Let me start off by saying that I'm not a DJ... yet, anyway. That may seem odd, considering I have a website--but I hope to be a DJ in the not so distant future (what I do now is on my computer), and I wanted to get the domain, at least. I also have a few friends I like to share my mixes with.

My main obstacles to becoming a real DJ are the high costs of getting into it, and my uncertainty about how successful I might be. I'm pretty certain I can learn the physical act of DJ'ing--I'm mostly worried about the club crowds around here--who seem to only want the stalest hip-hop you can find.

So, what I'm asking for is some criticism on my music choices--especially whether you think my choices would work well in clubs. For starters I'll post the playlist for my October mix:

1 - Solar Stone - Release (Zehavi and Rand Remix)
2 - Ryan G - Supernova
3 - Aalto - Resolution
4 - Armas - Angels and Demons
5 - Jamie P VS Aurelius feat. David Hughes - Sorrow
6 - Acus and Elitist - Zonderland (Carl B's In a Lonely Place Mix)
7 - Lost Witness - Love Again (Airbase Remix)
8 - Verge - One Day Later
9 - Carlo Resoort - Rise
10 - Solid Slide - Belo Horizonte
11 - Filo and Peri - Dance With A Devil
12 - Drax and Scott Mac - Must Have Been a Dream (Mac Zimms Remix)

The playlists for my other mixes are here. If you'd like to take a listen, be my guest. Again, I'd appreciate any comments that might help me decide whether I'm going to take the plunge. Thanks guys

Last edited by DJStoic on Nov-30-2005 at 12:42

I'm not a dj but the general consensus is if you want to get big you have to make your own music. There are tons of unheard of dj's that mix really well, but your maximum exposure would be to come out with something solid. You can't make it as a dj alone and you'll probably waste more money on vinyl than what you get paid for at a local gig for the week.

Ok, I've always thought to myself that to be a DJ I'd want to spin vinyl, but it's damn expensive. What do you think about the alternatives to vinyl though? A DJ at my local club mixes from cd... which I guess I've looked down on, but then again, I'm really not looking to make this a career. I suppose if it turned out that way I'd be happy, but I have a primary job. It would be more like a weekend job that already fits my lifestyle.

Cd's and Mp3's are the way to go with the changing dj scene and their relative cheapness. $12 just to buy one song on vinyl is simply ridiculous versus $1 for the same song on mp3 or $2 for a cd. And let's not begin with the vinyl vs cd debate. oh geeez. What many people fail to realize is that most vinyl recorded after 1990 was pressed from a DAT (digital audio tape), which has a frequency up to 48000hz. The sound from a DAT is more than enough to satisfy your most intense audiophile critic. Anyways cd's and vinyl's have been copied from these DAT masters for years so the sound is the same.

If you want to make it a hobby and get paid for doing so then I think your plan is a good one. Dj on the weekends with cd's since most clubs do not incorporate laptops into their audio setup yet. I forgot to mention to know who you're spinning for. If the scene in your area is rap and hip hop then it is highly unlikely that you will be received well in front of that audience.

As far as your tracklist is concerned I know most of those artists but don't recognize many of the songs so if you would post a mix up I'll let you know what needs tweaking from a listener's point of view. If you're lucky enough to live in NYC, Miami, or LA then good luck with your dj ventures.

Ok, duh, I meant to do that before. That playlist belongs to this mix.

I appreciate your feedback, man. You can't (or possibly can) imagine how much I've tortured myself over this decision. And now, my tax refund is just around the corner, so the question has once again come up. Do I or don't I...

Hope you enjoy the mix.

hi bro ;-)

''Do I or don't I...'' just do go for your dream and make it happen dude

i will dl your mix as well

Looks like you know how to physically (beatmatch, volume leveling, etc). Now that's a good thing. But there's also the entertainment factor which begs the question: Can you keep your audience entertained? Overall the whole feel of the set seemed slightly simple and dull. I only enjoyed the first half of it. You maintained a great build until after track 6 where the flow of the set seemed to knock the whole mix off balance. I also did not like how you ended the mix. You always want to end on a high note instead of a mediocre one.

Thanks Hans, I hope you like the mix.

