Based on my experience I'd give two general pieces of advice: 1) Get used to people making ridiculous wishes for a tune, and generally not understanding you don't have every record they'd like to hear readily available in your bag. 2) Get used to people trying to hit on you.
I've DJed mostly in university student parties though, maybe your club is a more specialized setting so these things won't happen so often.
― Tuomas, Monday, 31 December 2007 08:59 (sixteen years ago) link
I am a rock guy that came to the DJ game pretty late. It's a fucking blast getting to play my records for other people.
Here's a few quick tips:
1) unless you are going to do dance nights, you don't need to learn to beat match, scratch, or show off any other "skills"
2) FLOW is the single most important thing you can provide. Don't fuck with the audience repeatedly, even if you're playing adventurous music. At least use the "punishment/reward" concept if you must satisfy yourself
3) Don't be embarrassed to pick up a really cheap and useful book called "How do Dj Right". I read great reviews of it, and was blown away at how simple and correct its methodology is.
***
Other than that, yeah--don't use mp3s if you can help it. That's gay.
― Nate Carson, Monday, 31 December 2007 09:01 (sixteen years ago) link
BTW, you don't need to own turntables unless you're going to do a lot of gigs at places that don't already have them. I do recommend investing in your own cartridges though. That will run you around $60 and will save your records from harsh needles on public decks.
Also, in case you didn't get it, my mp3 comment was a joke. I rely heavily on my vinyl collection because I don't beat match or whatever. So I fall back on two things: my great record collection and my immaculate flow.
:)
― Nate Carson, Monday, 31 December 2007 09:04 (sixteen years ago) link
Oh yeah, one more thing I've learned: the more drunk the crowd, the less adventurous music the probably want to hear. If you're playing at some club centred around certain genre(s) it might be different, but in general clubs people just want to have a bit of fun and not expand their musical horizons too much.
― Tuomas, Monday, 31 December 2007 09:08 (sixteen years ago) link
i've got good flow, thanks. gr8080, no laptop :(. do you think a cheap-ish notebook/laptop w/ traktor or whatever is a better investment for all-purpose dance-ish semi-weirdo dj-ing than a turntable in the future?
tuomas, i'm not gonna be too weird. if anything i'm too sensitive to crowd moods--that is, if i take advice from upthread and don't do it drunk.
― strgn, Monday, 31 December 2007 09:16 (sixteen years ago) link
And Nate is correct about not needing specialized DJ skills: if it's not a dance or hip-hop club, people probably don't care shit about such tricks. Basically you just need to learn to use the crossfader and try not to follow one tune with another one in completely different tempo (no slow r'n'b jams immediately after a fast house tune). The only things people will notice are blatant fuck-ups, like accidentally pressing the pause button. Which leads to one more piece of advice - don't get drunk, even if your drinks are on the house. A few drinks might be good to ease the tension, but if you get too drunk the potentiality of such fuck-ups is very high.
(x-post)
― Tuomas, Monday, 31 December 2007 09:18 (sixteen years ago) link
thx tuomas, good advice.
p.s. manager told me cds were the operating media here so i guess that would be best (though i think i can get away w/ an ipod since the mixing "booth" is like above and hidden from anyone and i could probably find a stereo in and bring some jacks). what i really need to do is check out the set-up tomorrow and see how they're mixing em.
― strgn, Monday, 31 December 2007 09:22 (sixteen years ago) link
i'd stay away from using your ipod and use cds if you can. burn your best sounding files to cd at least.
― gr8080, Monday, 31 December 2007 09:25 (sixteen years ago) link
ok thx
― strgn, Monday, 31 December 2007 09:27 (sixteen years ago) link
if you're unfamiliar w/ the basics of using a dj mixer (or even if you are familiar but haven't used the specific type the bar has) see if you can drop in before they open and mess around for half an hour or so, so you can get comfortable with the basics of going from one cd deck to the next.
even if you don't plan on beat matching, the more comfortable you can get with compensating for volume variances between different tracks, minimizing dead air between tracks, perfecting your general flow, etc.
also, bring your own headphones if you have a pair with a 1/4" jack.
