MODERN DJ MUSINGS

How do you keep it fresh? if you play out occasionally it's relatively easy. But if you play out a lot, it's much bigger challenge... What are some guidelines? In general I have some rules I follow... - When playing at a town don't repeat tracks you played on last...

Almost 20 years ago now when as  young dj I had my ego hurt about my music 'not being psychedelic enough for moontribe' my friend Mason gave me one of my most powerful perspectives by simply telling me that 'all music is psychedelic.' It's been in my head ever since. ...

When people look at the DJ it’s usually in the moment of glory - nobody else is controlling the music so all attention is on the DJ -well hopefully the music - but let's be honest the DJ is in the spotlight up there. But how many rejections to do it take for that DJ...

As a dancer your head may or may not be wrapping around 2020's festival calendar this early in the year... but as a dj it should be At least if you are a dj that enjoys the great outdoors and the experience of outdoor events. It may be just January, but spring and...

First of all, HAPPY NEW YEAR!  I hope you all had an amazing time celebrating and that things are off to a great start! Today’s MDJM is about the DJ booth, and rather than start off complaining, I’d like to start off with praise!  My most recent experience with the DJ...

Ok I know you all are thinking this is going to be about how wack it is to request the dj play a pop song. Now that ius annoying but it’s actually not what I’m talking about I’m talking about the dj before me asking me to let their last track play out til the end or...

Last week I suggested that DJs need to stop griping about what they get paid and understand that doing what so many others dream of doing, they need to accept the reality of an ultra-competitive marketplace. This week I’d like to take on something related, which is...

I’ve heard a lot of DJs griping about not getting paid what their worth so have decided to address that this week. The fact is it’s true that most DJs don’t get paid what they’re worth and that’s because it’s a very fun and attractive job that has become increasingly...

So I've heard a lot of smack talking on ‘Tech house’ from DJs I respect and it poses the question for me - what happened? Seems the term got co-opted recently to mean something else than its roots See, back in the mid nineties there was a techno section in the record...

It's gratitude day here, also known as Thanksgiving. Despite the holiday's controversial history, an emphasis on gratitude is welcome. Thank you to all my friends, fans and colleagues! 2019 was a year of great transition, and near devastation for me - what got me...

Back in vinyl days, keeping 2 records in sync was considerably more difficult and you could hear the differences in the technical skill of the djs a lot more. One basic principle was never letting the music stop. There was no loop function - you really could not fake...

Did you know that Beatport Link now allows DJs to bypass buying music and stream tracks to your directly to your laptop dj software paying a monthly service fee? It’s true - the service launched in March and became Rekordbox-integrated in September. This isn't a...

I’ve been skirting this one for a while as I feel it will be somewhat controversial but I think it’s time to stir things up in this column so here we go 🙂 What do you all think of live instruments laid over a dj set? Have you ever seen it done well, and what do you...

DJ ing out at Halloween or costume parties can be a really fun experience, and can also be a total nightmare! The thing you wanna keep in mind is that you have to still have fun while you're DJing 🙂 It's no good if you stress out so much about your costume that...

This is one of my personal weak points and It’s a good week for me to post this since I have to leave town for Seattle tomorrow, and need to remind myself of best practices too! We DJs want to crack out on music right to the last minute but that's not much fun when...

Now this is a hot topic, and I have some useful perspective in my experience with agents which includes sometimes being totally annoyed with them as an organizer, and hiring one to represent me as a DJ. So that does seem a bit ironic. What can be annoying about agents...

There are a lot of threads going around from DJs who are upset about not getting booked more, and especially, as much as they used to. I’ve covered related topics but not specifically the idea of dj relevance.  To stay relevant is a constant hustle and I’ve had some...

Like many, I am taking the month of October off from drinking alcohol, and maybe beyond that too.  Sober October is an extra challenge for busy djs, so we got to have each other’s backs 🙂 Why is Sober October scary for djs?  Many reasons. First of all, alcohol is...

One thing that bugs me nowadays is when djs don’t mix out of me at all.  Sometimes they make a big show about giving me props, but you’ll get more props from me by showing me you know how to mix out of a track that you’ve never heard before, and blessing the dance...

People who perceive me as mellow are sometimes surprised that I care about my DJ billing.  The truth is, I’ve worked hard and consistently hard for 23 years to get to where I am, and I do care about being represented properly. Like anyone who has put in the work, I...

It would be one thing if these tracks stood on their own but they rarely do. Here’s a good rule of thumb - if you took that familiar and oh so catchy Depeche mode vocal out of the track - would you still buy it? If the answer’s no then don’t buy it.  Demand more from...

Since there is a 50% off Beatport coupon ending today I decided to write a quick column about how I sift through all the music that’s out there. The problem on Beatport is too much music to sort through - read on for tips (1) You can shop wherever you want but I shop...

We all now DJing has changed a lot since the 90s.  I started in 1996 and only had my records stolen once in 99, at a place I never would have expected it - from the dj area behind the decks at a lovely party on Vancouver Island, Canada.  Of this crate of about 50...

