Hello there
I’m a producer/songwriter.
got interested in djing as a form to play/perform/market my own music in public.
just started watching djing tutorials here and on youtube.
is it only top djs who can get to play their own tracks ?
if somebody starts off djing, should he play songs by well known artists and a few of his own? and gradually play more his original tracks as he gets popular?
when djs play their own music, they can just bring the laptop or cd/cd-player and click on ‘play’ the already produced tracks, right? then they dont actually need to be DJing(beat matching, turn tabling… (sorry I dont know all the terminology yet)
I’d appreciate tips for a producer getting interested in djing …
thanks
I think the major problem with playing your own tracks would be the standard that the tracks have. The “Pro” tracks all sound fat, full, lush and have a great mastering engineer to do all that for them. Your tracks will probably not have that advantage.
You cant just consider the flow of tracks when DJing, you also have to consider the quality of the tracks. It may seem hardly important but say you transition from a pro mastered SHM, Guetta or whatever seems to be popular now to a track of your own the problem will not just be difference in loudness (you can always compensate and pull up the volume knob) but everything gets affected.
Possible phase issues, a less tight/powerful bassline, spatial problems, etc. etc. will all be all the more noticeable when the transition from pro to amateur takes place.
However, if you think the tracks you have are at a pro standard then it should be no problem playing them out. I would say just dont start your set on one of your tracks, that might throw people off.
Note I dont DJ and havent a clue how to, these are just my opinions on the matter so take my comments lightly.
If you want to play your own tracks put a live set together instead of DJing… you can get shorter gigs and its something more interesting for a promoter to put on the flyer.
Ableton Live is perfect for this.
As a beginner, it’s all about content.br
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When I first started mixing vinyl back in the 90’s, the music I loved was very hard, and as far from the mainstream as you can imagine. I had lots of gigs which turned into empty rooms, apart from a few sweaty skinheads who were having the best time of their little lives.br
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I soon learnt that to play out, you need to play to the room. To keep them dancing, you need to keep the ladies dancing (then the blokes will start dancing to be close to the girls).br
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The best way for a new DJ to do this is to build 2 “boxes” (virtually or otherwise).br
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First box - Classics. Top 50-250 tunes from “genre” of all time.br
Second box - Floor Fillers. As you DJ out, watch the crowd. If you play a new tune which gets a reaction (listen for claps and whistles), it goes in your floor-fillers box.br
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Now you have a safety blanket, and you can play more of the pureist, new and self-made tunes. If they don’t work, it becomes apparent quickly ! br
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You’ll still be able to mix tunes that do not work on the dancefloor into more experimental mixes in the studio and release them online where the audience there may appreciate it more.br
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Also, check out Brian Sanhaji. He is a Techno DJ who has been playing live sets for years. http://www.sanhaji-music.com/SANHAJI_MUSIC/Home.htmlbr
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Hope this helps.
I second what Phil has said - it sounds like you just want to ‘DJ’ to promote your own tunes, so you would be better off doing more of a ‘live set’, as in my opinion, the point of DJing should be to entertain the dancefloor and give people at the club the best possible time - not to just be used as a platform for promoting your own music!/PPFor example, my thinking is pretty much the reverse of yours - i started off DJing, and i would never, ever dream of playing out one of my own tunes, unless i happended to know that it was the perfect tune for that particular moment on the dancefloor./PPMy standards as a DJ are simply too high for me to start chucking in sub-standard tunes into one of my sets, just because i happended to have made it!/PPI think this is currently a huge problem with the whole new-breed of DJing culture that has hit us in the last few years or so./PPThere are too many people DJing and playing tunes that either aren’t absolutely exceptional - or they simply aren’t right for the moment!/PPThey are playing said tunes for reasons other than the fact that they are totally amazing!