― gr8080, Monday, 31 December 2007 09:32 (sixteen years ago) link
also, nate otm. at least stop by the book store and spend half an hour thumbing through "how to dj right".
― gr8080, Monday, 31 December 2007 09:34 (sixteen years ago) link
ok. i'm not a total mixer n00b but i'm unfamiliar with dual cd mixers if that's really what they have. this is great advice + making me think about what i haven't actually thought about yet because i'm too self-deluded and arrogant. i'll check out the set-up tomorrow if i can and report back for everyone's reading enjoyment. and i've got to grab that book; it looks really really helpful. thx nate!
― strgn, Monday, 31 December 2007 09:44 (sixteen years ago) link
dont forget to have fun, too.
dont get too caught up in pre-arranging your music ("i'll play this track and then this track and then this track...") the best part of deejaying, even at a bar w/o a dancefloor, is connecting with the room and seeing where they're at with regard to what you're playing and how that influences your next selection.
if someone makes a request and you have it, play it. if you don't have it, be honest, but use their request as a springboard to a different topic, musical or otherwise. if people are super annoying and complaining about what you're playing or making vague and non-specific requests, tell them that the next deejay plays the kind of stuff they're into and he goes on in an hour.
also don't listen to tuomas; if you get to drink for free take advantage of that shit! its a bar, not a dance club, right?
― gr8080, Monday, 31 December 2007 09:59 (sixteen years ago) link
always play 'you make me feel mighty real' by sylvester.
― haitch, Monday, 31 December 2007 10:04 (sixteen years ago) link
haha yes! sylvester will not be MIA
― strgn, Monday, 31 December 2007 10:13 (sixteen years ago) link
yeah gr8080 i just need to check their set-up and make that work w/ what i have +++++ the flexibility axis. this place is definitely NOT a dance place. people are drinking, eyeing other men and occasionally playing pool. some nights the bar just plays an xm radio station. monday is 'oldies' night but god knows what that means (general '70s/'80s). if anything i need to educate myself on some mainstream (gay) shit from that era to keep the crowd alive. and i am NEVER one to turn down a free drink.
― strgn, Monday, 31 December 2007 10:20 (sixteen years ago) link
I didn't mean you should take any free drinks, just that you shouldn't get too drunk, if you want avoid errors. But if it's just a bar night I guess it doesn't really matter that much.
― Tuomas, Monday, 31 December 2007 10:32 (sixteen years ago) link
I think it's always good to know the general age of your audience, because people usually tend to love the music of their youth the most, so you'll know what songs will be guaranteed floorfillers. For example, I usually DJ in student parties where people are in their early twenties, and I've noticed I shouldn't play too many eighties and early nineties tunes, because those youngsters might not be familiar with them at all. One time I was playing "Informer" by Snow, and two girls actually came to ask me what song it is, they'd never heard it before.
― Tuomas, Monday, 31 December 2007 10:37 (sixteen years ago) link
x-post haha i'd like fuck you if you played informer.
nah it really does since i won't be familiar with the setup. but you know, i know my alcohol limit for basic motor/mental control etc. this is all riding on future knowledge at this point though so.....
thanks everyone for yore knowledge and responses. i really needed the feedback, if only to get my own juices going for the whole thing. do you ever have something stewing in the back of yr mind for way too long but you just don't have the guts to bring it into a frontal lobe until you mention it to other people? that's me on this thread. thanks bye
― strgn, Monday, 31 December 2007 10:40 (sixteen years ago) link
I had weekly DJ gig at a Irish pub in Sunnyvale for a couple of months but ended up quitting over some (admittedly) mild drama. The owner wanted Thursday to become a "Rockin' College Party Night" but we ran into a few problems:
1. The bar was totally dead almost every Thursday, not very rockin' 2. When remotely college-aged people showed up they wanted to hear hip-hop 3. Barflys would bitch and moan when I went off the classic rock playbook and tried to play something edgy like The Clash or Talking Heads.
