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-- 2007, new begginings.
2007, new begginings.
Well it's another year over and last year saw me looking to quit following but a swift come back.
Well, I realised DJing is all I know 
Well all that I'm interested in.
2007 looks to be an interesting year for me, as my DJ career is slowly getting back on track and it sees me get signed to a record label so some Nem tracks are going to be out there (I know, shameless promotion).
But 2006 makes me look at variety of things. The scary thing is that you have a new breed of DJ. The one who has never known vinyl and even looks down on CD (Not all I do declare). I have been witness to this on a couple of forums and indeed one or two club nights.
The live performances with Ableton that I bore witness to have left me cold and unmoved and this was even before I knew the guys were playing on a laptop.
The only laptop performance I saw last year that really rocked was PvD in Ibiza, but then you have to expect that from him.
Something that strikes as a major difference is what your entry point was in DJing.
In my experience at least, the guys who have been on vinyl then CDJs will have a different outlook to the capabilities of Ableton et al, as they have learnt to deal with the restrictions of each format before that and probably wished that some features were available to them.
The majority of laptop entry level DJs (that I have witnessed) are still strugling with the basics of DJing such as track selection and when to mix.
The myth that Ableton will make you sound like an experienced DJ is just that, a myth.
It still hasn't convinced me to pick it up as it is too dull for me, but I do have to admit that I respect anyone who can use it well.
So what of the rest of us?
Well, for a start the music industry is changing. There are so many producers out there now it's scary as music creation software becomes more accessable. Remember if you are creating music, then try and put your mark i.e. personal touch on your music rather than just trying to sound like your favourite artist.
DJing and production are art, so make it your art.
And for anyone who DJs but does not produce music, or at least tried then I would recomend that this is one of the things you try this year as it will change the way you DJ and make your better at it, I guarantee it.
Sure, we know how to EQ a mix but it's not until you have managed to do a good mixdown on a production that you really understand it. What I'm saying is this... Producing tracks will take your understanding of sound and how it works to new heights and they can for the most part be applied to your DJing in some form or other.
It does also change the way you listen to music but don't be sucked into the habit of judging a track purely on it's production values. Remember that clubbers often wont know the difference and given that a lot of soundsystem can be quite relentless there is a good chance that you wont hear it either.
So what if this year?
Well, if nothing else, learn something new.
If you are a bedroom DJ, make that special effort to try and land you that first gig. It doesn't matter how big or small but put yourself on the map and stake your claim!.
Learn the tools of your trade well, and then make a point of letting everyone else around you know it too.
Whatever format you use I wish you all the success in the world and that 2007 is a good your for you.
All the best
Karl (That's Nem's real name you know 
)
Thanks for the read Nem.
I gotta say, new years morning a played my first proper gig. It was at a warehouse party. It was in a side room and it didn't pay but it was the most fun iv ever had and the sun was rising as I played my set!!
My set went so well that by half way through it there where more people in the side room dancing than there where on the main dance floor.
Finally playing music I love directly to a crowed who loved it as well was so much fun.
There was a crap mixer and duel cd players (i had never used cd players before) but none of that mattered! I am still on a high from it.
Most fun I have ever had.
Leaving the booth and having countless strangers congratulate me was a good feeling.
BRING ON 2007!
I woke up today feeling extremely confident for some reason.
Hopefully it'll be a good year.
Cheers Nem
It's a great feeling huh.
I did a three hour set from midnight and then did an afterparty, went home posted a few messages and then played an hour and a half at an outdoor party. Sun is shining but I think at that point everybody who was there was too f*cked and tired to care, so played a down tempo set.
It is a nice feeling coming away and having people congratulate you. Basically it's them saying that you have made their night special. Always a plus.
Glad you had a good gig.
Cheers
Nem
I felt good about it too. Still haven't been to sleep yet but I felt a real buzz at midnight.
Must be something in the air.
Cheers
Nem
congrats on getting signed nem 
congrats
Nem do you produce and thats why u got signed? Or just cuz of ur sets?
congrats on getting signed. good observations about the scene btw
| quote: |
| Originally posted by theognis1002 congrats Nem do you produce and thats why u got signed? Or just cuz of ur sets? |
Nem do you by any chance have that downtempo set recorded?
Happy New Year
yeah...2006 wasnt so hot for me. Had tons of ups and downs so I'm really hoping that this year will be different and I'll be able to make some positive changes. Thanks for the inspiring words as always. Congrats on getting signed.
| quote: |
| Originally posted by s3nate Nem do you by any chance have that downtempo set recorded? |
2006 was the worst year ever- professionally and especially personally.
