how the hell to get sets in clubs?

[JamesWarren]

Originally Posted by Darren Afrika-ka-ka

i have noticed with Ableton mixing djs recently that when they mix it just drops in the mix like boom & perfectly, to perfect...ie when i heard Pete Smalls at Zubar the other day...great tunes and choice but it looked real easy and not as fun as actually trying to make the mix in whatever state our minds are in..he he, i suppose i am still part of the real old skool..

Ahhhh yes! The auto-mix feature. :weaksauce:

[Darren Afrika-ka-ka]

Originally Posted by JamesWarren

Ahhhh yes! The auto-mix feature. :weaksauce:

james imagine us doing it on ableton last weekend, we prob would have wiped or deleted our stuff by mistake... well i would have, i suppose i cant speak for you Mr Vodka man

[JamesWarren]

Originally Posted by Darren Afrika-ka-ka

james imagine us doing it on ableton last weekend, we prob would have wiped or deleted our stuff by mistake... well i would have, i suppose i cant speak for you Mr Vodka man

Hahaha! That's funny. Ableton is a badass program, but I would want Sasha's midi controller if I had it. That shit is off the hook!

[Darren Afrika-ka-ka]

Originally Posted by JamesWarren

Hahaha! That's funny. Ableton is a badass program, but I would want Sasha's midi controller if I had it. That shit is off the hook!

true he's like a wizard with it

[MattM]

Originally Posted by PolluxRockStar

listen to it in your car


and don't pursue anything

save your self years of time and money to do better things with your life : )

This is probably the best advice I've read in this thread. DJ's are, and have been, a dime a dozen for a long time. There a lot of people who can and do mix at a very high level, and yet they are relugated to their bedrooms. Why? Because of oversaturation. And because thousands of bedroom dj's can mix at a high level. But most will be relageted to local bar background music at best.

There was a time where you could have gotten into club music and made it big. But that time has long passed. The days of the superstar DJ are long over.

Arguably the time will soon come when DJ's are totally phased out, and clubs play music strictly off a computer system that matches beats, keys, styles, etc. I personally don't think that time is that far off myself.

But, if you must, then there's some pretty good advice in this thread. At the same time, don't be that guy hanging around just to get gigs. People see right through that shit. Promoters, and suprisingly, even the general public sees right through it. Just be straight up about your business. Tell them you're an aspiring DJ and want gigs for experience, and give them a demo, and let that be that. You don't have to hang around the place for years and then suddenly reveal you're a DJ. Just be yourself..

What they said about your mobile experience is true. You've got a leg up there to be a working DJ if you want to make it and earn money. You probably already know that the *BIG* and catchy songs are the ones that draw people out on to the floor. And doing those gigs you probably know too that John Q Public doesn't care much about beatmatching. Some floors do care about beatmatching, but the crowds you will be playing too largely wont. Don't sweat it. You will probably never play to the type of large crowd that cares about beatmatching much. That day is long gone..Anyways, just my 2 cents, good luck..

ps, get into producing if you're really passionate about it..that's were it's really at..

[NeedleSharp]

Originally Posted by MattM

Arguably the time will soon come when DJ's are totally phased out, and clubs play music strictly off a computer system that matches beats, keys, styles, etc. I personally don't think that time is that far off myself..

A case of beer says a program like that will become mainstream in 5 years... As appealing that is, a computer can not read a crowd and can not make new mixes to songs etc... and a computer that can is WAY down the road and im not afraid of that.

Originally Posted by MattM

You will probably never play to the type of large crowd that cares about beatmatching much. That day is long gone..Anyways, just my 2 cents, good luck..

if you have any rhythm at all you have to somewhat care about beatmatching... i remember at my senior prom the dj was just a regular mobile dj. played the song from start to finish with no regard to tempo... i was dancing with my super hot date and there was nothing worse than
1. the last minute of the song because i was bored and
2. getting back into the groove every 4 minutes when a new song started.

my best friend (whitest, most non-rhytmatic dude you'll ever meet) is always listening to my mixed CDs or helping me lug around my gear at large gigs and at our prom he told me "man this DJ sucks... he needs to learn how to change songs more..."

one thing ive noticed is most reputable top 40 clubs (cirque, purgatory, uropa) have DJs that can mix. They might be 8 bar mixes and a few sloppy ones here a there but they can mix. i can dance all night with it and i appreciate that a lot.

Originally Posted by MattM

ps, get into producing if you're really passionate about it..that's were it's really at..

i have been getting into some remixing and what not with top 40 stuff. nothing crazy mostly just some mash-ups and adding intros and outros with some party samples and stuff.

i honestly dont think im creative enough to do anything with EDM... kind of a totally different spectrum. maybe when i get more into playing i will grow some bawls...

