The Passionate DJ Podcast

Episode 75: Restraint & Patience: The DJ's Lost Virtues

Full show notes available at http://passionatedj.com/75 Episode 75 is all about two important virtues which many DJs disregard: restraint and patience. Today is a short solo show, where David first discusses the latest happenings in DJ news before getting on to this beefy topic. We live in a world of instant gratification. Everything we do is “now, now, now!” And anything that doesn’t deliver instant gratification is pushed off to the wayside. Technology has done great things for us, but it has also made us impatient. And, like many things, this has affected the way many people approach DJing. Because of things like tempo sync buttons, digital music distribution (legal or otherwise), and ultra-portable all-in-one DJ solutions, it’s super easy to get started in the realm of DJing without “putting in your time” in the way that many people once had to. The warmup DJ has a very specific and, seemingly, obvious job. He is supposed to prepare the room for the headliner… akin to a local band opening for a national act. When we’re talking night clubs, he (or she) is supposed to start getting people interested in what the night will have to offer. The problem is, today’s typical warmup DJ is more concerned about “rocking out” than supporting the night as a whole. They want to play all their banger tracks in the hour or two that they have been given, in order to impress whomever may be listening. The funny thing is, I (along with many DJs and promoters with much more experience than me) am rarely impressed by someone who goes all-out to a room of people who are not quite ready to dance yet. This DJ is impatient in two distinct ways. Firstly, he’s advancing the energy of the night too quickly (how can you find room to ebb-and-flow when you’re already starting at 10?) Secondly, many of them are simply not willing to put the time into their overall DJ career. In other words, they want to be a superstar without merit. You can’t put all the complaints towards the DJ. Promoters are the ones in charge for putting all the puzzle pieces into place. Just as DJs should be curators of music, promoters should be curators of entertainment. Many younger promoters are guilty of trying to jump on whatever trends are hot that particular week, and run with it. Most of them take a half-assed approach, because they think jumping on the latest bandwagon is all they need to do to sustain an audience. This is why most club nights seem fairly “watered down”. A good promoter knows how to pick-and-choose their DJ lineup… not just because of what genre that DJ is known for, but because they know that their values line up. It’s not always the case that well-established promoters will only book well-established DJs… perhaps it’s more accurate to say that they will only book DJs who have proven to them that they know how the timeline of a successful night should look. The best way I know how to describe 99% of today’s DJs and promoters is lazy and functional. You can’t throw a stone without hitting a DJ in the head who is able to mix two tracks together without trainwrecking. But, think of it this way… you also can’t throw a stone without hitting someone in the head that knows how to cook something edible. Does that mean there’s no such thing as a good chef? Today’s technology is already perfectly capable of stringing together a list of songs with gapless playback and perfectly in sync. Give your crowd a reason to have you as their selector. That’s how to stand out in today’s sea of noise. Put in your time, perform your craft with conviction, and be patient. It’s not the only way… just the best one. For the rest of the show notes, please visit http://passionatedj.com/75

Episode 74: New Year's Special 2017

HAPPY NEW YEAR! This year has been AMAZING for Passionate DJ, and we never saw it coming! 2016 saw a rebranding, and a shift from the articles and online blog content toward the audio podcast show becoming the main offering. The podcast has seen exponential growth, ever since David changed the format to deliver weekly content and bringing on Trip, Tony, and Mo for round table discussions. We've had some killer interviews, some great shows, and a lot of feedback from you. This week's show is all about how AWESOME this year was for us, so we flashback to some clips of a few of our favorite episodes, check in with former guests and play their voicemails, drop some listener comments, and look forward with some predictions about what we'll see from gear companies and the American dance scene, in general. Each of the guys takes a moment to put forward a resolution to share, as well. What were some of YOUR favorite PDJ moments of 2016? What would you like to see more of, from us, in the future? What are YOUR resolutions for 2017? All of us here on the PassionateDJ.com team are so very thankful for all of you that tune in and listen. It's all of YOU that are making this thing work. We'd literally be talking about this stuff, anyway, so we're glad that it's helping so many of you out there. We learned a lot in 2016, and plan on putting those lessons learned to great use in 2017. There's a lot more in store for this show in the coming year, so stay tuned, share with your friends, and keep on spinning! PS... All of the music you hear in this episode was produced or remixed by @TripTurlington (except for one really obvious one). So, if you like what you hear, give him a follow on his Soundcloud page and support by purchasing his releases on @Base-Industry-Records at Beatport, Juno, Amazon, iTunes, or any of your other favorite digital music distributors. https://www.beatport.com/artist/trip-turlington/476166

