The Passionate DJ Podcast

Episode 55: Happiness and Fulfillment as a DJ (Part 1)

We’ve all known DJs who seem to have lost their passion or drive. This happens for any number of reasons; they get jaded because of the state of the “scene” (it’s different than when they got into it), they get bored with playing tunes, or they are unable to make any money. Many times, this leads to the DJ’s “retirement”. Episode 55 is all about maintaining happiness, so that we can lead fulfilling and successful DJ careers. The music itself is what keeps me excited about the whole concept of DJing. I love music, I love sharing music, and I love making a connection to to others using music as the medium. Ironically, this is often the reason a lot of DJs lose interest. The music changes, so the DJ throws his hands up. Personally, I don’t buy this excuse. In this day in age, if you can’t find music you like, you’re probably just being lazy. Stop caring about a song’s release date, style, genre, label… and find music that is good. You can do that now more than ever. It’s out there. If you can’t find music that you’re passionate about, you’re probably not going to find passion in sharing it with others. So, fix that first. Another tip for happiness as a DJ: play for you, too. Sure, DJing can anywhere on the performance/service spectrum. You can’t ignore your crowd if you want to be of any value. If you want to remain happy as a DJ, though, you’re probably going to want to play music that moves you. Finding middle ground between what you like and what works on the dance floor is largely a product of choosing the proper gigs in the first place, and playing the right tracks at the right time. If you have a good sense of flow and how a night should progress, you would be surprised how much of your stuff you can “get away with”. Sometimes, I find it to be a fun experiment. But, keep in mind… there’s a difference between sneaking in odd tracks in context, and forcing your “musically educated” tastes on an unreceptive crowd. The idea is to keep yourself interested, as well as your audience. Many times, it’s your excitement and enthusiasm that allows you to channel your musical passion into a set which will bleed out into the dance floor. This episode will be continued with part 2, in Episode 56. Special thanks to Mo Dingo for managing our Facebook live stream! Give it a listen, and let us know what you think!

Episode 54: How I Fell For Dance Music

In Episode 54, we chat about a topic near and dear to our hearts: DANCE MUSIC! All of us here at The Passionate DJ Podcast are huge fans of electronic music in its various forms. In this episode, you’ll hear a little bit about how each of us got there, and what keeps us going. Some of it social, some of it emotional, some of it innate discovery. But, it’s ALL love. Special guest, Mo Dingo, shares his experiences in foreign countries as part of his military career, and how he uses DJing to motivate CrossFit events. We thank Mo Dingo for not only his service to our country, but for being a guest on the show! He has a lot of experience and a unique perspective that we think we could all benefit from. We hope you enjoy this insight into our journey of discovery, as we find out how similar (and yet different) our stories truly are.

Episode 53: Pick 3 - Hip Hop Edition

Episode 53 is a just-for-fun episode. We bring back our "Pick 3" idea... this time, with a focus on hip-hop. @TripTurlington finally rejoins the cast (after some time off to move in to a new place). As you'll hear, we all had a blast after getting the whole crew back together. Trip starts off lamenting the Pioneer announcement of the DDJ-RZ, and how it seems to be the controller everyone craving a Nexus setup could get for an easier-to-swallow price point, except that it still requires a laptop for operation. Afterwards we dig in, each sharing three different hip-hop tracks and talk about why we like them, why they are iconic, and whatever other little bits of trivia we feel like throwing in. From rap's infancy stage in the early 80s, to the golden age of the 90s, to modern-day sounds... there's something for just about any hip-hop fan in today's episode. Enjoy! Want to know our choices? You'll have to listen to find out! If you're a hip-hop fan, consider giving this episode a share! Note: Though we typically take a "PG-13" approach to The Passionate DJ Podcast... this is a hip-hop episode. Today's show contains explicit language... you've been warned!

Episode 52: A Chat With Disco Donnie, Rave Legend

From the New Orleans rave scene of the early 90s, to the current EDM and festival scene, James "Disco Donnie" Estopinal Jr. has been promoting shows for decades. In Episode 52, Donnie spends some time with us to talk about modern dance music, his origins in the rave scene, and the differences between then and now. His resume is a vast collection of successful shows, collaborations, festivals, and enterprises. As the head of Disco Donnie Presents, he was at the bleeding edge of the current EDM boom in America. Since their inception, the company has amassed over 7,000 live events, arena shows and outdoor festivals in over 100 markets around the world. We also discuss the collapse of the rave scene circa 2001, the now-infamous "crackhouse law", and the litigation which nearly landed Donnie in jail for up to 20 years. Before the interview, Tony and I discuss the traits of good promoters. Here's the article we use as a jumping-off point: http://www.passionatedj.com/the-a-z-list-of-passionate-promotion/ We are excited and honored to have Donnie as our guest, and a friend of the Passionate DJ Podcast!

Episode 51: How Can I Play What I Love?

