How to get gigs…
Hey guys, lately I’m feeling ready to play infront of a crowd but I wonder what is the best way to go about finding work?
I spin mostly techno/minimal/tech-house but all the clubs around here only play top-40, basically to hear some good techno I gotta go out of town so it’s kind of difficult to get into the scene properly too and I don’t want to play music I don’t love. I hope any of you recognizes my problem, any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!
First of all how long have you been playing? I have been told (by many people) that you should wait at least two years after starting before playing live. You also should practice standing up long sets (at least 3 hours). I all the clubs around play top40 then you will likely have to play top40 in the clubs. You can however do house parties and play whatever they want to hear. Or you can look into starting your own nights at the local clubs (I dont know much about this) and play you techo/ house stuff.
i disagree. if u got game, go for it.
I have to agree with Nick. I’ve only been DJing for 6 months, and while I haven’t played in a club, the house parties that I’ve done (2 of them now) have been really enjoyable - for me and the guests. Go for it!
Only started mixing with hardware (cdj’s) a couple of months ago, and TBH I’ve pretty much mastered phrasing and beat matching, I can put together a proper mix on the fly. I’ve been messing around with traktor (mouse/keyboard) for a year though.
I’m not going to play top-40 though, not to bash a style of music but it’s just not my thing AT ALL 
Not to be harsh… but then your probably not gonna get a gig. Clubs want you to play what the people they are attracting enjoy. If it has any association with say a radio station that plays top40 no way your coming in and rocking techno.
Also i dont agree with the 2 years things.. all depends on talent and time you put in.. some guys r ready in 3 or 4 months some 3 or 4 years.. tbh the crowd rarely notices subtle differences between a good dj and a bad one especially if theyre drinking.. from personal house parties etc i’ve heard some people saying “oh ya hes good” when the DJ was absolutely HORRID no mixing no beat matching keys r completely off… just literally switching crossfader + adding effects that sounded terribad.
my advice… give the club what they want if you perform well the first couple times you might be able to bring up a “techno night” and have some success! be ready for market / promote the night yourself though!
You’ll be surprised at the reaction you can get playing EDM at parties. I did a “leaving party” for about 80 teenagers (14 to 16) and played progressive house most of the night and they loved it.
Yes it’s a shame, the “dj’s” around here are arrogant assholes claiming to be the next avicii when they can’t even beatmatch.
They just fade one track (SURPRISE! usually levels by avicii!) into another. I’ve heard the same set every weekend for months now… hehe.
And yeah that’s a real shame… I think I’ll try my luck elsewhere. Luckily the scene is huge just outside of town. It’ll be harder to get into but it’s worth it.
I would say your ready then, you are confident in your skills which will help immensely. You should start with house parties or even just a bunch of friends at your to play in front of. For some its a whole diffrent world when playing if front of people, they get really nervous and time seems to speed up real fast. It will be tough to play the music you the dj wants to play. I cant help you there.
It’s not like that… there IS a place for my music, I can travel half an hour by train and I’m in Amsterdam… 15+ clubs that play techno. The problem is outside my hometown it’s way harder to get any proper connects you know, the most important part in getting a gig.
I now have a steady stream of gigs coming my way. I became friends with an established DJ that gets at least 3 gigs a month. Usually they expect him to play all night. That’s where I come in, I play an hour long set a few times while he catches a breath. Playing from 10 pm to 6 am is just such a challenge, so any DJ that has gigs won’t mind some back up. Tell them you 'd do it fairly cheap, or even free and if you got some skill you will have loads of gigs.
Just play what the people organizing the party want you to play though.
Find out who the promotor for the nights you want to play at are, get in touch, send them a mix, say your interested, ask for the warm up slot and if they like your mix tape you might get lucky. Maybe send a link to a facebook page too, try and get some of the people who have ben at those house parties you’ve been playing to add the page so you have something to show the promoter that people like you.
nowadays i would suggest to make a bunch of recorded mixes and spread them over the internet.
so you can gain experience really easy and you can maybe get some feedback from some listeners.
additionally you produce promo material on mass with this, what you can give around and if the right people see your level of productivity, it becomes a self running thing in which you don’t have to put much energy in other things than djing ;o)
PS: if you have problems with your productivity than you will find out really fast what you have to change in your personal motivation to get to that level because you are the only person involved ;o) (learn to “make it on your own” will have a huge impact on your market-value ;D)
I suggested getting whatever gig you can at this point. Just get out there!! Use these “starter” gig to build a name for yourself. Use them to gain experience in reading the crowd. Rolling your set with their moods. As you play more, you will gain more connections. Use the top40 clubs as practice and a jumping off point.