My first gig approached sooner than I predicted…
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DJ Vintage.
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November 14, 2014 at 6:50 am #2089171
DJ Vintage
ModeratorDon’t worry, I have a feeling you’ll be alright!
November 14, 2014 at 11:05 am #2089841siddharth.jha.email@gmail.com
ParticipantAnd I did it!! I’ve played my first gig!! 🙂
The people came with loads of requests, many of them rude, many polite, many of which I didn’t have. Some went away saying “what kind of DJ doesn’t have this …?” and some cheered loudly when I played their requests.
It all went well, the PA system there wasn’t loud enough (I went there early and checked the sound, but I couldn’t hear anything on the far side of the room), I had planned not to touch my laptop at all once I began but I had to increase the gain of each track I loaded on the decks. Great timing, since I had just received the Part 47: Handling venue PA systems from the free DJ course.
I suppose I handled it well, because they’ve asked me to play tomorrow for their Annual Alumini Meet, where I’m supposed to play light bollywood dance tracks. Though not my playing style (I like that genre, but I’ve never really experimented with them while DJing), I still accepted the gig, especially when the said I would get free lunch and a drink (not one too hard though).
I’ve never been so happy in my life.
November 14, 2014 at 11:18 am #2089861deathy
ParticipantYay! Grats!!!
November 15, 2014 at 12:29 pm #2090181ParticipantAnd there it goes, my first failure gig (my second ever gig). Looks like I’m not really ready for things yet. I totally flopped the show.
Firstly, to everyone reading this, NEVER EVER take a gig which demands for tunes that you have no experience DJing with. NEVER again. The music stopped several times in my gig because I don’t look at the screen when I’m DJ’ing (I keep dancing around) I never noticed when a track suddenly stops because there are no “intro” and “outro” sections in Bollywood dance. By the time I realised that (after it happened several times) I coudn’t focus at the crowd at all because I was too nervous thinking about what to do next.
Again, people got me loads of requests. And since I don’t listen to bollywood much, I didn’t have any of them. Some people were like, “Dude, this sucks, play something faster”. That’s when I realised I ran out of music to play. I had chosen the WRONG tunes. None of them seemed to fit the situation.
Although the people didn’t mind it much, they cheered when the music stopped and cheered again as soon as they recognized the next track, which was a bit reassuring. Even though, I think the people didn’t care much about the music, and they danced, the event manager didn’t look so happy at the end. The food was really good though, I’m really sad that I won’t get another gig there.
Getting gigs in India was hard enough, playing them successfully was even harder, but then maybe sometimes it just doesn’t work out does it? Any comments, or tips for the challenges ahead would be welcome.
November 15, 2014 at 8:37 pm #2090221Terry_42
KeymasterNot knowing your game can be hard, but you jumped into the water and learned to swim. Sure it was a bumpy swim, but any experience is a learning one.
Now you know bollywood is not your strength, which I can related (it makes my ears bleed) and you surely had to pull off a few tricks to stay on top to make the whole thing smooth as can be.
So the knowledge learned that gig must be huge. I call that a win.Now go write down everything you learned from this experience into your personal log. Any small detail that can help you in the future. You will be ready for so much more, eventually even a bollywood gig again…
Also remember the golden rules:
– Never panic
– Never hesitate
– Always stay coolNovember 16, 2014 at 8:36 am #2090321ParticipantThank you, I’ll remember ’em.
November 21, 2014 at 9:46 am #2095841Lamid45G
ParticipantFirstly, to everyone reading this, NEVER EVER take a gig which demands for tunes that you have no experience DJing with. NEVER again
eh i wouldnt say never, maybe perhaps?, if you take your time, before the gig, do some research, digging more, ask around DJ’s that you knew that are play this particular genre, you should be fine,
The way i sensed, and forgive me If Im wrong, is you kind of shy/emberassed to asked folks, nothing to be ashamed of in pursuit of knowldege imo.
