The Passionate DJ Podcast

Episode 65: Pick 3 – Crate Invasion (Trip Version)

The night before episode 65, everyone was out and about. @Tony-DeSaro and David were out at the 3DMentional annual Halloween party named Yiiiikes! while @TripTurlington and @MoDingo were at uBahn. Since everyone was feeling a little rough, we decided to do something fun that we know everyone likes... a Pick 3! This time, we dug through Trip's bins, and they didn't disappoint: 1 - Paragliders - Lithium: A quintessential trance track from the late 90's. 2 - Shades of Rhythm - Dance Among Strangers: Another 90's dance track, but this one was unapologetically HOUSE. 3 - Parliament - Chocolate City: The full 1975 LP from Casablanca records. Bonus - Mos Def & Massive Attack - I Against I - from the Blade II Soundtrack. Take a listen as David, Mo, and Trip banter over some of these random pulls from the bins. If you listen close enough, you can hear the crackle of the vinyl! Disclosure: Unfortunately, some upgraded gear was not performing to its peak potential, so there are some audio glitches throughout this episode. Unfortunately we had no idea they were there until Trip went back through to edit. We have a ticket open with the gear in question and will have this issue resolved for future episodes.

Episode 64: Female DJs and The EDM Industry w/Kilma

In this week’s episode, we are joined by our friend Kilma! Episode 64 is all about the issues and concerns which women often experience as DJs, or in the “EDM Industry”. Kilma chats with David about several issues which she’s observed in the scene: Denial - The ability for people to admit there’s a problem. “If I don’t experience, see it, witness it… it doesn’t happen.” or “Well I know a girl that says it doesn’t exist.” Lack of Empathy - “If you want to be treated as an equal, deal with it.” Complete Dismissal/Questioning Experience - “You think you had a bad day, wait until you hear about mine.” Complaints not taken seriously, constantly questioned on whether they may have “brought the situation onto themselves.” Fear - Afraid to be boycotted, not taken seriously and even more harshly harassed many stay silent on current issues. So what are some possible solutions to these issues? Kilma offers some suggestions: Acknowledge there is an issue - Everyone needs to acknowledge this is happening! Just like racism or homophobia. Just because YOU aren’t experiencing something doesn’t mean other people aren’t or that it’s not a huge issue. Call Out The Behavior - Support one another. If you see bullying you call it out. If you see sexism, call it out. Stick up for those around you! Ask Questions - As someone experiencing or even being an ally it can be difficult to stay calm when hearing complete ignorance, but that can also be great way to open up dialogue to make others aware and question one’s motives. Become An Ally - Men are a very important part of the solution. Unfortunately sometime’s it’s not until a guy says it, that another guy hears it. Educate Yourself - Learn about the history of sexism, where it stems from, how it’s alive and well today, review the stats and studies about the effects on inequality and listen to the stories of those experiencing it. This episode features clips from the following videos: Women, STEM, and EDM (TED Talk by Dani Deahl) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vk0uocOXDWo IMS Ibiza 2016 Panel (Diversity in Electronic Music) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbP_ZiaHECg Give it a listen, and ladies, feel free to share your own experience in the comments!

Episode 63: Competing with Freejays

A travel agent sells products and services (such as tickets to a resort) on behalf of a supplier. The tickets are bought by the agent for a discount, and then sold to the end customer. The agent’s profit is the difference between the advertised price and the agent’s discounted price… in other words, commission. But travel agencies were realized in a whole different era. These days, there are so many free alternatives to the traditional travel agent… one might wonder why they need one at all. How does a travel agent compete against convenient and free alternatives which serve the same basic purpose? A similar thing has happened to DJs. A common question is, “How can I be paid as a DJ when so many people are willing to do it for free?” 1. Sell Something That’s Better Than Free The idea: make your service as a DJ (or promoter, for that matter) something that’s worth paying for. 2. Get Serious About Your “Why” Get honest with yourself. Clarify your personal philosophies on music, DJing, and your local scene. Then, find out the best ways that you can support your music and your scene while staying true to yourself. 3. Add Value Common complaint: we have to be marketers, promoters, writers, PR experts, social media gurus, etc. This is the world we live in. Don’t lament this fact. For the first time, we are all actually in charge of our destiny. It’s easy to get jaded or frustrated, when “those darn kids” keep showing up in the booth with their laptops and 2 months of experience. But it’s important to remember that what they do has no bearing on what you do. Being shut down because of the “state of the scene” is not being fair to yourself and to the work you’ve put in thus far. Viewing this as motivation, instead of defeat, would be a much more productive use of your time.

Episode 62: Advice for Busy DJs With Day Jobs

View full show notes & comments: PassionateDJ.com/62 This episode might get a little...personal. No, we're not going to call you out for your Brony status. What we will do, is touch on something we hear (and even say ourselves), quite frequently: "I just don't have the time." It's a self-defeating statement, and one that can be as much an excuse, as it can be the truth. Diving in to today's topic, David and @TripTurlington discuss ways of "making time" to devote to our passions. While realizing there are going to be some people out there that are in some very specific situations, the guys attempt to give some universal advice and tips for people to try and free up more time for the Passionate DJ whose time is frequently dedicated to anything BUT DJing. Fair warning, though: Nothing in this episode is revolutionary. It truly just boils down to if you "get it", or not, and how bad you want it.

