For DJs that took a break: What did you play then and what do you play now?
For DJs that took a break: What did you play then and what do you play now?
I’m talking like a 5 year break between playing gigs and buying music to play at gigs. Were you still listening to the music? Did you go to clubs or parties? Did you follow trends? Why did you get back in?
I began my career in late 1998 playing house and techno. I eventually got into Nu Skool Breaks which is what I focused on and played the longest just before I stopped playing out. This was right around 2000 when the genre was really starting to take off and usually played in rooms alongside jungle/drum & bass. I played all over Sacramento and San Francisco, including the famous Eklektic in SF. To this day Eklektic still holds a special place in my heart and was always my favorite place to play. The crowd, the vibe, the music, all of it just worked perfectly well together.
My interest in Nu Skool Breaks tapered off after I stopped playing out. During my break I listened to a lot of different styles (house, techno, hip hop, electronic music in general). All the while I continued attending clubs and parties. Just because I stopped playing out didn’t diminish my interest in still going to clubs. Once you are a dj it stays in your blood and you are always searching out new sounds no matter the genre.
The break was actually good in that I opened up my ears to all styles instead of remaining focused on a single genre. When playing out consistently like I was I had to stay on top the genre I was playing. This required me to spend several hours a week in record shops sifting through the latest releases. It was cost and time prohibitive to buy music when everything was only sold on vinyl. It’s a lot easier these days since to listen to a lot of different stuff due to being able to access so much music online.
I didn’t necessarily follow trends but continued to stay on top of and seek out new music. I got back in after creating mixes for myself over several years. They weren’t necessarily to get gigs but more as a creative outlet and mostly just to have something to listen to that suited my tastes. I only play out every now and then these days but I continue to make mixes and explore different genres.
My interests are shifting towards production so that is where most of my energy is starting to go.
I took probably a 4 year break from gigging, and about a three year break from mixing entirely.
I had a residency at a bar where I mixed anything from classic rock to top 40 dance mixes depending on the night, I did weddings and events since I have my own sound and lights, and I also threw barn parties with some dj friends where we did mostly drum and bass dubstep kind of stuff. Our biggest party was host to over 400 guests.
I had to move to Detroit, where the scene is a little over saturated, and I had no contacts. I was throwing parties in my apartment for about a year until my computer died, which took me a couple years to replace. In the meantime I was still listening to mix sets and enjoying dance music. I have hardware synths and drum machines which kept me in the musical mindset and actually helped me to refine my taste in music.
After living here for almost a year I’m finally making some connections! I’ve been big into tech house and live techno since I have been doing my own productions, and I mix a little deep house b2b with the girlfriend on occasion. I’ve been collecting music and putting together a couple set lists, and my goal is to book a serious gig before the end of the summer.
I took a one year break. I didn’t produce, deejay, listen to new music, dig, and let my partner run the labels in my absence.
When I came back, I was still playing drum n bass and hardcore. I did noticed a stronger focus in what I am doing now compared to what I was doing before. I got that spark back.
maybe some time off helps you focus on what you really want to sound like…
Then - mutant funk
10 year break
Now - mutant funk.
For a period of about three years before I stopped Djing out I only EVER went to clubs if I was playing. Never ever liked clubs in and of themselves. For most of the 9 or 10 years I barely bought or listened to any electronic music at all - i kind of burned out on it all. I was obsessed with it from about 1990 or so and needed a break. DJ was and is about playing the music I wanted to play, when I lost interest in that, I lost interest in DJing.
I started on vinyl in the late 80’s with Industrial and Gothic but I grew up listening to early Electro, ie Afrika Bambataa, Kraftwerk et al. I sold my gear after college in 92 and didn’t pick it up again until 99 where I played mostly House, Tribal House, ie Dubtribe Sound System, H-Foundation. Currently, I play everything from House to Tech House to Breaks to Techno, even a bit of Progressive, Trance & Psy. No modern Eletro or “EDM” (can’t stand the stuff) I only play the occasional gig or house party now. Mostly campouts. Rarely go to clubs anymore unless some DJ I’ve always wanted to see is in town.
Great forum man, some interesting people on here. Shout out to all the people who stayed true after all the years!