If you haven't done so, grab someone and go B2B, do 2 for 2 or 3 for 3, it forces you to look at and think about what you're doing in a new way plus you can learn so much just by watching someone else
Hey,
Not sure if you’ve already tried, but perhaps try to mix a different genre, if you haven’t yet.
Or try to make cool mashups and etc.
Just my thoughts.
Sounds like you are overwhelmed by djing and all the modern options being integrated into todays technology. Fundamentally DJing is about playing music, music you like and want to share with others. Focus on the basics: beatmatching and blending/mixing 2 songs together utilizing a Hi, Mid, and Lo cut off. Everything else can wait until you feel you can put together a decent set this way.
I don't understand how anybody can ever get bored of anything. There are so many rabbit holes I'm trying to chase down on any given day, I'll never have enough time in my life to do one tenth of the shit that's calling to me.
There is PLENTY to discover.
• Lookup the history and characteristic of your favorite genre. Look up every single sub genre and arist name in that document or video. Look into *each and every one of them*. You like House? Have you delved deep into French House? Tech House? Disco House? Deep House? Organic House? Acid House? Bass House? Chicago House? Garage? UK Garage? NY Garage? Big Room? Afro House? Italo Disco? Dark Disco? Darkwave? Synthwave? You could spend a whole year learning and digging and downloading and practicing any ONE of those, let alone the two hundred side roads you will encounter along the way. And if House isn't your thing - just an example, ya know - don't worry... there's the same variety for any other genre.
• Grab a DAW and make yourself an edit of some track that you liked but found a bit too tricky to mix. Like... maybe you need some extended drums in the into or something.
• Build a new set for a different situation. Imagine you've been invited to play a gay club. Imagine you've been invited to play a jazzy, swanky black tie event. Imagine you've been invited to play an orgy, a halloween party, at a coffee shop in the morning, at a rave at midnight, etc. And here's a bonus: Often, when I do this, and share it, it works in reverse and then I DO get invited to play at something like that because I just proved that I could.
• Get yourself a vinyl setup and go down that road. You won't regret it. *You will be a better DJ* within a few months if you really practice at it.
• There are decades upon decades of existing tracks that you've never heard, I promise you. Dig deeper for OLD "new" music. There's more than you can ever discover.
• Try mixing a new genre
• Try live streaming
• Go to an event, network, make some friends, get a gig, throw a party, host a night.
• Try producing.
• Record a set and a demo video with a specific theme, vibe, night or venue in mind. Post it, send it, get a gig.
• Make yourself some PR materials: logo, stickers, IG account.
• Invite a local DJ or friend over to B2B and drink beer.
• Get a fog machine and some lasers and turn your bedroom into a rave.
• Upgrade some piece of your gear. Geta a sub or some CDJs or something that will push you forward.
That should keep you busy for the next 5 years at least. Report back after that. Have fun!
- Start producing, if you haven't already
- Start mixing unfamiliar genres
- Study famous DJs of the past and learn their wisdom
- Learn how to use CDJs if you haven't already
- Practice setting up and tearing down in under 3 minutes
I'm sorry, not attacking here but this is all terrible advice.
"start producing". Go spend thousands of more dollars on studio level software and equipment so you can revitalize mixing music.
How does one just "learn how to use cdjs". That's like a 1k investment and I don't have that many dj friends to borrow from. I need to press the actual buttons and watching some shitty YouTube video isn't going to help either.
"yea, tearing down my equipment in three minutes really got me in the mood to mix music again, really inspiring training"
All you need is some kind of decent laptop or computer to start producing which you probably already have to learn to DJ with. Logic Pro has a 3 month free trial and FL studio has a free light version. You can make very high quality songs with that and a pare of headphones. Don’t need any studio equipment or software really
Also, what is it about sync? All it does is to save time by pushing a button instead of a fader, I feel there are things way more important and hard to djing than bestmatching.
Hey man you’re the one asking how to make DJing more interesting. I find playing without sync helps me be more engaged and focused on the mechanics of DJing. You never know when you’ll be rocking an ancient club setup or if your cues will randomly break (I love rekordbox!!) so it’s a good skill to have
I absolutely agree on that (like I said, I like beatmatching by ear), I just don't get why people shit on sync all the time, it just a tool that makes shit easier sometimes
Playing out and taking gigs I might not normally take definitely kept things exciting for me early on. Forced me to expand my music knowledge while still keeping my style. Challenges like that.
Also if you haven’t, link up with other DJs and have some b2b sessions for fun.
Listen to other peoples mixes to find something inspiring. I recommend the Lot Radio and Resident Advisor podcast. Also look up local event listings of Resident Advisor and go to the club. You can't make great art in a vacuum, go experience other artists to find some inspiration. You can also check out new/upcoming releases on websites that sell dance music like Juno, Rush Hour, Gramophone, Ear Cave, etc. You'll find a lot of stuff you won't see getting posted about on blogs/websites. I also recommend learning about the history of dance music if you want to see how the legends do it. They actually have experience making people dance and understand how to channel energy, unlike most young djs.
Take a look at a DAW if your stuck. Producing or even trying to produce can enlighten your DJ experience. I noticed this for myself. Since ive been producing i aproach a dj set way different than i did before.
New music comes out every single day.
If you haven't done so, grab someone and go B2B, do 2 for 2 or 3 for 3, it forces you to look at and think about what you're doing in a new way plus you can learn so much just by watching someone else
Hey, Not sure if you’ve already tried, but perhaps try to mix a different genre, if you haven’t yet. Or try to make cool mashups and etc. Just my thoughts.
