Hey Again -

I can't really figure out where this belongs. Maybe general discussion is the best fit or would this belong to the newbie section?

The “Secrets” of DJing: Lesson 1

Now and then, random aspiring DJs ask me if I can teach them the secret to my DJing techniques. “I just want to see what you do, look at your technique”, is the typical phrase they use. Every time my response is the same. The technique is the easiest part of DJing – and it would be a waste of our time for me to guide them through something they can read in a manual. Where I could be of help though, is to teach them about intuition, and the psychology behind what I do. I believe these “soft skills” of understanding the room and knowing how and when to apply the right selection are crucial to being a superb DJ. Yet when I explain this they back off, they believe that DJing is about physical techniques or “hard skills” (beatmatching, cutting, efx, etc). I will take this opportunity to explain more about the soft skills of intuition and empathy that bring DJing to another level and how I began to understand their importance.

For the full article with all its Dj Tutorial, lesson, insights here

 

Secrets??

I've been mixing for over 15yrs, and still do. The music is kinda pre planned. If I'm warming up for a headliner then that's exactly what I'll do. I won't go full on and step on their toes if you know what I mean. The whole reading the crowd thing is kinda bollocks these days, you can't really go wrong. You go to a hardcore club (or whatever genre) to hear hardcore music played by hardcore djs. If you don't like it your in the wrong club.

Alot of people now are playing with ableton. Do you think they load tracks up on the fly? No chance they have the set with all their tunes pre loaded. A good friend of mine is making a big name for himself in the uk, he has his sets planned out weeks in advance and has played it over and over before he plays out. People book him because they know what to expect, his style etc they know what their guna get.

I don't own decks anymore, focus all my time on producing. 2/3 days before I'm due to play, I'll download some tunes I like and burn them to disc. Depending what time im playing or who else is playing I'll work out a set around that. Thats it. I don't practice because you don't need to. Beat matching isn't a skill anymore. You want shot with shit if you can't do it on cdjs. Dj'ing used to be a skill with vinyl, but now its all digital, anyone can do it. After I finish my set, I get people in the club saying how great I was etc but c'mon I only played someone elses tunes, jumped about and added some fx, it really aint that hard. Then I get paid and go home.

I'm not ungrateful, I've served my time, played to empty rooms, travelled miles to gig for free, I've put hard work in believe me, maybe I don't have the passion I used to have, I don't know? I do still enjoy it, and I do get a buzz from it still, but I just think people make it out to be harder than it actually is, or needs to be, and the winners (the guys at the top) 9 times out of 10 arn't any better than you or I, or aren't anymore skillfull. They've either payed to be there, sucked off the right people or were just in the right place at the right time.

 

That's a pretty gloomy picture of the industry you make there. And I must say that I agree on some of your ideas.

Absolutely... Deadmau5 didn't end up on the top because he was the most talented DJ out there - he ended up there because Tommy Lee put down a million and a half dollars to pay for his 3 managers and 15 interns. (By the way - not speculative). Skrillex, same team same method.

Nevertheless - I strongly believe that high ideals is a virtue. The democratization of DJing is def. not making it easier to have high standards. It's a war out there... not on quality, but on how many friends you can get to show up to your gigs. The promoters are getting into the DJ game (behind the decks), especially here in New York. Barf...

I can't judge if you have passion or if the passion disappeared for some reason, but what I can say for sure is that humans feel good when they are mastering an art. That is one of the main motivations of work... especially the work that people do for free! So... Mastery will in my opinion lead to a happier life.