And thanks Stevie, I appreciate the feedback. It doesn't sound like my mix structure really worked for you--that's cool--I actually rather agree. Since these were just tracks that were released in October or I happened to hear in October, that limited my choices somewhat. Also, I've experimented with many different structures in the past, though recently I've tried to structure my mixes so that I hook the listener in at the beginning, then build to a climax near the middle, and kinda slow it down with lesser energy tracks. I agree with you that the mix is sort of top-loaded--I like the beginning, up until the middle or so, of that mix more than the ending, too.

Do you think it would've been better to build the mix up more slowly, with sort of a constant build-up to a big finish? I'd only be worried about not really hooking in a listener at the start. Or, should I do a shorter mix, but all driving trance? It's been a long time since I got any feedback that wasn't from a close friend, so I really appreciate your honest opinion.

Out of curiousity, what type of trance do you prefer? I prefer more uplifting and driving trance, but the trend seems to me to be moving more and more towards the progressive end.

And back to a point you made in an earlier post--the audience is the other unknown in my situation. I noticed you live in FL--where at? I, unfortunately, live up in Jacksonville--which you may know is more like southern GA than the rest of FL. However, I've seen signs over the last couple of years that there may be a real, hidden audience for EDM here. The few times that they've brought in big DJ's here, I've noticed that they really pack the house. How much of that is a real love of EDM or just the attraction to the big name... I can't say. I can say that the local DJ's here are not up to date with their music, and don't really play anything special. So, I have a hopeful suspicion that a good trance DJ could find a real untapped audience here.

Anyways, maybe the way for me to go is to see what I can do "on the cheap", with cd decks, or the like, and see how audiences respond. Then I'll have a better idea of what I should do. Thanks again guys =D

quote:

Originally posted by DJStoic And thanks Stevie, I appreciate the feedback. It doesn't sound like my mix structure really worked for you--that's cool--I actually rather agree. Since these were just tracks that were released in October or I happened to hear in October, that limited my choices somewhat.

No wonder man! Most dj's believe that mixing is suppose to be live and unplanned. I'm all for the live part, but sometimes I like to come into my mix with some sort of gameplan. In a dj's case, a good tracklist. My point is since these tunes are new you should get a feel for the music first and then it will fall into place later in your mix.

quote:

Originally posted by DJStoic Also, I've experimented with many different structures in the past, though recently I've tried to structure my mixes so that I hook the listener in at the beginning, then build to a climax near the middle, and kinda slow it down with lesser energy tracks. I agree with you that the mix is sort of top-loaded--I like the beginning, up until the middle or so, of that mix more than the ending, too.

This is why I only like half of your mix. I do like your beginning and the build afterwards, but the slowing down part in the middle should have never happened. An easy fix to this is to keep building and save the climax for the END of the set and keep a good flow so it doesn't sound cluttered.

quote:

Originally posted by DJStoic Do you think it would've been better to build the mix up more slowly, with sort of a constant build-up to a big finish?

That's the way I would do it!

quote:

Originally posted by DJStoic I'd only be worried about not really hooking a listener at the start. Or, should I do a shorter mix, but all driving trance?

This is really up to you. Personally I wouldn't start with some driving trance because it doesn't give me any opportunity to build unless you're spinning hardcore, hard trance, and similar fast music.
I would start out with something solid and work my way up.

quote:

Originally posted by DJStoic Out of curiousity, what type of trance do you prefer? I prefer more uplifting and driving trance, but the trend seems to me to be moving more and more towards the progressive end.....I noticed you live in FL--where at?

I like any type of trance as long as it's good. Here are some good trance artists: Dj Sammy, Ian Van Dahl, Lasgo....Nah just messing with ya By the way , I live in Orlando.

quote:

Originally posted by dj_palm ....do it because you think it's fun....DJeing is fun, not a job

What he said----^

Hey I appreciate all the feedback guys. I think I'll try structuring my next mix with a longer build up and shorter denouement (i.e. falling action). You'd probably appreciate my Best Of 2003, 2004 type mixes more. Those are just bangin' all the way through.
So you live in Orlando man? Not bad--I've heard some decent music up on Church street there. Who knows, maybe one day I'll play some gigs down there

u need to put a mix on yousendit.com, i cant tell anything by looking at a tracklist.

Sorry, I posted the mix as well earlier. You can download it from my website here: DJ Stoic - Aural Ecstasy - October '05 - Flow