my old man rant and today's DJ's.

DJ Life & Community General Discussion
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my old man rant and today’s DJ’s.

Long story short, I’ve been DJ’ing since I was about 17.
Took it to the “next level” around the age of 21-23 when I got a part time job doing corp events, weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs and private company parties.

Word of mouth traveled, and I got my 1st job at a club when I was 25…more word of mouth, promo guys, and fast forward till I’m 30 years old.

Clubs/bars in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa.

I was making more money DJ’ing on weekends than I was working for the Federal Gov…(well not really, but it was certainly a GREAT asset to a descent salary)

Got married, slowed down on picking up gigs, and eventually stoped the club scene alltogether about 2 years ago.

I’ll still pick up the odd side job mostly for friends (weddings, corp. events, xmas parties)
Alot of my good friends are still in the bar industry and they too have gotten married/moved on and I’d typically DJ their wedding as they know the party will be solid with a good DJ.

I recently did 3 Xmas parties over this past season, latest one being last Saturday at a private club rented out to a high dollar fashion company. about 200 guests+bf/gf spouses attended. age group anywhere from early 20’s to late 30’s)

absolutely banging soundsystem.

started out with some slick chillout to pave the road to some knocking beats later on…
the organizers wanted “top 40 with house/EDM/Dub” you control the night kinda thing.

Start the night out solid, fatmanscoop/crooklyn throwbacks, mid 90’s anthems etc…the usual stuff that gets crowds pumped…

not even 30 minutes into my whole night set, this dude pops INTO the DJ booth…

“oh you use Traktor? I know how to use Traktor…I brought a USB…you can take a break and I’ll take over”

I kindly said “thanks but no thanks”

later on same dude shows up with his iPhone and a set of headphones and says “listen to this..”

seriously kid?

eff off.

This is the kind of society we’re living in now…this is absolutely NOT the 1st time this has happened, however it’s happen more and more often.

Hell, I remember 6 years ago at the height of my DJ’ing I’d have 3 crates of records and a 2 chan. mixer, and NOBODY showed up in the DJ booth trying to “upstage” thinking they can do better…

now all of a sudden, the digital age has made everyone a super pro…with anyone with access to gridmaps and a sync button is some superstar.

I see this as a double edged sword…the technology has allowed us to take leaps and bounds in terms of sounds and manoeverability…yet has taken most of the guesswork/dedication and practice it take to DJ…it’s no longer much of an art as it used to be…

kids showing up at clubs with USB’s in hand looking for their 10 minutes of fame doesn’t cut it for me, or garner any respect to the elders (again myself)

I’m 33 now, have a nice setup in my basement, and lately…that’s where the best throwdowns have been happening.

-old man out

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Although I haven’t dj’d nearly as long as you I can relate to a certain degree. Whenever I do get booked somewhere there is always some kid that just started djing, and asks to take over on my decks. Sometimes they don’t even have music on them, and just want to use my library. I try to be nice, but yeah, it does get quite annoying.

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Request for music used to be the only nuisance. No it’s that and request to dj on your equipment.

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I can live with the requests…I know I’d be doing good on a night if I had NO requests…
even the “play it AGAIN!” requests…

but trying to take over control is just simply disrespectful…

I don’t hop on the city bus and tell the bus driver I can drive the bus better/funnerer’er’er..lol

ERRY’ONES GONN’ LOVE THE WAY I DRIVE THE BUS!! LEMME TRY!

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Haha I’d probably take the bus just for the hilarity that would ensue if it was a free for all. This is also just like letting some stranger take your car for a joyride.

I’ve never quite got the audacity of people who do these things. I think there are two things that are timeless, “who you know” and “social proof”. Unless I have personally seen the person spin or unless it’s someone with the social proof of A-trak, they’re not
“jumping on”

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only communication ever between me and the DJ:

A thumbs up or an okay sign when I’m digging it.

This should be a law at parties or something.
Besides if you don’t like what the DJ is doing just leave or increase your alcohol intake.

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The USB thing has happened to me before. Straight disrespectful. Just gotta take the high road, I guess. Indulge a bit in their ignorance. At the end of the day, you have more skill and class than those fuckers. :smiley:

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same…

this kid even had the balls to ask me “YO, WHY AREN’T YOU USING YOUR RE-MIX DECKS?”

okay, I get it…you’ve used traktor before lol…cute, now go wall hump and not dance with your crossed arms while 95% of the bar is eating it all up.

