Trammp's..

The Night the light's went out
Disco Party
Where the Happy People Go

Commodores

Machine Gun

AWB, EW&F, James Brown, Sly, Chic, Sister Sledge..etc

Also the Philly area horn-band styles such as MFSB.


I come from a long line of Dancer's,  I grew up with a Ballet Studio in my home, and two aunts that defected from Russia who were with the Bolshoi..  Yet I've never seen anything in my lifetime like Jazz/Funk  fusion type Ballroom  couples dancing...

JMO...  (sorry, had to get that out've my system... It's perhaps the most amazing performing art's display I've ever watched)

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

Hey Don,  remember some of the bass lines in those days ?  With the hesitated bass beats such as Good Times- Chic,   Where the Happy People Go-Trammps, M Jackson's "Don't stop til you get enough" ?

Some of those were really tough bass-lines

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

I use the DJ Most Requested 200 tunes for starters (there appears to be more than one version of this list so I took the best of the ones I could find)

What I play generally depends on the venue. I have about 2600 audio songs all hand picked for various venues.

Dance Music For Karaoke - It seems to be a sign of the times. I'm getting more requests from Bar Owners to do at least 1-2 dance songs per rotation. If we have 20 singers or less I have no problem doing this especially if we have alot of ballad singers. Over 20 singers I will not.

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FlipSide Karaoke
Scott

I believe to be successful you have to offer something MORE. And not just a great selection. Dance sets are one way of doing that.

But I do need to build more COUNTRY dance songs---any suggestions? Im VERY country dance ILLITERATE! Aside from Boot Scoot Boogie or Save a horse or I played chicken with a train or Redneck woman.

Hey FLIPPER--I DJ Wedn nights now--why dont you drop in one night?

Matt you too!

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"You know that I sing the Blues and I do not suffer fools. When I'm on that silver mic, it's gonna cut ya, just like a knife"-The SWINGCAT

Are you at the Grand Cafe? or are you somewhere else on Wednesdays.

Kurt -

I will PM you with a text copy of my dance music inventory. Perhaps you can look over the country stuff and get some ideas.

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FlipSide Karaoke
Scott

I have to go along with Steven on this one.  Although a lot of rock musicians and listeners hated the mid to late 70's disco/funk music, it was a very unique and influential style.  I've seen a lot of different dance styles from the stage over the years and really nothing could beat the GOOD disco dancers.  The combining of traditional ballroom steps, jazz dance, latin dance and your own individual stamp
made it a truly artful, urban form of dance.

And yes, the bass parts on many of the songs were rhythmically intricate.

My favorite is the salsa dancers..........VERY POLISHED. All ages. I think they must be trained as little kids to dance salsa...they're that good.

And as to disco music--its the YOUNG kids that ask to hear it played. They grew up with it as little kids and know it from that age. So its nothing unusual for them and they love it when they hear it. And its great warm up music before hitting the hip hop. Its especially effective with 30 and over crowd.

But swing, blues, salsa, disco------its all partner dancing with moves and steps. Not freestyling or chaos like with rap/hip hop.

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"You know that I sing the Blues and I do not suffer fools. When I'm on that silver mic, it's gonna cut ya, just like a knife"-The SWINGCAT

I use my filler music to dictate what type of singers I want.

I play mostly new rock, because I rather not have the country and oldies.

I generally play 6 to 10 entire songs in a night to keep things going or come off a slow song or to run to the bar a get a drink.

Hi, i'm Caroline from Venice (Italy).
I'd like to know all of you.
if you want, please visit my web site and leave me a message.

www.carolm.altervista.org

i hope to find a lot of friends here and talk about all kind of good music.
nice to know you

here is 3,28 PM
i wish you a good evening.
bye bye bye
Carol