Beginner DJ

Beginner DJ

Hello guys, my name is Hugo and i’m starting my DJ carreer and for now i have a few questions for you, if you can help me i would be glad.

I searched on a lot of threads but since any thread i searched suits my problem i decided to create my own..

So here it is, i’ve decided which style i want to play and it’s trance, progressive and maybe some deep house since in my country trance isn’t not so much accepted.. and like you i have my favorite artists and podcasts that i follow every week, and i was starting to build my DJ library by listening episodes from those podcasts and use those tracks in my gigs i was thinking in listening the podcasts that i like starting in 2013 and start gathering tracks that i like starting from there but i’ve spoken with many friends that are DJs and some say “that’s not a good way to get tracks because those tracks are old” other say “don’t bother with the track age what matters is if you like them then go for it!”

Well my own oppinion is i agree with both but i would like to know a few more oppinions.

Best Regards,
Sicko

The latter.

Some tracks will come and go from your collection, some will stay and you’ll pepper in some new ones every so often. Often as not theres a new track that you think will sound great with a old classic and the mix will set the place off when you drop it. End of the day mate if you enjoy mixing the tunes you love you won’t go wrong.

This is a slippery slope!

You can DEFINITELY get sucked into too much digging - I am VERY guilty of this.

But, going back to 2013 isn’t really that far. You should find a few historical tracks that are still relevant…

That’s my opinion i don’t listenthe music by her date release i listen the music by his sound if i like it or not.. but i’m a bit newbie in this subject so i would like to hear an opinion from people who have more experience than me
«

Who gives a shit what someone else thinks, find your own music and if you like it then play it. Don’t let others influence you when it comes to your own art/hobby.

+1

There are two broad ways to approach DJing: as an art, and as a service.

As an art - find your groove and go with it. If others like it and want to tag along, so much the better.

As a service - play what the people in the room want to hear. If you happen to like it, so much the better.

Play what you want to.
I still have all my old tracks from 2010 when i was playing hardstyle.
yeah the music has changed and progressed a lot since then. but to be honest, i prefer a lot of older hardstyle songs compared to the newer tracks by the same artist.

a very prime example, is dirtyphonics, they used to be one of the heaviest hitting producers 5 years ago.
i just listened to some of their new stuff recently, and they play trap now.
Older tracks still hit hard, if you like an artist’s older stuff better, then play that.

IMO, playing music is something you enjoy, and playing music in front of a crowd, is showing all those people the work and dedication you put into your mix.
you’re giving them something special, it doesn’t matter if you play newer or older songs, people will still dig the fuck out it.
Playing music out, is a shared experience between dj and fan.

Make it your own style.

The main thing to focus on is playing tracks that you enjoy… I used to focus on the newest tracks but in the end I realized that they may not necessarily be the best tracks. So now I focus on tracks that I really love and I don’t spend too much time worrying that they weren’t released in the past year of whatever. That being said, production values do change over time so you probably can’t reach to far back in time but like the earlier DJ said going back a few years should not matter too much. Also, if you want to reach even further back you can re-master the track yourself so that it sounds more current but that’s a whole different topic.

What music do you bump in your car all the time? That’s what you should be focused on. Develop your own style. That’s what will make you stand out bruv.