All of this would have been much more tolerable if they ever gave me A DRINK TICKET OR TWO. I stuck it out for a couple months because the pay was decent, which is never a good reason to keep do something you otherwise love. But after some drama with being replaced without notice for a couple weeks by Ronnie the Karaoke DJ I decided to quit.
I've gone back to mobile DJing and private parties and am much, much happier.
anyway.. strongo break a legski!
― The Macallan 18 Year, Monday, 31 December 2007 20:37 (sixteen years ago) link
haha that's not strongo.
the best part of deejaying, even at a bar w/o a dancefloor, is connecting with the room and seeing where they're at with regard to what you're playing and how that influences your next selection.
this is great advice.
― sleeve, Monday, 31 December 2007 20:47 (sixteen years ago) link
strgn u know u better announce ur first gig we'll be there. i don't know shit about djing so carry on.
― tremendoid, Monday, 31 December 2007 20:58 (sixteen years ago) link
if you ever want to play vinyl, needles are essential, as not all clubs even have a house pair and you're expected to bring your own...and if they do have a house pair they're usually crap.
Depending on the quality of the dual CD players, you'll likely find it much easier to use than mixing with your ipod, though having the ipod as back-up won't hurt.
If you're going to burn a set of CDs, make 2 copies of each, that way you can mix from one song two another on the same comp.
Use a short fade or do a quick fade on the first song and fade in or even just start the second song from zero. For instance, when you're cueing the second CD you'll start getting used to finding the beat and even when not beatmixing, you can still make for a smoother transaction by starting on beat. You'll also find yourself getting really bored back there and you'll play around with beatmatching in your headphones because there's nothing else to do. That's how I learned to DJ at least.
― dan selzer, Monday, 31 December 2007 23:15 (sixteen years ago) link
ok that makes more sense now that i've finally checked out the two-cd deck. the guy who drops it there monday evening (6-9) is gonna school me on the decks next week (hopefully). and in any case i think i've got a night, or something. thanks everyone for the info and encouragement.
p.s. what sounds as good as "inspiration information" by shuggie otis?
― strgn, Tuesday, 8 January 2008 07:03 (sixteen years ago) link
eddie kendricks - 'date with the rain' y/n
― strgn, Tuesday, 8 January 2008 08:07 (sixteen years ago) link
definitely practice a bit beforehand. it's actually quite scary, even in a bar or something, suddenly being in control of the music that's playing. stuff like volume levels is actually really important too especially if you're using music that's come from bought cds and mp3s etc, just make sure you stay with the lights at the same level on the individual channels and use the gains to help you with this.
it can be sort of embarassing if you are not beatmatching and the track you mix in is way too loud (or way too quiet)
I wouldn't bother using the crossfader, just volumes up and down, it's more logical when you start off.
if you can practice on the soundsystem even for 45 mins or an hour beforehand that's pretty good too. I know it's a bar but some records sound much more manic and loud when you play them on a bigger system: you may have stuff you planned to play early on that is like this and you'll think "oops" when you play it.
if nobody is dancing, don't be afraid to make things more mellow rather than more intense.
― Ronan, Tuesday, 8 January 2008 10:27 (sixteen years ago) link
i had a recurring and cliched dream where the track is about to finish and for some reason you haven't and can't get the next one going.
― blueski, Tuesday, 8 January 2008 12:01 (sixteen years ago) link
we talk about that a lot on a DJ mailing list I'm on. I don't know if it's specifically anxiety about DJing, or just your mind using that as a way to express anxiety in general. I've been DJing for well over 10 years and in every situation possible, and while I still can get a little nervous, I'm pretty comfortable DJing, yet I'm constantly having these dreams where the song is about to end and I don't have my records with me or I have records but they're all the wrong ones or the equipment is working...
