Leaving the Bedroom

[Zac Kyoti]

If you want to promote yourself you need to go where you want to be. Want to be a club DJ? Guess what! Go to clubs. Talk to DJs, get your mixes out there, meet people, shake hands, buy them drinks, talk them up. Don't walk in just looking for a gig. Talk to the promoter, approach people. Convince your friends to go to the club with you so you can at least show you have some sort of a following. Show you have energy. Offer to help promote, anything. Etc...

Great Advice DvlsAdvct, couldn't have said it better. Thelonius Monk once wrote in his journal (1960) "Don't sound anyone for a gig. Just be on the scene."

[djhipnotikk]

Thanks for the info, I am thinking of burning a 30 min mix instead of a 1hr. mix as this would let me focus on making it as perfect as possible

bad idea. slaving over a mix t make it perfect will make unrealistic standards for you to live up to in the club.

[Kaon]

bad idea. slaving over a mix t make it perfect will make unrealistic standards for you to live up to in the club.

you think thats important? i dont think the bar manager is going to listen to you play live with a toothcomb and never invite you back cos you made a tiny mistake. hes gonna look at how many people are there and how many drinks hes sold

edit: but i agree- 1 hour is better proof you can play continuosly

[Bodega Brad]

you think thats important? i dont think the bar manager is going to listen to you play live with a toothcomb and never invite you back cos you made a tiny mistake. hes gonna look at how many people are there and how many drinks hes sold

YUP...Managers have to drive home just like the rest of us. If you give them something that hold their attention, the better off you'll be. Most of them put it on in the back room while their counting money, so, the longer, the better.
I usually try to make my first night deal on population. It's risky, but if you do your promo work, offer female incentives(illegal in NJ), and play good music, you'll get a second shot. Ask for a very low base price to play(they love saving money), then say: "I get a buck(or whatever) for every head after 100(or whatever the club size). I raped a club one night that underestimated my following. Which brings us back to the mix....GET IT OUT. Make everyone remember your name.

edit: but i agree- 1 hour is better proof you can play continuosly

True that...I earlier stated 30min, but never do myself, so don't know why I said it. If you're gonna bother with 30, and want to mix a minimum of 2hr set, then you can surely bang out a quick 1hr. I make my mix like it could land in the biggest promoter/managers hands in Vegas/NY/Worldwide. You never know. I made a mix for a small website who were promoting at a casino/radio gig. Thru them passing out my free mix, I ended up spinning two prime time spots on another station because of it. You never know, so your shit has to be tight. The first isn't gonna be a masterpiece. You're more likely to score a gig, honestly, by helping/opening for somebody in need. It seems to always work out that way. Happened to me 3 different times at clubs.

[Bodega Brad]

bad idea. slaving over a mix t make it perfect will make unrealistic standards for you to live up to in the club.

All my mixes used to be live. If I couldn't do it in your face, I wouldn't do it. I disagree with your statement. No offense tho.

[DvlsAdvct]

The thing with "slaving over a mix" is that when it's done you can now do it. You've learned a new technique, or a bunch of new mixes to add to your repetoire. And if you mix it live you can do it live again, most likely. So now you've benefitted yourself.

Also, I would never put mixes up in the MySpace player, but upload to a server for a link. They probably won't ever check those.

[belchman]

Hi,
I'm 17, and DJ with Traktor etc etc I've DJ'd alot of events at school (proper music, replacing the mobile-disco...!) and also at other events out of school which I've organised, or at parties etc. I'm mega keen to get into the club scene (I'm from Newcastle UK) but the nature of my style (Electro-House, very mangled..) means that I wouldn't really be suited to working my way up through the pub/bar scene particularly.

What do I do? Do I put together a creative mix to give to Club owners, and if so, how should I approach that to make it a bit different and stand out? Or.. do I grit my teeth and play Cascada and Basshunter down the local?

I hope this thread could be useful to anyone else in my position! And I look forward to everyone's thoughts with great anticipation!

Cheers
Belch
www.myspace.com/belchofficial

[Foreverhex]

It might be tough for you right now, not impossible though. I'm not sure the laws in the UK but here you wouldn't even be allowed in the club to talk to anyone.

What I did is started talking to other DJs in my scene. Tricky though, you can't seem to eager. Save all that for the promoters. Got them to help out with some remixes. They liked my tunes, and DJ sets. Then I waited, soon (it always happens) so DJ cancelled on a gig. So they needed an opener, they called me, jumped on it even though I had other shit to do. Get your foot in the door, that's how I did it. Everyone has their own way though.

[belchman]

Cheers man, that's mega useful! do you reckon it would be useful for me to send a promo mix to clubs and promoters? I've put a load of mixes together, but nothing perfect, and I thought perfection would be the key to sell myself best.. although I always think a mix of 10 good songs, beatmatched perfectly etc isn't standing out at all - how do you reckon I can be more creative with my mixes, without going overkill on Traktor's FX?

[DvlsAdvct]

First you use the search function.

Second, read those threads, where we rehash this over and over and over again.

Third, follow their advice. Get your name out there, make mixes, burn CDs, find people who are DJs in the scene you want to be involved in, etc. etc. etc..

Then, come back with more questions and use the search function before asking.



I have way too much time on my hands.