Leaving the Bedroom
Leaving the Bedroom Posted on: 13.05.2008 by Marcelo Alejandro Hi all, I feel as if I'm just about ready to stop being a bedroom dj and start mixing at clubs. How does one (or how did you yourself!) break out of the bedroom and start getting real gigs? | |
| Kassandra Guthmiller 27.06.2011 |
Originally Posted by fullenglishpint
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| Laraine Arceo 26.07.2009 |
Originally Posted by JesterNZDJ
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| Malorie Giglio 07.11.2013 | something i have done that can either go REALLY well or REALLY bad, is to just show up at a club or event with your gear and ask (or tell) the door man, manager etc that you are here to play. This works best in a situation where another DJ doesn't show up, or is too drunk or people are not into what the DJ is doing. Now AGAIN this is a very ballsy tactic and subject to immense failure, but I would recommend you try it sometime. Be upfront to the person in charge, and be EXCITED and cool and collected And also have your routine down, your gear in perfect working order and an understanding that your walking into a complete set of unknowns. This has worked 3 times for me (and never ended too terribly). One event was on new years where ~30 DJs were set up on several stages in a big venue. Situations like this are ripe for this tactic. Of course one dude was too drunk, or arrested on his way there, or pissed off the door man and got his ass kicked, so there was an open spot to fill. A second time, I was set up in a side room, and played a much more intimate down-tempo set for those who wanted to chill out from the main dance floor. And the third (my favorite). I showed up, got in with no flack, played my set, and no one ever asked me anything. The other DJs and stage manger assumed I was on the list (I figured there was not clear communication between the booking agent and the venue staff?) Either way it was hilarious and I got several more gigs out of this. If nothing else it may get you in the door for another time around. A manager will admire your commitment and the fact that you went out of your way/took an interest in what was going on at their venue. The worst that has ever happened is I was forcefully escorted out, but thankfully after I tore down my rig. I have been back there several times and it was a large enough venue no one realized who I was, so in hindsight, nothing too major. I have also used this tactic to get backstage or get in free to shows. As long as you act CONFIDENT it works like a charm. Either way its better than sitting at home Friday evening and watching the shit they put on the tube. Take a fucking chance, enjoy your life. |
| Kassandra Guthmiller 29.06.2011 | I do have a trend of doing that on other boards as well to be honest, I never look at the date before posting (evidently) |
| Tatum Ansaldo 27.06.2011 | not necessarily a criticism, just somewhat amusing. |
| Kassandra Guthmiller 27.06.2011 |
Originally Posted by fullenglishpint
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| Coreen Pankow 26.06.2011 | ^truth! |
| Judi Sissel 26.06.2011 | at least hes using the search function... |
| Chas Giraldez 27.06.2011 | another new thread revival record |
| Tatum Ansaldo 27.06.2011 | wow man, you are on one serious necrobump spree! |
| Kassandra Guthmiller 27.06.2011 | There's stiff competition in my home city. It has a great number of clubs, some of which you may recognise if you are from the UK, or have visited Ibiza (Cream and garlands) or you some you may not recognise (Circus, mUmU) I've been DJing now for about 2 and a half years and I've only played out 3 times as my mate was putting a evening on in a club that has since closed down. I believe I'll stay in the bedroom for a while longer to hone my skills more |
| Shira Callie 17.11.2010 | Promote...Promote...Promote..... Start by serving drinks from your bedroom window....it's all downhill from there. |
| Johnsie Kingrea 10.02.2010 | I have to agree that your work is going to be largely based on who you know. Also i'm going to let everyone in on a secret. This is what's going to set you apart from the large majority of people. Just ask for the opportunity. Do no wait for someone to notice you and ask you to do a show. I believe we aspiring DJ's tend to wait to be "good enough" and then figure someone will just ask us to play. Get comfortable mixing and then go ask to play a evening at a venue you have in mind. Then while everyone else is "perfecting their skills, before they play" in the bedroom, you'll already be playing. |
| Barbie Whorf 10.02.2010 | Check out any new bars or clubs and ask there - they usually need people |
