On Djing...

oh i mean i've done that amount before, which is a small dose for most (10mg), and was still pretty functional, so i wasn't too worried. it was a special occasion and i had work off today, so i felt like letting my hair down. 5mg is usually enough to take the edge off and make me feel kinda floaty during a gig without really impairing me.

My new years resolution was to promote less and create more.

That's a general rule. I want to get back into the creative process of actually making stuff, producing music, writing for pleasure, maybe even find other endeavours to concentrate on.

I've been a promoter and a proselytiser my whole life and DJing and putting on nights has been a huge extension of that.

But I miss that feeling of creating new things. And so I told myself I'd leave it for a bit and channel my energies on learning Ableton and trying to write some fiction this year.

Then two days later a local venue I'd previously chasing for gigs got back to me and offered me a monthly residency.... I'm chuffed ofc but its ironic

so I guess my first DJ set doing prog night went pretty well. they asked if I wanted to come back and play within the next few weeks. only thing is, I will need a mixer of some sort, because right now I'm just borrowing it from the guy who normally does it.

I found this one - pretty cheap obviously, but do I really need anything more expensive? all I'm gonna use is two turntables and my phone.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/392363543298

FWIW, the functionality on that mixer looks to be exactly the same as the mixer that I use, so I reckon you should be fine. Also, yay, prog night, would totally teleport!

It’s missing one feature I find really useful is a knob to let you mix the headphones from cue to main, sometimes esp when there are no monitors or they’re busted it’s helpful to hear a mix of cue and main in the headphones.

Oh I would definitely need that. I play in too many places with poor monitoring or none at all, I rely on this

the one I was using was the Gemini PS-540i which does have that functionality. however I never used it because I actually didn't know that feature existed until I stumbled upon it halfway through the set. I think mixing prog music you don't really need to be too precise, you're not really 'beatmatching' at all, you're just kind of fading one section into a similar section

however this time I won't be doing prog. in fact the guy didn't really specify what he wants me to play, he just really liked the idea of someone spinning vinyl, apparently this dude is even more of a freak about record collecting than I am. we talked a bit about doing an analog synth thing, like 70's-80's electronic, though I think that's just a launching point. I will say the vibes there are pretty chill.

if anyone can recommend a mixer I'm all ears, I'm willing to spend more than $50 but by the looks of things it's the free shipping that really matters

well guess I'm doing this tomorrow. kind of nervous because prog night was someone else's thing, I was just filling in. this is gonna be my own thing, I don't really know what I'm playing yet, other than it's gonna be mostly all vinyl. do y'all have a setlist in advance? for the prog thing I sorta did, but this is way more open ended

Never!

Sometimes I have a lose idea of what I want to play, mini-sets of things that might work together, things that work to transition between sounds etc, but once you get going, just follow wherever it takes you. Trying to follow and a predetermined setlist will just frustrate.

I usually sort my records then and there. Like before going I might grab a bunch of records that I think I might start with and move them to the front of the bag. But once I'm there and hear what's already playing, whether it's the dj before me or the bartender's phone and sense how people might be responding to it, my ideas of what I want to play completely change, so any setlist would go right out the window.

That's why I hate when DJs throw a curveball at the end of their sets.

I always tell this kind of funny story though. I was invited to DJ with Peter Hook and a bunch of other DJs when he was getting into being a DJ. I was so excited, obv New Order was a huge game-changer for me. I was pretty sure the entire band would hear my set and be really impressed. Actually the rest of the band didn't come. It was at a trendy NY venue while they were in town for a show.

There were a few DJs on before him including a guy from the band stellastarr who I had to load the CDs for, but I was set to go on after him. Things were slow most of the night until Hook went on and then the whole crowd was dancing. All I could think about was how am I going to mix out of his set and keep this party going? At first I thought I knew what to do, but as the night went on Hook got more and more eclectic. Techno. House. Sex Pistols. Every new record had me recalibrate what I'd need to start with. How am I going to mix out of this?

Then right before he finished he crouched down and called me over and said "listen, can you do me a favor? When I'm done, wait a few minutes for the crowds response before you start" more or less.

Suddenly on one hand I had a great relief that I didn't need to mix out of Anarchy in the UK or whatever it was going to be, but on the other hand I had a feeling I knew where this was going.

He ended. The crowd went nuts. I waited a decent amount of time and opened with Yaz Situation. Two girls in the front thanked me and then every single person went home. I played Quando Quango in the hopes that some Factory Records fan would realize how knowledgable I was, but it was over before it began.

