So I have a friend who is a DJ and has been doing it for a few years. He’s not a pro or a producer, but he does get some gigs around the city and generally a pretty cool guy.
My friend is a HUGE fan of Sasha. He always plays at least 1 of the guys songs at his gigs and in his mixes and has been listening to his music going on 10 years. He had seen him and Digweed a bunch of times. The guy has just always been a huge supporter of Sasha.
So my friend goes to a party where he knows that he’s going to have a chance to meet Sasha and say hello. He prepares a new DJ mix and saves it to his flash drive and gets ready to meet his hero. He shows up at the event, the time comes and he meets Sasha. Introduces himself, gives him a little background info on himself and the DJ mix and hands the flash drive over.
Sasha looks at the drive. Looks at my friend. And says “Why would I want this?”… Throws it in the trash. Laughs about it and walks away. My buddy was crushed!
So now before everybody goes off on Sasha about “D1ck MOVE”, blah blah blah. Just think for a second. WTF is a superstar DJ like sasha gunna do with YOUR DJ mix? Put it on instead of mixing the records himself at the gig? Plug it in and use it for his podcast? Fck no. Superstar DJs are already DJs. They can make their own mixes and don’t need you to do it for them.
Other artists I’ve met say the same thing.
“SEND ME A F0CKING TRACK! THEN I’ll BE IMPRESSED!” is the quote I often remember.
So before you go and prepare for your favorite artist the DJ mix that you think they will love. Remember that these guys have tons of people contacting them all the time about the same thing. Your no different from anybody else. They don’t give a sht.
Also on a side note
Posting links to your podcast, DJ mix or whatever on another DJ or producers Facebook wall makes you look stupid. It’s bad manners and producers/DJs DO NOT LIKE IT WHEN PEOPLE SPAM THEIR WALL WITH THEIR CRAP. DON’T DO IT! Avoid looking like a douche at all costs. Other people will see that and think the same thing.
//End My Rant.
Discuss!
Terrible, funny and spot on.
Good point UV
I had to post up the story, to HOPEFULLY teach some people some proper etiquette.
My buddy is telling me the story and at the end, i was like dude, WTF did you think he was gunna do? Sign you and have you open up for all his gigs? Realllllly? :hehe:
All im saying is think before you act. What would you do if you were in their shoes?
Relate it back to this. If your the DJ of the night. Playing House. Somebody asks you to play the new Kanye…
R u gunna do it? Probably not. In fact you might tell them to f*ck off.
It’s pretty much the same thing your doing when you hand Sasha or Deadmau5 your Dj mix.
You know, while you have a point, I do find myself thinking that I don’t need to check out Sasha. I think the other lesson here is if this your career then your public image is also important. Some how Armin Van Buuren manages to encourage new artists in let’s face it a small part of the music industry. All I’m saying is the truely great artists don’t have to put others down to make themselves feel more important–they’re just good.
Tell your friend he can vote for someone else on DJ magazine’s top 100 list this year
Yeah, I’ve been DJing now for over 10 years. Sasha and Digweed are my “heros” as well.
My two cents as far as this anecdote is concerned is this. Although Sasha was probably right, he’s a douche for doing what he did. (if this actually was what he did) There are other ways to handle this. You can be more polite and say, “hey listen man, thank you for the mix, I’m flattered.” And after Sasha goes home, he can disregard the mix. To be honest, I think Digweed would’ve been much more polite. I have had a chance to meet both those guys and it doesn’t surprise me that Sasha would act this way. He’s always been a F&*KING DI&K with a huge ego. Great DJ and great artist, but not the best guy. Digweed is definitely more of a standup dude and more polite.
As far as trying to “impress” your idol/heroes…don’t do it. Just do what you do and love what you do. If you really like a certain DJ and want to get noticed, the best thing to do is to write tracks and hope they dig them. How do you think Guy J, etc. all got to where they are?
But, I must say, it’s VERY tough to get into the industry as a “top” DJ. Unfortunately, these guys like Sasha, Digweed, Van Dyk, Carl Cox and pretty much all the guys you see on the Global Underground CD series all stepped in crap. Alot of these guys were in the right place at the right time and knew the right people. Unless you do something original these days, it’s very tough to become a superstar DJ. I think someone like Deadma5 is a genious. He used a great marketing gimmick along with his talent to catapult into the mainstream stardom. crazy.
