PS2 Help!

Tough questions which can be answered with standard responses;

- Get out there and work your @rse off, DJing all types of gigs and locations- good for building character and the right attitude.
- Keep your ego in check - at all times.
- Make and hand out demos of your work.
- Be persistent and create a positive reputation for yourself (this comes from years put in).
- Hand out business cards to everyone.
- Get out there and work your @rse off, DJing all types of gigs and locations- good for building character and the right attitude.
- Just because you have good gear doesn't mean squat, club managers are more interested in your abilities and attitude.
- Always be customer focussed.
- There is no merit in kissing anyones a$$.
- Get out there and work your @rse off, DJing all types of gigs and locations- good for building character and the right attitude.
- Learn to use the mic effectively for crowd control -essential!!!!
- Be professional at all times.

But above all....Get out there and work your @rse off, DJing all types of gigs and locations- good for building character and the right attitude.

Hope this helps, good luck.

ROQ out.

Excellent points ROQ!

That first gig...always the hardest! Have a few demos in hand, business cards, and start hitting the pavement. Talk to bar/club managers, explain what you are looking to do, and how you are different from the other 1,000 DJs he just interviewed (without bashing your bretheren DJs, mind you). Start with smaller venues/bars first. You might even have to take a weekday gig to get your foot in the door. Be persistent, but not desperate. With some bars, you might have to provide an entire sound/light system, so be prepared for that.

Good luck!!

Bill

Another idea that got me in the clubs is to see if the bars/clubs hire independant companys to provide entertainment. In which case you cut the middle man and get hired by a company to provide entertainment in several different clubs and venues. I work for one company and spin in two clubs. I get extra gigs every once in a while and it all adds up. I play house, trance, hip hop, pop, mainstream style pop music, and even alternative rock. I do a little of all. I do this because if the alternative rock dj is sick I can bump some nickleback or saliva. If the Salsa dj is sick which happens more often I can bump some salsa, reggeaton, cumbia, merange. Hip hop no doubt, of course. I did reggea/ dancehall saturdays recently for the past two three months. I've been working with this company for the past three years. So be versatile and see if there is yet another method of getting in the door. peace

these are my own two cents, because club gigs are different than mobile gigs:

use mic as little as possible, people went there to dance and listen to music, not hear your pretty voice.

most clubs will want their disk jockeys to have the newest music, most singles come out in vynil first, some don't ever see the light of day on cd.

unless it's the strip club in the edge of town, it will probably have it's own system, and most likely they will be technics 1200s. (this may not apply for bars)

before you decide you want to go into the dj market, make sure you can dj first. Beatmixing is a MUST, scratching is a plus, and if all else fails, your music selection has to be top notch.

the mobile business is very different than the club business, please take this into consideration

Those are some pretty huge calls there Matpec on the "whole" club scene. In my experience there are no two clubs alike, they are all different and whilst equipment might vary, its club managers who are culprits that ultimately determine your success and reputation as a club DJ. Your attitude and communication ability is what can get your foot in the door but your abilities and experience as an entertainer will keep you there. See previous post above about attitude - this is universal no matter whether your into the mobile or club scene!

The best advice, as Billabong put it, is to always be prepared, have business cards and a demo or two in your back pocket. Of course it is essential you first learn the fundamentals of music meaning eg. learn beatmixing and reading tempos etc but above all learn to read a crowd and cater to them musically.

I'm sorry MatPec but unless your an elitest DJ like Oakenfold or whoever else famous, you don't always have to have the absolute latest in music, as an entertainer you have to give the crowd what they want and that means playing music you don't necessary like.

DJs who try to educate/bore a crowd by playing all unheard music all night don't last too long in one venue. In the real world your residency in a club will mostly depend on bar turnover and bodies and its the combination of club manager and crowd that will be dictating what style of music you get to play - old or new. This is where your abilities to read a crowd come into play, the more you can keep a crowd up on the floor, enjoying themselves, the thirstier they become, the more drinks they buy = happy club manager = increased reputation and repeat club work for you.

Also the ability to using a mic is essential. Of course too much of it can be annoying but you need to make a presence, if you come on sounding like a nervous pimple-headed teenager you'll lose respect in an instant and that's depsite your mixing abilities. Learn to use a mic effectively and you'll learn how to control your crowd effectively.

Like I said earleir, all clubs are different and whilst my theories might work on most clubs they wont work on all of them. Its all relative to the culture and location of the venue. Good luck

ROQ out.

sorry roq, but the best thing I've ever heard anyone say related to djing is:

don't imitate, innovate.

managers will be happy to see an eager dj who is happy to keep his music collection up to date, because doesn't this show... omg it can't be! A GOOD ATTITUDE ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE DOING!!! NO WAY!!!!!

and didn't you say a good attitude is what gets you in the door? my point stands.

MatPec I mean no disrespect at all, I'm telling it from my perspective and 16 years of club and mobile work. You make a valid point about innovation. New music education is integral for any DJ but innovation and imitation must go hand in hand i.e. mixing the old with the new. I don't see a problem mixing a track that just came off the press with one that is say 3-6 months old.

Of course club managers are happy to see an enthusiastic DJ doing his/her best at being different but they look even harder at the bottom line because they are after all in business and profit is the necessary evil for a successful business.

Simply put if the club isn't getting the numbers thru the door or making a decent turnover at the bar it will go out of business. Its unfortunate but that is the way of the world and I challenge any one to find me a club manager who would rather risk bar/door profits over an unimpressed empty dancefloor all because the DJ is trying to be "innovative". And because most of us don't live in Ibiza we don't have the luxury of picking and choosing clubs we want to work in to be "innovative". No, I'm talking about the burbs man where folk from my part of the world go clubbing and expect DJs here to be not only innovative but VERSATILE.

I'll say it again in case you missed it "all clubs are different and whilst my theories might work on most clubs they wont work on all of them. Its all relative to the culture and location of the venue." Next.....