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Your friendly neighborhood DJ/producer has peculiar tastes. We all do. For every Zappa head, there’s a Beefheart guy. For every Public Enemy diehard, there’s an N.W.A superfan. For every Merzbow maniac, there’s a Throbbing Gristle… throbster. Gristler?

Not all of us become DJs, let alone producers. Some of us are just the annoying guy at the (usually online) party with an overly passionate opinion about which Reverend Horton Heat album is the best. (I still say it’s Liquor in the Front, but that’s mostly because Al Jourgensen produced it, and because it’s the one I heard first.  He mixes loud, by the way, blown monitors and all.) Those of us who do become DJs — tastemakers, essentially — tend to let the music do the talking. (The rest of us are Eddie Trunk.)

So here’s my overly passionate opinion about requests: if the bulk of the room is enjoying what you’re playing, keep it up. When the energy dies down a bit, that’s when you grant that request you’ve been keeping in your pocket for a while. Yes, I know the human thumb in the Tapout shirt has been shooting you dirty looks for the past hour, but these ladies are twerking, and you’ve got some City Girls to play. Thumby will get his Papa Roach song eventually.

Never interrupt the flow of a good dance floor until it’s time. How do you know? Do it long enough and you just know. Observation is key. You can’t just play whatever you want, no matter how much you love Fantomas. If you’re playing a bar, a wedding, or a school dance, you will likely be playing to a mainstream crowd. Observe the usual demographics and make your call. If the crowd skews young, bust out the fresh hits. If they’re a little older, do some mental math (highly useful when switching up BPM, by the way, especially if you’re beatmatching; 140 to 70 is just beautiful if you’re looking to change the mood right away). Does that table of ladies look about 25? Backtrack eight years and play something they may have loved in high school. Did an older couple just walk in, but you’re in the middle of an EDM set? That’s what dance remixes of classics are for. Producers have been putting fresh spins on old favorites since I was a kid. Use them.

You won’t please everyone, nor should you expect to. Sports teams, tech brands, and even our politics largely come down to personal taste and identity. It helps to know your limitations. You might not be the DJ for a redneck bar. I know I’m not. I like Kacey Musgraves and a handful of other modern country acts, but I’m more of a Townes Van Zandt guy, and that’s a hard sell.

I do believe that if you’ve ever enjoyed a genre — and I’ve loved them all at some point — you should keep up with what’s new in your genre. You don’t have to like it all, but you should be aware of it. I grew up loving pop, hip-hop, dance and metal, so I still pay attention to those genres.

I also understand that not everything is for me. I’ve heard my share of drop-happy festival EDM, and it’s not my thing. I’ll still play some by request, though, because I’m familiar enough with it to keep some on hand. Detroit techno? Chicago house? Electrofunk? New wave? Disco? All day, every day.

Some songs grow on you, though. I rolled my eyes the first time I heard “Anxiety,” but “girl, get up” made me give Doechii a second listen, to the point that I now keep “Anxiety” around.

Tastes change. In the 80s, I went from liking to loathing “Never Gonna Give You Up,” mostly because radio played it way more than necessary. It went away for a while, came back as a punchline, and now people love it. Folks made fun of the Monkees for years, but I have literally made bar patrons turn from their drink and smile at me for playing “Daydream Believer” at the right moment. The best stuff finds a way there and back again. Trust your instincts.

I’m a firm believer that one of my biggest advantages is being the least cool DJ you’ve ever met. I’m a soundtrack guy. I have a big collection of film scores, mainstream and cult. I cheer audibly when I’m watching a movie and I see names like Jerry Goldsmith, Lalo Schifrin, Basil Poledouris, Shirley Walker, James Horner, Ennio Morricone. You’d think being a soundtrack nerd would be silly, until you realize that RZA is the ultimate soundtrack nerd, and it was his love of film scores that helped give us both Wu-Tang and Gravediggaz.

The least cool thing about your taste could be the spice that changes the dish forever.

Get cookin’.

— Forrest