Topic: Blues hour

[philsmove]

As an experiment, for the last 30 min at Trinity at BAWA,  Dave and Kat slowed things down with some bluesy music

So,  do you like the music to slow down a bit toward the end of evening?

You can vote for up 5 options

I have not mentioned separate blues rooms, as I don’t think Bristol has many 2 room venues

[bobthebracers]

Hi y'all, BTB here. I really liked the idea of slowing things down on the music night at the end of the night. Again, after a hard week at the office and not a lot of sleep the night before and despite a nap before I left home I was really tired so I was glad to have the slower music at the end of the evening. I know, I must be getting old, it's a shame in some ways in that I am getting older but I don't think I am getting any wiser, or indeed mature!. That was a big concern of mine about the music at BAWA is that they didn't slow things down towards the end so I was very happy.  It can be a bit more of a challenge dancing at the slower speeds but I much prefer that than dancing to the fast ones all night. I find I can do more moves to the slower songs and find the fast ones a bit boring and hard work sometimes after a while.
It is the same at Rock and Roll some Sunday nights at the BAWA. It is brilliant that they have live music every Sunday nights but a lot of the bands only seem to play the slower songs as part of the "strolling" music which is when the ladies do something a bit like line dancing. Apart from that they just play a sort of hill billy fast type sort of beat which to me is rubbish.

[Karen Mary]

Apart from that they just play a sort of hill billy fast type sort of beat which to me is rubbish.

I thought that rock 'n roll was all about a fast beat and fast footwork - the people that do it well have heaps of energy and I'm not sure they would appreciate music with a slower beat at a rock'n roll night!

[jivedave]

with faster music, i find the problem is not so much energy but heat dissipation. maybe i've swine flu 'cos i find i sweat like a ... (i thought it was a symptom of something else to worry about but i found going swimming again, recently, i could plough up and down quite happily without running out of steam)
btw, perhaps contrary to popular belief, high octane - as in fuel - implies slower, less violent combustion, allowing for high compression.

i'd like some slower tracks but i'd also like some other sorts of music.

ps : i really must apologise to the ladies; one must think me a fwightfully caddish boor, talking of perspiration and ladies' foundation wear (in another post). Here is jaunty little number suggesting a time of refinement when gentlemen didn't swear nor drink to excess, etc  (when i heard it a few years ago i was surprised to learn that it was from the 1960s) It's not blues but it proceeds at a serene pace:

[Nick-J]

I enjoyed the block of slower tunes but would have prefered it a little earlier. 

I quite like a few fast tracks at the end to finish on a high. Especially as there is a bit more space to move  on the dance floor. 

[philsmove]

I enjoyed the block of slower tunes but would have preferred it a little earlier.  

I gather, it was intended to slow things down earlier, but Dave still had a lot a request to play, so the slow stuff was delayed

Hint - if you want some slow music request it

Personally I  dont approve of lots of requests. I  would rather the DJ choose the music , generally she / he better at choosing tunes than we are.
Request tend to be the same old stuff, week after week

[John Gimber: Webmaster]

I understand the comment about the requests vs DJs - although some DJs I know play the same stuff all the time too, so requests might help in that case.

I think regarding music I don't mind which way it happens - different structures to different dances is quite nice, as I don't feel "stale" at a dance then.

I think I was having a bit of a problem with the "Michael Jackson Hour" at a dance recently, that didn't go down so well.  Cue requests...

[andrew_w]

Apart from that they just play a sort of hill billy fast type sort of beat which to me is rubbish.

I thought that rock 'n roll was all about a fast beat and fast footwork - the people that do it well have heaps of energy and I'm not sure they would appreciate music with a slower beat at a rock'n roll night!

It certainly is about high tempo music but not necessarily footwork - Many leads in R&R are hardly moving thier feet at all.