| Laraine Arceo 26.07.2009 |
Originally Posted by JesterNZDJ
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| Roni Batchan 26.07.2009 |
Originally Posted by JesterNZDJ
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| Steeve Lauritano 26.07.2009 | It's all about who you know and how many people you can get out. The longer you play in the bedroom aspiring to play out, the deeper the hole you dig yourself. Because when you find out that talent isn't a promoter's #1 priority you might be crushed. |
| Latoria Kavulich 26.07.2009 | sleeping with one or two promoters helps |
| gilbert hatem 25.07.2009 | 21 post bento? No Fn Way! Anyways +1 to what Jester said. Contact have got me where I am now. Luck helps too. |
| Latoria Kavulich 25.07.2009 | its all about making contacts guys. good luck |
| Brock Zarcone 25.07.2009 |
Originally Posted by Iceman
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| Belen Wermes 25.07.2009 | meet other djs and promoters and give them your mixes. if they like it talk to em about gigs they'll want to have you out if they like your mix. it's not really that complicated, mostly a matter of just doing it. |
| Brock Zarcone 25.07.2009 |
Originally Posted by DvlsAdvct
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| Hipolito Scionti 20.07.2009 | It's like driving a car. When you first start you're all gawky and believeing about the technical stuff "left foot clutch, mirror, signal maneuver..." Now I get in a car and believe about where i'm going. You need to practice in your bedroom till you're confident on your tools (be that vinyl, cds, controller, etc). Then you can feel confident when you're playing out that you can look up and read the crowd. House parties are best way to start no doubt Reading a crowd is simply seeing if people are enjoying themselves. If the dance floor is empty, change what you're playing, and do it quickly, even if you just chop the tune over on a break or whatever (or just echo out last track and drop new one in - thank god for echo). Then when people start raving, work with that style. Also judge when you are playing, if you're playing a warm up set, don't drop mega bangers, people aren't ready to hear them so it's a waste. Also other djs and promoters on the evening wont appreciate you wasting the big tunes. warm people up, work towards the energy. Don't stress about showing off mixes until you have the crowd going. Once you have clocked what they have like and they are up and dancing then start introducing the pre worked out mixes with the style of music you're playing with. Basically get confident on your tools so you can just focus on reading the crowd and playing good music that people at the party want to hear. |
| Xavier Emanuels 20.07.2009 | please keep on topic, i just removed 21 posts from this thread that were off topic |
| Chan Ronga 19.07.2009 |
Originally Posted by dacuba
Also on the subject of breaking out from the house and into the clubs. I have yet to do this myself. But I agree with what everyone has said about just getting yourself out there. I have friends come over quite regularly, they all know i'm learning the DJ trade. And so just the other day I had a friend mail me on Facebook saying that she has a friend organizing a party at a club called Womb (it's one of the biggest clubs in Tokyo) and she's after amateur DJs to play on the evening . I jumped at the opportunity! Dunno if i'll be one of the few who get to do it, but fingers crossed! Anyway the moral of the story is.... the more people who know you DJ, the higher your chances of getting noticed. It's just like when someone knows you fix computers. Except.... that news travels faster than the speed of light. |
| Lilliana Perris 17.07.2009 | Also.....if you do get a half decent gig....get a make to record a video. It helps having it on your myspace etc. I have one from a HUGE New Years party i played at. Just a few shots of me mixing. Simple...but effective. |
| Roni Batchan 16.07.2009 | @engramik My good old way to say no to drunk gym junkies is to just nod and smile over the music, and if its feasable then try it, if not, then just say that you'll drop it in a couple of songs time - that way he might have forgotten it (if you're lucky!) or he'll be off somewhere else. The main thing is not to let anyone else dictate your set - if you do, and it throws the flow - it could all go horribly wrong... one of my first evening
