How to get started with DJing • Hacker News Board

Re: How to get started with DJing

#41

Post by sdnguyen90 » Fri, Nov 25, 2016, 7:30 AM UTC

jdietrich wrote: post #9

dpc59 wrote: post #2

I'm going to seem like an elitist prick, but in my opinion DJing is absolutely useless if you don't produce/compose. Basic 2 decks DJing is fucking boring, learn how to play instruments and all the theory behind pop music, then figure out the software and hardware to play live sets. Obviously you're going to need to understand the basics of mixing to play live sets, but playing a regular DJ set in front of an audienc…

>I'm going to seem like an elitist prick, but in my opinion DJing is absolutely useless if you don't produce/compose. Basic 2 decks DJing is fucking boring Exhibit A for the defence: this utterly masterful set by garage legend DJ EZ. He deftly plays with the build and release of tension without relying on formulaic drops. There is still enormous creative mileage in traditional two-deck mixing. https://www.youtube.com…

I think the track selection and the crowds reaction will go over peoples heads who aren't familiar with garage. A lot of tracks EZ dropped in that set were huge in the 90's and early 2000's (in terms of the garage scene). If you live in London, its likely you would get nostalgic over those songs. You probably aren't going to get the same reaction in most of the US.

Re: How to get started with DJing

#42

Post by jraedisch » Fri, Nov 25, 2016, 8:26 AM UTC

empath75 wrote: post #24

Okay, so I was a rave DJ in the early 2000s and opened for some of the most popular DJ's in the world at sold out clubs and I'm about to give some real advice. Yes, all of this stuff about producing music is important, but people who can mix records are a dime a dozen. You need to be able to do it, but it's not enough to get gigs. The way you get gigs is to be popular. You need to go clubbing every weekend. You need…

I'd like to add company celebrations to the ways to make a living.

Re: How to get started with DJing

#43

Post by blubb-fish » Fri, Nov 25, 2016, 9:11 AM UTC

empath75 wrote: post #24

Okay, so I was a rave DJ in the early 2000s and opened for some of the most popular DJ's in the world at sold out clubs and I'm about to give some real advice. Yes, all of this stuff about producing music is important, but people who can mix records are a dime a dozen. You need to be able to do it, but it's not enough to get gigs. The way you get gigs is to be popular. You need to go clubbing every weekend. You need…

> you might make what a junior sysadmin makes.

seriously ... don't you do djing because of the chicks?

Re: How to get started with DJing

#44

Post by red_anorak » Fri, Nov 25, 2016, 9:22 AM UTC

I was into techno, house and electro DJing for a long time. I'd say the best advice for enjoying djing is not to dwell on the technical aspects any more than they interest you. I'm rather out of touch with the current state of things, but I used to find progressive house DJs who obsessed over perfect mixes rather dull. When you're picking records think about how they'll sound in a club. People only care about your blends when they're really bad.

I dunno, just do whatever entertains you.

Re: How to get started with DJing

#45

Post by cr1895 » Fri, Nov 25, 2016, 9:30 AM UTC

kakoni wrote: post #40

jdietrich wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>I'm going to seem like an elitist prick, but in my opinion DJing is absolutely useless if you don't produce/compose. Basic 2 decks DJing is fucking boring Exhibit A for the defence: this utterly masterful set by garage legend DJ EZ. He deftly plays with the build and release of tension without relying on formulaic drops. There is still enormous creative mileage in traditional two-deck mixing. https://www.youtube.com…

Here's another wizard at work, Jeff Mills doing his thing with 3 turntables and a mixer. Absolutely brilliant. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtw2-kL32YM

There's another of him working 4! turntables and a synth. Dude is a legend.

Re: How to get started with DJing

#46

Post by clappski » Fri, Nov 25, 2016, 9:56 AM UTC

empath75 wrote: post #24

Okay, so I was a rave DJ in the early 2000s and opened for some of the most popular DJ's in the world at sold out clubs and I'm about to give some real advice. Yes, all of this stuff about producing music is important, but people who can mix records are a dime a dozen. You need to be able to do it, but it's not enough to get gigs. The way you get gigs is to be popular. You need to go clubbing every weekend. You need…

I studied Music Technology at university where I picked up DJing and did fairly well (for a student) out of it (I.e. regular paid gigs, invited to play one off events).

It's a really, really tough industry. The only way to get a gig is become friends with another DJ, promoter or venue owner who's naturally adverse to inviting someone they barely know to come and play their night. The alternative is to throw your own night, but that's a whole different world of stress.

However, the moment when you play a track to a crowd of a few hundred people where you don't know how they will react is one I cherish, and even more so when the room lights up and they all lose it. It made me feel ecstatic.

Now I'm a happy software developer for a big bank who writes dance music on the side, but I'd give anything to have that experience again.

Re: How to get started with DJing

#47

Post by clappski » Fri, Nov 25, 2016, 10:05 AM UTC

Ace17 wrote: post #37

aidos wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, that is really elitist. And it's just your opinion, so you're allowed to hold it :) A good DJ can make the difference between a mediocre party and a really amazing party. I agree that the more tools in your arsenal, the better you'll be but don't brush off what can be achieved with 2 turntables and a really good knowledge of music.