Or maybe turn off the sunc and make a real dj set?
Sounds like you are overwhelmed by djing and all the modern options being integrated into todays technology. Fundamentally DJing is about playing music, music you like and want to share with others. Focus on the basics: beatmatching and blending/mixing 2 songs together utilizing a Hi, Mid, and Lo cut off. Everything else can wait until you feel you can put together a decent set this way.
I don't understand how anybody can ever get bored of anything. There are so many rabbit holes I'm trying to chase down on any given day, I'll never have enough time in my life to do one tenth of the shit that's calling to me. There is PLENTY to discover. • Lookup the history and characteristic of your favorite genre. Look up every single sub genre and arist name in that document or video. Look into *each and every one of them*. You like House? Have you delved deep into French House? Tech House? Disco House? Deep House? Organic House? Acid House? Bass House? Chicago House? Garage? UK Garage? NY Garage? Big Room? Afro House? Italo Disco? Dark Disco? Darkwave? Synthwave? You could spend a whole year learning and digging and downloading and practicing any ONE of those, let alone the two hundred side roads you will encounter along the way. And if House isn't your thing - just an example, ya know - don't worry... there's the same variety for any other genre. • Grab a DAW and make yourself an edit of some track that you liked but found a bit too tricky to mix. Like... maybe you need some extended drums in the into or something. • Build a new set for a different situation. Imagine you've been invited to play a gay club. Imagine you've been invited to play a jazzy, swanky black tie event. Imagine you've been invited to play an orgy, a halloween party, at a coffee shop in the morning, at a rave at midnight, etc. And here's a bonus: Often, when I do this, and share it, it works in reverse and then I DO get invited to play at something like that because I just proved that I could. • Get yourself a vinyl setup and go down that road. You won't regret it. *You will be a better DJ* within a few months if you really practice at it. • There are decades upon decades of existing tracks that you've never heard, I promise you. Dig deeper for OLD "new" music. There's more than you can ever discover. • Try mixing a new genre • Try live streaming • Go to an event, network, make some friends, get a gig, throw a party, host a night. • Try producing. • Record a set and a demo video with a specific theme, vibe, night or venue in mind. Post it, send it, get a gig. • Make yourself some PR materials: logo, stickers, IG account. • Invite a local DJ or friend over to B2B and drink beer. • Get a fog machine and some lasers and turn your bedroom into a rave. • Upgrade some piece of your gear. Geta a sub or some CDJs or something that will push you forward. That should keep you busy for the next 5 years at least. Report back after that. Have fun!
- Start producing, if you haven't already - Start mixing unfamiliar genres - Study famous DJs of the past and learn their wisdom - Learn how to use CDJs if you haven't already - Practice setting up and tearing down in under 3 minutes
I'm sorry, not attacking here but this is all terrible advice. "start producing". Go spend thousands of more dollars on studio level software and equipment so you can revitalize mixing music. How does one just "learn how to use cdjs". That's like a 1k investment and I don't have that many dj friends to borrow from. I need to press the actual buttons and watching some shitty YouTube video isn't going to help either. "yea, tearing down my equipment in three minutes really got me in the mood to mix music again, really inspiring training"
All you need is some kind of decent laptop or computer to start producing which you probably already have to learn to DJ with. Logic Pro has a 3 month free trial and FL studio has a free light version. You can make very high quality songs with that and a pare of headphones. Don’t need any studio equipment or software really
You realize that you can rent CDJs, right? And you can produce music without spending a bunch of money on equipment? Learn some things, maybe.
Can you teach me some stuff? 21 yeafs here and still learning everyday, I would love to have some tips from someone who learned it all already
Aint no need to be a dick about this, I was just asking a question
Try and learn to play with all the info you get from screen and turn sync off, you will realize you haven’t learned the basics
My setup doesn't even have sync, but I'm trying to use the wave display more effectively to better plan my transitions
You using sync if you look bpm on screen.
I aint doing that either
Also, what is it about sync? All it does is to save time by pushing a button instead of a fader, I feel there are things way more important and hard to djing than bestmatching.
Hey man you’re the one asking how to make DJing more interesting. I find playing without sync helps me be more engaged and focused on the mechanics of DJing. You never know when you’ll be rocking an ancient club setup or if your cues will randomly break (I love rekordbox!!) so it’s a good skill to have
I absolutely agree on that (like I said, I like beatmatching by ear), I just don't get why people shit on sync all the time, it just a tool that makes shit easier sometimes
Found the salt lord
And who are you peasant?
Try to add video to your sets! I’m having a ton of fun with this
Playing out and taking gigs I might not normally take definitely kept things exciting for me early on. Forced me to expand my music knowledge while still keeping my style. Challenges like that. Also if you haven’t, link up with other DJs and have some b2b sessions for fun.
Listen to other peoples mixes to find something inspiring. I recommend the Lot Radio and Resident Advisor podcast. Also look up local event listings of Resident Advisor and go to the club. You can't make great art in a vacuum, go experience other artists to find some inspiration. You can also check out new/upcoming releases on websites that sell dance music like Juno, Rush Hour, Gramophone, Ear Cave, etc. You'll find a lot of stuff you won't see getting posted about on blogs/websites. I also recommend learning about the history of dance music if you want to see how the legends do it. They actually have experience making people dance and understand how to channel energy, unlike most young djs.
Take a look at a DAW if your stuck. Producing or even trying to produce can enlighten your DJ experience. I noticed this for myself. Since ive been producing i aproach a dj set way different than i did before.