Episode 56: Happiness and Fulfillment as a DJ (Part 2)

View full show notes & comments: http://PassionateDJ.com/56 Episode 56 is is all about maintaining happiness, so that we can lead fulfilling and successful DJ careers. This week, we present part 2 of Happiness and Fulfillment as a DJ. DJs have a tendency to think of recorded mixes as “demos”. This makes us think a certain way. We want to show a certain level of flexibility while maintaining a cohesive flow. We want to show that we have eclectic and adaptable taste, and yet have a sense of focus. We want to show that you can move a dance floor, but leave room for people to get drinks. You want to give nods to pieces of your genre’s history, without looking too cheeky. Yadda yadda yadda. One way to bring the magic back might be to put together a mix just for you. Instead of worrying about the latest styles or fads, dance floor potential, or rare tracks… put together a set that you want to listen to. Use timeless tracks which you love on the thousandth listen as much as you did on the first. Use songs that you have on your iPod… songs that you’d be excited to share with a friend with similar taste. Build a set that reminds you why you’re awesome, and record it. Another tip we present is to buy less music, and buy better music. This one is pretty self-explanatory. Quality > Quantity. Keep tracks in your “crate”/shopping cart/hold bin for a few days and come back to them. See if you’re still feeling it on the next listen. If it doesn’t immediately jump out and grab you, remove it from your cart. Be your own filter. Sell off old vinyl that you would never actually play. Use that money to buy half as many records that are 5 times as good. Having a selection of music that is awesome is way more fun from a DJing perspective than having 324,234,764,426,594 tracks on your hard drive. If it’s normal for you to be standing behind the decks, staring out bored into the dance floor… or you’re finding it hard to convince yourself to play at home… perhaps it’s time to change things up a bit. This could be as simple as exploring a new genre, changing technology platforms, or completely re-inventing yourself as a DJ. Switch from a digital controller to vinyl (or vice versa). Pursue different venues or types of events. Start a new series of recorded mixes which give you a reason to explore different DJ concepts. (For example, maybe you always play house but you have a love for ambient music. Start a new series of purpose-specific ambient mixes. Why not? It’s all about keeping it fresh!) What is it about DJing that makes you happy? Thanks for being a loyal listener of The Passionate DJ Podcast; where together, we're becoming HAPPIER DJs through passion and purpose!