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---1. Approx how much have you spent on djing, Vs. How much you have made from djing. (If you have made $0, just say how much youve spent. If youve made more than you've paid for your equipment try to give an idea how much...double, triple, quad?
Erm this is a tough one.
my personal home setup in terms of hardware (as far as djing goes anyway) is small- but effective, and is everything i need. I could have a great deal more and spend 10 times as much, but i dont really want to.
1200's- cost me 320 ukp
Intimidation mixer- 52 ukp
headphones- too many to list
Stereo/amp/speakers- free
Desk- 50 quid
carts- 6x concordes- lord knows
Bags- 4 UDG 90s, 3 metal boxes and a partridge in a pear tree- $loads
Records- $US defecit x10 probably
Thats not including my first and second set ups, production eqpt, or records (im not even going to try and work that out nor would i want to), or other items that have broken, been stolen, eaten or spontaneously combusted.
When i started out as an unpaid light jock and subsequently warm up jock (again unpaid initially) i made nothing- except maybe a couple of beers from the main dj or the management, despite having to pay out for my records. So obviously at that time i made a loss- but it didnt matter, as i was doing something i enjoyed. It was never and is never about the money for me, hence why some of my figures are non existant- as initially (and now to a certain extent) i didnt/dont care how much it costs.
Now it is my primary income, and everything i spend on related items is Tax deductable- but it wasnt like that for some time.
So in answer to your question: i have absolutely no idea.
---2. How long did you have it in your head that you wanted to get dj equipment, before you actually got it?
When i was 11 (1991- ouch) i heard a mixtape of a (now regarded as seminal and highly important) rave. i could hear all these sounds and i though it was just one giant 90 minute track. I soon found out they were doing this thing called mixing and crossfading, and i was hooked from the point. I was fascinated by vinyl records- everything about them.
I bought my first 12" test press aged about 13 - years before i got any turntables or any means to learn to mix (i was a drummer at the time so my $ went on cymbals and stuff).
I used to like carrying around a record sized carrier bag in town with some tunes in- it felt (and i though looked) pretty cool, especially as the underground hardcore/drum n bass scene and big rave scene was exoploding at the time.
I bought some crappy auto return beast of an old turntable aged about 13 just to listen to records on. the belt was so screwed it took 3 rotations to get up to speed/ I did buy a second one and set up one speaker from each and attempted to learn to mix- albeit in ghetto format!
--3. What brand do you feel most loyal to?
Ortofon,UDG and Sony.- although whatever does the job. I will not be blindly loyal for the sake of it. Whatever does the job best in my opinion. If something does the job i will recommend it highly. Equally, if something is toilet, i will let people know my experiences.
Technics 1200s and the cloud CXM have a special place in my heart reserverd just for them 
--4. Do you plan to dj for the rest of your life? Or as long as you can? Or do you think that it will slowly fade out of your life.
Pass. record shop and record label are under construction, as are other avenues i am exploring. I cant see me stopping anytime soon- hearing problems aside. Thats pretty much the only thing that would stop me, and touch wood everything is fine on that front. Even if i did stop i would still have a serious vinyl addiction.
There are plenty of dj related avenues and linked businesses available to people
--5. Do you ever regret getting started, or consider stopping dead, to cut off the money you spend on vinyl, and equipment?
Everyone gets frustrated and pissed off from time to time. this is my passion first and foremost and i do it for the love of it. The fact it became my main source of income was secondary and to a large extent accidental.
On the downsides, it has trade offs.
My social life is very different- when you work weekends and your friends dont it can be awkward. Ditto for girlfriends.
This job cost me my fiance type wench some time ago (it was a large contributing factor at any rate, along with her sucking other peoples cocks). She couldnt stand the job, or the femle attention/proximity, or the fact i couldnt stay in with her on a friday night and watch friends or whatever with her.
Money is money- you cant take it to the grave with you. If i wasnt djing i would be engineering/producing in pro studioa as that was my degree. Its a related field and shares some of the same pros and cons
Smoky environments and loud noise suck and drive me up the wall, so undoubtedly my health will have and will continue to suffer in some respects.
It does have its perks tho- first and foremost being i get paid for doing something i love a great deal and would be doing anyway.
The buzz you get from seeing a crowd explode from something you have played never goes away.
Last edited by Freak on Dec-02-2004 at 09:19
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