I don't care what anyone says, mobile DJ'ing is MUCH harder than any Club/Bar DJ'ing!

[LanceBlaise]

Must have been a pretty "scene" club (weekend millionaires) for no-one to care what was played so long as it was house. I've worked in some EDM clubs where international house veterans have been kindly told to let the resident take over after an hour because they mixed a rough set or were playing too safe with "club classics" or "their big hits" instead of the cutting edge stuff that the regulars were used to.

However, I don't envy mobile DJ's - it takes alot of patience and alot of mouth to pull off a really good mobile gig and being well paid is part and parcel and deserved. Same goes for Wedding Bands.

Is it more difficult ? - IMHO, no, not if you are doing it right (and in the right places), its just .... completely different ballgame altogether. Most mobile DJ's I know and have known would not last 10 seconds in a decent house club.

I don't under any circumstances envy having to try to cater for everyone at a wedding or birthday rather than trying to cater for people "into" what I play though - some people are just good at it (and I've done it once or twice and never again).

+1

[sobi]

My experience in the Techno scene doesn't match up with yours. Sure, there were people on drugs who didn't care what you played, but there were also large numbers of people with encyclopedic knowledge of techno music who will be able to point out mistakes you didn't even know you made. When you play techno in Detroit you better be on point because people have a kind of reverence for the music.

Agreed... I've had those straight hard party kids, and the music snobs too, and by far, it's stressful playing for the latter. You really have to be on point when playing to an educated crowd. That being said, in my experience, it's still always a fun time, and not on the same level as what you have to do/go through when doing a mobile gig.

[sobi]

One of the main differences I see in the underground club DJ vs Mobile DJ is the punters are more passionate about what the entire nights atmosphere is about from start to finish with songs that people don't know in advance, which takes alot of skill to pull off. Rather than "the DJ didn't play my one song I requested at a wedding".

This comment screams of inexperience in dealing with brides. Not a bad thing, but just saying... Wedding DJ's have shifted responsibilities over to event coordinators too. Basically, a good wedding DJ now is in charge of "the entire nights atmosphere". With lighting, MCing, and coordinating events throughout the evening, the wedding DJ's responsibilities have grown a lot over the years. There's a reason guys make several thousand a night now doing wedding events now.

[tokenasianguy]

By that I mean by someone who, yes will/can mixes (at least) 2 songs together, but also programs and mixes them up a set in an artistic manner that can not only enhance but create an atmosphere and reactions by a crowd in the manner they (the dj) desires rather than gaining a reaction by chucking next biggest tune and mixing it back-2-back with the next biggest tune. John Digweed, Roger Sanchez, Frankie Knuckles, Sasha, Chemical Bros (DJ sets) as some examples.

A lot of people on here won't agree with my comments on this but to me, "programming music" is nothing more than a glorified mix-tape. It's something non-DJ's have been doing since they were 12. You take a bunch of songs that mean something to you, and arrange it in a way that you think will tell a story. Virtually everyone in this world has made a mixtape. The actual mixing of two songs takes more skill than pressing play/record on a tapedeck, but I still don't think it's that hard, and I don't really think music programming or mixing two songs together qualifies someone as being an "artist"...Or rather, if all a DJ does is "program" and mix two songs, they fall low on the hierarchy of "artistry" compared to turntablists that program, mix, scratch, beat juggle, sample etc, and then some. Even cue point juggling takes a lot more skill than just straight mixing. Music programming and straight mixing are the most basic, rudimentary skills in the DJ world. So really, on a hierarchy of skill, a guy that has two ipods connected to a mixer and plays a live version of his mixtape is just below a DJ that actually mixes (but only mixes), and a turntablist is just above a guy who only mixes two tracks together.

Don't get me wrong, I love the aforementioned DJ's, and Sasha's Involver album is one that resonated with me BIG TIME in really taking me on a journey from beginning to end...But I don't think that it's anything extraordinary, and I don't think it's what qualifies someone in being an "artist". We've all (most of us on this forum) done the same thing in creating our mix sets, so are we all artists? Perhaps in some form...But I would never refer to myself as such because it seems extremely superfluous.

[tokenasianguy]

that's what techno is all about.

LOL.

That and standing around, not dancing and complaining about everything that's wrong with a set...At least that's what it's like here.

[tokenasianguy]

This comment screams of inexperience in dealing with brides. Not a bad thing, but just saying... Wedding DJ's have shifted responsibilities over to event coordinators too. Basically, a good wedding DJ now is in charge of "the entire nights atmosphere". With lighting, MCing, and coordinating events throughout the evening, the wedding DJ's responsibilities have grown a lot over the years. There's a reason guys make several thousand a night now doing wedding events now.