Episode 73: Holiday Record Exchange

In Episode 73, the gang is all together celebrating the holidays with a record exchange! We each went digging through the crates of our local record stores, thrift shops, and personal collections to find records that reminded us of each other. Did any of you get any wax or new tracks? While many of these tracks aren't particularly relevant in most club settings, we had a lot of fun recording this episode, so we're hoping you have just as much fun listening! No matter what you celebrate over the holidays, we hope the season finds you all happy, healthy, and spinning! Ludacris - Ludacrismas https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tiw3ueH3EI Warren G - Regulate https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1plPyJdXKIY Isaac Hayes - Shaft Theme Song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFvRvSxsW-I Submarine - Sunbeam (Deepsky Remix) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t82puE16kts (Way Out West Remix) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uP8f5ZMJzdU Manuvers X Sharpsound X Louie Arson - Bangin Like a Dilla Instrumental https://soundcloud.com/thelovebelowparty/bangin-like-a-dilla-instrumental-mix-vol-1 Bob Seger - Shakedown https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3MTFJz50qc Twelvetrees - The Lost Tribe (Ming & FS DnB Remix) https://www.discogs.com/Twelvetrees-The-Lost-Tribe/release/2887743 Kurtis Blow - The Breaks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZDUEilS5M4 Oran "Juice" Jones - The Rain https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dZW1C3neao Groove Armada - Superstylin' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KABmnF2T6M Snoop Doggy Dogg - Santa Claus is Going Straight to the Ghetto https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVkg5FM59NA Family Guy - Michael McDonald Episode https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0B6nxPfcCM

Episode 72: Habits We Wish We Had Sooner

In Episode 72, we're coming up on the holidays and the end of the year, so we thought this might be a good time to do some reflecting. In doing so, we talk a little bit about the habits that we have now and wish we had earlier. First, we hit some of the major news affecting DJs, right now: 1. Soundcloud now allows DJ mixes - this is HUGE, but is it too little, too late? 2. A bankrupt SFX re-emerges from Chapter 11 with a blank slate and new leadership as LiveStyle Inc. What does this mean for EDM in America? 3. A fellow Midwest DJ and old friend of @TripTurlington's, @TheBlackMadonna broke the Resident Advisor DJ Poll top ten! And, almost right after this episode was recorded, she was also named Mixmag's DJ of the Year for 2016. She is one of the hardest working DJs in the industry, ever since Trip can remember playing dirty warehouse raves with her over a decade ago. She's been at the forefront of the Chicago club scene, traveling the world sharing her sound, playing Boiler Room sets, and standing up for women's issues in the music industry, and life, in general. CONGRATS MAREA! Very well deserved, and there's still nowhere to go, but up. So, as mentioned, this episode is about habits we wish we had before now. 1. Using the cue/mix function on mixers that support it. 2. Looking at, or interacting with the crowd. 3. Get out of your comfort zone. 4. Scheduling and time management. 5. Take a little time before purchasing digital music. 6. Mini-Practice sessions (especially useful for learning to scratch). 7. Learn to make a mix sound good without effects. 8. Live in the moment! Enjoy yourself! 9. Know your tracks backward & forward. 10. Protect your hearing! 11. Contracts to protect yourself. What are some habits that you have established that took your game to another level? What are some you wish you had?

