And I had to agree with myself. Now rather than take up drugs or whatever kids these days are doing, I’ve decided the thing for me is to learn how to be a DJ.
The problem is, I have no real experience in any of the equipment or in making music in any form.
Now comes the part where I need advice. How do I go about trying this stuff out? Are there any good books I should read? What kind of equipment should I look at getting? How much do I need to spend on a starter set and what do I need to get myself going? I’m looking to spend a minimum as my finances are rather thin at the moment.
Any help in getting myself going would be much appreciated.
Thank you
P.S. Should I ever make it to the Indie circuit, I promise to name one of my albums 1920’s Style Death Ray
Speaking as a college student who spins breaks, techno and trance at the occasional event, here is a list of things that I would say to you.
Starter equipment is gonna run you somewhere between $200 and $500 (I recommend this setup. It’s the one that I have and it’s served me very well), not including the cost of records. Records are 'spensive.
If you make money at this ever, it won’t be for quite a while. Hobby is definitely what I’d call it, but it’s very fun. I’ve been at it for about a year now, and I’m still short of breaking even. I did once get paid $300 for a couple hours of work at this one really cool gig, though. That’s the best I’ve done so far.
Do NOT agree to spin somewhere that the people will not like your style. Nobody will be happy if you don’t play what they like to hear. They’ll be bitching at you, you’ll be working hard to keep the mix going, but nobody will be in to it, you won’t own records that they DO want to hear, etc. Spin where you’re wanted, and you may not make money, but you’ll always have a lot of fun.
If you make a demo, you will get a ton more gigs. Otherwise, just find some place to make a start and get heard, then other people who are there will very likely ask you to play other places.
Most people have no idea what a DJ does. They see them looking cool on TV and stuff, and they know what scratching looks like, but that’s it. If you spin at college parties, be ready to be asked over and over what the second record is for, what you hear in your headphones, etc. Many people have no concept of beatmatching, and I’m not sure if they just think that all electronic
tracks have the same beat or what. Basically, be prepared to practice a long time and then have people think that all you do is play records.
Rave is dead. It was fun while it lasted.
NOTHING is more fun than rocking a crowd that has a good vibe going. It is the hugest charge.
Other than that, I guess I’d just say practice, practice, practice. The best DJ’s have plenty of tricks up their sleeves, in my opinion, and the best way to learn those tricks is just to watch and listen. I have a bunch of bootleg and official recordings of my favorite DJ’s spinning live, and I listen very carefully to what it is that they do that makes them sound better than the rest. If you’re in to turntablism (scratching) buy yourself a DMC (huge turntable competition every year) video, and just watch what they do and try to copy it until you come up with something cool. Any more specific questions, just post em here and I’ll see if I can help.
LC’s advice is spot on in my opinion. I’ll add a couple of things though. first off, once you get good enough to spin out, I’d put more emphasis on point 4. The scene is more competitive here in Detroit than a lot of places, but I think the advice still stands. You will not get a good gig without a demo. also, if and when you make one, make it as perfect as possible. Promoters assume every tape they get is edited and redone to be as good as possible, so they’re going to assume your skills are a bit less then what they sound like on the tape.
A lot of people do follow the pattern LC describes in step one and start out with cheap tables(myself included.) It’s quite an investment, so you might as well find out if you like it before dropping a bunch of bills into your hobby. However, once you’ve got the basics down, and have decided you like doing it, get yourself some good tables. Technics 1200s are the gold standard, and chances are, anywhere you play, that’s what they’ll be using.
I’m sure I could come up with some more, and I’ll try to come back, but I don’t have a ton of time right now. anyway, enjoy your new hobby. it’s a lot of fun. welcome to the club:)
Your OP is lacking a bit of crucial detail, ask yourself:
What kind of DJ do you want to become? Like musicians, there are many kinds of DJs and the parallels between them and musicians are numerous. Some types of DJs are considered to be musicians in their own right.
Let’s assume you want to spin at parties and club nights. Working with Lucki Chaarms’ excellent template, here’s the skinny:
Equipment: You’ll need at minimum one direct drive turntable, slipmat and cartridge, one CD/mp3 player, headphones and a mixer. A microphone would be nice too. Plug into a sound system and with a stack of plattes and CDs, you can provide sound for any occasion and hopefully soon be making a few bucks towards your budding record addiction. The linked setup is an affordable all-included classic-style DJ setup made specifically for spinning vinyl only. If you plan to spin music in any other format, look at a bigger mixer. Like musical instruments, there are always great deals to be had, but notice also that the more expensive equipment holds its value much, much better. If you find yourself getting serious about your hobby, Technics turntables are the Gibson Les Pauls of the DJ world.
