Gig Report - How a unexpected gig saved my DJ'ing love.
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  1. #1
    Tech Wizard
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    Default Gig Report - How a unexpected gig saved my DJ'ing love.

    Hey guys,

    It's been a long time since I posted something nice in here. So expect lot of engrish (sic) errors.
    A lot of thing hapenning in my life:

    - Getting married next year;
    - Lots of work trips;
    - Thoughts of moving to Canada (if you can give me some tips about this, please, PM me (: )
    - Some health problems;


    And a few psychologic and financial factors influenced me negatively. I was about to quit DJ'ing.
    Why? There is a lot of DJ's around here that are assholes and get a lot of gigs. Some new friends that are starting are getting booked. And I'm stalled.
    I couldn't see why. Maybe you can see the problem? I was at a pedestal, untouchable, seeing myself as THE PERFECT DJ. And now I see that I was just being an idiot.
    It happens, and I'm not even that old to be grumpy (25 yr old). But I was far from humble.
    Well, it changed.

    About a month ago a friend of a promoter (that helped me get a few gigs) contacted me about a semi-private party. It was a party for designers, marketing people and so on... I never played for that public before. She says that I only have to play what a alternative club here plays...

    I've never been there.

    "Well, no problem, I can do this."

    I accepted it. I've been on some underground clubs (Techno and Deep, FYI) but not alternative clubs, frequented by LGBT people. A lot of friends of mine went to the club but I never want to step inside. Why? A lot of my ex's go there...

    I knew what played there: trash music - axé, brazilian funk, brand jingles and so on, rock and alternative rock bands.

    When I was started to research the music that I was supposed to play I got really nervous. I couldn't mix anything. Nothing good came out on the first day.

    "I'll try tomorrow."

    Next day I tried and dumped my playlist. I decided that I was going to play only the songs that I like. In the genres, but only the songs that I liked. And the mix started to raise.
    I ordered the X1 Mk2 to help me (the iPad is getting on my nerves...) and its ease of use is amazing. I was rocking on the day prior to the party.

    So, friday came. I pack my stuff, arrive at the party early. Saw the 1st DJ. He's playing nu disco stuff. Pretty solid. A few hiccups here and there but it was ok, solid mix. Then a soul band started playing.

    Wow, I wasn't expecting it. At this point I already had a few shots of vodka. Really enjoying the band and so on. When the singer says that they were going to play the last songs. I rushed to the backstage, finished a edit on ableton, start up traktor, switch traktor to mono, put up my HDJ-2000 and entered the stage.

    The DJ rack couldn't get closer to the center of the stage, but no problem. Placed my Z1, X1 and my Spectra up, plugged everything in and started playing.

    I played mainly R&B, Hip-Hop and Funk. Everyone was dancing. I was amazed. I never felt so good playing. I could do what I wanted with the crowd. I could make them twerk, stop, sing, jump... Anything.

    Lil Jon came. They danced.
    Katy Perry came. They danced.
    Foo Fighters came. They danced.
    RATM came. They danced.
    Vengaboys came. They danced.

    I was amazed for such ease of play. I forgot about complex switches from song to song, I was just throwing beat after beat. It started with about 300 people, it ended with 20 people. I was the last DJ, but I didn't care. I had the best gig ever.

    Then I learnt a big lesson last friday: Play your shit for the people, and not for yourself. Do not play their songs for yourself, it doesn't work this way.

    My goal of playing only a niche thing went over the window that night. I'll play only what I enjoy, I'll play only beats that my body responds.

    Fuck genres, fuck arrogant self-entitled people that only dance to this song and that DJ.

    tl;dr - DJ who hated playing anything else but NuDisco played anything but NuDisco for a different crowd and had the time of his life. Fuck genres,blablabla

  2. #2
    Tech Mentor MockusD's Avatar
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    No matter how it goes in life, I will play ONLY to what I want to hear and what I think is right... And what you played there, as looking to what they danced to, is pretty shit songs, why not just put on radio which will do same thing, and every other club play same shit... I rather DJ at my bedroom than being told to what I HAVE to play not to what I think is right... off to better selling all my gear than having Katy Perry in my tracklists... Couldn't live with meself

  3. #3
    Tech Wizard
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    Quote Originally Posted by MockusD View Post
    No matter how it goes in life, I will play ONLY to what I want to hear and what I think is right... And what you played there, as looking to what they danced to, is pretty shit songs, why not just put on radio which will do same thing, and every other club play same shit... I rather DJ at my bedroom than being told to what I HAVE to play not to what I think is right... off to better selling all my gear than having Katy Perry in my tracklists... Couldn't live with meself
    That's what I was thinking. And I was unhappy with myself, and getting no gigs. I really had a blast doing some mashups live (2 or 3, can't remember) with Snoop Dogg and Arctic Monkeys.