This week's episode centers around a common problem faced by many DJs: How do I get to play what I actually *want* to play? A listener writes in to the podcast to ask this question, stating that he has a recurring DJ gig playing at a top 40 bar, but wants to know what steps to take in order to play what he wants. Tony and I talk about our own experiences with this situation, and the approaches we take to overcome those feelings of "selling out". There are a lot of types of DJs, and there are a lot of reasons why people like to DJ. Sometimes, it's all about deciding what is most important to you. Do you like the fun and exciting energy of playing the hits to a common crowd? Do you like expressing yourself as an artist? Are you an exhibitionist? What *does* it for you? It's also important to realize that the modern DJ tends to wear a lot of hats. Some people try to do it all (produce, promote, market, book.... all in addition to DJing) and some people just wanna play music. Prioritization is key! Before we get into the main topic, Tony and I also answer a question submitted by DaibutsuMusic – "If you could play a tag set with ANY DJ, at ANY location, what would you choose?" Can you guess our picks? Listen to find out!

Episode 50: Tips for Managing Your Growing DJ Career

Well folks, we've made it to Episode 50 of the Passionate DJ Podcast! It's been a great ride so far, and Tony, Trip, and I are incredibly thankful to be part of such a great community of Passionate DJs. Here's to the next 50! Today, Tony and I take some time to answer your voicemail questions. Don't forget that you can always submit voicemails to be featured on the show, by visiting the front page at http://www.passionatedj.com. First, we talk to DJ Serrato, who is running a successful mobile DJ business, but is struggling with the setup and teardown process. Mobile DJs are often placed in the position of having to bring their own sound equipment, mixing gear, lighting, and more. We talk about what we've learned from our own mobile gigs (and Tony's stage management experience), and try to give some tips to make his life easier. Next up is a question from Jazon, who wants to learn more about building a team in order to further his DJ career. What about DJs who are at the level of Skrillex, Steve Aoiki, etc.? What gets hired out? Is it necessary to build a team in order to reach the top? Finally, Jack is a local listener who is interested in learning more about DJing and what goes on behind the decks. He watched a Maceo Plex show, and while he recognized a song that was being played, Jack noticed that it sounded different than usual. This got him thinking about how this could have been accomplished. We give our own thoughts on what could have been happening, and hopefully shed some light on what DJs are doing up there! As always, we appreciate your support! Leave a comment or submit a voicemail, so that we can be in touch and possibly feature you on the show!

Episode 49: The Best and Worst DJ Traits

Welcome back for Episode 49! This time, our main topic centers around the top 5 best and worst traits that a DJ can have (in my humble opinion). Give it a listen, and then leave us a voicemail to let us know what you think! http://speakpipe.com/passionatedj

Episode 48: DJ Hardware Politics

In this week's episode, the PDJ crew reviews some articles surrounding discussions about laptop banning in an LA nightclub, the pros and cons of having an "industry standard" hardware set up, and the fluctuating trends between the controller and software technologies with the mainstay and emerging hardware setups from gear giants, like Pioneer. We've got some opinions on the no laptop thing...and maybe not exactly what you'd think fellow DJs would say. We also weigh in on Seth Troxler and Richie Hawtin’s personal arguments on the whole “no controllers” policy. Tweet at us, and let us know who you agree with: Click here if you agree with Richie: http://ctt.ec/FHWaI Click here if you agree with Seth: http://ctt.ec/tP1Hx We pull some personal experiences together in our discussion about the value of having a standard throughout the industry, but we also recognize the pitfalls associated with that. We also discuss whether or not the growing focus back to (primarily) hardware setups is a waxing and waning trend, or if the trend is more indicative of the issues that come with a controller market that now has so much width and breadth. Join in the conversation with David Michael, @TripTurlington, and @Tony-DeSaro, by going to PassionateDJ.com and leaving us a message!

Episode 47: To Detroit, With Love

For this installment of Passionate DJ, we reflect on David and @Tony-DeSaro's experience at Movement 2016 in Detroit, Michigan. While @TripTurlington has been in years' past, a series of events prevented him from going this year...all good things, thankfully (shout out to PDJ listener Mo Dingo, as he'll be Trip's neighbor, soon!) :-) That said, the PDJ crew express their love for the 313rd, and all things techno. As they draw parallels between Detroit and their home city of Dayton, there's no doubt that this is a "Mecca" of sorts, for the Midwestern electronic dance music lover, the techno lover, and the Motor City hustlers, alike. David and Tony take some time to point out some favorite sets, while observing some obvious improvements over previous iterations of the festival, and a tad bit of criticism over rising VIP prices. Overall, this is still the ONE festival that all of us here at PDJ still endorse, whole-heartedly, and we hope the love is felt from down here in the Gem City. Till next year, D! (also, instead of something funny in this week's out takes, we caught a moment of excitement as Trip & his wife's (@Alarris) daughter made her first crawl, while we were recording!)

Episode 46: I Wish

Hey gang, @TripTurlington here...As I am uploading this episode, David and @Tony-DeSaro are both repping @PassionateDJ at the Movement Music Festival in Detroit. I've been really jealous, watching all the pictures and videos roll in. I hung back, this year, due to my mom coming in to town for the holiday, and as much as I love my momma and we've had a great weekend, I really wish I could be in Detroit to take in all the awesome music, too. Speaking of wishes, that's what this episode is all about! Me, David, and Tony took this episode to talk about the things we would like to change, if we were given a magic wand or magic genie that would grant us some wishes. Some of them are nerdy and technical in nature, some are philosophical and social. All of the ones we came up with are only the tip of the iceberg, we're sure. So, make sure to drop us a line, and let us know... ...If *you* could have a wish granted, in the context of DJing, what would it be? We'd love to hear from you!