Hey everyone,

Ive been DJing for sometime now, and I would rate my skill level as still very much a bed room DJ. I feel as if these last year or so, my skill levels have not improved. I very much so would like to start spinning at local bars/small clubs to gain better experience, yet I feel that I cannot get past the bedroom DJ mode. I use Laptop with VDJ5, 320bps, spin Tech House, Techno Progressive, use Harmonic Mixing.

What have some of you guys/girls done to get over the hump?

Just feel that ive leveled off in my growth. Where I think im struggling is with continuity. I have some really good mixes at time, at other times i want to shut my system off from such horrid mixing.

Some questions:

**How many songs are in your, "DJ Box"??
**Is playing 3 different genres too diluting?
**is it best to practices to set up pre determine track list and focus on getting the mixing right. Currently, I try to play on the fly.

Anything would help and thanks,

For an event i usually carry about 100 releases with me so I have lots to draw from, i try to choose tracks that i know i want to play and put those into the CD wallet.

3 different genres isnt bad, it depends on what your going for. I think its about doing what YOU really love to do.

Pre-tracklist vs Wing it...is kinda something that just has to develop from how you do things. Personally, i usually have 2 or 3 songs that i know i want to start with, and 2 or 3 that i would like to end with, the rest i usually go about trying to read the crowd and seeing how the night is going.

Mixing in key is something you can try if you havnt started doing that as well. It can help your sound a lot, just try not to go by it to much. You have to know when its good to let go and not use it.

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You should try to pre-plan an hour set under a type of theme. It makes things more interesting and its harder than you think because it's all about the flow and the pacing (ie: you dont want balls out for every track but you dont want too many breaks necessarily either.)
It will provide some direction for you and you'll be focusing on more of the subtleties of each individual mix and the set as a whole.

The last one I did was, unfortunately, months ago and it's in my sig below. Not one of my best but I was going for a certain vibe.

I'd pick a theme and give it a shot.


Also just noticed, unless you just didnt mention it, you seem to be DJing ONLY with a laptop. Do you have a midi control or a mixer and decks? If not, that is definitely the next step for you. I started off back around '02-'03 with my mouse and Virtual DJ, btw.

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quote:

Originally posted by wallabee32 ... VDJ5...

This might be a problem, especially when it comes to playing out. Also, Blaine isn't going to want dance music. Your best bets are either driving up to Vancouver or coming down here to Seattle.

Some tips:

- Look for some good new tunes. Finding a wicked tune can really motivate you to start mixing.

- Get some more equipment so you are more of a participant in your mixing. I find computer djing quite a bit less interesting then mixing with turntables, a midi controller and a laptop.

- Mix by mood rather than by preprogrammed set. If you feel like playing techy prog, play it. if you feel like tech house, play that. Otherwise youre forcing yourself against your mood and you'll get bored

quote:

Originally posted by sebjr - Mix by mood rather than by preprogrammed set. If you feel like playing techy prog, play it. if you feel like tech house, play that. Otherwise youre forcing yourself against your mood and you'll get bored

I disagree with this partly. I always prefer a well thought through set over a randomly glued together list of tracks without direction. And I get bored fastest when somebody plays just all the same sounding stuff. (what's the difference between "techy prog" and "tech-house" anyway...)

to the OP:
Get at least a midi-controler, better a pair of CDJs with a mixer. It's more fun and rewarding when you are actually able turn some knobs.
And last but most important, play only the tracks/music/style(s) you love!

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Honestly when I get that feeling, I just stop for a week. I also try to go out to the club just to hear how current dj's are playing. I'll check out youtube and watch whatever. Doesn't matter the genre, just try and soak up techniques and styles.
One thing I think that helped a lot was finding four or five tunes and recording the set and listening back to it. I re-record it a whole bunch of times using the same songs, just to perfect it. It gets monotonous, but I always feel I know the tunes a lot better, and makes experimenting a lot easier/fun.
Anyway, these are just a few things I do when I feel like I have become a little stagnate. There are some good suggestions already, so good luck!

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Try spinning at a friends party, or throw your own party. This is a good way of getting at least half way over the hump. Just offer up your services, most people won't mind you coming in and spinning. It beats having the host run to ipod all night long and it will give you exposure and you can showcase your stuff. One of the nice things about DJing at a friends party, is they're not gonna get critical. If you miss a drop, or a beat starts to go astray, or even mixing into a wrong tune, they're not gonna go up to you and comment on your mixing. Most of the time, they're gonna be drunk, high, or whatever to even notice a mess up. Just make mental note to yourself, of what you did that you didn't like, and move on. Everyone messes up. It comes with the job.

I still haven't to this day have gotten over the hump. Every gig I do there's tension build up, but after a while it goes away. Keep doing what you're doing. The best advice I ever got for DJing is, know your music, study your music, and practice, practice, practice.

in my opinion there's only so much you can do as a DJ, and much of it comes down to your ability to play the crowd right when it comes down to it. for this reason, i don't over-do it with my bedroom DJing, I put together sets when I have a bunch of tracks I want to share. other than that, i only DJ when my friends are around. this prevents me from being burnt out. after all, there's not THAT much involved technically for the basics of DJing. i focus much more now, since i know my way around DJing for the most part, on collecting tracks and learning to play the crowd right. in my opinion, the only way to do so is to play what you feel is right in that moment

personally, i try to bring my laptop and traktor out to the gigs that i can. if it's impossible or not preferred by other DJ's playing that night, i come prepared by burning whatever songs i might even THINK about playing that night. (as you can imagine, I bring a lot of CD's out when I do play on cd's). in my music collection is pretty much EVERYTHING from minimal to banging trance and whatever in between. playing on the fly, in my opinion, is the way to go - for anyone.

playing a preplanned set to a crowd is just silly to me

also - playing house parties is fun and dandy BUT just a reminder, you're dealing with a very specialized genre - many people out at house parties don't want to listen to that or even think about trying to respect it. the best route to practice in those situations is having people over or going somewhere where you know the others share your interest in your music.

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quote:

Originally posted by Excess also - playing house parties is fun and dandy BUT just a reminder, you're dealing with a very specialized genre - many people out at house parties don't want to listen to that or even think about trying to respect it. the best route to practice in those situations is having people over or going somewhere where you know the others share your interest in your music.

True, but you should never under estimate these opportunities to learn to read the crowd. Once that clicks you will also find DJing a more gratifying experience.

My first gig was about 25 years ago at a friends brother's wedding. I learnt the hard way that grandma doesn't want to dance to Afrika Bambaataaa and the Soul Sonic Force.

Use it to try and learn what people are responding to, although it can often mean that you have to compromise. There have been plenty of times in my career where I have had to adapt, even now I can sometimes be bound by music policies and so on, so it's not just a question of turning up and playing what you want in clubland, and that can even be true for some established names.

If you want some motivation, how about you prepare a 60 minute mix for me to see if we can use it on my Radio show? Always looking for new guest DJs.

Cheers
Nem

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