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-- How the game changes...
How the game changes...
Mini play by play about how it's been for me to get into Montreal's dance music scene 
*->June
As many of you know I really haven't been in the scene here in Montreal very long and I've pretty much had to climb the ladder since I moved here last September. Sure, I had some experience Djing prior to coming here, but no contacts over here or anything to make getting gigs easier.
When I first got here I realized how inexperience I was with both big city club DJs and the promotion business. I started promoting just a couple of months after I moved here but it wasn't my style of scene really so I left that company and just went out a bit and met a lot of new friends. I wasn't really promoting myself as a DJ at this point, more just getting to know the real dance music scene in Montreal and practicing a lot with my neighbor who turned out to be a really good DJ as well. I wanted to see what I really liked about this city's club/edm scene before getting too deep into anything. You can also get to know people a lot differently if you aren't just going on about how you're a DJ from the beginning of the conversation 
Then the hype started. One of the local Afterhours clubs (big late night, no booze club), Circus, started a DJ contest. Naturally my neighbor and I entered mixes both together and separately (By this point we'd decided to work on a back to back project). Mine was chosen to advance to the qualifications. They were held on a Saturday afternoon some time in February. I showed up with a bunch of my friends (old ones, new ones, ones that hadnt slept from the night before still partying). Got on to spin my half hour and had a really good time. I played some suprising unreleased remixes and some subtle bombs and managed to get a lot of the people who showed up to dance in the middle of this afterhours club in the middle of the afternoon with the lights on. That half hour was enough to make one of my friends organize a party at his loft that night, headlined by none other than me and my neighbor. Right after I finished my set, one of the residents of the club told me they'd be seeing me again for sure.
Loft party went well, got a lot of good feedback even though we were on a very ghetto setup that we lugged over and setup minutes before we got on. More and more people got to know me as a DJ and we got more people dancing I went back to Circus for the Quarter Finals, had a great time with my friends, played a fun set but unfortunately didn't get into the semi finals. It was however a great opportunity to play on a big big sound system again, this time on a thursday night with people in the club.
Then in early March Montreal got lucky... James Holden and DJ Koze came to play at a big concert hall here and we recieved an amazing party and a huge gathering of friends. As the night was ending at about 7 AM, my friend invited me to come spin at his afterparty. I just right then and there and went home to get my tunes. When I got there the DJ who played after James Holden, "Bender" from Mtl, was on the decks. we both ended up spinning all morning/afternoon with some other friends and DJs hopping on as well. It was a legendary afterparty and when I left at 5:30 PM, the party was still raging on.
March proved to be a pretty crazy month with events dragging me to the club(s) at least once or twice a weekend. I was promoting for a company run by a friend of mine who'd booked Booka Shade, and organizing an event of my own with some friends of mine at the end of the month. My friend sorted us out with this small club down in the Old Part of town to put on a friday night party with myself and my neighbor headlining. We had a great crowd come out and got about 80 people through the door. We then had a sick afterparty where the four of us who'd spun at the club that night raged on. It's the raging that really got me breaks in this city and all the free afterparties where I could just play whatever I want to make people rock out have been where I've really gotten people to hear the music. Sure, the demo's have been useful as well, a good way to back it all up. Overall though, been the live exposure that's been most useful, not the web promotion or online demos, but the word of mouth and the dance parties.
We had a couple more gigs may and June together as the same team, but really what we found was the venue we'd chosen wasn't really prime for any kind of succesful monthly. It's a bit isolated in the old part of town, nice area but touristy and far. We still got a decent turn out both nights but I could feel it wasn't going anywhere. The last gig I did in June with my friend Jeff Grosse from Boston was a huuge failure and we had barely 5 people show up. It was a big deal and I ended up losing some money on flyers and a bottle we bought for my friend, his birthday. It was lucky we didn't have to pay him any fee because I promote for his company. I decided that night not to plan any more nights at this club and vowed to keep working harder. It wasn't a huge test, but it was definetely an unfortunate speedbump.
ALl the going out and promotion did do a lot of good though and definitely got more people down with the sound and finding the demos. During these months I was also out and abut quite a lot supporting my friends nights and making new friends. We had saome really good times, which is what my introduction to Montreal's edm scene has really revolved around.
