Got my first "real" gig! Nervous and need some tips! Help?

[freakouthunter]

So I'm a beginner DJ in Lexington, KY. I've started DJ'ing at house parties but recently got asked to DJ a sorority formal dance. This isn't until April, so I have plenty of time to prepare, I'm just nervous since this is the first big gig for a lot of people. Any tips or helpful comments?

[DarioJ]

I've never gigged live so I wouldn't be of much help answering your questions, but what would be helpful are the other threads on the subject. I've seen plenty of threads concerning this specific topic here on DJTT, and on the reddit/dj subforms. I am almost sure you'll find a wealth of knowledge in those threads.

Good luck, enjoy, and KILL IT!

[SlvrDragon50]

So I'm a beginner DJ in Lexington, KY. I've started DJ'ing at house parties but recently got asked to DJ a sorority formal dance. This isn't until April, so I have plenty of time to prepare, I'm just nervous since this is the first big gig for a lot of people. Any tips or helpful comments?

Nice! As much as I dislike the Greeks, it should be an awesome starting point. Do well and all the Greeks might start using you!

[DJ Eff]

^great post

youve already done half the battle
u know what playing live is like, so playing for a bigger crowd will be easier in some respects (more people to dance)
But if you mess up, itll maybe feel worse.

just rmember that people r gonna do what they want when it comes to dancing, so by midway thru the night ull know how many people are up for dancing, after u figure it out, dont worry about the people who refuse to dance, it just gets stressful

its a formal so BE professional
thyre gonna want loud sound so if your speakers arent up to par, go ahead and buy some new ones or just rent some, if youre comfortable doing so u can charge them how much itll cost to rent equipment.

if you mess up, dont worry about it, just look as cool as possible when it happens, lol
my CD's would skip sometimes, so if yours do, or your music starts bogging or something like that, if ur mic still works; just blame it on the crowd lol ("heyyy you guys are dancing soo hard my equipment messed up woohooo!!!")

Be PROFESSIONAL

get there early, superrrr early cuz your probably going to forget something. set all your stuff up and do adequate sound checks.
make sure your equipment can handle extended play periods (u prbly already know if it can or not)
make sure u have faith in ALL your equipment, if you dont, get ir resolved, because malfuntioning makes the night supperrrr stressful.

be professional
handle your money well, and yourself .

create a set that you can KILL and play it in the middle of the event

and lastly, have fun

[SlvrDragon50]

create a set that you can KILL and play it in the middle of the event

Lots of skrillex. Fratstars love skrillex. :P

[CountenanT]

Get the technical stuff nailed down - scout out the venue beforehand and make sure you've got all the connectors, cables, booth space and such that you're gonna need. Make sure your gear can handle extended play periods as someone has said - I've often read cases where it's gone wrong for people because they haven't factored in the heat generated by people inside a club, and the mostly manageable heat generated by their laptop has suddenly become unmanageable.
If the technical stuff is off your mind, then you've just gotta worry about the creative stuff.

[mdcdesign]

Be prepared for assloads of requests, and to use the mic a lot. Given the type of gig, you're not there to perform as such, you're there to basically be a jukebox and play tracks people recognize. They won't care/notice if you use awesome combinations of loops, samples, effects, etc; nobody's REALLY going to be paying any attention to you. Just don't screw up massively (ie, let the music die completely for like 2 minutes) and you'll be fine.

[DJ Eff]

yea requests suck, get ready for those,
best thing i find is just be honest and say ur in a set and will fit it in ASAP
since im a dj i always make the best requests tho lol they always fit the DJ's set

[JohnnyBarbs]

I agree with what everyone pretty much said already. Just have fun, play to the crowd, and I'm sure you'll do fine. I always found these private parties/formal parties were always a little easier to DJ since it is mostly popular music and there is usually an hour or so for dinner/awards/misc stuff. Good Luck!!!

[SantotoMT]

if its like the formals i've been to (i've been in a fraternity for three years) these are the easiest gigs you can get. Once the girls walk in they'll want to dance so play something upbeat. At the best ones I've been to the dinner portion was slower pop, country, soft rock. Then they'll want to dance again, followed by speeches/awards/pictures/whatever else. By then everyone is significantly drunk and wants to dance to anything you play. As long as the girls recognize the songs you're playing they'll have fun and like you. Ask id they "have a song". Every sorority I know has one song they will all go nuts to hear. Make sure that gets played. If you have any other questions you can PM me.