Everyone's a DJ, but who's a DJ
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  1. #1
    Tech Wizard DJMichaelHavok's Avatar
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    Default Everyone's a DJ, but who's a DJ

    I've noticed in this industry over the course of the digital age, that everyone who enters a club seems to brand themselves a DJ.....

    drives me nuts, to no end... I djed when we had to lug around more wax than yankee candle co has in their shops, these days a laptop will get you in as long as you have the talent.

    IMO you are only truly a DJ when you successfully gain a residency at a club and receive a billing on the promos.
    until then, you're like an apprentice or a journeyman in the art

    you're a wedding DJ when you do your first wedding DJ, but introduce yourself as a wedding DJ... they're a different set of folks tho entirely for the fulltimers... an ipod can perform the duties of a wedding DJ, their ability to own a mic and conversate is more important than a club DJ.



    I bring this up because i recently graced a highschool with my presence, helping out a friend who is a vice principle for their valentines day dance, and i swear I had SO many kids come up and critique my technique claiming themselves to also be DJs

    then i read threads on here with 14 and 15year olds trying to catch gigs at adult venues, also claiming the title of DJ, one guy had to cancel a gig because his mom said it was on a sunday.

    one of my pet peeves i guess, but im curious, when do you think people deserve to brand themselves a DJ


    (not talking about the production end, because dammit Madeon is 18 and has been ripping original content thats legit since he was 12)

  2. #2
    Tech Guru MyUsername's Avatar
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    Default

    I like it when there a ton of DJs in the crowd.
    When I play for a more generic crowd, doing a house set usually, nobody could care less about the mixing, as long as there 's a beat.
    But when I get to play a deep dnb/dubstep set in a small, dark room, I know that the niche crowd is full of people that spin themselves.
    They will notice phrasematching errors, the flow of the set,...
    That forces me to focus more, and strive for perfection.

    Granted they never give solely negative critique tho.
    But I think it's awesome.

  3. #3
    DJTT Moderator bloke Karlos Santos's Avatar
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by DJMichaelHavok View Post
    you're a wedding DJ when you do your first wedding DJ, but introduce yourself as a wedding DJ... they're a different set of folks tho entirely for the fulltimers... an ipod can perform the duties of a wedding DJ, their ability to own a mic and conversate is more important than a club DJ.
    This my friend is bollocks.

    Wedding DJ's work harder and have a much tougher job than most "club DJ's" . You are showing a great misunderstanding of what a wedding DJ does or you have been to too many weddings with shit DJs.
    A club DJ generally has a crowd that knows him and he just has to please people that already like him (generalisation i know). A wedding DJ has to please a multitude of different people on one night and gets a crap load of shit off people.
    The mixing skillset might be different but its still DJing and its way tougher in some respects than just turning up and playing a load of massive tunes that everyone already knows and loves.

    BTW- i am not a wedding DJ, i just know a few.

    I am a REAL DJ, cus i earn my living solely from DJing and i have my own DJ company.

  4. #4
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    Yep Karlos is spot on. I do both and it's far harder work playing a wedding set and having to deal with the differing generations and keeping a flow whilst changing genres/bpms etc.
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  5. #5
    Tech Guru lethal_pizzle's Avatar
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    The term DJ is loaded anyway. If someone tries to call me a DJ then I usually say that "well, I do some DJing". People seem to think that people eat radioactive pizza or whatever and suddenly become endowed with special DJ powers. Like suddenly you become able to play raves, bar mitzvahs, weddings, work events etc, when actually all you like doing is mixing up a bit of garage for your mates.

    Weirdly, it's the professional DJs I do know that tend not to blow their own trumpet at all.
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  6. #6
    Tech Mentor Diskobeep's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by DJMichaelHavok View Post
    I swear I had SO many kids come up and critique my technique claiming themselves to also be DJs
    So, because of that, you write some bullshit to state who's a dj and who isn't?!

    High five for that good boy...

  7. #7
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    one of my pet peeves i guess, but im curious, when do you think people deserve to brand themselves a DJ
    Why do you have to label people? And this is such an unimportant issue. Who the hell cares what other people say about themselves. You can apply the logic of this 'problem' to anything.

    When I turn 18, am i a REAL man/woman?
    If I move my couch, am I a REAL decorator?
    If I let five guys give it to me from behind, am I REALLY gay?

    And last but not least: Is that shit REAL EDM (omg, I hate this combination of real and EDM)

    And about pretending to be what we aren't... Have you looked at most people's FB-accounts? Minor negativity there, most things are about fun things, which in most cases doesn't give a comprehensive image of the person in question.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hermes View Post
    If I let five guys give it to me from behind, am I REALLY gay?
    Yes.
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  9. #9
    Tech Mentor DJWORX's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Karlos Santos View Post
    This my friend is bollocks.

    Wedding DJ's work harder and have a much tougher job than most "club DJ's" . You are showing a great misunderstanding of what a wedding DJ does or you have been to too many weddings with shit DJs.
    A club DJ generally has a crowd that knows him and he just has to please people that already like him (generalisation i know). A wedding DJ has to please a multitude of different people on one night and gets a crap load of shit off people.
    The mixing skillset might be different but its still DJing and its way tougher in some respects than just turning up and playing a load of massive tunes that everyone already knows and loves.

    BTW- i am not a wedding DJ, i just know a few.

    I am a REAL DJ, cus i earn my living solely from DJing and i have my own DJ company.
    Indeed. Mobile DJs have to hustle harder than any others, invest more in equipment, and work harder when out on the road every week. They also have to play a cross section of music to please a wider demographic in one long set. Playing a House or Hip Hop set to an audience expecting said genres is like shooting fish in a barrel compared to what mobile DJs have to do.

    I have nothing but admiration and respect for mobile DJs. It's way harder than turning up in a booth each week.

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  10. #10
    Tech Mentor HighTopFade's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by DJWORX View Post
    Indeed. Mobile DJs have to hustle harder than any others, invest more in equipment, and work harder when out on the road every week. They also have to play a cross section of music to please a wider demographic in one long set. Playing a House or Hip Hop set to an audience expecting said genres is like shooting fish in a barrel compared to what mobile DJs have to do.

    I have nothing but admiration and respect for mobile DJs. It's way harder than turning up in a booth each week.
    Well said.
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