First gig! How should I play?!
First gig! How should I play?! Posted on: 02.12.2012 by Agripina Ezzell Hello fellow DJs! I got my first gig coming up soon, and I've been DJing for a while, I feel quite confident in mixing etc, however, I don't know in what way I should be playing, I'm going to try and describe it as good as possible! In most songs, there are buildups etc, but most of the crowd seem to just want "the rave part" with the melody and so on, however, to mix just these parts, does not sound good in my opinion, the music needs the bridges and the buildups to complete, so, should I play my way, bring the buildsups, like a DJ that performs on tomorrowland for example, or should I just mix in "the rave part". How do you clubDJs do, because I'm going to play at a clublike location, however, I'm not 18, so I cannot go to a club and watch other DJs yet. Sorry if I didn't make myself clear, also, sorry for my poor english! Sincerely, Quist. | |
Agripina Ezzell 04.12.2012 |
Originally Posted by seitz
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Agripina Ezzell 03.12.2012 |
Originally Posted by P4ULSON
Keep the energy, that is the phrase I was looking for! However, I've learned a lot by this thread! And the most important thing is, feel your crowd! And this is what I am going to do! Thanks! Also, I won't quit housemusic! Loved it since the first day I heard it! Only 6 months left until I can go out! I am living in a very small town thought (130.000 people) and we do only have 2 "clubs", according to my elder friends, they suck (got another DJ-buddy) and he says that people who play there are just cheap people who want gigs..
Originally Posted by jessevdriel
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Arnulfo Morten 03.12.2012 |
Originally Posted by Quist
you have to understand the venue and the format. Music Festival's, Raves, Concerts people are there to see and experience music club/party/lounge people come for various reasons not always to experience music so when i do concert settings i'll plan my set or keep in mind i want to take my audience on a journey of ups and downs and awesomeness In a club setting i know some people are drunker than others some arrive early and some arrive late. I just mix in relation to the chorus so the audience gets that satisfaction and bang go to the next chourus. i'll only let it go into a break when i know ok these guys need a rest. but even when i let it go into the break i'm still in the mix and i have a constant kick going on to keep the energy. Honestly i know guys that run a 3rd deck just for a kick to throw in if a song ever goes into a break. good luck man btw maybe stay on the house party circuit til your able to go to clubs and see what it's really like. I don't know who booked you but most of the time if your not good you won't get another gig and people will hear about it.... Community is small man |
Agripina Ezzell 03.12.2012 |
Originally Posted by dripstep
So, what do I lack do define my "mixes" as mixes? The tracks to float together? Tbh, I didn't plan this gig, it was a friend who needed a DJ so I did it as a friend, and to give him a good evening I wanted to see how I should adept. Thanks for all the help! |
Agripina Ezzell 03.12.2012 |
Originally Posted by dripstep
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Agripina Ezzell 03.12.2012 |
Originally Posted by dripstep
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Yong Aptekar 03.12.2012 |
Originally Posted by Quist
People don't care how technical your mixes are, only DJs care. But if you trainwreck tracks together, these "brainless kids" will remember that, and it will tarnish your rep. |
Agripina Ezzell 03.12.2012 |
Originally Posted by wallawalla
My definition and your definiton of "issue" seem to be quite different. Just mean that I can mix, however, I don't state that I am the best. Also, getting new gigs isn't my first prio atm, still in school, DJ is still just an amazing hobby! Yea, I had a quite good answer, however, most of the people here in my town are just "brainless kids". They haven't experianced a good DJ before who brings all these elements together in their mix. I happend to know that because I've been to events like this before, and the DJs there was really bad, but people didn't mind, so I wanted to change that. As mentioned in earlier posts, I believe that I have my own style, I just wanted a clearification in my style, and that is just to bring all elements together. "Do you even have a mix to post? " If you want to listen my "work", go to (http://soundcloud.com/quistmusic) |
Agripina Ezzell 03.12.2012 |
Originally Posted by wallawalla
I believe you and me define the word issue in different ways, I define it as, I can do it, then my definition stops. However, my definition does not mention how good I am, and so on. Yea, I have mixes to post, would love constructive criticism (Note: Constructive, not "YOU SUCK OMG PLS l2DJ") To get gigs today isn't my biggest prio, because I'm not 18 yet, as mentioned, so can only play at like friends partys and so on, while I studdy, it's not about a job, it's just about an amazing hobby! "brainless kids". As I mentioned in an earlier posts, a lot of people in my town are just like that. I said in my first post, I have a problem describing this issue, however, it's not about my style, it's about how people expect me to play, I'd like to follow those expectations in a way that suits me good. But now I know, if you've read all the posts, I got a great answer, and that is to just swim, and that is what I am planning to do. It's not a supergig with 20 000 people, it's basiclly just a shitloads of people I know, so it's not like a big recordscompany is there and listens to me. I hope you got what I was trying to bring forth. If you want to listen to me, go to my soundcloud. (http://soundcloud.com/quistmusic) |