Some of the "two steppers" (they usually dress like Johnny Cash and dance alone to Rockabilly tunes) produce some interesting footwork. Boogie Woogie (like R&R another offshoot of Lindy Hop) is perhaps the dance most associated with high speed footwork - here's one of my favourite examples (notice how simple the majority of the moves are apart from the aerials - it's really the key to dancing to fast tunes)


As for blocks of slow music - fine as long as you've made it clear in advance that this will happen. Many dancers would feel upset by a long period of slow music. 30 mins sounds a long time to me better 2 lots of 15 mins (When I used to DJ I'd often use blocks of 4 or 5 songs of a similar type)

[philsmove]

I think I was having a bit of a problem with the "Michael Jackson Hour" at a dance recently, that didn't go down so well. 

or an entire evening of Bryan Adams 

[John Gimber: Webmaster]

And when asked "Dear God, Why?" the DJ replied "Everything I do, I do it for you..." 

[philsmove]

As for blocks of slow music - fine as long as you've made it clear in advance that this will happen. Many dancers would feel upset by a long period of slow music. 30 mins sounds a long time to me better 2 lots of 15 mins (When I used to DJ I'd often use blocks of 4 or 5 songs of a similar type)

 

Ceroc in bath, often have a blues hour and it is indeed advertised in advanced

[Elaine]

Personally, I like slower music, with the odd fast track. We go to Ce Roc Evesham every now and then and they will play tracks such as:

The Locomotion (Kylie)
Just like heaven (Katie Meluah - you can Rumba or A Tango to this as well)
I just wanna make love to you (Etta James)
You're the boss (Elvis and Anne Margaret) (Blues/Tango/WCS)
Wicked Game (Chris Isaac)
Sexy (Paul Raz)
Ring my Bells (Enrique Eglisas)
Stepping Stone (Duffy)
Latin Lover (Leki) (You can Tango or WCS this one)
Tango to Evora (Loreena Mckennitt)  (One of my all time favourites!!!)

All these are LeRocable as well -

I love to interpret and dancing to slower music gives me more possibilities...........

Hope to get to the BAWA soon! 


Elaine

[martinbendle]

I find blocks of the same pace or style of music just gets boring ('... spice of life' and such).  I can remember that dance, and spending the last hour half-asleep on a chair, waiting for a track with a bit of go, and ended up wishing I'd left an hour before the end.

Mixing up the styles and tempos is the way to go (nobody will be disappointed - if you're tired at the end of a dance, just sit out on the fast ones, and enjoy the slow dances).

Make the the last (maybe two) tracks slow for sure, but do remember that some of us like to go out with a bang (so make the second-last track a fast one - I'd happily finish on Candyman).  That way everyone will appreciate (and notice) that slow last dance.

Compliments on the music at BAWA generally though, it's a pretty good mix.

[philsmove]

.  I can remember that dance, and spending the last hour half-asleep on a chair, waiting for a track with a bit of go, and ended up wishing I'd left an hour before the end.

Yes, if the last hour is going to be blues, it needs to be advertised in advance,
so people know what to expect and can leave early if they want to.  
To be fair to Trinity,  only the last 30 min was blues

The poll suggest people like a mix through out the evening

With Tango, traditonally, music is played in  Tandas

Tandas
 A set of dance music, usually three to five songs, of the same dance in similar style,

One thing I don’t like, is the occasional, isolated, slow track, in the middle of set  of fast ones
i

[Matt E]

I agree with Martin that playing blocks of the same sort of music does get very repetative, but not all slow music has to be blues, and not all mellow music has to be slow. Some of my favourite relaxing tracks include "Say It Right" by Nelly Futardo and "I Won't Dance" by Will Young (which aren't that slow), "Breakin' Me" by Johnny Lang, "Lady Soul" by the Temptations, and "I Got Rhythm" by Lena Horne. So really, it should be sold as a 'Chill Out 30' with a mix of slow music of different styles.

Either 30min near the end, followed by some medium to fast music to go out on a bang, or two 15min slots of slow music, in addition to the odd one dotted around, would be perfect for my tastes. Anything longer than 30min is too long; there was a blues hour at Gloucester the only time I've been, which was too much.

I love slow music as I find it much more of a challenge to dance to than fast music. Hats off to the BAWA for being bold and trying this out!