Why do newbies automatically want gigs?

DJ Life & Community General Discussion
1

Why do newbies automatically want gigs?

After being in the DJ industry for 6 years now and being a DJ for roughly 10 years, with technology evolving non stop and it being easier to create good sets opposed to 10 years ago when it was nearly mostly vinyl here i am wondering. Why do the majority of newbie DJ’s automatically set there sights on gigs?

After being on this forums for a while (even though i don’t post much) and being on other forums for a number of years iv just started to notice this.

There is nothing wrong with aims right enough and wanting to gig especially if you can get gigs simple enough if your hooked up. But i had been DJ’n for about 3 years before i even thought about giggin. I just wanted to mix non stop. I suppose everybody is different in their own ways.

This is not a thread to put newbies down because if you can learn the trade quickly and get gigs soon, the quicker the better for experience. And i also have respect for them, but it has just been a curiosity of mines.

Infact i have two or three friends that i would rather gig with that have only been DJ’s for a year maximum because their tenability is beyond some of my old vinyl acts i gig with.

Discuss.

2

they want the bitches

3

qft

all i hear from new guys i talk to at times are only in it for the women

4

kids these days want the “i win” button.

what they don’t realize is, this industry takes years of work to establish yourself along with “your sound.” then, you have to factor in networking and building up your fan base in, around and outside of where you live.

the problem is that the market is so saturated in many areas with all these new people trying to “make it big” that you end up with having occasionally good djs mixed in with a larger number of sub par or just plain horrible djs. and all of those guys are willing to just keep taking free gigs or undercutting everyone in that local market.

before i started working my friends at boogieburg soundsystem, i was just learning to dj on my own for about a year. i would go to their shows and help them setup and tear down, even when i wasn’t playing. i wanted to learn everything i could about djing live, before i started djing live. and later, when i started doing shows with them and then branched off into running my own nights, i had the skills for equipment setup, maintenance and the skills to move a dancefloor. and, this is all before i started participating in online dj type message boards or forums.

been doing this for 7 years now, which is not a long time compared to most of my peers. but, i have been fortunate to work with like minded people who will put in the work in the studio and when they dig for music. all of those good traits rubbed off on me and it has made me a good dj in that respect.

but, the new guys who are doing it for the wrong reasons, or to try to look cool and inflate their egos, are always the ones who burn out fast and quit. they are never satisfied with anything and they always want the newest, shiniest gear so they look like they’re playing the part of dj. and they pull up this front to people who don’t know any better. the thing is, that sort of person can’t fool me.

these are the types of guys who don’t have a clue how to go out and search for new music. they are constantly clueless. it honestly shouldn’t be that difficult with the “internet” at your disposal.

part of being a good dj is being on top of the new music. you are supposed to be a selector of music. you are supposed to be the guy or girl who introduces listeners to new things out there. all this takes work on your own.

5

Thats exactly what i was thinking!

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The 1st time I played out was in a bar and was in a club within a few months and held a residency for 5 years, never was or have been a ‘bedroom’ dj I find it boring,

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i suppose it’s the next logical step after getting their dj moniker off a forum from people who actually have some semblance of an imagination.

8

Thanks for the read, that was quite a informative from your point of view. Everything you have said there is true.

In my local scene there is a guy thats well reputable that puts on regular nights every night of the week and keeps complaining about the trash that the other promoters are putting on and saying how the once good DJ’s are selling out to the commercial nights that are going on.

He also has a problem with all the new DJ’s coming on the scene since hes one of the ‘originals’ but a few friends of mines im doing a regular club night with keep proving him that not all new club nights are trash and not all new DJ’s are in it for the ‘image’ or other things.

But a lot of the newer DJ’s i speak to straight away always ask ‘can you get me into a club? Iv been DJ’n (enter a period under a year)’. This is where i think the guys should be doing what Jason said, because i did the same thing. I did it for two years, i also did free gigs (gigs no other person wanted) now i have gotten my name and style out there and couldn’t be happier.

Note to the newbies - Don’t go straight out there, make sure your confident, you can impress and also just keep at it!

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for me, i did what i did out of respect to my friends and for djing in general. and to add to my previous post:

having dj equipment and music doesn’t make you a dj. it is the attitude you carry, your work ethic and how you present yourself to people.

a few years ago, i had this gig i ran for about 2 years, it was a bi-monthly at this hookah lounge just off the campus of Virginia Tech (a college in southwest Virginia in the U.S.). a guy who had been coming to the shows came up to me with a general interest in djing after watching me a few times.

so, i told him to hit me up after he got some gear. at that point in my life i wasn’t thinking about trying to teach anyone how to be a dj. but, i was confident in my skills from what i learned from my friends. so, i taught this guy. and he became very good, technically and musically in about 2 months. in his first month, i had him djing with me, initially as an opener. then, i wanted him to know what it was like to tag with another dj, so we took turns for half an hour for the whole night, 9pm - 2am.

not once during our first initial meeting did he demand anything of me, other than to teach him how to dj. i miss meeting people like this guy, Justin.

*and i’m not saying everyone is like this. but there has been an increasing trend of “me me me” in the past couple of years versus “what can i do to improve the scene where I live?”

10

Personally for me I have only been bedroom DJing for over a year and just recently started thinking of getting gigs. its like every time I go out to a club or something all of my friends end up telling me that I should DJ because I sound better than most of the DJs there.

