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I approached some people who were interested in throwing an Ibiza themed party at a local biker bar/club known for bringing in rock acts. The owner tells us that EDM parties have never gone down well in this town. I ended up throwing down a killer three hour set with my partner with my friend coming in for an hour at the end as a cool down act.
I promoted for two weeks - I am a graphic designer and I have pretty good knowledge of marketing, so I guess I am sort of lucky for this. I stayed up practicing for 8 hours straight the night before. The day of the gig I was making mix cds and printing labels like a madman, cramming philly cheesesteak into my mouth as I went. I even printed a 3'x5' banner and laminated it with equipment I have access to as an architectural student. We worked until the last minute, and had some european friends lend me and my partner some hot threads for the night. (presentation is key haha)
When we first got there to set up (an hour early), we realized we had all our equipment except the USB 2.0 cable that we use to connect scratch live to my computer. So in the middle of all the setup and sound checking I have to drive back to get our cable. By the time I get there, the gig is supposed to have started (10 pm to 2 am). But no worries, no one has come yet. My partner and I are super confident for some reason and nothing matters. We start throwing down some of our favorite tunes to get loose before anyone gets there.
Then about an hour into the set people start coming, and coming, and coming. And I don't know what happened, but by midnight we had a few people short of 500 crowding this club, inside on the floor, at the bar, and outside on the terrace. We started off with a good hour or so of some class house tunes from Ibiza this summer and then since we are really progressive trance DJs and we're trying to jump start the scene where we're located, we start laying down some crossover progressive tracks and turning the genres around. By the end of our set we are playing peak time trance and everyone is ecstatic because we got them hooked early and they bought a lot of drinks. I drop Jas van Houten - Loco Love, one of my favorite dance tracks and then mix in KvA - Made of Sun (hard dub) and experience my first time peaking. And yes, this is an orgasmic feeling, but a lot longer. My girlfriend is up behind me in the booth and that's the best. People are crowded around the booth at this point, and we have to get some people to keep them away from our equipment, because the needle is bouncing on the record. It was ridiculous. When we throw down our final track, we make a mic announcement and pass out a ton of mix cds and flyers for our parties. People eat them up in the euphoria. As our friend is playing the cool down set my partner and I take an hour to enjoy the party and mingle with people, and we pass out some more literature and cds and talk up a few more gigs and exchange contact info with happy party-goers. I even get a a group of europeans telling me that they felt like they were back in Ibiza. At this point my partner and I are pretty much in heaven, having pulled this thing off. We thank all our supporters and after we finish taking down our equipment, we get paid and get another gig from the club. After a philly cheesesteak at 3 in the morning, I head to my girlfriend's apartment.
The next gig I had absolutely blew. Pretty much.
My advice:
1.) Never expect anything.
2.) Make a checklist of equipment, double check.
3.) Practice a lot for like 2 weeks before the gig.
4.) Keep your shit organized.
5.) Play what makes people dance before you play what makes you dance.
6.) Have groupies, and a lot of girls, so that guys will come in the club and stay to try their luck. Seriously. Then the drinks start flowing and people will stay.
7.) Have a drink or two yourself.
8.) Be yourself and be chill about everything.
9.) Have a promotional plan, so that you can keep the momentum going if it goes well.
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