Wilber Amestoy 03.12.2012 |
Originally Posted by Quist
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Agripina Ezzell 04.12.2012 |
Originally Posted by seitz
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Maricruz Mouw 03.12.2012 | this is my favorite thread of the year 10/10 good sir |
Noriko Lebowitz 03.12.2012 | Just a few final points.. 1. Try to take your crowd on a "Musical journey" to build energy throughout the evening . Don't start with your bangers. Stay away from those "hands in the air" breakdowns early in the evening . A good way to learn this is to start labeling your tracks to help you find certain songs to fit the evening . (ex. Openers, Groovers, Bangers, Sexy vocals, Crowd Favorites, Closers..etc) 2. Think about it as if you were dancing...people dance the hardest during the drop, if you keep mixing from drop to drop, people will get tired EXTREMELY quickly. The floor will clear. If you mix how you normally do,(assuming you mix intro to outro) People will recover from the drop during the outdo/intro and stay on the floor. 3. Have FUN! Don't stress, you might make a few mistakes, but to be honest, they're there to have a good time, not critique your DJing. Good luck and tell us how it goes! |
Agripina Ezzell 03.12.2012 |
Originally Posted by P4ULSON
Keep the energy, that is the phrase I was looking for! However, I've learned a lot by this thread! And the most important thing is, feel your crowd! And this is what I am going to do! Thanks! Also, I won't quit housemusic! Loved it since the first day I heard it! Only 6 months left until I can go out! I am living in a very small town thought (130.000 people) and we do only have 2 "clubs", according to my elder friends, they suck (got another DJ-buddy) and he says that people who play there are just cheap people who want gigs..
Originally Posted by jessevdriel
|
Annis Osbourn 03.12.2012 | I believe your question is not stupid at all. I'm 17 years old and i had my first gig when i was 13. I sucked. But now i play gigs every weekend, even in clubs. And although every club, every gig has its own kind of people and every person in the room wants you to play in a different way. Now every DJ on this community has been in the spot where he has a guy on his left side asking for dubstep and a girl on his right side asking for call me maybe. Now what you could do is play both tracks shorter in the same time you could play one track completely. For me that is not the way, i like to stick to the tacks I like to play too, and which are well-placed at the gig. In most cases probably call me maybe, because it's known to people, they will sing along. (DO NOT underestimate the importance of recognition of the music you play by people in the room). I would say take your time to figure out what would work at that particular time. It's more important to play the RIGHT tracks at the right time then to play all of the tracks you wanted to play or anybody else wanted you to play! I hope this helps a bit! |
Arnulfo Morten 03.12.2012 |
Originally Posted by Quist
you have to understand the venue and the format. Music Festival's, Raves, Concerts people are there to see and experience music club/party/lounge people come for various reasons not always to experience music so when i do concert settings i'll plan my set or keep in mind i want to take my audience on a journey of ups and downs and awesomeness In a club setting i know some people are drunker than others some arrive early and some arrive late. I just mix in relation to the chorus so the audience gets that satisfaction and bang go to the next chourus. i'll only let it go into a break when i know ok these guys need a rest. but even when i let it go into the break i'm still in the mix and i have a constant kick going on to keep the energy. Honestly i know guys that run a 3rd deck just for a kick to throw in if a song ever goes into a break. good luck man btw maybe stay on the house party circuit til your able to go to clubs and see what it's really like. I don't know who booked you but most of the time if your not good you won't get another gig and people will hear about it.... Community is small man |
Agripina Ezzell 03.12.2012 |
Originally Posted by dripstep
So, what do I lack do define my "mixes" as mixes? The tracks to float together? Tbh, I didn't plan this gig, it was a friend who needed a DJ so I did it as a friend, and to give him a good evening I wanted to see how I should adept. Thanks for all the help! |
Yong Aptekar 03.12.2012 | Not saying be scared to gig, I'm saying you aren't ready. Post up a longer mix, all you have shown is that you can play one track after another. No mix, no transition, just A-B. Too many people here sign up to the community and post "I'm new, I've got x and I've been practicing for a week, how do I get gigs". Put your time in, read threads here, practice, listen to your tracks and practice more. Record your mixes too, every one of them. One day, you will blow yourself away with how clean a mix sounded. Then you will be ready to start looking for gigs. Feel free to start gigging now, but your ego will take a massive boot to the face if you can't mix, and just crash tracks into eachother. |
Agripina Ezzell 03.12.2012 |
Originally Posted by dripstep
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Yong Aptekar 03.12.2012 | ^ I listened to your "mixes" and here's some constructive criticism: - work on your transitions, it sounded like track A - slam fader - track B. Mix the beats together, and let it ride for a bit - tracks are good, but try to keep to the same genre if you are learning (slow house into electro house is too quick of a jump) but, in your defense, the mix was too short to pick this apart - longer mixes. 2 or 3 tracks is not a mix, put a 20 minute set up. If you can't put together a nice 20 min mix, its a good indicator of the need for practice. Practice young padawan, and don't worry about an audience yet, just you, your laptop and good ol DJTT |