Once in a while this topic will come up, I will offend someone by not sharing their sentiments about sharing usb drives. The argument goes that we should all just share our music collections with each other because this just spreads the love of the music, but let me...

I’ve veered towards the organization side in my first two musings of 2019, and I want to bring it back to Djing. No dj is going to make it alone.  There’s a heavy social component of keeping in touch with organizers, fans, and fellow djs.  There’s plenty of...

Last night I posted a simple observation on my home wall which got a lot of reaction. “Something I've noticed in 23 years doing events....It's easier to criticize them than to organize them” I really just meant it like that, its easier to criticize than organize.  But...

Okay so it’s super easy to take potshots at the Fyre Fest from the 2 documentaries released in the last week, but what are the takeaways for djs and event promoters? Well first of all this should be required watching for anyone doing events of any kind, especially...

Have some class when trying to get booked.  I know it’s a competitive field, I’m in it too. But a lot of strategies come off as more than a little desperate What does it mean to have some class? It means to approach things professionally. Here are some common mistakes...

Ever notice that Djs who tell everyone about how they blew things last night are never that talented or innovative? It's because truly talented artists are typically more in their heads than that - without self-critique, amazing things do not happen If you think you...

Following up on last week's post about tracklisting dj sets, here is part 2, which is about how to do this in modern times. In the beginning I had to copy the info by hand from record sleeves, well I don't have to tell you times have changed... The main advantage with...

Amazing how simple this is yet how infrequently done. It's nice to be able to use music other people produced and weave it into something special on the dance floor.  It’s nice to be able to release that set so people can relive it or hear what they missed. It’s also...

Ideally a dj plays only amazing gigs with packed dance floors.  In reality, this is only approached by djs who have made it to a high level, or those who play twice a year.  So what strategy to take when you are in the middle?  Is it necessary to play a lot of bad...

How much is too much?  Some artists are very particular and only want one mix out per month or season.  I am more on the prolific side - I feel like it's ok up to once every 2 weeks as long as each one is unique from the others with little crossover.  Also releasing...

If you want to make a living as a dj, it’s very hard to do this solely in your hometown.  If you do, you’re likely playing 3-4 nights a week, just barely making it by on little-paying gigs and residencies. Realistically, to get paid better in your hometown you have to...

Djs, you can do whatever you want, but… Great way to start a post, right? So you can do whatever you want, djs, but if I may make a recommendation, as an event organizer… Make sure you don’t restrict the ability for people to tag you in posts. Of course people abuse...

In between trips to the airport consecutive weekends, I am reminded of this travel tip When I fly out of Los Angeles, so long as the trip does not include a Weds night (rarely does), I leave my car on Bellanca Street, across from Enterprise Car Rental. Then I take...

▶️ There are many different approaches to music organization - what do you do to organize your music? Last week I finished reorganizing my entire digital music collection, for the second time in about 12 years. The goal of this project was to listen to every track and...

What does it mean to become a resident dj somewhere? I feel like there’s a big gap in understanding between promoters and djs on this one. I’m equally invested in both, so here’s my take: As a dj, I think a residency is a pretty big deal and I’m not trying to be a...

Didn’t know what to write about this week so figure just write about what I’m working on, which right now is Soundcloud Playlists Playlists are an underused feature on Soundcloud -they allow you some advantages like grouping all your sets from one genre, or from a...

One of my best habits in 2 decades DJing has been to record every time I mix, whether at home, at a great gig or a so-so one. Recording your practice allows you to listen back and see what worked and didn’t work as well as really hear what your tracks sound like at...

I see a lot of djs waving their arms. I hear a lot of djs playing short choppy transitions, filtering over the mix. Is that what it's about? For me the trick is not to find 'solid' tracks and then filter the crap out of them. The trick is to find tracks that are...

I took djs to task a bit on last week's DJ Musing so for balance here's a PROmoter Tip: Time Slots discussed with Djs, not assigned Always have a personal conversation with each dj you book about time slot before posting.  The best time to do this is right when you...

Nowadays promoters expect djs to participate heavily in promo unless they are headliners.  And djs are complaining a lot. If you are one of them then ask yourself a couple questions: #1 - Are you a headliner?  I’m guessing not, if you are expressing frustration at...

It’s common to hear veteran djs describe newbies using sync as cheats but here’s another perspective on why that button is a bad idea. All electronic music uses some degree of “swing” when programming beats so they sound dynamic, not robotic and mechanical. It’s the...

A month ago I returned from a glorious though intense working trip to Hawaii, to my new life as full time dj/event organizer Like anyone, I had doubts and fears, real things like rent and health insurance and supporting a family. What I told myself was that everyone...

So I've been doing an lot of research/info organization and here's something I've identified as a problem -- Most people have links from their personal wall to their artist page, business page, etc. But about 10-15% don't. Fix it! Make it easy for people to find your...