> A good DJ can make the difference between a mediocre party and a really amazing party. I hear this a lot. However, this sounds like rationalization of DJing competences. Are there ways to check such a statement?

Going to some party's and raves would be a good start, it's like asking how can you measure how good a piece of music is (very difficultly!)

Re: How to get started with DJing

#48

Post by aidos » Fri, Nov 25, 2016, 11:26 AM UTC

Ace17 wrote: post #37

aidos wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, that is really elitist. And it's just your opinion, so you're allowed to hold it :) A good DJ can make the difference between a mediocre party and a really amazing party. I agree that the more tools in your arsenal, the better you'll be but don't brush off what can be achieved with 2 turntables and a really good knowledge of music.

> A good DJ can make the difference between a mediocre party and a really amazing party. I hear this a lot. However, this sounds like rationalization of DJing competences. Are there ways to check such a statement?

Music is really subjective - and I'm not aware of a way to quantify the impact of music generally. The same challenge applies to a musical "artists", but justification of the skills of DJs is often demanded, where the skills of artists isn't. Why is that?

From the perspective of someone who had gone through the learning journey, I know full well the difference between my abilities when I begin and now (and there's still a lot of space for me to improve). Those first times I DJed were fairly horrible experiences for everyone - most of all me.

What can we figure out though? There are really just a couple of main dimensions to consider, song selection and how those songs are put together.

Song selections are crucial to DJing and you can think of it in terms of tailoring the music to the environment. Whether you have 2 turntables or not, this is the most important part. Maybe you have a someone putting on other people's mix tapes - understanding the energy and environment are still crucial. I've seen people who are accomplished musicians get this very wrong. It's not something that comes of being a good musician, it's a totally different skill-set.

So before you even look at the medium (turntables), I think we can agree that there's a skill involved in being able to apply music to enhance the environment.

Then there's the turntable aspect. If you give someone with the skills to apply the right music an infinite supply of music and an mp3 player they'll struggle to make the experience smooth. A pause in the music is going to kill the energy in the room. But that's just the start. You can change the energy just by moving through tracks faster, before you even start looking at the interesting ways you can put the music together. Not only that, but pretty much every DJ setup these days is digital with much more you can do to the music in the mix.

It's like lighting - take a perfectly good party and put strip lighting in. It's all about creating the right environment. Music is a big part of that - though I suspect I'm more aware of it than other people.

Re: How to get started with DJing

#49

Post by gerryk » Fri, Nov 25, 2016, 11:50 AM UTC

jdietrich wrote: post #9

dpc59 wrote: post #2

I'm going to seem like an elitist prick, but in my opinion DJing is absolutely useless if you don't produce/compose. Basic 2 decks DJing is fucking boring, learn how to play instruments and all the theory behind pop music, then figure out the software and hardware to play live sets. Obviously you're going to need to understand the basics of mixing to play live sets, but playing a regular DJ set in front of an audienc…

>I'm going to seem like an elitist prick, but in my opinion DJing is absolutely useless if you don't produce/compose. Basic 2 decks DJing is fucking boring Exhibit A for the defence: this utterly masterful set by garage legend DJ EZ. He deftly plays with the build and release of tension without relying on formulaic drops. There is still enormous creative mileage in traditional two-deck mixing. https://www.youtube.com…

That DJ EZ mix is excellent. Reminds me of everything I love about the London electronic music scene.

Re: How to get started with DJing

#50

Post by sangnoir » Fri, Nov 25, 2016, 12:00 PM UTC

jdietrich wrote: post #9

dpc59 wrote: post #2

I'm going to seem like an elitist prick, but in my opinion DJing is absolutely useless if you don't produce/compose. Basic 2 decks DJing is fucking boring, learn how to play instruments and all the theory behind pop music, then figure out the software and hardware to play live sets. Obviously you're going to need to understand the basics of mixing to play live sets, but playing a regular DJ set in front of an audienc…

>I'm going to seem like an elitist prick, but in my opinion DJing is absolutely useless if you don't produce/compose. Basic 2 decks DJing is fucking boring Exhibit A for the defence: this utterly masterful set by garage legend DJ EZ. He deftly plays with the build and release of tension without relying on formulaic drops. There is still enormous creative mileage in traditional two-deck mixing. https://www.youtube.com…

> Selectors don't even mix in the traditional sense, nor do they compose or produce, but there's a tremendous art to what they do.

I disagree with you on not composing or producing - at least at the highest level of sound clashes. I skipped around a bit in the Red Bull video you linked, and each and every song I encountered was re-recorded (by the original singers) specifically for this event with tweaked lyrics denigrating the challenging sound systems of the day, in line with clash norms.

I agree there is tremendous art, but there is a lot of production around re-recording songs. It's a level above just mixing.

I never expected to discuss Sound System / sound clashes on HN - this is a delightful surprise.