Agripina Ezzell 03.12.2012 |
Originally Posted by dripstep
|
Yong Aptekar 03.12.2012 |
Originally Posted by Quist
People don't care how technical your mixes are, only DJs care. But if you trainwreck tracks together, these "brainless kids" will remember that, and it will tarnish your rep. |
Agripina Ezzell 03.12.2012 |
Originally Posted by wallawalla
My definition and your definiton of "issue" seem to be quite different. Just mean that I can mix, however, I don't state that I am the best. Also, getting new gigs isn't my first prio atm, still in school, DJ is still just an amazing hobby! Yea, I had a quite good answer, however, most of the people here in my town are just "brainless kids". They haven't experianced a good DJ before who brings all these elements together in their mix. I happend to know that because I've been to events like this before, and the DJs there was really bad, but people didn't mind, so I wanted to change that. As mentioned in earlier posts, I believe that I have my own style, I just wanted a clearification in my style, and that is just to bring all elements together. "Do you even have a mix to post? " If you want to listen my "work", go to (http://soundcloud.com/quistmusic) |
Agripina Ezzell 03.12.2012 |
Originally Posted by wallawalla
I believe you and me define the word issue in different ways, I define it as, I can do it, then my definition stops. However, my definition does not mention how good I am, and so on. Yea, I have mixes to post, would love constructive criticism (Note: Constructive, not "YOU SUCK OMG PLS l2DJ") To get gigs today isn't my biggest prio, because I'm not 18 yet, as mentioned, so can only play at like friends partys and so on, while I studdy, it's not about a job, it's just about an amazing hobby! "brainless kids". As I mentioned in an earlier posts, a lot of people in my town are just like that. I said in my first post, I have a problem describing this issue, however, it's not about my style, it's about how people expect me to play, I'd like to follow those expectations in a way that suits me good. But now I know, if you've read all the posts, I got a great answer, and that is to just swim, and that is what I am planning to do. It's not a supergig with 20 000 people, it's basiclly just a shitloads of people I know, so it's not like a big recordscompany is there and listens to me. I hope you got what I was trying to bring forth. If you want to listen to me, go to my soundcloud. (http://soundcloud.com/quistmusic) |
Wilber Amestoy 03.12.2012 |
Originally Posted by Quist
|
Yong Aptekar 03.12.2012 | Personally, I only play the drop. Forget the into, forget the bridge, forget even the build ups, just drop, drop, drop. You will have the audience grinding their teeth and bleeding from the ears in no time. |
Agripina Ezzell 03.12.2012 |
Originally Posted by sss18734
I was on another gig like this, and that DJ did almost ONLY "the rave part". I though he sucked, however, others didn't. So, I had to check. Thanks for all the great answers! Now I know how I want to approach this! With my own style. Also, as I'm a new member here I don't know what people believe about linking your soundcloud so if anyone is interested send me a PM (if that's possible? ) if you want to hear how I sound! |
Agripina Ezzell 03.12.2012 |
Originally Posted by DJDoubleYou
Originally Posted by Janky
Originally Posted by manchild
Originally Posted by MYE
Originally Posted by Patch
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Meryl Njus 03.12.2012 | Play well... playing badly is not a good move for a first gig |
Georgiann Bayze 03.12.2012 | DJ Tech Tools should really make a post on the blog about first gigs. There has been a lot of these threads, look around |
Kattie Vigness 02.12.2012 | Play the way YOU feel comfortable. The best way to learn is trial and error |
Audrey Pinda 02.12.2012 | Play like you own it. Play like a set like you're the one in the crowd, and play what you would want to hear a DJ do. One of those things that comes in time, but also with practice listening back to your own sets. Get into it. Ask yourself: Is this danceable? Is this conveying the message I want to get across? Making the crowd move how you want to move it? Building them up? Dropping it? |
Erica Charvet 02.12.2012 | Why do you believe that a dance audience doesn't want buildups? That's the best part... |
Hipolito Scionti 02.12.2012 | Watch the crowd and just try and feel it. There's no right way or wrong way. Ive heard amazing sets where people play the whole song from start to finish leave a pause and drop the next tune. Honestly just do your best, the sooner you get in front of a crowd the better. |
Ethel Feigum 02.12.2012 | Mix how you normally would, you need the buildups and breakdowns to build and release energy. The crowd will appreciate "the rave part" more. |
Brunilda Kora 02.12.2012 | Someone already said it - jump in, and swim (or sink). Learning the hard way is STILL LEARNING!!! Get stuck in - or you may NEVER play to a crowd. |
Bunny Sockel 02.12.2012 | Just mix the way you usually do. |
Addie Engbrecht 02.12.2012 | jump in and swim. |
Emerson Crist 02.12.2012 |
Originally Posted by Quist
If you havent found a comfortable way to mix by now, then perhaps consider declining this gig and working on your skill for a few years before playing out. Yes, years. |
Evelyn Navarijo 02.12.2012 | Why did you accept a gig when you clearly don't know how to mix? |
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