― dan selzer, Tuesday, 8 January 2008 13:46 (sixteen years ago) link
i have been teed up to play a party tonight. i'm not actually a dj and i'm out of practice!! is this going to be a disaster???
the party is a 'P'-themed party. i am going to fudge it with paradise garage-y records, ie: the disco and house in my collection
― eau de humanity (haitch), Saturday, 20 February 2010 03:40 (fourteen years ago) link
my first thought:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYTEQjwxXzU
― one time gaffled 'em up (one time), Saturday, 20 February 2010 03:56 (fourteen years ago) link
So, I'm thinking about buying a CDJ, as I don't intend to stop buying CD's, and as I have/buy a lot of straight up dance albums, which have many a track that it would be nice to be able to mix.
This all makes me nervous, though, since I've always been rubbed the wrong way by CDJ's, and I can't help feel it'll be an affront to my vinyl (I would really hate to start neglecting it as a neglect). Keep in mind I have no intention to, and don't really want to, use this to play burned CD's.
These aren't cheap, even on craigslist, so I have no idea if it'll be worth it?
― Where Time Becomes A Loop, Where Time Becomes Aloof (EDB), Tuesday, 20 July 2010 04:33 (thirteen years ago) link
must admit i've toyed with this idea in the past - and never followed it up due to a) not being a working DJ, b) the cost.
― the polka-dot jersey shore (haitch), Tuesday, 20 July 2010 05:10 (thirteen years ago) link
(party refernced upthread was excellent - tho i finished up lost in a k-hole somewhere - then i played another party a couple months later and it was terrible. never again.)
― the polka-dot jersey shore (haitch), Tuesday, 20 July 2010 05:11 (thirteen years ago) link
Hmmn. Well I might able to get a good pioneer one for as little as $400 on craigslist, but even still, $400 doesn't just come out of nowhere.
― Where Time Becomes A Loop, Where Time Becomes Aloof (EDB), Tuesday, 20 July 2010 12:55 (thirteen years ago) link
i guess if you already have enough cds with enough music unavailable to you on vinyl then it is definitely worth it
i think once you've made the leap though, it might be difficult to resist the temptation of buying mp3s and burning them to cd-r, and in that case you'd probably be better off with a copy of serato or whatever
― 不合作的方式 (r1o natsume), Tuesday, 20 July 2010 13:12 (thirteen years ago) link
Yeah, I'm kind of afraid of that, but I'm kind of weird in my resistance to burning mp3's (see: "lol teenage guilt over stealing music"), most notably in the fact that a week ago I deleted all the mp3's off my computer (backed up of course) to focus on listening to my acquired music more.
It seems like there's all sorts of pressures to move away from vinyl, and I hope this wouldn't be a push in the wrong direction (though having only one would prevent that).
― Where Time Becomes A Loop, Where Time Becomes Aloof (EDB), Tuesday, 20 July 2010 13:17 (thirteen years ago) link
This is exactly where I am at right now.
― my opinionation (Hamildan), Tuesday, 20 July 2010 14:50 (thirteen years ago) link
Hmmmn. I see a pioneer CDJ 800 mk1 for $400. The inadvertently nice thing about the mk1 is that it can't play Mp3's (I guess you have to convert tracks to wav's first), which would be an extra barrier against the potential temptation to play mp3's.
― Where Time Becomes A Loop, Where Time Becomes Aloof (EDB), Tuesday, 20 July 2010 18:11 (thirteen years ago) link
To those out there who DJ...do you enjoy having a sparring partner in the booth? Is it a hindrance?
― the Shearer of simulated snowsex etc. (Dwight Yorke), Friday, 10 May 2013 15:23 (ten years ago) link
depends on the person. mostly a hindrance imo. i only ever had one setup where i used to come back to dublin once a month and dj with a mate and we did 3 and 3 the first night and it went great so we continued doing that.
it's very hard to find someone whose music complements your own even if you think you have similar tastes, imo.
― ... (LocalGarda), Friday, 10 May 2013 15:46 (ten years ago) link
I love doing it, but it can be a frustrating if with the wrong person.
