TranceAddict Forums (www.tranceaddict.com/forums)
- DJ Booth
-- How Do You Find New Music Before It's Overplayed?
Pages (2): [1] 2 »
How Do You Find New Music Before It's Overplayed?
What are the ways in which you stay on top of getting/playing the latest tracks even before they're all over the place and overplayed? I'm thinking of a track like Whippenberg's Chakalaka which, to my knowledge, isn't yet released but is around amongst the likes of Armin and Markus. It seems to me that unknown djs like myself are at the mercies of ASOT and GDJB to find out about cutting edge trance and progressive. I'm a member of a site that serves as somewhat of a barometer for upcoming tracks based on the numbers of hits and comments a new track gets. So, this is one way I feel like I can keep up.
But does one just have to scroll thru pages of new tracks released on Beatport to stay ahead of the game, or do you really have to know people like the Whippenberg guys in order to get a hold of their track from the beginning?
How do you stay on the cutting edge and discover new music before it's overplayed? Radio shows? Beatport? Newsletters? Knowing producers/labels personally?
I guess just search the pages.... it doesnt take that much time really.
yeh, i know this is one of those questions that is beneath most djs. i still wanted to ask tho.
Most of the the big djs get promos way ahead of release like you mention, so browsing sites like Beatport, for the rest of us, is the way to go. It's awesome when you discover a track buried within all the crap available now that's high quality.
I think you're approaching this the wrong way.
You should be trying to find songs that nobody else really knows about, regardless of age. Finding and/or playing songs based on popularity alone defeats the purpose of DJing.
You avoid overplayed tracks by avoiding overplayed artsts, like whippenberg.
Effort.
Find older tracks before they get a 20XX re-rub.
Just find music you like but that's not being whored or has been.
Fuck I hate this "scene".
Stop worrying about whether you're cutting edge or playing overplayed music, just play what you like.
why are you so worried about playing the latest tracks? just listen to tracks and get what u like.
just stay out of the charts, shouldnt be too dificult when the charts realy suck balls. shouldnt be too hard playing underplayed tracks anyway as most djs play minimal and house. just stay away from that shit.
Thanks, guys. There's a lot of good feedback here that will help re-orient my thinking about track selection.
I admit that I feel like I want to be the first to get a hold of new music--new music which I like--and be playing it before it's all over the place in order to feel like, "Wow, I called that one. I knew this was going to be big."
I agree that it's counter-dj to just pick tracks that are big (i.e., played by big name DJs) or which you think will be big and play them because you think they'll be big, not because you like them. I feel like this is what goes down on Pete Tong's In New Music We Trust: playing not what he likes but what he reckons will be big.
On the other hand, what is the definition of a track "being big" except that a lot of people like it. If I like, as a DJ, a track which is also liked by tons of EDM enthusiasts, there's no reason to not play it; and to not play it because it's big, though I like it, is rather silly. That is the other extreme of playing something just because it's big and that extreme is not playing something just because it's big. This seems to be the thinking employed by Domesticated because choosing songs that nobody knows about is still choosing based on popularity.
I think the above comments have been helpful in re-orienting my thinking, though I don't think I have fallen into either extreme, but can't deny the ever-pull towards the first extreme of just playing what's popular whether I like it or not (which is silly at the end of the day and I shouldn't be a DJ if this is my operating principle).
Moreover, I like Whippenberg's Chakalaka and to not play it now because it's gaining massive support and becoming overplayed is entering into this last extreme. What happened to the advice of to just play what I like? Does this also extend to instances in which the track which I like is also becoming overplayed? In part, this thread is a lament directed towards the fact that Chakalaka is currently unreachable except by the big name DJs so that by the time it is released it is overplayed. Would that unknown DJs were able to give tracks like this a chance from day one and decide whether to play it or see if they like it or not before it's overplayed. That is my lament. (I do understand the reasoning behind passing a promo to Armin instead of me. I just don't like it.)
Further, to simply ignore Chakalaka because it's done by an "overplayed" producer while it's gaining in popularity amongst music enthusiasts seems rather foolish. But what I'm gathering here is that the DJ's choice of music should be mostly informed by his taste, not the vox populi. Is that a fair characterization?