Episode 71: Ballin' Outta Control

On the flip side of Episode 68's coin (Baller on a Budget), we decided it might be fun to give ourselves an imaginary $10,000 budget, and build some bedroom setups where money is less of an object. Of course, we tried to take some different takes on our setups, rather than all of us going straight for the industry standard all Pioneer NXS setup. We'd love to hear what you guys think about these setups, or what gear have you splurged on when you've had the scratch to spare? @TripTurlington (2) Technics SL1210M5G ($2000/ea) (2) Ortofon Nightclub MKII ($300/pair) Pioneer DJM-900SRT ($1500) Pioneer HDJ-2000 MKII ($350) Serato DJ Club Kit ($170) (2) Peavey RBN112 active monitors & (2) Peavey RBN215 powered subs ($3800/total) @Tony-DeSaro (2) CDJ-2000NXS ($1400/ea) DJM-900NXS2 ($2200) (2) Kontrol X1 ($400) (1) Technic SL-1200 MKII or higher ($500) Pioneer RMX-1000 ($800) Yorkville EXM400 Mini PA System ($2100) Sennheiser HD25 Plus ($200) Odyssey Flight Cases & Cables David Rane MP2015 Mixer ($2349) Pioneer PLX-1000 turntables x3 ($2091) Kontrol D2 x2 ($998) Raiden RXI-F1 portable fader ($129) Ortofon Concorde S-120 Twin Pack ($285) Ortofon Qbert ($125) Focal Alpha 80 Studio Monitors ($1098) Yorkville NX720S 15” sub ($1078) @MoDingo Pioneer DDJ-RZX ($3000) MacBook Pro ($3000) 2 QSC K12 and 2 QSC Ksub Subwoofer's ($3800) Shure SE 215 ($90)

Episode 70: Essential Tips for New DJs (Part 2)

First, and foremost, our hearts go out to those who were lost in the Oakland warehouse party fire, and their families and friends who will be dealing with this loss, for a long time to come. In this episode, we continue with last week's episode topic, offering some tips for new DJ's (and reminders to the veterans). Tip 8: For digital DJ's: Make sure you settle on the platform BEFORE you choose the hardware. While some devices and software are mappable, they are becoming more and more locked in to each other, and sometimes mapped features don't always work correctly (or at all, at times). So, it's important to know which software platform you are more comfortable with before spending a bunch of money on hardware that you may end up changing or upgrading, down the road. Tip 9: Hone those core skills. A lot of new DJs like to rush to get on a stage or in a booth, and as a result, many do so LONG before they are ready. By staying patient, and making sure your skills are on par with the openers you see at your local clubs and shows, you ensure you're putting your best face out there for all to see. Tip 10: On the flip side of tip 9...Be Realistic & Fail Often. Take risks. You won't get ahead, if you don't give it a shot. But, know that things will happen and when they do, do your best to be graceful to recover from it. Tip 11: Brand Awareness...you are building your brand from the moment you establish yourself as a DJ. So, be sure you are always self-aware and be careful of how you handle conflict, customers, promoters, and requests, especially when it's in the public eye. Tip 12: Continuous Education...NEVER STOP LEARNING! The moment you become complacent and stop pushing yourself, that's the beginning of the end. While it's important to be as proficient as possible with your core skills, we only get better by learning new stuff and applying it to our specific work flow. There's lots of resources now, more than ever before! Tip 13: Learn restraint. This is a BIG one, for new jacks and old schoolers, alike. It's hard to not play all of your biggest tunes before it's time, but for those that can practice that patience, and drop the right tracks at the right time, it can be the difference between a good set with great tracks and a phenomenal, life changing set. Tip 14: In the same vein of Brand Awareness, but kind of in its own context, professionalism is key, if you really want this to be a business, or your career. Don't be a diva. Stay humble. We're all in this, together. Tip 15: Don't scratch melodies over melodies, lyrics over lyrics, and learn proper phrasing and measures. Tip 16: STOP USING AIR HORNS IN YOUR MIXES! -- No, seriously...stop it. No one likes this, despite it being used all the time, everywhere, by seemingly everyone, and being integrated in to several pieces of hardware. It's cliche, at this point, and just flat-out annoying. It's kind of like how so many trance DJs overused the flanger back in the late 90's/early 2K's, right @TripTurlington? ;-) Tip 17: Know your limits and deliver what you can provide. Don't over promise and under deliver. The stigma from that will follow you for the rest of your career.