s with Traktor Pro I had that problem - a couple of guys kept coming up and asking for Gold Digga. I didnt wanna upset them cos I knew them, and they were really pestering me - so I dug it out and flung it on.. but it was a corrupted file (which I obviously hadnt used or prepared before) and it just went silent - which made me look like a tool. Don't let that happen to you! I've developed a policy against playing any songs which I've never run through traktor and cued up now. Its no big deal if you upset one person (unless they're the host) cos it wont last long, and as long as you keep the majority happy.. you'll be fiiine! as far as getting people to the dancefloor - I've always used an MC at parties! My mate Myles, who's a huge black guy from South London (I play at parties in the North) is great, cos he puts on the heaviest gangsta accent he can, everyone loves him, and he introduces me to the party. If you can find the guy who everyone loves (or if you happen to have the bottle to establish yourself as that guy) then get him to announce who you are. It'll also get your name out there too! Hope that's useful! Good luck bru |
| Roni Batchan 16.07.2009 |
Originally Posted by rdej47
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| Latoria Kavulich 16.07.2009 | hook up with us on facebook i promote the stuffing out of us on there |
| Johnsie Kingrea 16.07.2009 | Hey guys, I'm really wanting to get out and get some real world experience. Currently my biggest interest is DJing house parties. I'm really looking for that challenge of spinning in front of a bigger crowd. I'm wondering what's a good way to word a mass message to my friends list on facebook. I hate the idea of sounding of desperate but i'm prepared to do it for free for a while just to gain that invaluable experience of DJing in front of a crowd. |
| Roni Batchan 16.07.2009 | yeah.. going out to everyone here! just been youtubin' this kinda jive - found tha DJ John Beck (on the channel 'A1partydjs') is putting together a comprehensive journal of his quest to become a Club DJ (away from the mobile disco scene). Although some of his approaches to it aren't probably the best (which he admits..) I've found alot of his ideas really useful! I suggest anyone who's interested check him out!! Take it easy |
| Roni Batchan 16.07.2009 |
Originally Posted by Abyrne7
b) take a look at DJ John Beck's newest videos on Youtube - his channel is A1partydjs - it answers a few of your questions. c) Facebook is good for somethings in promotion, and naff for others -> the best way is to find an event on facebook, work out who's promoting it, and root them out when you attend the event. meeting them face-to-face singles you out from the crowd. I don't profess to be any further in this game than you are by the way - but I've listened to your mix on soundcloud and it's pretty nifty! get that packaged up, looking lovely, with a business card, and you'll be on your way to stardom! Good luck matey |
| Kayleen Positano 16.07.2009 | I'm (hopefully) getting a radio gig at the college I go to. Two days a week, an hour each day, probably around 4 or 5 p.m. and I plan on recording every set and posting them up on my website. I figure between that, leaving demo cds around campus (like easter eggs ) and posting fliers advertising my show, I'll get some decent promotion. And if not, whatever, it'll still be fun. |
| Roberto Viccione 16.07.2009 | Read through this thread. |
| Mac Fly 16.07.2009 | Alright tech tools. the past week or so I have been in a mind of my own trying to get some gigs in some dance clubs around my area. I contacted other DJ's through facebook and told them to check out my promo mix but no responses yet anywas. What im asking for is some good ideas on how to get noticed? I don't really know anyone who would be of any benefit to me, So im on my own. SO...ANY IDEAS or EXPERIENCES that can help me out? |
| Roberto Viccione 16.07.2009 | I believe an hour is a good length for a mix. And just vary the mixing. If it's all the same, it gets boring. If it's TOO varied it can seem chaotic. Just made a good mix, that's all. |
| Roni Batchan 16.07.2009 | oh sweet! I get you - i thought you meant some sort of index at the beginning or something! awesome! Do u reckon an hours a good length of time? I never know whether to play a whole song at a time or not, and mix the next one in during the outro, or cut it in half way thru with fancy FX... I guess that's just a product of me getting bored in my room! lol probably best to just play them all through and do the FX during the songs (but without overkill...) |
| Lilliana Perris 16.07.2009 |
Originally Posted by belchman
So if you do the same with your mix....and put the reference point before the mix, when the listener skips forward a track, it will land just before the mix into the next track. I do it in Nero mate..... LOL! |
| Roni Batchan 16.07.2009 |
Originally Posted by sarasin
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