I do play what I like. For example, I'm really digging "Alex Gold - Give It Up/Reaction (Adam K, Soha & Alex Gold Remix)" and have been playing it and including it in my mixes, but I've not seen it in any of sets nonetheless by big name DJs. I just like it and play it and can't believe it's not bigger (maybe it is, but not that I've seen). This is a track I jumped on when it first promo-ed and have been loving it since but it hasn't gone big or become overplayed. Does it make my wonder why more haven't been playing it while I have been? Yeh, it does. Because that would seem to provide confirmation of my selection. But, at the end of the day as everyone above seems to be pointing out, musical selection needs no confirmation.
Thanks guys! This is turning out to be a very helpful discussion.
Maybe to get closer to the answers I was looking for I should pose the following question instead of the one in the name of this thread:
How do you find music you like on your own apart from other DJs?
| quote: |
| Originally posted by Eleazar How do you find music you like on your own apart from other DJs? |
| quote: |
| Originally posted by palm just stay out of the charts, shouldnt be too dificult when the charts realy suck balls. |
| quote: |
| Originally posted by Eleazar How do you find music you like on your own apart from other DJs? |
It is not always necessarily about finding tracks no one else has touched. Sets sometimes need a track or 2 that the listener can relate to or point out, some people get satisfaction at being able to pick a track out (trainspotting). I think the key is how your tracks flow and interact with each other. It is about framing those more known tracks with a few that are good that might have slipped under the radar to create a sound , vibe, and feeling that portrays what you want to show as your style. Effort, effort, effort, and lots of practice.
20 dj's can play the same record different ways and make them sound different. To do this though you need to find complimentary music...ie set up those big bombs with nice filler, dj tools, accapellas.
You should never try to sound obscure for the sake of trying to be different. Balance is key.
| quote: |
| Originally posted by elFreak It is not always necessarily about finding tracks no one else has touched. Sets sometimes need a track or 2 that the listener can relate to or point out, some people get satisfaction at being able to pick a track out (trainspotting). I think the key is how your tracks flow and interact with each other. It is about framing those more known tracks with a few that are good that might have slipped under the radar to create a sound , vibe, and feeling that portrays what you want to show as your style. Effort, effort, effort, and lots of practice. 20 dj's can play the same record different ways and make them sound different. To do this though you need to find complimentary music...ie set up those big bombs with nice filler, dj tools, accapellas. You should never try to sound obscure for the sake of trying to be different. Balance is key. |
| quote: |
| Originally posted by elFreak It is not always necessarily about finding tracks no one else has touched. Sets sometimes need a track or 2 that the listener can relate to or point out, some people get satisfaction at being able to pick a track out (trainspotting). I think the key is how your tracks flow and interact with each other. It is about framing those more known tracks with a few that are good that might have slipped under the radar to create a sound , vibe, and feeling that portrays what you want to show as your style. Effort, effort, effort, and lots of practice. 20 dj's can play the same record different ways and make them sound different. To do this though you need to find complimentary music...ie set up those big bombs with nice filler, dj tools, accapellas. You should never try to sound obscure for the sake of trying to be different. Balance is key. |
Just another thought.
There's way too much good music out there, and even releases by well known producers don't get picked up by a lot of DJs.
Crate digging should be one of the most fun thing you do as a DJ. Nothing like finding that hidden gem that rock the dance floor.
| quote: |
| Originally posted by Yohan Crate digging should be one of the most fun thing you do as a DJ. |
| quote: |
| Originally posted by Eleazar What does digital crate digging look like for you? I got things I do but there's got to be better ways. |
set aside 1 hour a day to preview and hunt.
at the end of the month i can guarantee you will have tons of new fresh music.
do not look at charts and top 100. Only buy the stuff that speaks to you. There is no better way. You only get what you put in in this game.
find artists you like, find out what labels they are on. research said labels, you'll find a shitload. good luck.
If your using Beatport add some of your fav artists and thier labels to your favourites, then check them out and thier labels. If they do a colab you liked add the other artist and his label, rinse, repeat.
Its not hard, its just time consuming. However its rewarding to find a track by a completly unheard of artist that blows you away.
Powered by: vBulletin
Copyright © 2000-2021, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.