Episode 69: Essential Tips for New DJs (Part 1)

We often get a lot of questions, especially geared toward new(er) DJs, so we wanted to take an episode (or two) and address some of the topics we feel are essential for those new to the wheels of steel with some "Essential Tips". These would even serve as a good reminder for those that are veterans behind the decks. Tip 1: Have a drink to take the edge off of your first gigs, if you want. But, it's important to know your limits and don't get sloppy drunk! You want your senses to be "in the zone", and even though you may have a moderate alcohol tolerance, the point is not to be drunk on stage...it's to perform! So, one or two drinks to relax and get rid of the jitters is typically fine, for most people. Just don't overdo it. Tip 2: Learn proper gain staging (REDLINING = BAD!)This is a hard one, especially for new DJs, or even veterans who don't take the time to learn the entire audio chain of events. It's not rocket science, but there is a science to a properly gain-staged audio signal, and the audio engineer is the ultimate gatekeeper. Work with this person to sound your best. Don't try to circumvent them, as blowing everything red out of each channel and/or the master will make you sound worse, and may even cause damage to the equipment you're playing on. Tip 3: Be prepared to play to empty rooms. We all want to be one of those big super star DJs, playing to packed sweaty rooms of admiring dance fiends. But, the reality is that we all have to play for the staff, every now and then. This will ultimately help you keep your ego in check, learn something about playing on a club/party system, network, and try new things that you may not have, before. Tip 4: Get comfortable with mixing in your headphones or with sub-standard monitors. Not all monitoring systems are set up equally. Sometimes, the only chance at a proper monitoring system you have, is your own headphones. While not ideal, sometimes it's necessary...so take the time to learn this critical skill. Tip 5: Become familiar with as many kinds of mixers as possible. While you may not have access to a lot of different gear, early on, the key is to at least become familiar with the absolute bare minimum critical functionality of most mixers, that way you can deliver the minimum viable product when you are on a piece of kit that you are unfamiliar with. Granted, this one may take some time and comes with experience, but doing so will pay off in spades, as you learn how consistently most manufacturers stick to common, familiar layouts and functionality. Tip 6: Opt for gig quality over gig quantity. If you're a house DJ, don't take a gig in a hip-hop club, just because someone offers it to you. That may seem intuitive, but a lot of new DJs will take ANY gig, just to be able to play. Unless the promoter is offering some vision or guarantee that they are trying something new or different and they think you are a good fit, know who your intended audience is, and be selective about what gigs you take. Sometimes, even gigs that might seem like a good fit, might be damaging to your reputation, depending on the reputation of the promoter or venue you're playing for...so do your homework, and be prepared! Tip 7: Avoid music piracy; Use (true) high quality audio files, not YouTube rips. This is crucial, on so many levels. One, piracy is illegal. For two, if every artist got the revenue from every track of theirs that is stolen, that would add up and be supporting the artists we all know and love. For three, it SOUNDS LIKE GARBAGE. There's real and concrete evidence that proves that YouTube rips (even the 320 ones) are not as pristine as so many people adamantly argue they are. For a little more detail on this, roll back to Episode 14 (https://soundcloud.com/passionatedj/pdj-014-all-about-sound-quality) to get a better grasp on audio quality. This was only part 1 of this discussion, there's more tips to be had, next week in Episode 70!