Several years later the Moth came to my companies office to do story-telling workshops. We broke up into sub-groups and I was in a group with our boss, the CMO. I told the Peter Hook story, but my boss had left the group before we shared. I realize the irony now. Then my group invited me to tell that story to the larger group so I did. That was my last ever experience "public speaking". It was presented as a sort of funny/embarrassing story when meeting your idols.

lol great story, though I was hoping it was gonna lead to you being there for the gig where he pretended to mix while playing a mix cd that came with mixmag

I played in a smaller town than where I usually play last weekend and it was such a joy. Such a responsive crowd, dancing from the get go (7pm!) I even got a round of applause during the breakdown of a particular track(?!), like, guys I didn't MAKE this song, looool

dan selzer, that's a great (but upsetting) story, and all too relatable. cheeky blighter asking you to come on once the wind had gone from the sails

“Listen, can you do me a favour? I want everyone to go home on the high I just gave them. That’s a good lad.”

Quite. How is that a favour? What's in it for the guy?

yea one thing I realized is once the music stops for more than a few seconds it kind of changes the whole vibe. seems like a dick move

I'm gonna be doing 3 hours, maybe a little more - I got a bag which fits 50 records, probably will need a little more. better to come overprepared :)

lol great story, though I was hoping it was gonna lead to you being there for the gig where he pretended to mix while playing a mix cd that came with mixmag

xp - absolute dick move. I don't care if he's Peter Hook

I mean, it's fine to say "Let the song end before you play the next one because it's really good" but "Wait until it looks like the night's over and you're just there to provide a soundtrack for people to collect their coats" makes me feel pretty angry

Dan... I think I may have been at that gig?! Before I had met you? and if memory serves I danced a lot (or at least a it) to an empty dancefloor after Hook left?? i may be making this up. But the details all match. Can't remember the name of the trendy place, I don't think I went there before or since.

Yeah I do think we met that night! Hiro Ballroom at the Maritime Hotel.

In the end it was funny, yeah not the best DJ behavior but this wasn't a normal DJ night. This was a capital P Peter Hook gig and he was the famous headliner. I was the unknown who was asked to DJ by local scenemaker Alex English because he thought I'd appreciate it.

here's the gig. I don't know why I'm not listed, maybe I hadn't been invited yet. Didn't remember that 33Hz was there as well, don't think I knew them then though I became friendly with Tim Wagner from that band later. https://archive.upcoming.org/event/peter-hook-djing-at-hiro-18899

Sometimes I have a lose idea of what I want to play, mini-sets of things that might work together, things that work to transition between sounds etc, but once you get going, just follow wherever it takes you. Trying to follow and a predetermined setlist will just frustrate.

I usually sort my records then and there. Like before going I might grab a bunch of records that I think I might start with and move them to the front of the bag. But once I'm there and hear what's already playing, whether it's the dj before me or the bartender's phone and sense how people might be responding to it, my ideas of what I want to play completely change, so any setlist would go right out the window.

this was pretty much otm. the idea I had for this was, it's not just gonna be me DJing whatever I want, anyone who comes can bring in some records and I will play something off of it. I didn't know if anyone would actually do it but 4 people did. I had the first 3 songs planned but that was just 10 minutes out of what wound up being 4 hours. some of my transitions were kind of fucked up but I was also mixing into records I literally never heard before :)

Ha yes it comes back to me now. And I did see you. I actually went to Hiro a lot for a little while there... (a friend bartended there sometimes). Just remember next time you tell that story you can say "and absolutely everyone left. Except for this one guy, Tracer Hand"

I don't ever need to hear a request for Murder On The Dancefloor ever again

that song does feel weirdly ubiquitous lately

i think b/c it was featured prominently in the movie saltburn

That want the only thing features prominently on that scene.