Good
fucking
riddance
Re: 2007, new begginings.
| quote: |
| Originally posted by Nemesis44 So what if this year? Well, if nothing else, learn something new. If you are a bedroom DJ, make that special effort to try and land you that first gig. It doesn't matter how big or small but put yourself on the map and stake your claim!. |
| quote: |
| Originally posted by Freak 2006 was the worst year ever- professionally and especially personally. Good fucking riddance |
Great words as always, Nem.
I am one of those "started out on Traktor" guys, but I started out on it knowing full well everything that you said in your original post. I'm still using Traktor (and a MIDI controller as my "mixer"), and my main limitation and reasoning behind this is simply monetary. However, I have really grown to like DJing this way from a utility and functionality perspective. I still plan on getting decks, but I don't think I'll ever ditch the laptop from my setup. I have tried to make my sets interesting (link in sig if you want to judge for yourself), and I hope that I am doing that... but I have only been at this for a couple of months, so I'm sure I have a lot of learning to do.
One thing that I forced myself into is beatmatching by ear, regardless of the ability to have the computer do most of the work. (It's not that accurate if you don't help it along anyway, IMO). I wanted to be able to do it on my own in the case of not having Traktor available. Though I will say that I have become heavily dependent on the wave display, and this likely keeps me from needing to "know" my tracks as well as, say, a typical vinyl DJ.
My situation is a little bit different from yours too, in that I started out as producer, and THEN went to DJing. So I'm a producer at heart (and that's what I do the most of). I think this makes you much pickier as a DJ, so I feel like I'm off to a good start simply from that aspect.
i'm going to be flat out serious with this.
i think 90% of Ableton only DJs are plainly full of fucking BS.
yes, i said it. it's not the use of Ableton, rather the method. you have a bunch of guys doing something absolutely uncreative, and easily achievable with 2 plain vinyl decks. only they use Ableton for it. so, basically, they are just mixing normally, without having to beatmatch. don't see the point to that.
if you are going to use Ableton only, in order for it to be respectable IMO, you should do something with the damn music. rebuild some tracks, throw in some original material. just sequencing tracks makes no sense.
if you see guys like Richie Hawtin, you'll notice their Ableton only mix CDs and such are basically impossible to do on normal equipment, as they are effectively rebuilding music and creating a collage of tracks based on loops and samples. they also throw in original material. playing out live? he carries FinalScratch, and plays tracks off of that, adding to it with Ableton at his side. he also plays tracks out of Ableton when he feels he wants full control over it, and has it deconstructed in loops. that makes for an interesting performance. or look at good ol' James Zabiela. still his crazy self, only with added power from Ableton.
remember, Ableton is a production tool first, and was adapted to DJing. but if you're going to use it for DJing, might as well use it in a somewhat live production sense. see THIS GUY for more info. he plays Ableton only sets, but at least he takes the time to sort himself out and put some work into it, instead of just pressing play on a track and fading it in.
EDIT: oh, and happy new year to all
Great read Nem, and congrats on the signing also. I have to agree that its going to be a great year.
hah, Im nowhere near as good as most of you, but by the end of 2006, 3 months into DJ'ing, I've seen some great progress. I went from not being able to beatmatch to becomeing comfortable beatmtching, getting tighter mixes, adding effects to transitions, and have finally picked up the main skill of the dj, listening to two things at once. Now in 2007, I hope to get my name out there, starting with house parties and small raves, and hopefully by the time im 21, (2008) I will be ready for the club. Good luck to all the other small djs out there, and congrats to nem and t-soma on your accomplishments.
hah, Im nowhere near as good as most of you, but by the end of 2006, 3 months into DJ'ing, I've seen some great progress. I went from not being able to beatmatch to becomeing comfortable beatmtching, getting tighter mixes, adding effects to transitions, and have finally picked up the main skill of the dj, listening to two things at once. Now in 2007, I hope to get my name out there, starting with house parties and small raves, and hopefully by the time im 21, (2008) I will be ready for the club. Good luck to all the other small djs out there, and congrats to nem and t-soma on your accomplishments.
| quote: |
| Originally posted by kingklubz hah, Im nowhere near as good as most of you, but by the end of 2006, 3 months into DJ'ing, I've seen some great progress. I went from not being able to beatmatch to becomeing comfortable beatmtching, getting tighter mixes, adding effects to transitions, and have finally picked up the main skill of the dj, listening to two things at once. Now in 2007, I hope to get my name out there, starting with house parties and small raves, and hopefully by the time im 21, (2008) I will be ready for the club. Good luck to all the other small djs out there, and congrats to nem and t-soma on your accomplishments. |
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