― Chewshabadoo, Friday, 10 May 2013 16:10 (ten years ago) link
so i think i'm gonna go full mobile dj in 2021. i know it's early and my hopes are probably high wrt vaccination but still feel like it's looking likely that "events" are back online within a year.
the only thing is i'm gonna have to get some kind of small business loan together for equipment, 5k or so. i can't stop thinking about it. has anyone in the us done this?
― fleet doxes (map), Friday, 20 November 2020 18:47 (three years ago) link
You mean, including a PA? Because a controller and a laptop are cheap if you're going that route.
― change display name (Jordan), Friday, 20 November 2020 19:01 (three years ago) link
yep, speakers.
― fleet doxes (map), Friday, 20 November 2020 19:07 (three years ago) link
and i want to switch from traktor to pioneer, get the xdj-rr or xdj-rx2. though i still haven't totally decided on that yet, it would be a lot cheaper to stick with traktor and upgrade to an s3 or s4. also it might be preferable to bring the laptop to gigs anyway for requests and such.
― fleet doxes (map), Friday, 20 November 2020 19:11 (three years ago) link
Ah ok. Last summer I DJed a friend's wedding a borrowed a PA from a lawyer, two Yamaha mains and a sub, and it worked out great. He offered to sell me the whole system + a Mackie powered mixer for $700, so he could upgrade to some Bose tower speakers. Idk, that's all I know about the PA part.
― change display name (Jordan), Friday, 20 November 2020 19:12 (three years ago) link
I have these powered PA speakers and love them, but you might need something a little bigger:
https://products.electrovoice.com/ap/en/zlx-12p/
― howls of non-specificity (sleeve), Friday, 20 November 2020 19:17 (three years ago) link
woah nice. i'm looking at new but it's probably smarter just to piece it out from classifieds. i don't really know how hard it is to get a loan for something like this, it's a side gig but i'm somewhat confident i could make it pay $200-$400 a month. sweetwater (i know they're trumpies yuck) sell this mobile dj rig that includes a nice scrim and carrying wagon + qsc mains and subs and pionner xdj-rx2 controller for 4.7k. i'm poor though so maybe i should get the bare minimum used (a sub and some speakers) and go from there.
the tower speaker thingies look nice, ev makes one (evolve 50) that gets very good reviews. i could probably get away with just one of those but it's 1.7k.
xp
love the evs sleeve, 12 is perfect actually
― fleet doxes (map), Friday, 20 November 2020 19:21 (three years ago) link
Yes the wagon is the most important part of the PA, this saved my back & my night:https://www.amazon.com/OnStage-UTC2200-On-Stage-Utility-Cart/dp/B01KQ0X3OS/ref=psdc_490895011_t2_B002TITK8O
― change display name (Jordan), Friday, 20 November 2020 19:25 (three years ago) link
nice!
― fleet doxes (map), Friday, 20 November 2020 19:28 (three years ago) link
same
― I painted my teeth (sleeve), Sunday, 3 March 2024 02:42 (three weeks ago) link
that sounds amazing. bocce! italo! glow in the dark!
― ɥɯ ︵ (°□°) (mh), Sunday, 3 March 2024 05:18 (three weeks ago) link
do post a tracklist when you do it
― frogbs, Sunday, 3 March 2024 05:19 (three weeks ago) link
:) :) :)
i didn't keep a tracklist, but off the top of my head and in addition to what i already mentioned i played:
- lots of the "big" italo tracks ("hypnotic tango", "take a chance", "dirty talk")- some deeper cuts (helicon - "you...see", angie care - "your mind", laura angel - "if you want")- "magic fly" (duh)- a couple petrus/malavasi joints ("the glow of love", peter jacques band - "going dancin' down the street")- the 1978 version of mina - "città vuota"- honorary italian amanda lear - "fabulous lover, love me"- closed out w/ this v sensual ballad:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AMpZGNx5EE
― donna rouge, Sunday, 3 March 2024 18:23 (three weeks ago) link
maybe i'm still riding on the high of last week's bocce gig but i had my regular happy hour gig last night and i feel like i played a really confident, technically smooth and fun set. i'm self-critical about my abilities to a fault but after my set i was like...idk maybe i'm halfway decent at this thing after all?
