When going out to the club or seeing your favorite DJ play at events like Burning Man, it can be hard not to notice when the DJ booth is flooded with people other than the DJs themselves. Who are these people? How did they get there, and who do they know here?!
It’s becoming ever more popular of late for larger shows played by massive DJs to pack the booth with a sea of friends and industry colleagues and, having been invited to hang out in such environments on more than one occasion; it’s an undeniably incredible feeling to be able to hang behind the DJ while they do their thing. Yet it’s still a strange concept compared to dance music’s earliest days, where the DJ would spin wax in a side room alone while attendees connected on the dancefloor.
There has got to be a better reason why it’s becoming more and more popular to see crowded DJ booths other than “the DJ wants their friends to feel cool.” So, let’s unpack some of the more common and likely reasons why DJs would let people behind the decks and in the booths during their sets.
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DJ’s Preference and Personality
The simple and most obvious answer (apart from the DJ trying to hook up with one or more of the people they’ve invited) would be the simple personal preference of the DJ performing. While some DJs are locked in and concentrating on the mix and want zero distraction to take them out of the zone, other DJs feed off of the energy being surrounded by friends and industry colleagues brings. And if you think about it, it makes complete sense, especially for the more prominent DJs playing more extensive sets, as you cannot fault them for not wanting to be alone on stage in front of thousands of people. The interactions and chats of the ones they invite on stage help add to the energy and connection the DJ creates with the crowd.
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This also can help play into the DJ’s branding, as DJs can play up the friendly and welcoming personalities that are a part of the stage presence they wish to present. Dixon is a perfect example of this, as he is always seen on a stage packed with friends and colleagues and constantly chumming it up with them between mixes. It showcases him in a friendly and inviting light, whereas a solitary DJ wearing black and sporting all the other trappings of a “cool guy DJ” would present a completely different brand and vibe.
Creating an Atmosphere
Having people behind the decks can often contribute to the atmosphere of a set. A booth party, where numerous people are allowed, can be particularly fun during sets where the DJ is separated from the crowd. This arrangement can create an intimate, energetic atmosphere that heightens the overall vibe of the event just as much as it can add to the mystique of the live performance.
Suppose you’re a DJ looking to pack the booth with people to create a specific atmosphere for your sets. In that case, it should be warned that you give up a small amount of control over the DJ set when you do this, as these people will undoubtedly contribute, for better or for worse, to the energy of the performance. Anyone simply standing and texting or not appearing to enjoy the music might detract from the overall energy and kill the X-Factor the DJ is shooting for.
Afterlife parties are a prime example of how a stage packed with people adds to the mystique and “cool factor” of the shows, as the dark silhouettes of those behind the DJ are almost as much of a set piece as the visuals themselves.
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DJ’s Show Type
The type of show that the DJ is playing and the venue limitations of where it’s held can also play a massive role in whether or not a DJ would allow people to hang out behind the DJ booth or incentivize DJs to invite people into the booth. For instance, a smaller house show with minimal production might ask a booth party, whereas a large tour production with custom visuals might prefer only the DJ on the stage. This differentiation often depends on the needs of the specific performance and the vision of the DJ.
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Industry veteran David Hohme is no stranger to this and has found a large portion of his start in the Burning Man scene; he is accustomed to having a packed art car turned DJ booth as he is to play alone on a massive stage at an official club. Some clubs have the resources and spaces that welcome any attendees to flood the stage (esteemed venues like the Walter Warehaus in Arizona are one for sure). In contrast, other massive venues, like the Brooklyn Mirage, let the DJs decide who and what they want on stage.
Pay-To-Stay
With the dance music industry firmly implanted into the mainstream of popular culture, gone are the days of DJs spinning vinyl in a backroom to a dancefloor who could not see them. DJs are now superstars with adoring fans, many willing to fork out a healthy chunk of change to have premium seating to see their favorite artists. Mega-artists like Illenium or Tiesto often offer VIP seating backstage that allows those with the funds to afford it a unique angle and perspective in which to watch the show.
And we don’t mean to knock the pay-to-stay model of VIP seating and access to the booth or the back of the stage, and we don’t even want to go as far as to say that even the majority of those onstage have paid to be there. But in an industry where cash is king, paying for that level of access is certainly within the realm of possibilities.
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A Hard Lesson To Learn…
We had mentioned above, but whenever a DJ invites others into the DJ booth, a DJ relinquishes a certain amount of control as to what might happen throughout a set, and adding more bodies into such a confined space always increases the risk of something silly happening.
Drinks can get spilled, attendees can try to snag their moment in the spotlight, or logically, anything else can happen. Boiler Room has entire compilations of people acting and dancing crazily in the booth. They are well worth watching to see all the different types of personalities that can find themselves behind the booth.
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When issues like this arise, the best DJs know how to roll with the punches and make a moment out of it, though, and Dombresky is a perfect example of this – which leads to one of the funnier industry anecdotes from the past few months. Earlier in 2023, a girl took his headphones to listen to a loop and refused to return them, so he queued up an 8-bar loop and let her listen to the same loop for over an hour!
Well played, sir, well played…
Final Thoughts On People In The DJ Booth
It’s up to the DJ whether or not they want people in the booth while they do their thing, and there are many pros and cons as to why they would. What’s unfortunate is that hanging in the booth with a select group of people is now seen as the cool thing to do, instead of being on the dancefloor and connecting to those the DJ is playing to. It’s become a strange status symbol to post pictures of yourself in the DJ booth in front of a crowd.
Being seen up in the DJ booth has become far bigger of a flex of late than we think it should be but to each their own. The DJ and the venue will always know what is best for the larger overall experience. If they have invited people up on stage to be a part of the fabric of the event, then more power to them, as their main focus is always going to be on creating the best possible atmosphere and experience for the audience.
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Will Vance is a professional music producer who has been involved in the industry for the better part of a decade and has been the managing editor at Magnetic Magazine since mid-2022. In that time period, he has published thousands of articles on music production, industry think pieces and educational articles about the music industry. Over the last decade as a professional music producer, Will Vance has also ran multiple successful and highly respected record labels in the industry, including Where The Heart Is Records as well as having launched a new label with a focus on community through Magnetic Magazine. When not running these labels or producing his own music, Vance is likely writing for other top industry sites like Waves or the Hyperbits Masterclass or working on his upcoming book on mindfulness in music production. On the rare chance he's not thinking about music production, he's probably running a game of Dungeons and Dragons with his friends which he has been the dungeon master for for many years.