[NeedleSharp]

Originally Posted by Darren Afrika-ka-ka

true he's like a wizard with it

shit is ridiculous... so many knobs!!!

[Jello]

give me a dance demo...mid-set maybe, depending on what style you play.._______..give me a hip-hop set...opening or closing set....but I throw older styled parties, not really club oriented, but we do have beer & stuff....

[Jello]

Originally Posted by MattM

don't be that guy hanging around just to get gigs. People see right through that shit.

nicely put

[Roos]

I love all the positive remarks and advice some of you have. And it seems a lot of it is coming from people who weren't / aren't able to make a living DJing. Yes, that's sarcasm.

Just be a go-getter. If you are in it for the love of it, then you can succeed.

[JamesWarren]

Originally Posted by Roos

Just be a go-getter. If you are in it for the love of it, then you can succeed.

Listen to this man. He knows what he's talking about.

[NeedleSharp]

Originally Posted by Jello

give me a dance demo...mid-set maybe, depending on what style you play.._______..give me a hip-hop set...opening or closing set....but I throw older styled parties, not really club oriented, but we do have beer & stuff....

not sure if you are just saying thats what you want in general or if you want me to actually send them to you... so ill send them! lol

i have 2 live mixes and an ableton mix already posted on here but i'll go ahead and pm the links to you

[ONE FM]

Originally Posted by Jello

nicely put

lol @ "see right through that"


I dont think it's wrong to hang around alot in hopes of getting a gig... As long as the person isnt constantly badgering..

[Roos]

Originally Posted by NeedleSharp

not sure if you are just saying thats what you want in general or if you want me to actually send them to you... so ill send them! lol

i have 2 live mixes and an ableton mix already posted on here but i'll go ahead and pm the links to you

yeah. Get Jello some mixes. He does lots of parties. Start playing some of those and other DJs and promoters will hear you and before you know it you will start getting some gigs.

Another factor is pay. If you are doing parties, then you will probably have to play for free every so often. While some people may tell you you should never play for free and that if you do you are only hurting yourself and other DJs in town, I think that's bullshit. You have to pay some dues to get the regular paying gigs and get your name out there. The people who say this are usually people who don't play regularly or are only playing one type of music for a certain crowd. Doing a few gigs for free is only to your advantage because it helps get you some exposure. If the promoter appreciates you, they will usually throw you some cash or take care of you in one way or another.

Another thing you might want to do is go hit up a few bars on Lower Greenville. Since you have the ability to play more on the mainstream edge, you have an advantage that a lot of genre-specific DJs don't have. Those places down there pull mainstream crowds and could get you gigs pretty easily. Go up there and ask to speak to the bar managers. Tell them you are a local DJ who can play a variety of genres for a crowd. Always speak in the positive and talk yourself up, without sounding overly egotistic. Be realistic, but sell yourself. A lot of places would rather have someone who is young and new and can meld to their clientele's needs as opposed to a DJ who is stuck in his ways and not willing to bend a little bit for the crowd. As far as pay at those places, a standard 4-5 hour pay rate for the bars is $150. Since you are new, you can't be picky. So if someone offers you $100 you should take it, but tell them you would like to discuss an increase after 4 weeks or so when you have shown them you can provide them with what they are looking for. If they want you to bring your own gear, then don't do it for less than $150 ($100 fee and $50 'equipment rental'). If they offer you a percentage of the bar as opposed to a flat rate, ask them what their average sales are on the night they want you to play and figure out if it's worth the time. Like I said, money should not be your first concern if you are doing it for the love of DJing. However, you don't want to be taken advantage of by anyone either.

[zymote]

Originally Posted by NeedleSharp

as much as i honestly appreciate the great advice in your post and understand the live mix thing, i do have to slightly disagree.

if i have gotten anything from playing for little brat ass kids for nearly 7 years it is that programming is 70% of the show and mixing/tricks are 30% . i spent a good amount of time in choosing those tracks (second mix ever made in ableton) and i think it just forces you to look more into the track selection than the mixing.

with that said, mixing really isnt a problem to me at all... i do quick mixes with rap all the time with about 5 seconds to cue the song up before the mix and still not a problem with beat matching. i will make sure to continue to use only live mixes though if its that important.

thanks!

I see where you're coming from about the Ableton thing. However, coming from somebody who hears a lot of demos, I give the live mixes way more credibility. In the end, if it's down to two DJ's for the opening slot, neither one of which I know much about, the rockin live demo will get the gig every time, not the one that's obviously thrown together on somebody's laptop. I want to hear some dodgy mixes, and see how you get out of them. Common mistakes that you handle well speak in your favor.

Besides, that Ableton shit is boring - I want to know there's a human behind the decks. What was that Boy George quote about "at least they know you're there?"