Sorry just finished watching 5 minutes ago. A lot of potential and beautiful but really frustrating in the end. Will save that conversation and any spoilers for other threads.

last Friday I was in the pub DJing again and I decided to take the approach that: it's going to be quiet since its January and -5c outside so I might as well play what I want to hear rather than planning a "compromise" set for the older men who regularly drink in the pub. It was really fun. Lots of my pals came along, which meant I could play things a little less populist ie "Enjoy Your Life" and "He's On The Phone (Motiv8 Remix)" without worrying about losing the dancefloor. I played 8pm-midnight, and from about 9pm til the end I basically stayed in the 130-135bpm zone give or take a ten minute break* so I felt really comfortable as that's the energy/tempo I feel most comfortable in. The UK garage stuff went down well, the 90s dance-pop stuff went down well, and the 80s hi-nrg synth-pop went down REALLY well. It's not rocket science predicting that "Sweet Dreams"/"Blue Monday"/"Lay All Your Love On Me" will win a crowd over but it was great to see the pub lift off, especially after the last few times I've played in there it has felt a bit less well-received. I was really happy as well because I think in pure technical terms the actual mixing went really well. It did thin right out about 11.30pm because of the weather/transport situation in Glasgow, so because I was quite drunk and it was a good crowd (for me) I finished on Yeah Yeah Yeahs' "Maps" and, as much as it was super self-indulgent, it was a real winner with who was left in the pub.

*The one thing that was tough was the table of lads who were asking for "Murder On The Dancefloor" relentlessly. The first lad came up and I told him that, yes of course I'm going to play it, but it's too early and everyone is too sober so I'll hold off until later. I was planning to play it as my last song because I'm that obvious and cheesy, but after the fifth time he or his pal came to ask for it - by 10pm! - I decided that it was going to be easier to just drop it in. One of the pals was really cheeky to me about asking for it. "His face is tripping him, gonna sort it out?" actually your pal's feelings are not mine to manage, and if you've only come out on the chance you'll hear one specific song then let me introduce you to YouTube Music on your smartphone. Unsurprisingly, only two of their table actually got up to dance for it.

I got a taxi home and I was chatting to the driver who said he used to DJ in pubs and play guitar in wedding bands. He said he would never DJ in a pub in Scotland again, because everybody just wants you to be their personal jukebox and the grief you get for not immediately fulfilling requests isn't worth it, especially if you've done a load of prep for it. I see his point. But I still enjoy what I'm doing here, I'm getting better at reading a room and reacting to it, I'm getting more confident playing out, and between that and the online radio show it gives me structure and discipline to practice.

ALSO

In a fortnight I'm DJing as part of a line-up in a different venue. It's part of an Actual Dance Music night. It's 10pm-3am and I'm on for an hour at midnight. I cannot wait - I am both nervously terrified and phenomenally excited. It's a city centre venue that's more a pub than a club (50 person dance floor!) and I've been there on a Saturday and watched it empty between 11pm and 12am as everyone moves on to a nightclub, so I'm not being unrealistic in how I think it's going to go ie the dancefloor will be clearing as I take to the decks. I just hope it's despite and not because of me. The guy who runs the night reached out to me based on the radio show and the fact I've always supported him with stuff he's doing, which is both really sweet and flattering.

aww, good stuff! sorry if i missed it before, but whats your radio show?

I post it in the DJs Post Etc thread - once a month I do a show called "Pure Mince" where I play dance music from the camp, slightly naff end of the spectrum - think shuffling garage, diva house, handbag pianos and so on. It's a play on polari language and the Scots colloquialism for something being tasteless

Algoriddim djay can now stream Apple Music: https://www.digitaldjtips.com/apple-music-streaming-djay-pro-all-platforms/

yeah my neighbor's 20 year old son is having a party and I'm overhearing "murder on the dancefloor"... Saltburn was such a disappointment, good acting and beautiful cinematography but so empty as a story and quite anti-climatic for a thriller.

Anyways, I guess it struck something in younger generations or maybe Jacob Elordi is just dreamy for some people and the younglings can't distinguish shocking movies with purpose than does without it... bottomline is that Murder in the Dancefloor is a #1 hit now. We'll continue to see 20-30 year old hits being massively revived with the generations that didn't get to enjoy them at the moment.

I don't mind it.

We'll continue to see 20-30 year old hits being massively revived with the generations that didn't get to enjoy them at the moment.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/1c/VALIS%281stEd%29.jpg/220px-VALIS%281stEd%29.jpg

i got an opportunity to play in a goth basement club at the end of last year, the people that put on the night heard me playing at a party my friend and i throw. it was extremely gratifying to get asked to play somewhere purely based on my own merit rather than through a recommendation or social connection or through putting on the whole damn thing with my friends.

and the set was recorded!

http://www.mixcloud.com/karljaims/karl-jaims-the-catacombs-dark-heart-disco-122823/

i was playing on equipment i wasn't familiar with, so i think i sound a little tentative, overall pretty happy with it though

that must feel great, happy for you.