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I usually do the “point” lol
..usually…well, used to…I’m too old and married now.

when girls would ask me my age, they would practically shart themselves with disgust by the time I finished saying “thirteeee-threeee”

“OH YOUR OLD? SWEET! PLAY SOME OLD SCHOOL…LIKE FUGEES! OR EMINEM! YA OLDSCHOOL!”

single tear

I swear the very last day I was gonna DJ at a club that I normally played house/edm, I was going to throwdown some oldschool hard U.K. jungle all night and make people vomit with confusion

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It’s funny, I believe people make these mistakes all too often a) trying hard to make an impression or b) just not having any respect or having a sense of entitlement when they communicate.

a) So as discussed above the kid who was highlighting the remix decks. We get it you know about the software but just have a real conversation (maybe not during the set, but after the fact) Ask questions/get to know the other DJ and talk about why you love DJing. I think people get into this mind frame that they need to be cool or stand out. When really the people who are laidback and come up to chat are always the coolest. I’m always more then eager to get to know those people more then the guy who’s trying to prove something.

b) Entitled/people who lack respect: Coming up and demanding to take the decks/request a song/freestyle does not get you anywhere and it is not a unique behaviour. You’re simply being rude. I almost never play these people’s requests. It’s the people who show some respect, say a compliment and are just cool laidback people. I’m not saying I need disgusting flattery “OMG YOUR THE SICKEST DJ I KNOW”, a simple “hey man good set, what’s your name i’m loving the (genre, artist etc.) Do you think you could work this in, if not that’s cool, have a good one.”

DJ’s are the equivalent to hot girls on the dance floor, they can smell creeps (or in this case fake smiles for requests) a mile away. Your cheesy pickup line/entitled request is not the first and it won’t be the last. In the DJ’s case though, nice people finish first (who knows maybe it would get old after a while but so far in my experience it’s 10:1 rude people over good people, and i’d gladly welcome more good people.)

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Bring back more DJ battles I say. Kids wanna step up? That’s the place to bring it.

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honestly this is nothing new. Been DJing since the 90s and “DJs” have always popping into the DJ booth with their case of CDs or a record bag asking to play a “tune or two” Worse even are the DJs who ask “can I scratch over your set” WHO THE FUCK ASKS THAT?
It’s definitely worse now but it has always happened.

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WHO CARES?

There’s always been people getting in djs faces in one way or another. (Take vinyl djing, the typical moron wanting to “scratch” randomly … bleh )

Do your thing and laugh it off, you’re better than that.

This past weekend I had two long evening gigs in the same location (a lounge) and for reasons to long to explain it was difficult for people to understand what I was doing (long story short, the people who saw me could not hear the music, and the people who heard the music could not see me haha).

At one point in the evening this cute girl comes up to me, hands me a note and me expecting something annoying got this " What purpose are you serving?" … some djs would have taken offense but given the circumstances I could totally understand the question.

Let’s not take this whole dj thing too seriously :wink:

When you’re djing, dealing with people who talk to you is an art :wink: learn to flip the tables on them and make it an opportunity to educate!

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I’ve been djing for a few years now. I do mostly weddings, small events, house parties (which is more of a club atmosphere with all the rich kids around my area), but I go out to clubs and occasionally when I go out and I hear something I really like I ask if I can watch. I’ve become friends with a few that way and they’ve let me take control of the decks for some reason or another (usually smoke breaks), but I would never butt in on someones set and tell them “Hey, it’s my turn now.” That’s plain disrespectful.

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Yeah the kid with the USB is a certified tool-bag.

To me there are only a few circumstances in which it’s “OK” to romp on someone else’s gear. 1) it’s a friend or a crew-member, 2) They ask you (my neighbour is a DJ and every now and then she’d egg me on to jump behind and spin a couple)

That, and the only time I talk to the DJ is a quick hand slap when I walk in (especially if I know them or booked them) or every now and then if the DJ signals me I’ll swing back and ask him/her what he/she needs. A drink, smoke, whatever. Otherwise I wait till the set’s over, catch em on the patio or bar.

I don’t know why there is so little respect for the DJ and the profession as a whole. I’m only 25 and I’m disgusted by this “new age” bullshit.

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Luckily it’s pretty easy to bat requests to play away, you just tell them that they need to get permission from the guy who owns the club to play, not the DJ. The owner pays the DJ to play, not some random punter. Easy!

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Only time I have personally gone and djed for a buddy was at house parties where he needed A.Pee break B. Smoke Break or C. Party break.

He normally plays for like 5 hrs or so straight so I will come in and dj for about 10-15 mins at a time.

OT if some randbob dj master extraordinaire came up to me saying all that shiz, then ending it with hey I have a usb want me to play. I would debate about smackin a hoe.

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Out of curiosity, how do you feel about newer DJ’s asking if they can come into the booth to watch you spin?

I know there’s been a couple of times I’ve been in the club, thinking to myself ‘this guy is pretty fantastic, I’d love to know what he’s doing’ but usually the booth is too high/obscured. I know personally I learn a tonne just by watching other people play.

Have you (the OP) or anybody else encountered this, and how have you handled it? I haven’t actually asked anybody, because I do have the fear that it would come off as the ‘new guy trying to judge you’ or something like that, when it’s actually genuine curiosity/wanting to learn. That and I obviously don’t want to get in the way :stuck_out_tongue:

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Rjc to answer your question I absolutely and most of the time welcome people to watch…
It’s difficult to talk tho as it is loud, and I’m focused on queue’ing the next track, or blending/matching/looping or going on some FX craze.

You can generally feel the out by how they present themselves…if they’re trashed/poluted, forget it. Feeling fine and doesnt seem like a sketch back? Hang around for awhile.

My rule of thumb has always been this for me.

Dj for fun. Not a job. Once it becomes a job it’s no fun anymore.
Be good at it, and the money will take care of itself.

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You had my curiosity, but now you have my attention.