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)
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.
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.
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.
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.
[QUOTE]one of my pet peeves i guess, but im curious, when do you think people deserve to brand themselves a DJ
[/QUOTE]
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.
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.
Wedding DJs and Club DJs are both DJs, they just have different duties.
At my school I know a lot of kids who call themselves “DJs” these tend to either be Kids with iPads or duchebags with Beats by Dr Dre. I can’t stand them. They aren’t DJs. Its so funny how I am treated by them as the DJ joke because once a week I pass out a mix to my friends. To them “real DJs only play live.” Its that dumb Rock-Star mentality.
I guess I’m a retired dj since I quit playing out years ago. Being a professional dj and hobby dj are 2 different things but it doesn’t necessarily make one better than the other.
I’m not saying all those kids claiming that they are DJs are, but I do believe that DJing is about a lot more than just making money out of it. I know a lot of great DJs who never got a paid gig because they don’t want to. Some have anxiety or don’t like crowds but are extremely talented.
DJing is about the passion for music. It’s about bringing something different to the table, even if you only mix for your friends or yourself. Do I call myself a DJ? Yes, I do. I am recognized as one of the DJs in my circle of friends, the same way 7 other guys or so are too (out of maybe 30 people - extended group - ). I’m the yougest one, newest one and I’m still learning BUT, because I am passionnate about it, because I make the effort to become better everyday, I think I deserve to be called a DJ.
And when did I get that title with my friends? The day I got the balls to mix in front of some of them. It was a quiet night, 5-6 people but that day, I earned respect as a DJ. I have never made money out of mixing. And I seriously don’t know if I ever will. But I don’t care. Because I love to be behing the decks, and that’s all that matter to me. I am a DJ, maybe not in your book, but in mine, yes.
I live in Detroit, everyone here is a dj/producer, you just learn to deal/get over it because every time you go out you handed a flyer / or demo from someone.
Who cares about the high school kids? Being a dj/producer in high school these days is like being in a alt/punk/hardcore garage band 15 years ago. it’s the “cool” thing to do. Granted there is some talent and they will keep pushing, but most of the kids will stop once there rents stop buying them stuff.
If you got the skillz people will notice, If you don’t people will forget about you.
Who cares? The OP sounds bitter. I carried around a bag of vinyl everywhere for years. I did it because it was fun. I never wanted to be a “DJ.” I just like to play tunes.
When I was in college, the best DJ on campus never set foot in a club. He spinned DnB at a Sake bar every Saturday night for 10-30 people. He was by no means an apprentice. Then he became a bedroom DJ who accepted money from an internet radio station to mix 4 times a month. By your definition, he was not a DJ. By many others, he was a damn fine DJ.
You’re a DJ when you invest time and money into playing recorded music for other people for an extended period of time. The term has evolved with the technology–not all of us are jockeying discs anymore. Try to rebut this.
I’m a club DJ turned mobile DJ turned wedding DJ. I resented that you thought an iPod could do what I do. But then you used the word “conversate” and it summed everything up for me. You’re ignorant, so I’m not really bothered by any of your assertions.
This is a very serious distinction between someone who DJ’s, and a DJ.
Someone who DJ’s:
This is your average joe who got some equipment, learned how to play music from it, and gets hired to go from event to event playing music for a crowd. These people believe they are DJ’s because those at the events call them “dj”, or “The DJ”. But these people IMO are in no way, shape, or form, real DJ’s.
They have the ability to play music. They may be able to beatmatch, or scratch, or mix in key (although not likely) but that doent make them a skilled DJ, or a DJ at that. The factor that prevents them from getting the title DJ, is they dont dedicate themselves fully to the work that goes behind being a dj. Be it club or mobile, if your not dedicating the majority of your time practicing, researching, or playing, then your not a dj.
A Real DJ:
Has dedicated the majority of their resources into the art of being a DJ. To me, technically and skill wise, the reason that makes them a DJ is they dont just “have” equipment, they have Their equipment. A real dj is able to do EVERYTHING on his equipment and has a full understanding the ways to manipulate music using said equipment. Not only tht, but a real dj, can go up to YOUR equipment, (unless your also a real dj) and use it better than you.
But mastery of equipment is only part of the battle.
reputation plays a major role in it.
A real dj is a name. people here abut who will be spinning, and KNOW they will have a good time. Im a mobile dj, so considering that i feel a REAL mobile dj is one who says their price, and people pay it. little to no questions asked. When you can tell someone, “this is my price, and your going to pay it because you know the work i do” and they accept that, you are a real dj.
Notice i did not mention skill as much because honestly, being a real dj OBVIOUSLY recquires skill. and still, u dont have to be the most talented dj ever to be a real dj.
at this moment in time: I am not a real dj. I hope to be one day, but i understand that its more time than i have at the moment.
Id also like to say that being a mobile dj for my little viewpoint is much more difficult then being a club dj. reason being?
PEOPLE GO TO A CLUB TO DANCE,
just becuase someone goes to a wedding or a party doesnt mean they plan on dancing. they may be there for the friends or association. but at a club, you prbly dont know the people outside of your small group, and you go there with the intention of DEFF having a good time.
Being a professional dj and hobby dj are 2 different things but it doesn’t necessarily make one better than the other.