Gonna continue this later on as im off, but July and August are shaping up to be quite the adventures as well!
july->*
So after a really crappy crappy party, I had to keep my head up. Luckily I had a gig the next Friday so I was able to focus on that. I only had the full details of the gig 3 days prior so it was hard to promote it, especially since it was a terrace party that stretched from 6pm - 3am... We did manage to get some good friends who hadn't heard me spin yet. I played from 6-11 pm and played a very.. interesting set. When I started it was mainly older "folks" on the terrace and a different mood.. i had to adjust what i wa splaying, what volume and speed quite a bit to find a nice medium that worked for this particular venue.
Just as I had built my outdoor terrace sounds with no real dancefloor, it starts pouring rain and everyone comes inside! I was playing a great deep house track but it was apparent I'd have to kick it up a notch! Finished the gig, had a great weekend that was that!
Tomorrow I'm gonna be back spinning at Circus again this time just closing, from 6-10 am... 
Sounds coolbeans. Yeah thats way cool that you moved to another big city without any connections and was able to get into the scene like that. By chance did you live in America before you moved or no? Random I know.
| quote: |
| Originally posted by Oreoh142 Sounds coolbeans. Yeah thats way cool that you moved to another big city without any connections and was able to get into the scene like that. By chance did you live in America before you moved or no? Random I know. |
Nice writeup.
wish you all the best!
continue like this and dont be satisfied with what you achieved till now! Push Push Push!!!
you totally h4xd the scene
montreal is by far my favorite city to travel to when i want some real edm (as in they play the music i really like out there)....btw have you checked out a club by the name of time? also you should make your way to thursdays just for a drink or two...
good luck and ill be looking for you next time i go out there. Finally, have you checked out tranceaddict's montreal forums?
| quote: |
| Originally posted by spdandpwr montreal is by far my favorite city to travel to when i want some real edm (as in they play the music i really like out there)....btw have you checked out a club by the name of time? also you should make your way to thursdays just for a drink or two... good luck and ill be looking for you next time i go out there. Finally, have you checked out tranceaddict's montreal forums? |
hahaha time supperclub
the whos who of mtl
coke central
they host cool parties sometimes, but the place is slowly slowly dying down
I agree with AlliedNations , I'm not familiar with other cities or scenes other then Montreal and Ottawa but i know that word of mouth and live exposure makes a bigger impact on the local EDM scene here then websites or promotions of that nature.
Websites,etc... are great if you are a commercial DJ for weddings or schools and parties of a conventional nature....but when it comes to the underground/rave scene you have to actually have people hear your stuff and develop a reputation. Promotions don't mean a whole lot to the crowds i see in clubs and big events here.
I have never promoted myself or advertised at all , but after a few successful house parties people will hear you and if they like what they heard and had a good time they will ask you back you develope credibility that way.
After enough satisfied listeners have heard you will eventually have someone who works for a club or at least know someone who does listen to you and refer you , from their you can get an oppertunity to play at a club. After that it's up to you to move up and build on your success.
It's really not complicated , but the key IMO is that you really just have to get that exposure and develop a name build from your success.
This bedroom DJ thing is great if you want to just sharpen your skills , but you can't be a success in the scene unless you get out their and do it.
One of easiest ways to get that exposure is to do what Allied Nations suggested , host your own parties and spin for everyone who shows up. If your good it's only a matter of time.
Totally bro... I'm really not in any kind of position to give anyone a step by step on how to enter the scene so I can only write about my own experiences, both positive and negative in order to try and help other djs looking to get out there and get spinning.
If you wait for the bookings, they will never come
and your last gig should be your best
oh and DR, got a new mix up, click my sig, just stuck it up yesterday- bit of my housier side 
slightly updated
I didn't really gather from your story, maybe i missed it...but...do you like, study something there or do you JUST dj? It sounds like a whole lot of time you've put into getting into the scene...
| quote: |
| Originally posted by eckmek I didn't really gather from your story, maybe i missed it...but...do you like, study something there or do you JUST dj? It sounds like a whole lot of time you've put into getting into the scene... |
Was working a full time job as well, but for the last couple of weeks I've just been summer breakin' it.
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