I’ll start this out by admitting this is a douchey thing to complain about. That being said, have any of you guys had long term gigs (more than a year) and just gotten burnt out from doing it? I’ve been at the same place for over a year and a half playing stuff that I’m not that into. I do a decent job, but it’s starting to just wear on me. Between a constant change of GM’s at the place laterly (going on to 4 in the past 4 months), new management not really understanding my place being to keep people there (not bring them in the first place), and playing the same crap top 40 every week, I’m starting to almost not even think it’s worth it. I’d almost rather go back to playing once every few months, and hour at a time for almost nothing, but playing what I love.
I have to admit i would have quit the job if i was you.
But a bit off topic i can’t really understand how can someone want to be a residencial dj at a place, i mean, year you spend your life spinning what you don’t like to spin, you get into a “bad” routine, damaging your ears years after years…
If i could mix and party for a living, i would, but when you are touring over the world etc. (i know only few can live from that, but if i had the opportunity to do it, no hesitation !)
Atm i continue to study, i can’t imagine working every night at the same club.
Or you have a “normal life”, and you dj occasionally at gigs just as a hobby, OR if you got talent for producing and if you are lucky enough, then your life is a dream, you can spin whatever you want, bang every girl you want all over the world
I’ve had this happen for sure; had a regular gig every fri and sat night at a place really close to home. Started off great music-wise - the owner was shooting for a loungy jazzy vibe I played downtempo grooves and funk with brazilian and latin house later in the evening so it was perfect for me. But as time went on it soon became a hip hop club … not so bad at first I really enjoyed mixing up old school hip hop with global groove type stuff, even did some bhangra sets there when jay-z/punjabi mc broke, a buddy called my sets the united nations of hip hop… that was cool for a few months but the crowd started getting more homogenous and insistent on a top 40 hip hop and gangsta vibe. I can do that but after a few months of doing that I was burnt out - there’s only so many requests for fergie and soulja boy I can take, especially when I just played them. Was no biggie when I called it quits - I got my weekends back, and the guy they hired in my place was really cool and loved playing top forty hip hop so it was all good - he was way more keen on the gig than I was. For me I’ve got a day job and more than enough going on to keep me busy. I do a private party or event now and again every couple months or so and it suits me fine… being out till 2am every friday and saturday night isn’t my lifestyle anymore either But I really do miss playing for a full crowded dancefloor totally getting down; the gigs I play these days tend to have other things going on (bands, art shows, charity events, etc) so there’s a lot fewer on the dancefloor. If I get that once or twice a year now life is good; not sure I would go back to doing that every weekend even if the opportunity was there (and certainly not if the music was annoying to me).
You don’t think it’s (your) the DJs job to bring people out to the place (you) the DJ is spinning? Drink specials, happy hour, and bikini contests only go so far.
Perhaps that’s why you’re not having fun. If you started working on YOUR night and getting YOUR following to come back to where YOU are playing, it’d end up being more fun and less like a tiresome job.
Happened to me more than 20 years ago and I stuck at it for way to long before I finally quit and got completely out. Didn’t even buy any music for a few years. It was a dark time indeed.
No shit you’d get tired out from playing music you don’t like for over a year, you never should have taken the gig in the first place I’d say. Every “longterm” gig I’ve had I never got burned out because I was playing music I genuinely loved and enjoyed.
It sucks spinning where I’m living now (music wise - the lifestyle is awesome) as theres a few big genres (dubstep or jungle) or youre stuck playing top 40/commercial. Its really hard to get another night off the ground because the only way you’ll have a decent amount of people there is to basically get all your friends to talk up the night and attend…and if its not busy the 1st night then the club will drop it. The weird thing is I hear people always saying they are sick of the music here, but when they are offered a new night they dont even show up!
I see your point, but there is no advertising, drink specials, etc. Also, they want me to do top 40 in a market that is saturated with that type of thing, and not in a very big city. It’s almost like I did too well at one point (packing their place with my own promotions) and now they expect it every week. That is too hard to keep consistent for so long when you are not in a destination spot; IE -a venue that is always known as the spot to go to for the rest of the night. Saturday nights there were always known as a jumpoff spot there. I changed it a bit, but I don’t feel like wearing the promotional hat every single week as well as DJing and bringing in a ton of equipment too. I guess if this were some sick spot, I’d be a bit more motivated to get more people out consistently, but it’s a small lounge.
I used to do every friday (plus the odd saturday) at a top 40 bar and it did start to get a bit tiring as I was always dead on sat and it affected my relationship a bit too as I was too tired to do anything! I actually ended getting fired because I played the wrong type of music, not wrong for the crowd, they loved it, but the manager wanted to go in a different direction but coudlnt explain this to me properly.
Anyway, it was a massive blessing in disguise because i asked around if there were any gigs going and now ive got a monthly set at a much cooler place, which is really fun and not too tiring. Ive also started getting asked back to the original place to do covers for the sat DJ and thats going really well as the old manager has left.
I’d say fuck it off, or try and arrange to do alternate nights with someone else if you still need the dough.
It seems to be like the organizational issues of the company are hitting on you. 4 GM in the last 4 months!! No wonder they don’t have any idea where are they going!.. You might have to take direction of the boat mate! Do you want to do that? …
Anyway, you can freshen things up by inviting a friend to mix with you, some nights can be really fun having two DJs mixing together on the fly…good luck to you!
There’s nothing wrong with being a resident DJ, as long as you have the creative freedom to do as you wish and build a crowd and following and thus build their trust.
The problem here is he can’t really do that from the sound of it.
Going through this right now. Spun House music for no money for years. My buddy got me a gig at a night club on U of M campus. Now 2 years later I got 4 gigs a week out here making good money. I never liked pop music but it is so easy to spin. I just check Billboard and itunes every once in a while and download their top 20. Easy money but I’m falling asleep teaching them how to dougie. I always tell myself not to complain because this is still way better than waiting tables.(what I was doing before) It’s like selling your soul to the Devil. You gain something financial but lose something soulful. This is one of the only skills I have and I got to eat. I should have never did that Sigil magic to get paying DJ gigs. Not JKin. I looked up from typing this and I have like 20 dumb fucks on stage pumpin fists to Party Rock Anthem right now. I’m trapped. Ahhhhh!
lol at the comment above. its kinda funny and true, spinning pop is like being a jukebox lol, you can literally just fade in and fade out whole set without doin anything. nobody cares actually lol
But I really do miss playing for a full crowded dancefloor totally getting down; the gigs I play these days tend to have other things going on (bands, art shows, charity events, etc) so there’s a lot fewer on the dancefloor. If I get that once or twice a year now life is good; not sure I would go back to doing that every weekend even if the opportunity was there (and certainly not if the music was annoying to me).