The one thing that really improves you as a DJ is playing regularly. All the other organisational stuff can have an impact on that, but there’s nothing teaches you better than playing – and, especially, playing bad gigs. I’ve learned so much more from these than good ones, which are obviously much more enjoyable, but you don’t learn anything. So gradually, you get to a point where you’ve developed the skills enough to turn a shit gig into a good one and an average show into a brilliant one.
I do think playing digitally changes how you approach DJing, for sure, I now tend to organise around BPM more than anything else, but there’s some interesting points by @Jesse3enne77 and @papaloudj that I think might make a slightly different but equally interesting thread. I’m going to start it right now
Digital DJing has made me unhealthily obsessed about Key. Whether you organise on waveform/key/bpm there’s definitely a risk that digital tools become more of a science than an art.
and not forgetting the great tuition book from yours truly and Co. How to Dj properly. Really made me focus and fine tune on the technical stuff. And always remember Bill mentioning that the art to it is about letting go.
I really agree with this as know when I’m the moment/zone there is something special.
Most my mixes these days are a rinse off Bandcamp and create a mix in one take and not pre listening to any tracks. By far the most intuitive and creative way for me.
Not being a natural chest beater I’m finding it really difficult to say that yes I am now better than ever. I mean I am pretty confident when I get behind some 1210s or a laptop but I always think you’re only as good as the people dancing in front of you… or not.
I think selection improves with experience/age and I certainly have that on my side ie I am now the other side of 50 and have been playing out on and off for about 25 years. My tastes have obviously changed over the years, thanks in part to hanging out on forums like this (cheers guys! ), or just going down youtube/bandcamp wormholes which has encouraged me to broaden my mind musically as to what you can and can’t get away with when playing out.
I’m currently doing a weekly Saturday night gig in a bar in South London which is vinyl only (their specifics not mine) and whilst it doesn’t need to involve beatmatching I try and do some when it’s appropriate to keep my hand in. So I guess technically I am testing myself as well.
My one grief is that I just don’t have as much time as I’d like to properly practice, especially on the digital front. I have Rekordbox on a laptop and a controller but selection wise I just feel it’s a bit of a wing-job every time I need to use it to play out! I guess I’ve learnt to wing it massively anyway with this whole dj malarky… seems to work better when I do.
I’d asked my mum to get me the new edition of ‘Last Night A DJ Saved My Life’ for my birthday recently, she also bought me the tuition book too saying ‘I hope you’re not offended by this’, after my initial reaction I dug in and actually have learned a fair bit, particularly with regards to key.
As @GrimsbyRiviera says the best way to learn is by playing out, I have been putting on a small night in Worecester for the past 5 years and it has made me so much better than I was in my 20s-30s when I was only playing a couple of times per year.
Serious question. Why is that so important to you?
When i play in clubs, i love taking my records down because i like the challenge of mixing them live on a strange setup i haven’t used before, plus i might have new ones that i have yet to rip. But i would never want to judge someone playing next to me who is just using cdjs, if anything i am the one who is doing the out of the ordinary thing.
Why draw this line in the sand that prevents you from having meaningful engagement with younger people into the same things as you?
This, to me, is why I have to answer that I’m not as good now as I was a few years ago, just before Covid hit. Lack of real world gigs (not streaming etc) has made me much less confident in my selection and mixing. Weirdly what helped me a lot was to go back to playing only on records. I’ve always loved the safety of a case full of 60 records I know well, and nothing more. I had started playing more and more on digital formats and the whole looping, rekordbox, unlimited selection thing seriously threw me off for a bit.
If you haven’t got any records, you need something to show off!
It’s not THAT important to me, but I do wonder why more people can’t do it. (“If you going to be that arrogant, mate…”)
Even Bill and Franks book says it’s really difficult to do. It’s not. I have been able to do it for nearly thirty years. (Admittedly largely in the confines of my own home.)
To avoid confusion: what I’m talking about here is adjusting the pitch without touching the platter/spindle/ record label.
I’m playing out more then ever. Playing and running a twice monthly sober (no booze) dance event and playing guest slots at other “ecstatic” dance events in the Canadian PNW.
I’ve also been going to summer festivals and keeping my head screwed on straight aka quit boozing and gak. A good divorce will get you back to your roots!
Unlearning some dj traits, like feeling the need to beat mix everything as it can really make set seem flat. I’m definitely better then ever and have been welcomed into and continue to develop community around music and movement.
