DJs can make a good time even better

I love DJs.

They create a vibe that suits the night's crowd, context and cocktails.

When they're good, they can make a night. I will never forget rushing the DJ at the now-defunct SIX Lounge because he played a mashup of 50 Cent's "In Da Club" and Nine Inch Nails' "Closer."

And just recently, on the Sunday after Michael Jackson's death, my friends and I broke Merc Bar's no-dancing policy when Joe DiPadova hosted an all-MJ night. DiPadova proved that in the right setting, it is impossible not to dance to “Want to Be Startin' Something.”

I was thrilled to recently edit a series of profiles of DJs from across the Valley. I loved reading what their current favorite songs are, and what tracks are killing it in the clubs. To hear them myself, I looked them up on YouTube and had a mini dance party in my head. I also loved reading where these DJs that now have residencies at Myst, Pussycat Lounge, Cream Stereo Lounge and AfterLife, among others, got their starts.

But going through some profiles was a little like finding out that your celebrity crush has more in common with your junior high boyfriend than with your dream date.

For example, several DJs pointed out that they hate to take requests.

One DJ went so far as to detail the technical issues and problems he has with working in requests. Others said they weren't human jukeboxes.

But in the next paragraph, most DJs said their "favorite thing" was making crowds happy, sharing great music with people, creating a vibe where the crowd was really feeling it, and so on.

As a listener and dancer, I can't help but feel like bum-rushing the DJ booth and pointing out that one of the best ways to make crowds happy might be to play what they want to hear. Or to be such an awesome DJ that you anticipate the requests and work them into a set before they're asked. Obviously, this is pretty tricky, unless a DJ is friends with everyone in a club.

But what about being friendly? Many DJs strike a defensive, slightly self-protecting pose, distancing themselves using their headphones, their equipment, their musical knowledge, their cool-kid credibility. Of all the DJs we interviewed, only one said he loves when people come up to him and "show him love." Otherwise, they seemed to enjoy the crowd's enthusiasm from more of a distance.

Maybe everyone would be happier if DJs mingled a little more with their crowds, asked people what they want to hear more often, got more into the mix of things, so to speak. Decide for yourself if you'd want to make requests of, or friends with, various Valley DJs by checking out 10 Valley club-scene DJs to know.