Episode 61: Gig Preparedness

For episode 61, David and @TripTurlington answer a voicemail for a new, aspiring DJ looking to fill his music collection without breaking the bank, before they dig in to this week's main topic: Gig Preparedness. There's a lot of things that can ruin your night: Missing an important cable or adapter. custom mapping disasters, and unwelcomed software updates are only but a few. Wouldn't most of things that can go wrong (or HAVE gone wrong) be alleviated by just a little foresight and preparation? David and Trip discuss lots of things that someone can do to prepare for a gig, ranging from the obvious 'day before' check in with the promoter / client and equipment checks, to the 'day of' pre-show ritual, and even the less obvious 'day after' follow up. Make sure to tune in to this episode, and let us know what things YOU do to prepare.

Episode 60: Pre-Planned Sets

It's a lot of work on the back end, to make things as easy as possible for the busy or touring DJ when they take the stage. For some, it's a necessity due to schedules and restrictions, or when coordinating with other integral pieces of a show's experience, like lighting and visuals. For many DJs, pre-planning sets is a cardinal sin, and gives fuel to the "button pushers" name calling going on for nearly any DJ that shows up with a controller in tow. And, for those that encounter an issue with a pre-planned set and have to pivot their strategy for a show, that juice can be worth the squeeze when they're forced out of the box, out of their element, and have to deal with a crowd, on the fly. This was the case for Jauz at Lollapalooza, and he went as far as to be open and honest about that experience. In this episode, David and @TripTurlington sink (sync* - LOL) their teeth in to the hot button topic of pre-planned sets. We take the time to look at both sides of this issue, and even pulled some clips from major touring artists and DJs talking about it. (This link starts the video at the conversation we reference in the show, but we highly encourage you to check out the entire panel discussion...there's some really good discussion from some really big names: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmUQV48xN4Y&feature=youtu.be&t=21m10s) Where do you stand on pre-planning YOUR sets? We also review the initial announcements of the new Serato & Roland DJ-808, which is a collaborative controller that starts out around $1500. This feels a lot more gimmicky than all of the hype leading up to its release alluded to. Remember, this was going to be something so innovative, it was going to "change how we DJ". Gotta love marketing, eh? But, if you're the type that may find a use for a drum machine and sequencer in your controller sets, this may be the unit for you....though we remain skeptical (and pretty cynical, obviously) about the impact it's truly going to have on the market. In the end, we still have a lot of respect for Serato and Roland, but adding another controller in to an already saturated market that is inundating DJs with an endless sea of options and features, is not the innovative change we were expecting.

Episode 59: Choosing a New DJ Controller (2016 ed.)

In the past few years, the market has really grown for all-in-one DJ controllers. How does one even go about making a decision these days? What features are important? How much do I need to spend? Whether you’re a new DJ, or a seasoned mixmaster simply looking for an upgrade, this episode will help you get the most for your dollar. Episode 59 is an audio companion for my Ultimate Guide to DJ Controllers. Follow along: http://PassionateDJ.com/controllers Inside, we discuss: - Tips for buying an appropriate controller for your style and needs - My top 5 picks in 3 different price points, for the DJ controller market right NOW - Modular options for people wanting to add to an existing setup Head on over to the guide and follow along, or listen to this audio version while on the go!

Episode 58: Summer 2016 Hardware Review

In Episode 58, David and @TripTurlington run through some of the hardware announcements of the summer. First, we take a few jabs at the astronomically priced (and devoid of practicality) CDJ/DJM-TOUR1 system. At a hefty $16,000 for what is, essentially, a dual CDJ-2000nxs2 and DJM-900nxs2 setup with touchscreens, we couldn't help but snicker through most of this segment as we lament Pioneer's (lack of) marketing prowess as they spent an entire week pushing sponsored ads on Facebook. While there's no shortage of DJ's that are willing to pay the "Pioneer tax" for high end, "standard" gear, we're just left scratching our heads trying to figure out who they are really trying to push this on? After that, we do a review of the most current info for Thud Rumble's Invader mixer, an innovative marriage of a laptop and a 2 channel battle-style mixer, with the infamous Q-Bert behind the design. Looks like it is currently in a beta testing prototype, and is expected to ship this fall. If you haven't seen this, yet, check it out. It looks to be pretty promising! After poking at Pioneer a bit in the beginning of the show, we had to come back to the table and drool over Pioneer DJ's new Toraiz Sampler/Groovebox. When Pioneer gets it, they REALLY GET IT! While surely welcome in any studio setup, this is the kind of kit that any DJ would surely love to play with, even if you're not a finger-drummer or the type to incorporate live synth work in your set. It's a gorgeous piece with a reasonable price tag. To wrap things up, we did a little speculating on the announcement from Serato & Roland (https://serato.com/roland), which is just around the corner!

Episode 57: Comfort Zone (Why DJs Should Avoid "Autopilot")

View full show notes & comments: http://PassionateDJ.com/57 In this week’s episode, David and Trip talk a bit about complacency, and the pitfalls of getting stuck in “The Comfort Zone”. You know what we mean…you become confident in your skills, you get comfortable, and then you stop pushing yourself. Perhaps it’s because you’ve become accustomed to success, or perhaps it’s because you’re experiencing frustrations and challenges. But, it can happen to anyone. You have to show up, put in the hours, and develop your craft. There’s no way around that, if you want to be good at what you do. An artist must continually make moves in order to develop, and to direct their creative energy towards something productive. An illustrator doesn’t become good at illustration by drawing the same character, in the same pose, over and over again. They just become really good at drawing Mickey Mouse snapping his fingers. When you get extremely comfortable in your DJing, you can just as easily become extremely bored…. wondering why you even bother mixing together other people’s music and calling it creative.

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!