Episode 68: Baller on a Budget

JUST IN TIME FOR THE BLACK FRIDAY & CYBER MONDAY SALES! This episode is dedicated to everyone stackin' your chips and makin' each one you spend count. You wanna learn how to DJ, but don't have the scratch to drop on a 4-deck Pioneer TOUR1 setup? Don't worry, neither do we! One of the more common questions we get, is about quality beginner gear to get started on, that is also budget friendly. For Episode 68, we gave ourselves a (soft) $500 budget and put together 4 unique setups that would allow someone to get started DJing, learn the craft, and even play out some gigs. The only assumption we make, is that you will have some external audio source to hook up to. You'll have to listen to the show for the explanations behind each piece of gear, but see below for the list we each came up with and the Amazon links to each bit of kit. Remember, we're picking out competent gear to get started with for as little money as possible, here, not trying to list the best of the best. So, with that in mind, these suggestions are only a few of the infinite possibilities. Feel free to share your own experiences and ideas by writing or calling in! We *LOVE* your feedback! Please note that the pricing in the links below may be different from when we actually recorded this episode, and some of this gear can be easily found used on Ebay for less (which is what we did, for some of the gear we mentioned, in order to stay in the budget). Tony (100% customizable mappable midi controller geek-out): - Akai Professional Red MPK Mini MKII - $99 (http://amzn.to/2gefLlc) - NI Komplete Audio 6 - $229 (http://amzn.to/2ffaLdw) David (Bleeding Edge iPad/Traktor): - iPad 2 - $99 (http://amzn.to/2fLEzCp) - Traktor DJ for iOS - $9.99 - NI Kontrol S2 - $399.99 (http://amzn.to/2fLLwDC) Mo Dingo (Traktor Controllers, Extreme Coupon Edition): - NI Traktor Z1 - $200.00 (http://amzn.to/2geo5Bp) - NI Traktor X1 (http://amzn.to/2gejeQs) or F1 (http://amzn.to/2gepjwk) - $200.00 - Traktor DJ for iOS - $9.99 - Skull Candy Hesh 2 Headphones - $50 (http://amzn.to/2gfjrma) Trip (Traditional Vinyl Purist Route): - Stanton T.62B Turntables - $165 (x2) (http://amzn.to/2gejFu7) - Behringer NOX101 Mixer - $80 (http://amzn.to/2genMXa) - Ortofon Omega Cartridges - $32 (x2) (http://amzn.to/2gd9VzT) - Behringer HPX6000 Headphones - $50 (http://amzn.to/2gw81xj)

Episode 67: Legendary DJ Groups (Part 2)

Wrapping up the conversation from Episode 66, the PDJ team takes a deep dive in to what makes the combination of Sasha and Digweed so legendary, over so many years. We talk about why we think these two truly understand the idea of the "musical journey", and the way their distinct sounds worked together to make magic. To wrap it up, we also threw a couple of hip hop collectives in to the mix, The Executioners and The Animal Crackers. We also touch on a topic that we'll likely take a deeper dive in to, in the future: the highlights of what makes a good tag team experience. It's important to give each other "space" when it comes to DJing in tandem with other people. We talk about some ways that we've been able to do that in the past when DJing doubles.

Episode 66: Legendary DJ Groups (Part 1)

In Episode 66, we decided that each of us should bring in a DJ duo/trio/group that we all admire and wanted to share with everyone. Of course, this spawned a lot of discussion around not just the DJs themselves, but a slew of topics as we talk about what we love about them. We broke off in to so many different branches with this episode, it warranted being broken down in to 2 parts (Catch part 2 in episode 67 next week!) And, for the first time, in a long time, @Tony-DeSaro is back in action, and the entire PDJ crew is together. We take some time to get caught up on current events, especially with Tony as he shares his summer full of stage managing for several festivals.