Leaving the Bedroom
Hi all, I feel as if I’m just about ready to stop being a bedroom dj and start mixing at clubs. How does one (or how did you yourself!) break out of the bedroom and start getting real gigs?
good question! 
first what i did was to practice alot. the goal was to play set of 5 hours with minimal erors. when i succeed that i start to ask people do they know someone who organises gigs. when i find that person i give him my promo set that i made i tell him if he thinks that i am good he can call me any time to play in some club!
and something like that happened just week after my meeting with him. and after that if you are good people will start to call you and all after that is pure music! 
I would agree, just talk to promoters they always organize the events and find the people to play. Also just going to clubs and asking them if you can play there.
the way to break out of the bedroom is to do just that. Break out of that bedroom. Get out, meet people, become a regular at a club, hang out with (or at least chat up) other DJs, promoters, bartenders, club owners, anyone in the scene. Invite ppl to the afterparty at your house and spin for/with them. Get it out there that u can rock a set. Promoters get a thousand promo mixes a week. Find a way to make them listen to yours.
I’ve got all the hook-ups i need. I can play out as soon as i feel confident with my skills. I mean, im not terrible; i have some clean mixes, but I want to be 100% all the time before I throw myself out there.
I was lucky enough to be friends with DJs and promoters when I was getting into everything in Albany, and got my start booking shows. When I wanted to be a DJ I got a shareware copy of eJay for free and practiced my ass off.
I made a shit ton of mixes, gave them to everyone I knew: friends, promoters, DJs, etc.. Then I bugged the hell out of a friend of mine for a gig. He wanted me to show up to the venue an hour early and just screw around on the gear so I could prove I knew what I was doing. I did that, he gave me a shot, and, as they say, the rest is history
So, do just that. Make friendly with the DJs and promoters at gigs. Make mixes, and push them. This is the day of the internet, so you can get data aaround the world really fast and efficiently. Do it. Also, be prepared to do it for free (though never offer) and take the opening sets (though never ask).
Go to the nights, bring friends, show that people will come with you. Make business cards, make a website, do whatever you can do promote yourself in the best way possible.
And then be prepared to be rejected, insulted and turned down at every turn.
Read your audience, too. By that I mean the promoter and the DJs. Some promoters want their asses kissed, some don’t want to bother with anyone without some balls behind em. Some DJs will nurture and help the younger crowds, some are the most arrogant, self-aggrandizing bastards you’ll ever meet.
So, well, yeah, that’s a start.
You might want to think about playing parties for friends & such and get some real-world experience in an environment that’s friendlier and more understanding when you make mistakes. Things come up in public that just don’t happen at home, and a lot of professionalism isn’t just playing well but dealing with crap.
Throwing house parties is a really good start.
I started by having dance parties in my basement, which later lead to an invite to DJ for a going away party for my friend at a local club. That gig impressed the manager who offered me a weekly spot. It was Monday nights, but it was a start, and being modest helps get your foot in the door.
Another option is to either get your own PA, borrow one, or rent one. I built one with different pieces off of Craig’s List. A PA will expand your venue options. We have a lot of bars that offer the occasional live music, but it’s usually bands that have their own sound system. If you can find/borrow/rent a PA, then you can organize a dance party at your favorite night spot (provided you clear it with them first). There is also less pressure at a place like this, rather than a full time club where the patrons are expecting more.
Getting out and making friends in the local entertainment industry is really the best thing you can do. These people will hit you up later when they need to fill an opening set. Just being patient, but persistent, will get you pretty far.
Good luck!
Leaving the Bedroom
I’ve been a mobile dj for awhile now and i don’t think i’m to bad! Im wanting to play some tunes in clubs how could i approach this?
Fizz Styles
It’s all about who you know. If you really don’t know anyone yet, start developing connections by getting in touch with local promoters and DJs, sending in promos and demos, etc. If you know someone in a band who gigs a lot, ask if you could warm up the crowd for them before they go on stage.
Now you question is how do I get in, well thats is a hard one. Your going to hear this phrase or something similar to it…“Pay your Dues” Question is how do you do that…
You have to sell yourself to whatever venue you want to dj at. Be it promo cd (hardly works), ask to guest dj (for free or drinks tix), have a friend that is a promoter or club djs. Make a myspace page with some demo mixes with info of where you have played and pix of your setup and you using it. Go to club where you want to play at, so you become a familiar face, not just some bedroom dj that want to get his feet wet and doesnt know what music is played at the venue.
