I’ve been hearing a lot people complain about the party scene lately and how it really has went down hill. So, as a person who has been in this for most of his life and has seen some of the best and worst times, I’m going to give you a little crash course of why this is happening.

There’s been a lot of DJ’s saying that the game is messed up because all these new “DJ’s” went out, bought laptops, and are going to clubs playing for free or pretty close to it. Now I have nothing against new DJ’s. I was one and I support anyone trying to get into this game. But there are dues that need to be payed and skills that need to be established before a DJ is ready to play a certain venue. If I buy a basketball, I’m not ready to play in the NBA. Now if I played in middle school, high school, college, semi pro, then NBA, I’d be ready. Same goes for clubs. In my eyes, night clubs should be like the NBA in regards to the talent. They used to be and now they are not even close. Club owners, who most of the time don’t pay attention to the music, and really just care about one thing, money, except this poor quality and in turn hire these guys because they feel it’s more important to save a couple hundred dollars then it is to have a good night.

Recently, I went out to this really big club at the Hard Rock in Hollywood, FL, no need to say the name, but it was one of the 20 they have there. Place was packed. It’s always packed. When I go out, I usually go into the rooms and hear how the DJ’s are, look and listen to the crowd reaction. There was a lot of disappointment. People were literally saying, “This DJ is horrible.” How does no one notice? The DJ in the booth looks down, sees a packed crowd, sees people dancing, and is thinking, yeah I’m rocking this party. This is also what his friend, that is standing next to him at the booth, is telling him the whole time, and after and every time he’s hanging out with him. We call it “Gassing” him up.  The owner, who is sitting in the back room, sound proof office, or at his house, does not care what people are feeling like or how bad the DJ just train wrecked the last mix. They, at the end of the night, collect, count, and check their numbers and money. They are business men, not music experts. Now a location like the Hard Rock will always be busy. It’s a tourist spot with nice venues and no matter what the DJ plays people are going to dance to it. Why? Because they have no other option. When I went to this place, it was my friends birthday. There was over 20 people and we had about 5-6 bottles. Like the music or not, we’re dancing. This is the same scenario all over the club. There’s a thousand people there. You just waited on line, payed to get in, bought drinks, or bought a table. There is no way you are leaving because of the music, which might not be horrible, but definitely not what this type of club should deliver.

So what happens when you have a club that isn’t at the Hard Rock and is a smaller venue that has to fight a little harder to get and keep their crowd? People come to your place, they have a drink or two, maybe even party all night. Then walk out and say, well it’s nice there but the music was really bad. So as a venue, you might get the customer to come out again. You could have good drink specials or free admission, and they’ll come hoping that maybe it was just a bad DJ that time. Low and behold it wasn’t and the music is bad again. So this time that they came out, would be their last. This pattern continues and spreads throughout your crowd. Your numbers start going down, you think its promoters, or the nights, or the bartenders, management, security, and no one thinks of the obvious. The MUSIC.

There are only two reasons why people go to clubs. To drink and to dance. Yes, to meet people, but it’s while you’re drinking and dancing. There are only two people that can service those needs. Bartender, for the drinks, and DJ, for the music. Have hot bartenders that serve good drinks and DJ’s that play good music and your venue will be successful. Throughout my career I’ve worked in all types of venues. I’ve seen dive bars that have had parties last for 10 years and million dollar clubs last for 6 months. Why? Drinks and Music. The DJ is the most important part of the night. Period. No matter what the venue is, for the most part, if the music is good, people are staying and drinking. That is the goal. This is a business. It’s entertainment, but still a business. Take sports.  You can have the best arena, free parking, gifts when you walk in, discounts on food, promotions, marketing campaigns, and be in the heart of the city. But in the end, fans do not go to games when the team is loosing or when the players are not exciting to watch. It’s that simple. Or is it?

How do clubs not realize that their music is bad? Again, usually there is one person that makes that decision and that’s the guy that never listens to the music or is worried more about counting the register, staff, bills, and everything else besides what’s being played. It’s not only the club owners fault. Sometimes the owner understands he/she has no idea about music, so they hire someone to run that department. Great. Unless, the person you hire to run your music was a successful DJ, who was successful for playing the types of genres needed for your venue, that person will just hire either his friends or other DJ’s that play similar to his style which didn’t work when he use to play it and still doesn’t work now. You don’t hire an Asian chef to run the kitchen in your Italian restaurant.

Point is this. People need to stop excepting this low quality. If a DJ is bad, tell the owner, tell the manager, and complain about the music. Find DJ’s that you do like. Follow them, support them, request them. They are your team. You need to know that when you go out, Your DJ will make sure that you are dancing, drinking, meeting people, and having a good time all night. Yes, Your DJ is very important, so do not except any lower standards. You wouldn’t do it if you had a business and a bad employee, if you went to a restaurant and had a bad chef,  or if you had a team with a bad player. Club owners, you too, have to stop excepting low quality. There are plenty of great DJ’s out there and yes they do cost money.  With everything, you get what you pay for. Do your research, pay attention, ask your crowd and staff. Because in the end the MUSIC will make or break your night.

After spending the past 3 years in Miami, I get a phone call from my business partner / International Manager @MrScottEddy, currently living in Phuket, Thailand. Pack your bags…you’re coming to Thailand. Just coming off of WMC and Ultra week down in Miami, my weekly residencies, and high-end private event business booming, I asked myself…am I able to leave everything and go 10,000 miles across the world to a place I’ve never been?  After 13 years in this business, I realized one thing, when opportunity knocks you better answer cause you might not get it again. The only hesitation was am I able to get into the country. Coming off of last months situation that happened to me in London, when I got denied at the border and sent back, forced to cancel my tour, I was not about to travel 25 hrs to the other side of the world to turn around again. I was assured that immigration at Phuket Airport is a little more welcoming the Heathrow, London.  I arrived 5 days ago and already my life has changed. First, Thailand is an all around beautiful place if not one the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. From the amazing scenery, delicious food, to the inexpensive living and warm peaceful people. You fall in love from the minute you step foot here. But down to the real reason for the venture and that is work…or should I say play. Currently, we are working out the final details for my Asian tour, featuring places such as Macao, Singapore, Dubai, Australia, Malayasia, Hong Kong, and Bangkok. I’m excited to travel around Asia, but more excited to play some of the top venues in the world and share my music with cultures I’ve never explored before. As an artist, or someone that has a creative talent, you constantly want to grow and develop. I’m trying to be worldwide with my business and to be worldwide you need to be accessible to the world. There’s a great future here for me and I’m ready to give it all I have. I will be living in Phuket, Thailand for the month of April, with residency at one of the largest venues, Famous NightClub. Then moving to Bangkok in May which will be my central location for work and travel. Hi Asia, my name is DJ Dean Michaels, get ready!