I don’t know where I’m going with all of this, but ultimately, if you are getting into this because you want to become a Superstar DJ or even just be the guy who opens for a Superstar DJ, it’s a tough road. The best ways to do it are:
1) Start your own night at a club/lounge and book these guys. Reciprocity may follow.
2) Make some tracks and shop them around. Hand Sasha and Digweed tracks you wrote. Not mixes.
3) You have to be out ALL OF THE TIME networking. Even when you’re not DJing, GO OUT, meet the people who run the nights and get to know the industry.
That’s my soap box speech for the day.
[quote]intuitionnyc (15/04/2011)[hr]
Although Sasha was probably right, he’s a douche for doing what he did. (if this actually was what he did) [/quote]
This! It is all too easy to be polite and just say thanks, then throw it in the bin when they are not looking.
I think it’s a question of knowing your audience. I have to say, for any people thinking of giving their idols samples, DO IT. Even if they trash it, it’s better risking it then not. I remember chatting to Porter Robinson, who’s really the first person who got me into all of this. He was really chill, gave me a long comment on my track, gave me e-mails of Lazy Rich, etc. for when I wanted to try submitting to Big Fish. If I had just pussied out, I honestly don’t think I’d be where I am today, wherever that is
I get sent mixes all the time, I rarely listen to them simply because i mix my own.
[quote]intuitionnyc (15/04/2011)[hr]Yeah, I’ve been DJing now for over 10 years. Sasha and Digweed are my “heros” as well.
My two cents as far as this anecdote is concerned is this. Although Sasha was probably right, he’s a douche for doing what he did. (if this actually was what he did) There are other ways to handle this. You can be more polite and say, “hey listen man, thank you for the mix, I’m flattered.” And after Sasha goes home, he can disregard the mix. To be honest, I think Digweed would’ve been much more polite. I have had a chance to meet both those guys and it doesn’t surprise me that Sasha would act this way. He’s always been aF&*KING DI&Kwith a huge ego. Great DJ and great artist, but not the best guy. Digweed is definitely more of a standup dude and more polite.
As far as trying to “impress” your idol/heroes…don’t do it. Just do what you do and love what you do. If you really like a certain DJ and want to get noticed, the best thing to do is to write tracks and hope they dig them. How do you think Guy J, etc. all got to where they are?
But, I must say, it’s VERY tough to get into the industry as a “top” DJ. Unfortunately, these guys like Sasha, Digweed, Van Dyk, Carl Cox and pretty much all the guys you see on the Global Underground CD series all stepped in crap. Alot of these guys were in the right place at the right time and knew the right people. Unless you do something original these days, it’s very tough to become a superstar DJ. I think someone like Deadma5 is a genious. He used a great marketing gimmick along with his talent to catapult into the mainstream stardom. crazy.
I don’t know where I’m going with all of this, but ultimately, if you are getting into this because you want to become a Superstar DJ or even just be the guy who opens for a Superstar DJ, it’s a tough road. The best ways to do it are:
- Start your own night at a club/lounge and book these guys. Reciprocity may follow.
- Make some tracks and shop them around. Hand Sasha and Digweed tracks you wrote. Not mixes.
- You have to be out ALL OF THE TIME networking. Even when you’re not DJing, GO OUT, meet the people who run the nights and get to know the industry.
That’s my soap box speech for the day.[/quote]
so far all your posts are spot on. I keep wanting to just click LIKE.
just so we are clear. I was in no-way saying that people should be a ****head like Sasha was to my friend in the story. I’ve met a bunch of artists that are really cool guys and down to earth. Those guys are my favorites and they are the ones I’d be voting for DJ TOP 100.
I’m just saying that people need to be smarter about how they approach big djs.
And even more importantly…
Be smart about how you promote & introduce yourself.
Would have been better to give him some Drugs - that a Mix :hehe:
[quote]ICN (15/04/2011)[hr]Would have been better to give him some Drugs - that a Mix :hehe:[/quote]
lolol he probably would have let him control the crossfader & pick the tracks if he did that.
bwahahahahahahahaha :hehe:
Haha!
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Shame I did a type-o :crazy:
[quote]Roben (15/04/2011)[hr]I get sent mixes all the time, I rarely listen to them simply because i mix my own.[/quote]
Yeah I do my own mixes, I still love mixes from other people though, in fact I would say over 90% of my music listening is done in the form of other DJ’s mixes. It’s my main way of discovering music.