All you have to do is get your foot in the door once your in, you have to show the promoters/club owner/bar managers/other djs that you have what it takes to play at club. Ean did a blog on the main page not to long ago “How to get gigs…”
Goodluck
^ That’s a great place to start . You might also want to try throwing your own party somewhere with a friend or two and try to document the party as much as possible so you can show club owners and promoters that you can throw successful parties as well as rock a crowd . It kind of sucks but you’ll usually have to be a promoter as-well as a DJ until you establish yourself.
[quote=“JesC, post:10, topic:3206, username:JesC”]
You have to sell yourself to whatever venue you want to dj at. Be it promo cd (hardly works), ask to guest dj (for free or drinks tix), have a friend that is a promoter or club djs.
[/quote]Or you could do what I do and become a club promoter and DJ the night yourself.
Club promotion is really not as hard as you might think.
I got my start by working for the club promoters and meeting everyone they knew. If you can prove yourself as a “boots to the ground” kind of person, willing to promote and flyer and talk people up and get new people in the door then they might be more willing to give you a shot if you can take that same dedication to your DJing.
Club promotion, in general, is not highly difficult, it just requires good timing, location and dedication, and requires the ability to meet the goals the venue has set for you. If they will let you throw your own party then spin it too.
That’s 100% on point it really is about making the effort to go out to the right places and just introducing yourself to the right people .
Yeah dude. I always hook up DJs that help me promote.
Oh yeah… I forgot to mention. The most important attribute a promoter looks for in a DJ is their ability to pull in people. That ability is only loosely coupled with being a good technical DJ. A lot of DJs find this confusing at first.
That’s the best payback we can get. I always try to introduce anyone around that helps me, and my friends pay me back. I’d like to think that knowing me is reward enough but even I have to step off the ego for a second
Yeah, is there any dj’s in the l.a. area that want to help me play at gigs?
Dude, get promoters to fly me out there, I’ll totally spin with you.
Leaving the Bedroom
This is quoted from Ean’s article:
“Microwave DJ” is a term applied to anyone who has not “paid their dues,” but because they own a laptop and thousands of MP3s, they are now qualified to play in a club
The full article can be found here Remix Mag - Radio Home, Music Sounds & More
It’s hard calling myself a DJ considering I’ve only been learning this art since August but that’s what’s going to happen. My first official gig will be played by the end of Februrary. I feel that my skills are half baked, my experience as a DJ close to nil but I took on the job any way for several reasons:
- Networking opportunities
- The pay
- The experience
- I won’t be the main attraction (other forms of entertainment at the venue)
- The gig will force me to practice and to reach a certain level of competence
- I’ll continue to improve my skills up until the day of the gig
- I’ll continue to improve my skills after the gig
Every single day since I’ve been hired, I wonder whether I should have taken this on or not for the same reason Ean points out. I’ll be taking a job from a more competent DJ but even experienced DJs had to start somewhere.
My question for you guys is this: when should a bedroom DJ transition to professional gigs? Can you share your first experiences? Did you feel the same inadequacies that I’m feeling right now? What are your thoughts and feelings on the whole notion of the microwave DJ?
i honestly don’t have much respect for microwave djs I’ve met, because their priorities as a DJ are not where mine are at. It doesn’t really bother me though because those kind of DJs only get so far in the game.
most microwave djs i’ve encountered focus their energies on all the superficial elements of the scene ie. they have a myspace, they mug for pictures, they have a dj moniker, they tell everyone they’re a dj to look cool, they try to get gigs… but when you ask them to give you a link to their work they have none because their actual skills are non-existant.
basically they want to be a DJ for the image, they can’t be bothered putting the real work in to improve their technique because that isn’t important to them. So by the same token, I can’t respect anyone like that. In this day and age DJs are a dime a dozen, your not doing yourself any favours by not paying your dues.
I bedroom DJ’d for over 2 years before i tried getting gigs. I never started DJing to look cool or make a buck, it just started as a way to pass time by myself or with buddies on the weekend.