my bar put me on pause again until the spring. my guess is it's just slower and maybe there's a tax thing.

i'm not antsy about it like i was last year, just tired and enjoying the break. we'll see how the year goes but right now i'm kind of thinking about letting it go and moving on to something else.

thanks map! i tend to appreciate the ebb and flow of gigs, too. i'm not a person that wants to play out constantly

I have been doing my bar gig for ten fucking years this year, jeez

My bar gig is exactly six years old tonight, which is cool because it’s also my birthday at midnight.

think I've got a regular monthly gig now too, but it's more of an overall vinyl night...people bring in what they want and it's on me to find a way to make it work. so I bring a pretty esoteric collection of records. it's been really fun so far, each night has a very different vibe to it.

that sounds cool!

that sounds great, frogs. i've really been itching to play out again. the pandemic killed whatever was left of the gigs i had going, and i still haven't managed to get something else going

my hour last week went really well. I was so nervous for the first ten minutes - what if I broke the unfamiliar equipment? What if I flubbed my mixes? What if nobody enjoyed what I played? - but I looked up after finally realising I was fine with the set-up, and I saw a busy dancefloor with everyone singing along to I.Jordan's "I'm Waiting (Just 4 U)" and a room full of people who were enjoying themselves. I played some speed garage which went down well and Hugo Massien's "No Return" (which is basically Ashanti's "Foolish" with a massive bassline donk over it) went down REALLY well.

After it I had people coming up to me to tell me it was really good and I've picked up a few new followers on the socials. One guy asked me to contribute to his podcast mix series. I feel like I definitely held my own with the rest of the line-up. My group of best pals, not a single one could make it due to prior committments, but it turned out for the best - I didn't have them there to rely on being present on the dancefloor for me, so I know that my success was all my own. It also meant I could actually chat to people rather than worry about who was where and what was happening with them. The guy who runs the night told me that he was really happy because I clearly understood what the vibe and idea of the night is, which was really nice to hear.

I mean, it's not much in the grand scheme of things - a busy dancefloor in a small city centre venue for an hour - but I'll take it. I don't have anything on my calendar now, either the pub or Actual Dance Music, but I'll see what happens next.

heard this, thought of youse..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9t6LDJpd3k
Auramatic - Talk 2 The Deejay

there's an italian-american social club across the street from my apartment, the building's been there since the sixties but the society itself has existed since the mid-to-late 19th century. the club has a giant wooden dancefloor illuminated by many chandeliers and a disco ball, a stage, a wood-paneled bar that looks like it hasn't been touched at all since the 1960s, and an indoor bocce court behind the stage. every month they host large pasta dinners that are open to the public, and they have a bunch of events that are open only to members of the club and their guests. the bocce court is typically open for members a couple days during the week, it's mainly older retirees who play and they occasionally host tournaments there with other bocce leagues in the city.

the club started getting a lot of attention last year because of their social media presence - about a year ago only a couple dozen people at most came to the pasta dinners, now they routinely sell out a couple hundred tickets within 24 hours. i started following them on IG and they posted a story asking if anyone who follows them happened to know any italo disco DJs, and i obviously jumped at the chance lol. i ended up getting a tour of the building from the president, and we talked about the idea of me playing music there sometime. i started regularly attending their dinners and eventually applied for membership, i became inducted as a member in december of last year. i've gone to a lot of the member events since then and i've also volunteered to help at their events too, it's been really sweet and great to be a part of this community for lots of personal reasons i won't go into here.

anyway, one of the member events they're doing now is a first friday deal where the bar and the bocce court are open to members and guests, and they asked me if i'd be interested in setting up in the bocce court to play some tunes while people played games of bocce. they set all this mood lighting and had glow-in-the-dark bocce balls and it looked really fabulous. my playlist was all italian music from the 70s and 80s - italo of the robots n' synths 83-and-after era but also lots of '76-82 italian disco, your raffaellas and minas and ornellas and whatnot. not super easy to mix those eras together but i think i managed to get a good flow going. one guy was stoked that i played moroder's "the chase" lol. it was one of the best gigs i've ever played - i got such a warm reception from everybody and several people were like "we gotta get you on the dance floor at some point!" seeing one of the older members, a guy who's very easily in his 70s and was born in italy, bopping along to "a far l'amore comincia tu" made my heart swell. i am a little headache-y from the negronis i had but all in all, a wonderful night :)

I love this! 83-84 Italo has a special place in my heart.

so cool

wow dr i'm so happy for you

tremendous