I was at my niece’s wedding last night. The music was great and we had a wonderful time dancing the night away. No complaints, it was wonderful… but it wasn’t John David Akin AMAZING.
Most people know him as a Global News journalist, but I know him as the best DJ I’ve ever heard in a bar. This was back in the late 1980’s, in Guelph Ontario, and JDA was so well liked that his name would come before the event. It wasn’t the Bullring Halloween Dance, it was John David Akin’s Halloween at the Bullring. He was the draw to the event.
He had this skill of blending and teasing in the next song that was so seamless that you missed it. You’d be dancing to one song, hear a teaser of the next song, and a cheer would come from the dancers. Then you’d hear the tease again, and 10 -20 seconds later you’d be dancing to the new song with zero memory of a transition from the last song. If this happened once, it would be a cool trick, but when it happened over and over again, it felt like magic.
The other thing he did was to masterfully choose 5 songs that kept you on the dance floor. You never went on for one song and then didn’t like the next song. No, you’d hear a song you loved, get on the dance floor and then you were there for a guaranteed 4-5 songs. Then there would be a shift in musical style, a scream from people off the dance floor, and 1/3 to 1/2 of the people on the dance floor and in the seating area and isles would trade places.
This was great for business too. Dance yourself thirsty for several songs then a mass switch to get new people dancing and thirsty while drinks are being ordered by those who just got off the dance floor.
There was no denying the artistry of his work. I was reminded of this last night. The DJ tried to tease and blend, but it was clunky. The transitions were a bit rough. And I’m not even throwing shade at the DJ, I had a great time last night… It’s just when you’ve heard the absolute best, good just isn’t great, and I’m going to notice the difference.
Oh and JDA sang a mean version of Grandmaster Flash’s White Lines. The first time I heard it, I didn’t even know it was him singing until I heard the name of the bar we were in sung in the lyrics. He had many skills, but when it came to teasing and blending songs, John David Akin was the GOAT.
