basically, i know more tunes than i ever have - and i’m always hungry to hear more. that’s good!
technically, i quit keeping current with the fancy new digital tech years ago so i don’t know which button on those fancy dj controllers does what to when. that’s bad.
i absolutely understand the assignment in this day and age - i know what to do for corporate gigs, warm-up gigs, chill gigs and radio gigs. that’s good!
somewhere along the line, i developed a long list of gigs i’d never take again, which leaves me out of consideration for almost all other types of things, and well - that’s bad.
how about yourselves? i’m sure you’re all on top of your game, right?
It’s all backwards. I’m definitely a technically better DJ now and I’ve got more and better tunes than before but I’m also not going out or getting the chance to play anywhere near as much as I did a long time ago. So it’s all a bit academic now.
Back then the mixing was rubbish, I had a limited selection of records and I was off my head at every gig and doing things like lifting the wrong tone arm up and then wondering where the music went. It was brilliant, messy fun.
I’d love to play out more now but I’ve never been any good at getting decent gigs. I really enjoy putting a monthly mix together for loose.fm and I listen to those now and think they actually sound alright. Only took me 30 years!
Hahaha just laughing at seeing old board names like deepconcentration first and foremost….but, I got a dj controller before and after relocating to Sydney, and someone was watching me at the weekend saying you’re such a vinyl dj as I still can’t use the cue correctly. Deffo still can’t mix that technically no matter the format, but still love house music ps I’m pissed and it’s good to be back
I’m definitely better technically than I used to be but like ElZorro I very rarely get the chance to play out. I’ve also stuck with vinyl so I haven’t really made things easy for myself
Myself and a mate play once a month at our local pub and get away with playing whatever we want. Had a teenager come and ask me for an ID of a track which I was playing recently, it was this-
I think my djing skill wise has dropped off over the years, life has gotten in the way and can’t really complain about that. Having said that the tunes I have curated are definitely better now than they were before.
Not super fussed about getting gigs but when I do they need to be early as I am getting aulde. Played a four hour set the other night and it destroyed me
Have stuck with vinyl but have recently contemplated getting a cdj/controller and might need to find or start a thread on what is worthwhile as I really wouldn’t have a clue.
My taste in music obviously gets better with every passing day
My muscle memory not so much.
Last time I played at LL was house (-esque) with Nancy in the back room. I oddly loved playing house in a way that I never had before. I also finished my set and thought ‘fuck me, this is just too LOUD’.
I’ve never been the best technical mixer but I like to think I was/am still good at getting the vibe correct. I haven’t had that many gigs really since Mangiami closed and the ones I did get were basically Balearic-ish warmup style so anything goes. I did play out for the first time since the pandemic in September and let’s just say I was rusty at best
Definitely better, but always learning. I know I wasn’t awful (mostly!) but there are definitely things I shouldn’t have done, at least without some research first. I cringe at the memories of doing certain events back in the day. Others I have fond memories of doing.
These days I’m out most weekends as a mobile / wedding / corporate DJ and still keep my hand in with specialist events every few months. Mostly its digital DJing these days on Pioneer XDJs (for convenience) but I still like to play on the wheels of steel whenever the opportunity presents itself.
I try and keep up to date with new and interesting releases, mostly in the Balearic, underground House genres. Bandcamp, Juno Download mainly for new releases. I still buy the odd vinyl as well but have to be careful, too many already lol.
I don’t think i’ve got any better but i do seem to care less about the dancefloor - i definitely used to get really stressed about the possibility of clearing the floor and now that doesnt seem to matter so much .so maybe that means i’ve got worse
Recently embraced the digital revolution (rekordbox etc) and fuck me it’s whole lot easier and WAY less expensive! However regardless of the format i’m still a shit DJ as I am 100% to lazy to try harder. But my thinking has always been that it’s about the music you play… Blah , blahhhhhhhhhh
buy too much music, practice way too much alone with my flashing disco bulb hoping someday it will all come together and just click. Real nice stress buster mind and avoid the family
I struggle to manage to put a mix together never mind DJ in public, though I did an OK job at Rotation this summer. Quite happy not to be doing it these days though.
I should be technically much better now playing digitally most of the time. I’m not sure I am however. I used to thrive under the non stop pressure of playing a tune, reading the crowd, flicking, getting another on the deck and getting it beat matched (mostly) just in time. Crazy intensity brought out the best in me I think.
I’m not really playing out now, just doing live streams for mates. Tunes are more varied and probably better but the same buzz isn’t there. Maybe it’s a vinyl thing. Maybe it’s a live crowd thing. Maybe you don’t apply yourself and get into flow as much when you know it’s not gonna go tits up helicopter hell at any moment unless you tune right in.
Either way, playing music for other people remains one of the best things a human can do x
Still managing to cobble things together on a fairly regular basis. Having a radio show definitely gives me something to focus on. Without that, I’d probably not be doing it too ofen these days tbh, having absolutely torn the arse out if it during lockdown
In terms of music, yes. You simply gain more knowledge over the years. Technically, probably not. But I am still playing vinyl, and now I can blame sloppy deck setups.
I’ve managed to fill in some gaps in my collection - I now have a lot more 80s house/club stuff, street soul and more pre-jungle hardcore stuff so that’s been satisfying. I also have a lot more NCY US house stuff like Pal Joey, House II House, Masters etc - I was more into Jungle in the early/mid 90s so I missed out on a lot of ‘normal’ US house at that time.
So that’s given my DJing a bit of a spruce up in terms of selection. Technically I feel like I am better apart from the usual rushing to mix stuff in so it’s maybe not quite bang on when I bring the track in - that’s sometimes down to poor monitors or not having the headphones loud enough.
I feel like the mix of music I can play is broader so in that sense I prefer my DJing these days but I used to play far more often so was prob technically more tight back then…
ps I’m pissed and it’s good to be back 
