I am currently getting together my first promo tape and I'm thinking of putting these tracks on it:

Anne Savage--Hellraiser
Ace of Space-- 9mm

I know that both of these are about a year old. The ace of space much older but this is one of the remixes off the release on tripoli trax last year. My question is that is it a bad idea to put older tracks like this on a promo or should i keep it all within the last say 6 months or so? Also, im pretty sure that these tracks are widely known, is this a good thing to have on a promo or are they too 'played out'? thanks for the advice!

Disclaimer: I'm not a professional DJ, I haven't even played a gig, but I'll give ya my opinion anyways.

If you want to get your name out there you must set yourself apart from the rest of the pack somehow. This means, its much better if you can play tracks no one else is playing. I don't think it could hurt to throw in a few well timed, well known tracks to show to the promoter you can cater the crowd, but while still keeping up a fresh atmosphere. You're not gonna get further than a local cheap club or bar by playing ATRC and the rest of the worn out tunes that Armin, PvD and Tiesto (or any other DJ) are canning. Do something unique, something fresh, something no one has ever thought of before. If that means digging up a real classic track you thought everyone had forgotten, do it. If that means playing hand picked, rare, unheard of tracks, do it. If that means not copying your average McDJ's style, do it. If that means railing a line of cocaine off a record as it spins... well, do it! (actually donald glaude beat ya to that one.... )

Also, make sure your mixing and technical skills are PERFECT on your promo - and I really mean perfect. Turntables outsell guitars these days - that means that if you're not willing to give %110 into your mix, there will be 20 more DJ's who are willing, and they'll be getting the gigs. Prove to the promoter you're worth taking a risk on, worth paying to play at his party.

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NEW MIX [Feb/March 2008]

I think you should play what you like and and not what you think the promoter will like.. If some tracks are old, so what, as long as they fit.. a unique style is what seperates you from the rest. Your promo dosn't have to be perfect, as promoters i would think like to hear how you are at correcting.. don't be unhappy playing stuff you don't like.. if a promoter likes your sound, they will book you for that style/genre ..


I'm rambling.. haha.. i have been meaning to make a demo to start playing out.. but of course, i am lazy.. and i do need some new stuff.. i will def still put some of my older favs in there.

Jay

quote:

Originally posted by veezee I think you should play what you like and and not what you think the promoter will like.. If some tracks are old, so what, as long as they fit.. a unique style is what seperates you from the rest. Your promo dosn't have to be perfect, as promoters i would think like to hear how you are at correcting.. don't be unhappy playing stuff you don't like.. if a promoter likes your sound, they will book you for that style/genre .. I'm rambling.. haha.. i have been meaning to make a demo to start playing out.. but of course, i am lazy.. and i do need some new stuff.. i will def still put some of my older favs in there. Jay

well if your ultimate goal is to play out somewhere....you kinda have to cater to the promoter so he/she will put you on.

but definetely try to make your mixing technically flawless.

all this info also depends on where you are trying to get in. I the case of a large club you ahve to make it good....local stuff....you can kinda leave in some corrected mistakes.

I love it when a DJ throws in an occasional classic and I do it myself sometimes. But I'm talking about classics, tracks that are probably 4 or more years old and thus have rarely ever been played in the past year, thus you can reuse them on occasions. Examples I've heard or dropped recently:
Binary Finary - 1998
BT - Flaming June
Albion - Air
Planet Perfecto ft Grace - Not Over Yet '99

Anyway, I think the biggest key is to develop your own specific style and buying a lot of tracks that fit in with that style. This is so much better than just buying the popular tracks or mimicing a big name DJ IMO. I'm still developing mine in fact.

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The quest to see 12 Sander K shows in 1 year
last show:
#8 - Jul 3 - Pacha, Ibiza
next up:
#9 - Oct 22 - Space, Miami
#10 - Nov 23 - Icon, Orlando
#11 - Dec 17 - Space, Miami
hopefully:
#12 - Dec 31 - NYE in LA!!!

if i'm a club owner or a promoter the last thing i want to waste my time listening to is some amateur bedroom dj trying to make the big time by playing all the tunes that armin played 6 months ago. show them something different. if its an older tune that fine, but like someone said...don't throw in ATRC a year after the fact...show them the versatility and depth of your record box...unfortunately for a lot of people...they aren't that deep...

since you are wondering about hardhouse choons, maybe i know a lil more than the others... I am a dj, and i am also a party promoter..

I play hardhouse, and I play New choons, mixed with those from 99-2001 tidy classics people seem to love that..

Me and my mates are gonna launch our new concept soon, and in the trance Arena we will have all 99 style trance, due to the fact that anything newer sucks donkeyballs

so play what you feel like, preferrably a track you know very well, and have the mix, sort of speak, already in your fingers b4 u put it on.

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BA-DUM-TSS

quote:

ALFI - BOHICA - DJ MIX (Stream+Dropbox)

quote:

Originally posted by dj_alfi Me and my mates are gonna launch our new concept soon, and in the trance Arena we will have all 99 style trance, due to the fact that anything newer sucks donkeyballs

what an amazingly new concept!!

there is nothing wrong with putting those two tracks on a promo cd. just put some new tunes on it, and then u can always drop the older tunes, it adds a bit of variety.

btw what sort of hard house tunes are you playing?