EDM DJs in DC- Looking for a Starting Venue?

^ I will be in Ocean City, MD, from May-Sept, but I definitely plan on coming back to DC at the end of the summer (I live in DC 3 out of 4 seasons every year). I will definitely be around on the forums, and if you are still around then we’ll be able to talk.

I used the term EDM because I am looking for a diversity of styles (though if no gabber djs show up I am definitely not complaining). The theme is primarily to display DJing as an art, rather than just hosting a party and having ambience noise. If you want to play the type of music you are jamming to at home while you’re recording your mixes, instead of Top40 noise, you’re good to go.

Glad to see all of the feedback. After stopping by various clubs in DC (I won’t mention which clubs because I don’t want to detract from them), I saw things that just completely killed me inside.

1) The club “dj” had 2 laptops; 1 was using itunes dj/playing a pre-made mix (that still had awkward gaps between transitions and didn’t sound as if much effort went into tune selection) and the other was running a video game (he was playing a MMO while djing). The other club had a dj using cjd 1000s, only problem was it was painstakingly obvious when he was switching disks/ he wasn’t moving whatsoever. The result was a stagnant dancefloor where maybe 5 out of 50-70 people were dancing.
2) I’ve seen clubs without djs that just run mixtapes

While I am fairly new to the “professional” djing scene (still transitioning from house party), it kills me inside to see djs who only engage in the art for a paycheck, and feel no passion towards what they do. In addition to DJing, I have been heavily involved in activist projects in DC and wish to use music as a medium to reach people and abolish intolerance (I dj`d the Love Music Hate Homophobia event at Cobalt last Monday). This event was created to merge two passions,
1) Helping startup DJs who have a passion for the craft to get their name out there/get the crowd-reading experience they need (while in an environment that allows for full creativity), and
2) Throwing a show to help fundraise for The Electric Maid (the venue being primarily a non-profit community center/performance venue) and Love Music Hate Racism/Love Music Hate Homophobia.

I look forward to seeing those interested come out on Tuesday, 6:30 pm, to the Electric Maid in Takoma Park (right across from the 7-11 right near the Metro exit). Some things to expect;
1) It is a smaller venue, and unfortunately not a bar. There are legal workarounds where we can host a BYOB or perhaps have free drinks w/ cover, but the venue itself does not have a permit to sell alcohol.
2) There are multiple house PAs, but it is a little lackluster on “club” lighting. I’m still working on getting a portable power supply to start roaming promotion events around DC/universities in the area; once I can get portable juice I plan on helping this venue out hardcore.
3) House retains 50% of the profit from cover. The other 50% will be divided between acts (more will be discussed on Tuesday, I intend to establish a set-in-stone date, discuss promotion/who would be willing to offer up some pro-bono promotion time (not pro-bono if we can get a portable power supply and busk/promote, but don’t expect bukoo bucks), and talk about different styles/ what the lineup should look like (I’m comfortable going on first and running a chill house/step / deep house set, or going on 3rd and running a full on happy-hardcore/hard dance set, would just like to get an idea of what everyone is comfortable with/ where they’d prefer to be on the lineup.)

Sorry for another wall of text, we’ll keep in touch =)

Alright, update from the first meeting:

–The date for the show is set to February 14th, 2013.
Valentine’s Day EDM show seems to have potential.

–2 acts confirmed, still looking for 2 more.
We’re looking to have a diverse style between DJs to represent a spectrum of electronic music.

–In 2 weeks, if you can commit to a little promotion/the show,
We need to set our acts in stone, so there’s a two-week deadline on finalizing the lineup/working out order-of-performance/style. If you are interested, send an email to [email]discipleofnietzsche@gmail.com[/email]

–Next Step:
After the 2 week period, we will be working on promotions. Promotions may involve clubbing, dj busking at various campuses/hot spots, flyering, and some open mic appearances. Promotions will be on-going until the show, and it is not expected to show up to every promotion. Busking promotion will be paid (completely evenly split tips) and the show is a commission-based gig.

–Final Step
Making final touches to really throw a memorable gig and talking about stage set-up.

We’ll keep in touch.