also re: this from my post about the italian club:
several people were like "we gotta get you on the dance floor at some point!"
this may actually be happening next month :)
― donna rouge, Friday, 8 March 2024 17:16 (three weeks ago) link
― bae (sic), Friday, 8 March 2024 18:01 (three weeks ago) link
I spent the night recording a two hour mix in my new spare room. I'm so excited to share it with you guys
― your mom goes to limgrave (dog latin), Saturday, 9 March 2024 03:59 (two weeks ago) link
I avoided this thread for years because I was always afraid it would turbocharge all the bad feelings I’ve felt about my dashed amateur dj aspirations, which never went beyond my bedroom. Having come to terms with that, I’ve really enjoyed reading this thread. It’s fun and inspiring to see people embracing meaningful opportunities to dj out and I appreciate everyone sharing these stories. Way to go ilx dj massive!
― ed.b, Saturday, 9 March 2024 14:50 (two weeks ago) link
Same
― bert newtown, Saturday, 9 March 2024 14:54 (two weeks ago) link
lol I was the same as you but just stumbled into an opportunity
I do this thing at a local bar where it's me and a couple of turntables, I bring a variety of stuff and encourage others to bring in their own records, then we make a DJ set out of it. it's all over the place but evey time I think I get a little better. it's something I've always kind of dreamed about but didn't think anyone would really be interested in. but I think there are lots of people who are really into an idea like that, you just need to find the place to make it happen.
― frogbs, Saturday, 9 March 2024 16:06 (two weeks ago) link
The manager of the pub I've been playing at monthly has gone on maternity leave and a new guy has come in to replace her. Suddenly I find my slot has disappeared from their promo calendar, so I emailed in. "Ah yeah, sorry we forgot to say we're itemising the entertainment at the Bell, so we'll be concentrating strictly on garage and drum machines bass going forward. Big apologies".
Well needless to say, I wasn't too pleased at the unceremoniously ghosting. Naturally, I understand they want to go for a more student-based market and it's not as though I was bringing hordes of people in every Thursday, but still, it would have been nice to have been told.
Last night I decided to commiserate, drink a few beers in my new little home studio room and put together a mix based on the kind of house/disco grooves we often used to play out there
https://on.soundcloud.com/DG3SY
― your mom goes to limgrave (dog latin), Saturday, 9 March 2024 16:18 (two weeks ago) link
frogbs, that's lovely. Very similar to the thing I was doing. I'd often get a friend or a fellow dj to guest with me, so it was a great way to improve and keep me on my toes
― your mom goes to limgrave (dog latin), Saturday, 9 March 2024 16:19 (two weeks ago) link
yeah it's fun when my friends show up, especially the music dorks who you know have always wanted to do something like this. you can just bring 'em behind the decks and tell them to pick something out. i love making it interactive like that, it's cool when people show up with obscure records because they always wind up being really cool. like obviously it's a risk telling people to bring their own jams but the people who do put more thought into this than I do
― frogbs, Saturday, 9 March 2024 16:26 (two weeks ago) link
I can relate dog latin. My thursday ghosted me too, in January. (The bar is currently closed lol.) After just taking a break from it all I’m currently knocking on new doors. A few vague possibilities. It was nice going back through old posts recently and remembering I’m a good dj. I don’t know if you need to hear this or not, but you are too.
― ꙮ (map), Saturday, 9 March 2024 16:48 (two weeks ago) link
Local coffee shop hired me to do a Saturday afternoon mellow set — looking forward to having a chance to play tracks that don’t sit well in the more upbeat sets I’ve been doing — like Wings’ “Arrow Through Me,” Air’s “Femme d’Argent,” Sun Araw’s cover of “December” by Teenage Fanclub, etc.
― It was on a accident (hardcore dilettante), Sunday, 10 March 2024 03:17 (two weeks ago) link
I would go to that
― your mom goes to limgrave (dog latin), Sunday, 10 March 2024 03:49 (two weeks ago) link