Still have lots of opportunities to play loft parties and warehouse jams but keep them to a minimum as it’s not where my focus lies.
The last two mixes I made were on cassette. Well, to be honest and complete, I recorded on cassette and hard drive simultaneously. And then I made CDs as well. And Mixclouded.
Cassettes are nice ‘cos you get a very specific time span to work within.
Actually, there was a problem with one of hard drive recordings and I dubbed it back off the cassette - even nicer. So, Luddism both lives in the present and uses whatever techniques are necessary. The truck only has a working cassette player so I really enjoying having something personal to listen to as I drive around in my very limited way. It’s also true that the flubs stick out more over time.
Definitely a lot better than 5+ years ago. I used to be a vinyl only DJ, a purist one might say. I sold my whole collection of 2000 great records a few years ago though. At first I thought I’d never DJ again, but then I started to do a bit of digital and I feel it sort of freed me of some burden. Being able to easily play almost anything I want instead of being limited by what I could find and afford is great! My sets are definitely better now. And it’s not just my opinion, people often tell me that I should play more often and in bigger venues that I actually do.
That said, being 46 I don’t have gigs that often anymore. I was never famous even here in Finland in the first place, but since most of the promoters and organizers who used to book me are doing something else nowadays, it’s rare for anyone to contact me and ask for a gig. And the 20-somethings that run the clubs now don’t book boomers like me unless they’re famous,
I do have some gigs, just wish I had more of them.
Hello all. Looooooooonnnnnnnnggggg time lurker - Cardiff based here - Ex London - I returned to vinyl bout 5 yrs ago & have a monthly budget i (try) to stick to - Had about 6000 odd vinyl - skimped it down a bit and now its growing again. Got my CDJ 2000- Rekordbox bout 10 yrs back & before that played CDs on the old 1000s from about 05 onwards - Had regular monthly residency from 00 to 14 and went right through from vinyl - CD - USB. Went back to vinyl purely because i find it easier to find / manage music - was buying tons of DL and eventually just got swamped with the sheer amount of releases. Also not great with RB mngmnt so sometimes struggle with that - God knows how people manage their RB , must be a full time job. Still buy a few DL and flit between vinyl & DL when playing. Even drag my CDs out every now & then but find way too much electroclash & minimal plinky plonk in there ! I play for about 2 to 4 hrs every week. I find it quite a stress reliever. Very lucky that my wife loves it as much as me & will sit in the kitchen with me while i throb it out for (sometimes) hrs on end ! ! I was ok back in the day & had a ton of great gigs playing D & B. II used to love playing the warm up (more time to get trousered afterwards !) I’m defo better DJ - selector know. I Think thats down to having a decent collection to choose from, 35 + yrs of dancefloors / having played a solid residency & just generally still loving club / DJ culture. After moving - CV19 & my daughters birth i’m now back doing a few things now & on the horizon (1st festival set for yrs in June). Just not sure if the young uns want to see another old geezer dropping heat !! (although the old uns have still got it )
), or just going down youtube/bandcamp wormholes which has encouraged me to broaden my mind musically as to what you can and can’t get away with when playing out.
- Had about 6000 odd vinyl - skimped it down a bit and now its growing again. Got my CDJ 2000- Rekordbox bout 10 yrs back & before that played CDs on the old 1000s from about 05 onwards - Had regular monthly residency from 00 to 14 and went right through from vinyl - CD - USB. Went back to vinyl purely because i find it easier to find / manage music - was buying tons of DL and eventually just got swamped with the sheer amount of releases. Also not great with RB mngmnt so sometimes struggle with that - God knows how people manage their RB , must be a full time job. Still buy a few DL and flit between vinyl & DL when playing. Even drag my CDs out every now & then but find way too much electroclash & minimal plinky plonk in there ! I play for about 2 to 4 hrs every week. I find it quite a stress reliever. Very lucky that my wife loves it as much as me & will sit in the kitchen with me while i throb it out for (sometimes) hrs on end ! ! I was ok back in the day & had a ton of great gigs playing D & B. II used to love playing the warm up (more time to get trousered afterwards !) I’m defo better DJ - selector know. I Think thats down to having a decent collection to choose from, 35 + yrs of dancefloors / having played a solid residency & just generally still loving club / DJ culture. After moving - CV19 & my daughters birth i’m now back doing a few things now & on the horizon (1st festival set for yrs in June). Just not sure if the young uns want to see another old geezer dropping heat !! (although the old uns have still got it )