11

Drake said it:

I could relate to kids going straight to the league
when they recognise that you got what it takes to succeed
and thats around the time that your idols become your rivals
you make friends with Mike but gotta AI him for your survival
damn, I swear sports and music are so synonomous
’cause we wanna be them and they wanna be us
yeah so on behalf of the demanded
and the entertainment that you take for granted
you could thank me now…

I have not been DJing a very long time - however the one thing I know I have is good track selection. I know I can hear a tune and know when it’s a good song and when the right time is to play it. To me I know I am no where even CLOSE to being a technically good DJ. However, I do know I can play the right song at the right time. The best way to learn is to put yourself out there - and that is what I chose to do. I can mix two tracks together, and now I am doing it on my schools radio show so I can get critique from my friends at school and from DJTT.

The reason I want to start DJing clubs 4 months after starting is also because I know I have personally invested the time, friends have suggested I DJ at clubs, few forum members as well, and it’s the next logical step.

If DJ A can pick better songs out then DJ B (which takes 0 technical DJing skill) - I think DJ A deserves a shot. Personally since starting to DJ I have paid / can hear and distinguish transitions and what the DJs did to transition - however most regular people don’t.

People simply want to listen to good tunes.

Don’t get me wrong, i’m not bashing on anyone - i’m simply saying everyone deserves a shot - if you were to shy or chose not to do anything for the three years until you first got your gig short of just practice at home that’s completely your call. I just don’t think it’s anyone’s place at all to say “hey since you just started djing go to your bedroom and play for the next 3 years like all of us old schoolers did it.”

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Iv been bedrooming for a year and a half, gigs are a goal to work towards, im only starting to consider looking for a shot now. Nobody wants to make a fool of themselves!

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You have to face the fact that some people just want to get in to clubs for free, chat up some girls and maybe get some drinks/bit of cash out of it, it’s not a lifestyle choice like it is for everybody on forums like these, it’s simply a hobby with perks.

No i don’t agree with that attiude, and i really hate the fact a lot of these people don’t know their music (Dj rule No.1), but they aren’t going anywhere some dick will still give them a gig because they will play for free.

14

again, worry less about what other people do. focus on your gigs, your music.

and coldfuzion, dont ever quote drake

15

But, but, … “I JUS WANNA BE SUCCESSFUL!”

Sorry sorry had to!

I’ll post my response to the thread when I get home from the radio station thing.

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There is nothing wrong with not being technically good at DJ’n when i started this topic i meant the fact that people automatically want to try and get into clubs to DJ before they even know simple basics like how to count beats, when to start beatmatching and other simple minds. Me myself i am not a technical DJ, infact im far from it, i feel embarrassed playing alongside some of my mates sometimes. BUT i know that when i do go behind the decks i can select tunes and deliver!

If its the next logical step for you and you feel confident go for it, as i said before. I don’t disagree with people that haven’t been DJ’n for long to go for clubs, i just don’t see newbies obsession with wanting to be known. It will happen in time. Take the time and make an impact!

Regular clubbers never notice transitions its a basic fact unless they are into there good music and DJ sets and stuff.

Your correct, everybody does deserve a shot. And shy people will never be found if they don’t speak out or attempt things.

Also Im not saying that everybody has to slave behind turntables for years in bedrooms mastering techniques like most of the olds choolers (myself included) technology makes everything so much easier.
All i want newbies to see is that they should wait time to get into clubs and when they do get pretty damn good and get a gig they make a brilliant impact instead of what i have seen when people have done a gig and it all went to rat shit due to bags of nerves (which is obvious) and lack of practicing + confidence.

17

Quote Bruno Mars!

Easy come, easy go
That’s just how you live, oh
Take, take, take it all,
But you never give
…
I’d catch a grenade for ya (yeah, yeah, yeah)
Throw my hand on a blade for ya (yeah, yeah, yeah)
I’d jump in front of a train for ya (yeah, yeah , yeah)
You know I’d do anything for ya (yeah, yeah, yeah)

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:slight_smile: Not worried about what other people do, i just posted out of curiosity and thought it could be an interesting topic apart from the ‘i want the bitches’ comments that often appear in real life situations lol.

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it took me forever to get my club status. I started djing back in 93, mostly back yard parties and mobile dj. I did enter a lot of dj battle and did pretty good. My first break at a real club was Jan 2005. And Im still learning and paying my dues and im always looking at bettering myself at my craft.

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There are many reasons beign #1m just like Padi said automatically in the first response, “bitches”. Also free passes and drinks, VIP, get to hangout with the top DJ’s…

What I really find incredible is how the dj’s who are married do to not fall into the “dj groupie” temptation.:eek: I mean, most of the people I know who are married would find it extremely difficult to remain focused and not pay attention to all the opportunities and situations they can take advantage of. I understand those who do it for a living since it’s not recommended to shit where you eat but for those who do it as a hobby? It’s kinda like being on a strict healthy diet and parade of sexy hotdogs, drunk pizzas and anything-goes hamburgers just dancing in front of you with little wrapping on them. To look in certainly not a sin but how much drool can a mixer take before it shorts?

Maybe it’s the “Feels good to know I can but I wont” but if you have a big fight before a gig all that anger could make you go into “fuck it” mode. Maybe the wife must always attend to whenever gig you are and watch you like hawk watch his eggs…

edit: not trying to derail thread but dunno if it’s new thread material lol