Djing and Age -too old?

[jakeintox]

I'm 32, have a 4 year old daughter, and am divorced. My job (other than DJing) is event production, so I keep party hours for a living. This has made things easier for me, because I have my days free to spend with my little one. One thing that helped me was keeping the computer running and adjusting to grabbing a few minutes of work at a time, as opposed to several hours at a time. Be prepared to give up all your sleep.

In the end, it was to lack of steady $ that wrecked my marriage, so you've got a leg up with the full time job. Just remember to save some time for you and your woman and she'll forgive you a few dj gigs a month.

[VanGogo]

Thought I would chime in also, I'm 45.

Used to be a musician (in another life , many years ago), decided to give DJ'n a go last year. To make time for my new hobby, I quit my old one (on-line poker, which also paid for my S4 ). I usually only practice/work on DJ stuff, when the kid and wife are other wise occupied, asleep, or out. So i feel ya on the limited time.

After a year, I'm still a long way away from where I want to be. Lot's of time spent learning mapping, sorting, gridding, reading manual, and traktor bible, etc. also take away from the practice time, but are neccessary. So I can sympathize here also. I try to spend at least an hour a day on DJ'n, but feel like I could use 8.

Another advantage to being an old guy is I know more bar owners now and not neccessarily from being a patron of their establishment. Business contacts, social gatherings, etc. So when I feel I'm ready to try a gig,(maybe by end of this year) I'm fairly sure I could get an odd Wednesday or Thursday night to play from one of them.

I feel like I should have said "Hi, my name is VanGogo, and I'm an over 30 DJ" at the start of my post.

[shadesof]

33
Baby on the way, working in a full continuous regime. Different hours each week, nightshifts, early shifts .... So not the most handy job for a regulated social life.
But I manage to do so, and spent time with my gf, but the evenings mostly get spent with a few hours with her, and then 2 hours or so on music/dj'ing.
I've never really had a spot anywhere in a club, just know some better known dj's over here, and follow them around. I could promote myself more, but mostly I think my time to promote has past, because of the age issue. Might be between the ears ... but still it is what it is.

[Sherlock Ohms]

One way of having an 'outlet' beyond gigs is online radio. The one I play on was set up by a bunch of older guys married with kids, who didn't get the time to gig as often as they'd like, but still wanted an excuse to keep spanking the crates and digging for tnues - it also means we have a shit hot set of DJs with a massively eclectic taste, so that when we do run the odd one off night we tend to tear the arse out of the place ...

I'm amongst the younger ones on Purple Radio ...

[SAFC2403]

good to know theres some oldies on here. Im nearly 31 but have been into dance music since I was about 14 and been DJing since I was about 18. Over the last 3-4 years DJing has taken a back seat due to work commitments, getting married etc. No kids (yet!).

Have barely touched the decks over the last 3-4 years due to fincial strains which meant I couldn't really buy any new music. This NYE a friend brought over his traktor set up with the X1 and it really opened my eyes!! i was a user of TFS way back on v1 but dumped it after the v2 upgrade fiasco but now am feeling interested again - have downloaded some new tunes and am now really looking at traktor with the new denon controller.

Am looking to get rid of my CDJ's (1000 mk2 and 800 mk1)(anyone willing to buy??) to fund this move to totally digital as they are just gathering dust now(gonna keep my 1210's for posterity as i couldn't bear to part with them after all this time!) as it saves space for me.

crikey that reads like a bit of an essay!!

Anyway back on topic - I'm trying to get a couple of set nights per week to either produce with a mate or mess about with the demo of traktor and learn the system(i've got traktor pro on my birthday list!!)
Hopefully the mrs will be accomodating!!!

[photojojo]

One way of having an 'outlet' beyond gigs is online radio. The one I play on was set up by a bunch of older guys married with kids, who didn't get the time to gig as often as they'd like, but still wanted an excuse to keep spanking the crates and digging for tnues - it also means we have a shit hot set of DJs with a massively eclectic taste, so that when we do run the odd one off night we tend to tear the arse out of the place ...

I'm amongst the younger ones on Purple Radio ...

+1 on this. I don't know that I really want to put forth the effort and try real hard to get a regular gig out. At 40 I've been there and done that. Purple Radio though has given me the outlet and reason to continue playing and more importantly dig, which for me is a large part of why I do this.

so that when we do run the odd one off night we tend to tear the arse out of the place ...

Seems like that's damn near a monthly event now Sam. I really need to fly over there soon and meet you guys.

[completej]

im turning 30 this year, and will have then spent 1 year actually djing with equipment.

if anything, it makes me want a club gig more and more. im playing weekly at a little bar now, but it isnt enough.

steady job pays for the bills, and wife likes to dance so gives me an audience.

just wondering when it will start to get old or tiring, or when i simply wont be able to compete (if that even happens) with youngers. right now i feel like im playing catch-up, but im trying to find every trick i know to boost my game.

[farhanashraf]

pauly d is 30, no worries..;-P

[soulfool]

Hi all, il be 37 next month with 2 kids, the missus and a cat, full time job and 2 gigs weekly, only thing ive noticed is my thinking and choice around music, more into my soul, funk and motown now,

i suppose with that comes an older audience, graceful brother, graceful!

[Sherlock Ohms]

Seems like that's damn near a monthly event now Sam. I really need to fly over there soon and meet you guys.

Chap you'd be more than welcome, Andy BGPZ seems to spend more time back in the UK than he does in Canada these days - and if I ever make it to see my childhood friends that moved to Texas ...

(oh and on a tenuously related note - random blogpost relating to digging for new tunes wot I dun - http://sherlockohms.org/2011/02/03/t...-a-thursday-1/)