Plus what I enjoy a much broader spectrum of music to listen to than what I mix. Everything from Hip Hop, Nu Disco, Hardcore, Drum & Bass and House etc… can’t be assed to shop for, buy, download and mix all of that every time I wanna listen to something
I can understand a superstar dj cant really do anything with a mix BUT your a superstar dj and your dealing with a fan. There is nothing wrong with being polite, if it wasnt for your fans you wouldnt be a superstar dj. Why totally crush someone? Especially someone who sees you as some sort of god… Surely it would have been just as easy to politely say, sorry man I cant really do anything with a mix, if you wanna get into this then learn how to produce and send me some tracks…
Same outcome as what Sasha did but in a polite way that might encourage someone to try something new apposed to completely crushing them…
[quote]Flaxo (15/04/2011)[hr]I think it’s a question of knowing your audience. I have to say, for any people thinking of giving their idols samples, DO IT.[/quote]
Right on. I can’t dispute that. If I said something earlier in my post to dissuade someone from doing that, then I stand corrected.
I THINK my point was if you’re gonna give a DJ mix to a DJ, do it. Just don’t be surprised if they toss it in the bin. ESPECIALLY a top DJ. But, alot of guys I come into contact with, are pretty cool.
Kudos to the guy who said offer Sasha some drugs instead of a mix tape. BRAVO. LMFAO! Spot on!
I also 2nd listening to other DJ mixes for track ideas, mix ideas, etc. I’m sure there is some BRILLIANT undiscovered talent out there.
[quote]UnitedVision (15/04/2011)[hr]So I have a friend who is a DJ and has been doing it for a few years. He’s not a pro or a producer, but he does get some gigs around the city and generally a pretty cool guy.
My friend is a HUGE fan of Sasha. He always plays at least 1 of the guys songs at his gigs and in his mixes and has been listening to his music going on 10 years. He had seen him and Digweed a bunch of times. The guy has just always been a huge supporter of Sasha.
So my friend goes to a party where he knows that he’s going to have a chance to meet Sasha and say hello. He prepares a new DJ mix and saves it to his flash drive and gets ready to meet his hero. He shows up at the event, the time comes and he meets Sasha. Introduces himself, gives him a little background info on himself and the DJ mix and hands the flash drive over.
Sasha looks at the drive. Looks at my friend. And says “Why would I want this?”… Throws it in the trash. Laughs about it and walks away. My buddy was crushed!
So now before everybody goes off on Sasha about “D1ck MOVE”, blah blah blah. Just think for a second. WTF is a superstar DJ like sasha gunna do with YOUR DJ mix? Put it on instead of mixing the records himself at the gig? Plug it in and use it for his podcast? Fck no. Superstar DJs are already DJs. They can make their own mixes and don’t need you to do it for them.
Other artists I’ve met say the same thing.
“SEND ME A F0CKING TRACK! THEN I’ll BE IMPRESSED!” is the quote I often remember.
So before you go and prepare for your favorite artist the DJ mix that you think they will love. Remember that these guys have tons of people contacting them all the time about the same thing. Your no different from anybody else. They don’t give a sht.
Also on a side note
Posting links to your podcast, DJ mix or whatever on another DJ or producers Facebook wall makes you look stupid. It’s bad manners and producers/DJs DO NOT LIKE IT WHEN PEOPLE SPAM THEIR WALL WITH THEIR CRAP. DON’T DO IT! Avoid looking like a douche at all costs. Other people will see that and think the same thing.
//End My Rant.
Discuss!
[/quote]
Sasha could have handled it better though!!
“Why would I want this”
sounds like a D1ck Move to me!!! :crazy:
Actually the dik move was throwing it in the bin and laughing at the guy…
yah 4 sure he could’ve been way more polite. no arguments there. def a d1ck move.
There is no reason that you have to be an a$$ to people. That goes in all facets of life.
All I’m trying to say is… You can avoid stuff like that, by being a bit smarter about it.
Sasha is the son of god! He can talk to anyone anyway he fkn wants
Seriously though a dj mix should of been given to his agent not sasha
sasha put’s me to fucking sleep…(i’ve thought I’ll throw that in )
but he did listen to Zabiel’s mix before…didn’t he?
you need to be a massive twt to do something like that in guys face.