Hey Y'all Many thanks for he fine work Scott did in explaining the Roo 2007 Silent Disco. The fact that he was able to stay up that late after a hot day in Tennesee is a testament to his stamina. The set I played can be downloaded here (http://www.yousendit.com/download/bWJweVdtcWZCSWMwTVE9PQ).
Having played the tent since its inception in 2005, I can only say that the artist experience is twice as amazing as the listener. As a DJ, we rely quite heavily on monitors to beat match. With the silent disco this is not possible, so one has to use various headphone cue levels to mix and match. It makes the job tougher, but also quite rewarding. There's also the lack of the visceral physical experience that one feels from rumbling subwoofers and chittering highs. To replace that a Dj must really go deeper into his mind and come up with song progressions, overlays, ideas and themes that make the crowd interact without them needing to be physically massaged by the speakers. Therefore, song selection can include tracks that may not work as well in a regular club: songs that make you sing out, interact, yell a rock lyric or somesuch.
For instance, probably the best moments of the morning were the singalongs like Fatman Scoop's "Can I get a Woop Woop"....At one point, I played a remix of Rage Against the Machine's "Killing in the Name" and if you were walkign bye, you heard 300 people shouting "%$^%%$^ you I wont do what you tell me!" At sunrise, I played a remix of "Dear Prudence". If you were walking bye, you couldnt hear the music but could hear the crowd singing "The sun is up the sky is blue, it's beautiful, and so are you..." These are the kind of exclusive and communal moments that can only be felt if your one of the rare few with the headphones. It's also gives people a rare treasured shared experience that makes lifelong friends of complete strangers.
If anything, Silent Disco humbles a DJ to a great degree, keeping him from relying on his twin crutches, (the subs and the monitors) and making him realize a degree of intimate interaction with the audience that can never exist in clubs, where distractions like bars and smoke breaks etc can interfere. Furthermore, the fact that the silent disco can be enjoyed outdoors without angering snippy NIMBYS gives it a great potential to help alleviate some of the current clash we are seeing between those who wish to dance, and those who wish to sleep.
For me, it's an honor and a priveledge beyond words to play that place and be a part of the incredible innovative musical wonderland that is Bonnaroo. The crowd there is my favorite anywhere in the world... all shapes, sizes, and outlooks asking only one thing, that the artist PUSH HIMSELF, and THE AUDIENCE to somewhere they have never been. I make several new tracks specifically for the Bonnaroo corwd each year (http://www.myspace.com/motionpotion)( and look forward to my set for 364 days. It was my 5th year and it seems to get better every time. Kudos to Scott for "getting it" because it seems that most of his colleagues were either, asleep, absent, or at least..."silent". Also, the other Djs who rocked the silent disco were:
Quickie Mart - LA myspace.com/djquickiemart
Logic - NYC - djlogic.com
Medi4 - LA djmedi4.com


Much love... MoPo

I'd sell a lung just to attend such a fabulous party. The music is simply killing me..