Hey all,
been a while since i’ve posted and i must say that djtt has grown huge since my first post. Big ups to Ean and the crew for going strong!
anyways, i was wondering what tips anyone could share to get over anxiety. It’s not so much a problem for me on larger stages, but in intimate lounge settings, i start to second guess my actions as I’m doing them. Is it just me or are the smaller gigs more nerve wracking than playing a massive?! Is there any advice for keeping your head together and keeping the train running smooth? Any input would be greatly appreciated. thanks much!
think of every time someone has come up to you and said, I really liked your set, and meant it. think about the time and effort you put into this, that shit goes somewhere.
These are the shows i do all the time. the best thing to think about is how much easier it is to figure out what they want to hear and if hardly anybody shows up you get to play what ever you feel like for a change.
Being almost all the gigs I have are smaller, more intimate gigs, I completely understand.
But just lose yourself in it. The advantage of the smaller gigs is you are more noticeable and what you’re doing can really be seen and experienced. The disadvantage is, well, the same thing.
It’s harder to keep 6-20 people dancing than 200. The energy is completely different. But you need to do the whole self-realization thing. “I’m a great DJ, I can rock this room, and gosh darnit, people will dance.”
Think about it this way. If you kill a small dance floor it’s a LOT easier to get them back than if you kill a dance floor of 1000 people. Then again, if you kill a dance floor of 1000 you really did something wrong
Hey man, thats what Xanax is chemically made for, just don’t get hooked.
(everyone thinks they could use, but only do if its real bad)
Im not a doctor but once a pharmaceutical connoisseur..
So true… my easiest and most successful gig was with 3000 people… otoh a 30 people dance floor is quite tricky…
I think the problem is starting. After a few records the anxiety is usually over and confidence is back. So if you know in advance where you’re going to play you know what kind of music they play there and can prepare a 3-4 tracks routine so you can get used to the sound of the booth and the feeling of being in a new place. Then just rock the party!
I know what you mean brother man, I get really nervous myself and always get the butterflies. I find that having a few drinks before you plat to get a little buzz, and drinks while you’re playing to keep the buzz going helps me a lot
Thanks for all the input guys. Really helps alot. it’s not like i’m new to this or that i’ve been suffering from anxiety for a while; this is all relatively new to me for some god awful reason. probably stress or clustraphobia. either way, it’s starting to get old. Again, thanks a bunch
I know what you mean, it comes and goes for me too. If I’m slaying it’s gone, but there are the nights when I know I’ve mixed much better. That’s when I tend to bug myself out a little.
So my only option is to slay every night, really. Long way to go, there.
In small rooms, I find if I get completely lost in the booth and forget about what’s happening outside of it, everything seems to turn out wonderfully. Smiles at the bar, a handful of girls dancing, and a well-tipped bartender. I know it’s not advice for everyone and every small room situation, but it’s how I deal with it.
The mental game…It’s kind of tough. I’ve been a performer my entire life so I know what works for me, but everyone is different so YMMV.
For me, before a big gig (like the kind where I’m getting announced before hand, etc):
I make sure everything is set up and perfect, run a sound check into headphones just to double check that I’ll get audio and then walk AWAY. I will then head to the green room and do some pacing and jumping to get out some excess jitters. I’ll definately stretch (because I’m not as young as I used to be). The point of a lot of the basic exercises I’m doing are designed to clear my head. I want to walk out almost in a blank slate or extremely determined in what I’m doing. I’ll finally head to the stage at the 2min warning (or more appropriately during the last song the last DJ is playing.) I’ll do another quick soundcheck in my phones to be sure everything is working right, I’ll take a quick sip of water or booze set it outside of my performance area and get to work. By avoiding looking at the crowd for a good 15 minutes before the show I feel like it gives me a good sense of freshness and can come in nerve free.
For smaller gigs, I’ll often stand around looking at every person in the crowd for that time. Doing everything I can to analyze each person so I’m prepared with the perfect banger to drop on that first song, instead of the greenroom tactic.
Again, this is what works for ME, and not a guaranteed steadfast rule so YMMV. But I’d recommend reading some acting books, etc. Most cover getting pre-show jitters and different ways to handle that!
The acting books advice is great. I supose actors really expose themselves. As a dj you’re always hiding behind the music and a pair of decks (or a controller).
What kind of performances besides djing do you do Monika?
Yeah, Ever since I’ve gotten rid of the headphones in the last year it’s really made a difference in the need for me to connect to the crowd and the lack of an ability to hide inside what I’m doing. My laptop is off to the side usually nowhere near what I’m doing (moldover style) so yeah, getting myself out from behind the technology and back to connecting to the crowd really helps for me…
I play and have played in plenty of bands (synthpop/electronic these days), I’m a singer, I do acting, I’m an avid jazz/classical musician, I do tech talks for local geek groups, I do MCing (not rapping, like actually being a mistress of ceremonies at events), and recently have been giving presentations at a local Ableton/controllerism group teaching folks about controllerism and reaching out to new DJTT users etc.
heh, I basically live my life on stage and have since I was around like 8. Not that I’m any good, mind you…I just do a lot of it. haha
Knowing my music really well and using Ableton. No need to cue something in headphones when I’m already 3 steps ahead, right? hehe.
Edit: I should say I DO however like to have a good monitor though so I can be sure I’m hearing things right…but any stage performer should feel the same, right?
are you suffering panic attacks or just anxiety? only reason I ask is in my job stress is just part and parcel to what I do, last year due to the credit crunch it was a tough manic year, I myself started suffering panic attacks and general stress, so I saw someone about it and found the perfect cure to help me, if you want to PM if this is indeed what your suffering give me a shout, I can maybe tell you what she told me to do when I was suffering
As soon as you get anxious thoughts then concentrate on something else, don’t let them build up or it just gets worse. Also most importantly think positive !!!