You can make good money at this, great money these days, top DJs fly around the world with their entourage for free, stay at nice hotels, and get paid like rock stars. Again it depends on what kind of DJ you want to be. Wedding bands do quite well in my city, and the same goes for event-oriented mobile DJ companies. You won’t have a lot of latitude in the type of music you spin and there will be no danger of anyone considering you an artist, but you’d be surprised how many venom-spitting punk rockers can play wedding standards.
3.-4. Great advice, nothing is tougher on a DJs ego (any DJs mainstay is their ego) than bombing. Know what kind of DJ you are and what the audience expects.
So true. The uninitiated will view you as a jukebox and will be visibly hurt when you can’t play the song their grandfather’s friend’s band recorded in the 50’s. Try to find a balance between sure-fire tried and tested hits and original interesting stuff when assembling your record collection at the beginning, then when your DJ-ego has grown to full maturity, you can spin pitted pawn shop Sesame Street records backwards and they’ll think you’re a genius. Remember: you are cool, they are not. Time the beats yourself for every single recording you own with a stopwatch and keep meticulous notes on all your recordings, not just the ones presently in your set. Musical tastes are subjective and cyclical and the truly talented DJ can make the old new again, and the kitchy the new cutting edge. This is the fundamental difference between the guy spinning the dorm’s top 100 and the DJ as artiste, but there’s a lot of work behind the scenes, listen to music constantly and remember. Inspiration will come.
Rave died when they made E illegal in 1984, play “Memorabilia” from Soft Cell’s Non-Stop Exstatic Dancing and then a Gothic dirge.
Bumping this thread to point out how right on eunoia was with the wedding band analogy, which is the one I use to describe to most people how I feel about different jobs. If I need extra money, I’ll agree to spend a few hours DJing school dances, birthday parties, weddings, whatever. I get paid $50 an hour plus the cost of any equipment I have to rent (big speakers, lighting effects, fog, whatever they want) and I usually get tipped fairly well on top of that. That is the wedding band side of things.
However, most people who are in wedding bands also have real bands with which they would much rather be playing. You can always get your wedding band booked, but you get excited when you score a good gig with your real band, see? My DJ ego is getting dangerously large, and it’s hard for me to handle the wedding band side any more, unless I’m desperate for cash.
Bonus for Young DJ’s: If you spin at a friend’s party and it gets busted, the cops will leave you alone as long as the music’s not insanely loud and you look busy. Presumably they assume you’re just some guy who got hired to come do this thing, and not an actual partygoer. Saved my ass more than once.
eunoia - I’ll see your Soft Cell followed by a Gothic Dirge, and raise you Seven Nation Army mixed in to a bumpin’ house track with a lot of scratching (Donald Glaude is my hero) and then mix that in to a very sped up Without Me by Eminem.
Look into some local dj outfits that specialize in weddings and such. Often they will hire people, give some training and supply equipment. Keep in mind you’ll be playing awful music for a few bucks an hour (while the company takes in a small fortune), but you did say that you have no experience, and this will get you a little.
I used to do some large clubs for around $100 a night (big money back then), but have friends that do weddings with all the bells and whistles for about a grand a night. So just like creating music, you cross between creativity and money.
For getting started, you can get some cool mixing programs for your PC and just run MP3’s, although beat on beat is difficult.
I do all my parties using a PC and a couple CD players, but I still have some SL-1200s collecting dust in my closet.
I’m one of those clueless people who has no idea what a DJ does, although I’m damn sure that it’s more than just playing records. Pleas tell me if this is right: the second turntable is for the next song, which you use the headphones to beat-match to the first by somehow speeding up or slowing down the second turntable. Then you can transition smoothly to the next song when you’re ready. But there’s got to be more to it - what makes DJ’ing an art?
I’m really clueless. I couldn’t tell house from trance music if my life depended on it, and I have no clue what the hell “drum ‘n’ bass” music is. I imagine it focuses heavily on drum beats and bass lines, though. Anyone willing to clue me in will be much appreciated. Thanks.
Anyone willing to clue me in will be much appreciated. Thanks.