13 comments by 3 or more people

1. Thorwald Stein

   It's almost what five played as Britain's 100 favorite love songs. Except Unchained Melody was number one. Sorry I missed Top B though – again.

   15 Feb 2005, 12:24

2. tp

   I have to say, it certainly got better towards the end, but a genuine question, why not play popular music that is more party/dance like in genre (oh – big words!) to encourage people to come/dance earlier? This time last year when we were there people were dancing at 9, not like yesterday when it was pushing 11!

   You say you play the 'cool' music cos no one's dancing, but if you stopped trying to push all this 'cool' music on us, then people would dance, cos they'd have something to dance to!

   Remember, Top B is about the music, not the DJ's. Focus on what you play, not dancing about the stage (that no one else is allowed on) while you do it… sorry guys!

   15 Feb 2005, 14:05

3. Oli W

   I think last night was all about the immense Punk classics being played up in the Graduate Club.

   15 Feb 2005, 14:21

4. Hi TP (mysterious name!),

   I think your comment is perfectly fair if you're looking at last night. However last night, as 'Valentine's Banana' was something of an anomaly as far as the whole term is concerned. If you have a look back at previous track-listings, you'll see that we play plenty of 'party/dance' music early on in the night (well, before 10 at least) to get people on the dancefloor. The 'cool' tracks (as you call them) that are played earlier on in the night are meant more to provide a good backdrop to happy hour drinking, and to get people's heads moving, rather than to push them onto the dancefloor straight away.

   Believe me, both Chris and myself are perfectly aware that Top Banana is about 'the music'. I'm sorry that you think that we dance around on stage too much – we're just genuinely enthusiastic/enjoying the music. We could just stand behind the booth pressing play once every three minutes – but then we'd just be the DJs from last term!

   Oh – and sorry you're not allowed to dance on the stage. It wasn't our decision. I believe it's down to a change in the law…

   15 Feb 2005, 14:25

5. tp

   It's just initials! For teacherpaul… not all that mysterious, but ta!

   I'll be very honest with you and say that i wasn't expecting a reply that I would be happy with – I thought i would slag off cheesy music and annoy me, but I'm actually finding myself agreeing with you!

   I'm not really in the best postion to judge, now being a graduate and only getting to half term bananas, so yesterday was my one for the term. It was very different to what we had been to pretty much every Monday for the past 4 years, but you do actually have a well thought out strategy for what you do. So all credit to you fo that, far more professional than some of the people that they got in to replace Queen Talia at points last year.

   Having said that, I think it would wind me up if it was my regular Monday night out because my friends and I do tend to be on the dancing side rather than the drinking side, and so would get there at 9 and dance through til 1 (to cheese, not just anything!), so we clearly couldn't do that anymore. Sometimes we'd have unprofessional bananas where we'd be out on teaching practice nights, and have a good slice of cheese before leaving at 10/10:30, and that wouldn't happen either. I guess it's all down to different tastes and preferences, what worked for us, particularly last year, wouldn't have worked for others, so I guess change is inevitable. I think it just gets people back up because it is (in all seriousness) something close to their heart. You can get very passionate about something you've been doing for 4 years!!

   The stage we'll let you off, the dancing has a reasoned arguement, I think it's the fact that you dance on the stage, just a bit frustrating, we want to be there!! Just a personal thing really, but whenever the DJ box is on the stage it makes me think the DJs themselves are thinking they are a little bit god-like, putting themselves at the centre of the action. Again, probably different preferences, I'd like more music and less chat/games, but again, if that's what the kids want these days, let them eat cake!!

   Anyway, probably not in a position to rant now, having left, so I'll get my ass down to Jaks and dance there!!

   15 Feb 2005, 15:00

6. Indeed.

   To be honest, the 'cool' music (as you so charmingly and, well, cluelessly put it) is also there as a response to criticism from Top B punters that they were getting bored of hearing the same 20-or-so pop songs played again and again. We try to vary the playlist as much as possible from week to week, and as there are very few people around in the first hour we take this as an opportunity to play more interesting stuff which – as James pointed out – acts more as a background to drinking than anything else. However, none of it is obtuse or deliberately obscure for the sake of simply being so, and we are always careful to make sure that the tracks are danceable should people choose to get up (the notable exception being the first 4 tracks from last night, which – as James also mentioned – represent something of an anomaly as it was Valentine's Day).

   We usually have people on the dancefloor by 10:30pm, which is a massive improvement on last term when it was apparently only around midnight before people started dancing. Playing non-stop hits right from the start of the night is a waste of time as most people don't arrive until around 10:30pm and it would mean that we run out of choice material by the end. Also, your strategy would lead to the event simply starting to become the same week after week again, as believe it or not it's a lot more difficult than you'd think to come up with a varied playlist each time. This of course you will already know though from your years of experience DJ-ing Top Banana every week in the past…

   15 Feb 2005, 15:04

7. Sorry for the rather sarcastic tone there TP. Have just read your reply and it's good that you're open to being swayed on the matter! To be honest, I just get a bit fed up of people slinging abuse our way without thinking out the reasons being what they're criticising! It would also seem that James is far more diplomatic than me on this matter…

   Still, ne'er mind.

   15 Feb 2005, 15:09

8. tp

   That's ok, I'll let you off! I obviously don't know how hard it is, but I imagine that it is an incrediably hard job to do!

   As you say, I don't have two years experience of doing it, but I do have 4 years of being there, and I think that counts for something. I know what I like and why I like it, but, as you pointed out, I see why things have changed, it's just not what I would necessarily want!

   As for not DJing, I came close! I even had the application form once, but decided to stick to the dancing side rather than the DJing, probably cos of arguements like this!! : P

   15 Feb 2005, 15:22

9. Couldn't bear to stay for the last song, but aside from that not a bad mix! Apparently the T-Spoon track used to be huge at Top B when it was released, not that I was here then. No really, I wasn't :-)

   15 Feb 2005, 22:15

10. Shalinee Singh

    Ah stop the bitterness, Can't Take My Eyes Off You is an ace song just for the sentiment it carries.

    Last night was very different to every Top B I've been to this term (that's all bar one…and the one where I am missing 24hours of memory) in terms of what time people got on the dancefloor. I don't really care if people are looking at me dancing and are thinking I'm an idiot and I will happily dance sober (i.e. early in the night), whereas I think 90% of the population see dancing sober as their worst nightmare.

    Also on valentines day, I think any non-couples are either reticent to go out and see the couples or go but then hide from them, and any couples either don't go out to Top B or finish all their Valentines bananas first.

    Top B this term has been busy and has had a good vibe. Everyone seems to have a great time…apart from Monday night just gone: judging by the amount of chalk-chips around on the stairs, people were drowning their sorrows!

    17 Feb 2005, 01:43

11. Ricky

    Death From Above 1979?? requested at Top B??

    Warwick gets weirder every minute I'm away…

    17 Feb 2005, 13:42

12. Well, it was Shall and Tom Besley who asked for it while no-one was dancing… I mean really, how could I refuse?!

    17 Feb 2005, 13:56

13. Shalinee Singh

    And we dutifully did dance!

    17 Feb 2005, 19:26

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