  4. #4
    Tech Mentor robbyluca's Avatar
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    I have a different experience with the "genre" topic.

    My first ever gig was a private hall Christmas party for a company. I went there thinking I'll be playing music I appreciate, like "dance" music since it was a young crowd, mostly people 18-25, but their were older people 30+ that were managers and whatever. Obviously as a DJ you have to be prepared and have many types of music, so I was. So I start the night with some chill music for supper and everything, then it was time to dance and I put dance music, but all the kids were either outside the hall smoking and hanging out, I guess, or at the bar drinking, and no one was dancing... FML! ...so I decided to throw in some 80s-90s music (which I hate, I can't stand it lol) and all of a sudden, the older crowd goes on the dance floor and starts dancing. So I ended up playing mostly old or top 40 cheesy music and they absolutely loved it. Because they loved it, I loved it too.

    They didn't come there for me, so why should I play what I want. They want to dance and that's my job to provide them music that wants to make them dance, so I think you should have an open mind.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by robbyluca View Post
    They didn't come there for me, so why should I play what I want. They want to dance and that's my job to provide them music that wants to make them dance, so I think you should have an open mind.
    this!

  6. #6
    Tech Wizard
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    Quote Originally Posted by robbyluca View Post
    They didn't come there for me, so why should I play what I want. They want to dance and that's my job to provide them music that wants to make them dance, so I think you should have an open mind.
    Yeah, pretty much this.

    But there was always an internal conflict in my mind about it. Most of gigs I was always unhappy with the result and so on... It's gone now. Nothing like a good weekend!

  7. #7
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    Depends what kind of gigs you play, there's no way I'd anything I didn't like.

    I'm pretty open to the kind of music I listen to, and wanting to only play music you like isn't being closed minded. It's about playing what you want people to know you for.

    DJing for me, is about education, I don't go to a club to hear a load of stuff I've heard a million times, I go to hear new shit that I haven't heard before. And it's the same when I DJ myself.
    Technics 1210 MK2 x 2 / A&H Xone:22 / Shure M35S / Urbanears Zinken / Mukatsuku Record Weights x 2 / Vinyl
    iMac / Ableton Live 8 / Reason / Akai EIE Pro / Adam A5x / Boss BX 800 / Soundcraft EPM6 / MFB 522 / Korg Monotribe / Maschine Mikro MK1 / NI Kontrol X1 MK1 / Akai APC 20 / Novation Remote 25sl Compact

  8. #8
    Tech Guru 031999's Avatar
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    no matter how my gig goes.... I always have one "Eject" song that is things get rough i put it on, and bring the croud back. And that song is "Jump Around" by House of Pain. That song has saved my ass on a few nights. I'm not saying that you have to play pop and top 40, but i use that song to get everybody back in the groove, and then i can go from there and feel the crowd out.

  9. #9
    Tech Mentor robbyluca's Avatar
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    I obviously don't play songs I don't like. But I'm talking about genres. I hate rap, but I still have that music because depends the event I might need it. I only have rap songs that I like, even though I don't really like the genre as a whole. I agree with playing stuff you only like, but I'm not sure if you mean you only play what you like, for example 1 specific genre (dubstep only!), or all songs in general.

    Quote Originally Posted by amadeus View Post
    It's about playing what you want people to know you for.
    When I started Club gigs, that was my mentality, and I still agree to it at a certain extent. In the end, depends on the crowds reaction to my music. My favorite moments are usually when I drop new tracks that aren't mainstream enough for clubs or most people don't know about it and people still dance to it.

  10. #10
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    I produce house, so I play house and most variants, so deep, tech, acid, I play techno and all sorts. But no I don't cater for all crowds, but then I wouldn't play somewhere that I would need to, like I said depends on the gigs your playing.

    I wouldn't want to play in a mainstream club, that isn't my ambition, I like underground clubs where the crowds are more open to new music, and don't want to hear top 40 bollocks.

    The moments I enjoy are when your playing something no ones probably heard before and they're asking you what it is, and it's some obscure track off the b side of a record that you love. Now that to me is what makes djing.
    Technics 1210 MK2 x 2 / A&H Xone:22 / Shure M35S / Urbanears Zinken / Mukatsuku Record Weights x 2 / Vinyl
    iMac / Ableton Live 8 / Reason / Akai EIE Pro / Adam A5x / Boss BX 800 / Soundcraft EPM6 / MFB 522 / Korg Monotribe / Maschine Mikro MK1 / NI Kontrol X1 MK1 / Akai APC 20 / Novation Remote 25sl Compact

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