Several thousand?!?!

Teach me how...

You're right though, I've had to give my recommendations to a bunch of people on how to put the night together, or why they shouldn't depend on a venues PA system (because they're a constantly letdown unless they have a proper system with an in-house technician). It's the key difference between the client (someone who is only doing this one) and the vendor (someone who has done this dozens of times).

[squidot]

So really, on a hierarchy of skill, a guy that has two ipods connected to a mixer and plays a live version of his mixtape is just below a DJ that actually mixes (but only mixes), and a turntablist is just above a guy who only mixes two tracks together.

i think there are various levels of skill and artistry in everything that can be created. i see it similar to cooking. i can go home and cook a bunch of stuff by following a recipe and would never consider it art, however there are creative chefs that are pushing the boundaries making edible art that is amazing on many levels and i think djing is the same. i also wouldn't call myself an artist as a dj because i think it sounds a bit pretentious, but i still believe that it is an art form which can vary between basic and very creative.

the one point i really disagree with you on is the hierarchy of skill you say a turntablist has. i think that more credit should be given to good turntablists and i believe that it is just as hard as learning to play an instrument well. in fact i would go as far as saying it's more difficult than learning how to play the bass.

Don't get me wrong, I love the aforementioned DJ's, and Sasha's Involver album is one that resonated with me BIG TIME in really taking me on a journey from beginning to end...But I don't think that it's anything extraordinary, and I don't think it's what qualifies someone in being an "artist". We've all (most of us on this forum) done the same thing in creating our mix sets, so are we all artists?

as far as sasha's involver album i think you should reconsider it not qualifying as art because he remixed every single track on that album. just sayin'. i don't think many, if any people on this forum have done a set comprised of entirely their own remixes.

[sobi]

Several thousand?!?!

Teach me how...

starting with what you see below, and then add on...

[rotebass]

starting with what you see below, and then add on...

Classy I have a colleague who's entire business is based around design work like this. Around valentines day he uploaded a picture of a heart shaped box truss system, I certainly understand why these people make the money they do.

[tokenasianguy]

i think there are various levels of skill and artistry in everything that can be created. i see it similar to cooking. i can go home and cook a bunch of stuff by following a recipe and would never consider it art, however there are creative chefs that are pushing the boundaries making edible art that is amazing on many levels and i think djing is the same. i also wouldn't call myself an artist as a dj because i think it sounds a bit pretentious, but i still believe that it is an art form which can vary between basic and very creative.

the one point i really disagree with you on is the hierarchy of skill you say a turntablist has. i think that more credit should be given to good turntablists and i believe that it is just as hard as learning to play an instrument well. in fact i would go as far as saying it's more difficult than learning how to play the bass.

I couldn't agree more. I've also realized that it's possible that people experience a totally different degree of difficulty from instrument to instrument, including turntables.

I know a guy that is a semi-professional drummer, but he tried DJ'ing for years and all I heard was one long trainwreck. I've also DJ'd at a friend's place, where he uses CDJ's, and I haven't used CDJ's in years, and haven't even beat-matched since I started using Traktor years ago, but I basically schooled him with his own tracks that I've never heard.

Perhaps I don't give myself the credit I deserve, because I think DJ'ing and track selection come easy for me, because at the same time, I don't think I could play the drums to save my life. I'm not stroking my own ego, but I've received praise on my track selection and programming, even if it's just an iPod playlist put on shuffle. I've often considered the fact that I have a "gift" in being able to recognize an awesome track more consistently than some people. But it still seems to me, that anyone with a vision can program tracks, and who among us doesn't have a vision?

I can definitely understand that no matter how simple I think it is, some people might not even possess the ability to just mix two tracks together or program a good set. I know when I started to DJ, I had no help whatsoever and it took me months before I could even mix two tracks seamlessly.

as far as sasha's involver album i think you should reconsider it not qualifying as art because he remixed every single track on that album. just sayin'. i don't think many, if any people on this forum have done a set comprised of entirely their own remixes.

But is that not an art in itself? I was thinking after my last post that "art" is something that was created by you as your own artistic interpretation, and I guess mixing two songs together fits that description. But on a whole I still find "DJ'ing" or "mixing two tracks" fairly ambiguous as far as "art" is concerned. I guess whether or not "mixing" and "track selection" are considered an art, will always be open to interpretation because it's not quantifiable by any definitive terms. But I guess that's no different from trying to define the legitimacy of any "art".