Any advice on becoming a DJ?
- Thread starter siccness-user
- Start date
1. play what the people want.
2. dont fucking trainwreck
3. play songs people never heard from people they have heard of
4. do any function,even the free ones (any party no matter the hood, football game, car wash, autograph session etc)
5. start listening/buying/spinning/mixing some electronic music..
helps to learn how to mix and you cant hide at all when your shit is off beat
2. dont fucking trainwreck
3. play songs people never heard from people they have heard of
4. do any function,even the free ones (any party no matter the hood, football game, car wash, autograph session etc)
5. start listening/buying/spinning/mixing some electronic music..
helps to learn how to mix and you cant hide at all when your shit is off beat
I TOTALLY agree except with the points 3 and 5
(3) Maybe the scene is different in San Diego than from here in The Bay, but out here it's almost impossible to "break" a new record in the club. Out here they're total sheep and playing a song they don't recognize regardless of the artist will 9 times out of 10 clear the floor lol....
(5) I don't know exactly what you mean by "electronic music" but I started and spinned for many years without having to play house or techno....Sure it's easier to match BPMs that way but in my opinion it's better to get good with a challenge. Newer hip-hop is basically techno anyway lol
But as to your point about DJing ANYTHING, I 100% agree...I used to laugh at cats who would have just gotten their turntables, had NO name for themselves and yet tried to charge cats $200 to spin at their event. A name is EVERYTHING in DJing so don't shoot yerself in the foot early in your career!
(3) Maybe the scene is different in San Diego than from here in The Bay, but out here it's almost impossible to "break" a new record in the club. Out here they're total sheep and playing a song they don't recognize regardless of the artist will 9 times out of 10 clear the floor lol....
(5) I don't know exactly what you mean by "electronic music" but I started and spinned for many years without having to play house or techno....Sure it's easier to match BPMs that way but in my opinion it's better to get good with a challenge. Newer hip-hop is basically techno anyway lol
But as to your point about DJing ANYTHING, I 100% agree...I used to laugh at cats who would have just gotten their turntables, had NO name for themselves and yet tried to charge cats $200 to spin at their event. A name is EVERYTHING in DJing so don't shoot yerself in the foot early in your career!
dope reply...
on issue 3. ive realized out here niggas wanna hear new music, they really do.. it just cant be bad. theres so much music that people dont get to hear, especially with the recent death of the mixtape. the south and bay area shit always fillin up my playlists and sets so i try to break some new shit from west coast favorites so i can avoid having to play all that west coast shit weve heard over and over again circa 1995-1998.
on issue 5. i found that electronic music is way more unforgiving when you trying to do the whole seamless mix thing. you hear the cymbals clash immediately. hip hop you have way more room to be offbeat cuz you can keep it up manually usually within one rotation without having your whole shit thrown off into a bad trainwreck..but i guess thas jus cuz its slower bpm.
word that superstar dj shit. i remember when the raves were still poppin these local dj's were expecting wild shit like hotel rooms and 20 people on their list just because paul oakenfold was pullin down $200,000 a night.
on issue 3. ive realized out here niggas wanna hear new music, they really do.. it just cant be bad. theres so much music that people dont get to hear, especially with the recent death of the mixtape. the south and bay area shit always fillin up my playlists and sets so i try to break some new shit from west coast favorites so i can avoid having to play all that west coast shit weve heard over and over again circa 1995-1998.
on issue 5. i found that electronic music is way more unforgiving when you trying to do the whole seamless mix thing. you hear the cymbals clash immediately. hip hop you have way more room to be offbeat cuz you can keep it up manually usually within one rotation without having your whole shit thrown off into a bad trainwreck..but i guess thas jus cuz its slower bpm.
word that superstar dj shit. i remember when the raves were still poppin these local dj's were expecting wild shit like hotel rooms and 20 people on their list just because paul oakenfold was pullin down $200,000 a night.
lol damn.. I thought it was just me. foreal tho, it's hella hard to play new music. I got lucky a few times tho, with crowds that were open to new music.
synical, I really think its "on the radio" or not. I think it might be that simple. I played "All Over Me" before it was gettin real big, and "That Go," and even more mainstream national shit before it got big, and they werent feelin it. Also I hate to admit it, but I was also playin Soulja Boy before he got big lol.. (not the Crank Dat song). That was only once or twice though. I do mostly school dances, so there's even more of the sheep mentality.
People in general are open to new music. I put people on to a lotta new music, or even old. But people like very different types of music. When it comes down to a packed dance floor, people wanna hear what everyone knows. I know it's always been like that, but it's just even harder to break new music.
synical, I really think its "on the radio" or not. I think it might be that simple. I played "All Over Me" before it was gettin real big, and "That Go," and even more mainstream national shit before it got big, and they werent feelin it. Also I hate to admit it, but I was also playin Soulja Boy before he got big lol.. (not the Crank Dat song). That was only once or twice though. I do mostly school dances, so there's even more of the sheep mentality.
People in general are open to new music. I put people on to a lotta new music, or even old. But people like very different types of music. When it comes down to a packed dance floor, people wanna hear what everyone knows. I know it's always been like that, but it's just even harder to break new music.
see out here in sd, when people go to a party they want to dance.
so they are kinda easy going on new music as long as it aint fuckin up the flow..
i play a gang of shit from the south when i play out and i doubt niggas ever heard any of that shit.. but the floor still be jumpin..the trick is to not play the entire song so they cant get bored with it, and then i usually follow up a new track with somthin more known but still in the same vein as the previous track. but yeah.. i hear you both on clearin the dance floor. that shit is like a punch in the gut.
so they are kinda easy going on new music as long as it aint fuckin up the flow..
i play a gang of shit from the south when i play out and i doubt niggas ever heard any of that shit.. but the floor still be jumpin..the trick is to not play the entire song so they cant get bored with it, and then i usually follow up a new track with somthin more known but still in the same vein as the previous track. but yeah.. i hear you both on clearin the dance floor. that shit is like a punch in the gut.
100% true. However you will get the occasional asshole that will diss you for playing only the popular shit that people know. But I'd much rather get dissed by 1-2 dudes a night for keeping the dance floor packed with popular music instead of being booed by the whole fucking crowd trying to break a record so I can get props from that one guy.
Remember you will come across haters at almost every gig you play. Just deal with them in a professional and nice manner and don't get all personal with them. If you let them get to you, then you lose, and dj'ing will be way less fun. I just usually explain to people that I would never choose to listen to most of the music I play while spinning. It's just what the majority wants. Or I make up some bullshit like "the owner won't let us play shit like that and he signs my checks so i gotta respect that." If they still act like assholes just get a bouncer to move them the fuck away from your booth lol.
Remember you will come across haters at almost every gig you play. Just deal with them in a professional and nice manner and don't get all personal with them. If you let them get to you, then you lose, and dj'ing will be way less fun. I just usually explain to people that I would never choose to listen to most of the music I play while spinning. It's just what the majority wants. Or I make up some bullshit like "the owner won't let us play shit like that and he signs my checks so i gotta respect that." If they still act like assholes just get a bouncer to move them the fuck away from your booth lol.