Plus the genre is deeply rooted in your nationality, so it should be natural to you anyway.Plus you rocked them in your first gig right ? so make some adjustment here and there what worked good in your first gig and applied it to your second gig (well for next time anyway)
PS
I still accepted the gig, especially when the said I would get free lunch and a drink (not one too hard though).
Maybe next time you can asked them for a small fee too? gas money or something besides just drink and food? This way it may can helped you focus more
Plus, come on man, you a DJ, not some homeless in some street corner wearing a sign “Will DJ for drinks and food”December 2, 2014 at 8:02 am #2100541ParticipantSorry for the late reply, I couldn’t log in here for the past week.
I see what you mean djrizki, But I didn’t need money at all. I was playing at my school (I’m 15 now) and they did offer me some money but hey, I didn’t enjoy myself even a little that day, what would I take the money for? So I chucked the idea out of my head.
Dead Simple.
December 2, 2014 at 4:05 pm #2100741dj_rubish
ParticipantI do not enjoy my day job and yet I take money for it. I believe establishing a payrate accomplishes three things:
1. Shows that you are committed and professional. You are showing that you realize there is a business side to this endeavor and you approach it correctly with respect to their needs and how you can fulfill them.
2. It resolves this notion that we have with quantifying everything. The human psyche, in order to gain a grasp of things, quantifies everything, ie. A person is good looking on a scale of 1 to 10, my son is graded from 1 to 100, a movie gets two thumbs up. We cant help that. You are resolving this quantifying notion with your prospective clients by giving them a scale by which to judge you. Money is as good as any other quantifier.
3. Lastly, it is your worth as an entertainer. You should valuate yourself according to what is fair for your location and experience which should not be at 0. It gives you a quantifying scale that you can use to improve yourself. It provides you with confidence when someone pays you for the work you do and it makes you work that much harder because you know that it is a paying gig.
Remember the old adage, you get what you pay for and this is what some may think if you valuate yourself at 0.
December 3, 2014 at 4:40 pm #2101631ParticipantWell now, come to think of it, you guys have me going like: “Damn, I should’ve taken the money BECAUSE I didn’t enjoy there”. But then, my “other” side says: “But what’s the point of taking that money. You yourself think you don’t deserve it, no point musing on that now”
I suppose I should’ve asked for a payment, but I was too busy regretting the fact that I did not play a good set. It was a major setback on my reputation. If I had asked for money, people would say: “What the… , THAT GOT HIM SO MUCH MONEY!! I could do better than him, why not I be a DJ and start earning”
What do you think?
December 5, 2014 at 2:45 am #2102331ParticipantThere is an article somewhere here in DDJT that discussing about this matter, “Do not DJ for free…ever..”, I’m sure one of the MODs (either Terry or Chuck) can enlighten in this subject
Dont hide behind the rock of excuses, “well heck I dont get pays anyway, so it dont matter my set sucks” attitude, people will stamped you as this freebie DJ’s, and you devalued yourself more and more
I mean, you practiced hard, gained knowledge to be a DJ, set an arrange and re arrange your set list etc, and you not going to valued all of your hard work ?
Its not about “I dont need the money” …, I mean, the fact is you not going to get pays like million dollars, like the superstar DJ’s anyway, but its not the amount or the money itself that matter.
December 5, 2014 at 12:19 pm #2102621ParticipantThis “MOD” word has been bugging me for days now. First Anjunabeats and now here, what is a MOD?!?
December 6, 2014 at 12:37 pm #2103251ModeratorHey Cheeku,
This “MOD” word has been bugging me for days now. First Anjunabeats and now here, what is a MOD?!?
Well, there are some hints here you could have picked up on. When mentioning the MODS he does refer to us by name (me and Terry). And if you look at my avatar, underneath it says “moderator”. So is it conceivable that MODS is short for MODeratorS?
😀
I could do better than him, why not I be a DJ and start earning
That’s an easy one, you need good headphones before you can start earning!
LOL
December 6, 2014 at 3:42 pm #2103451ParticipantI figured, but whats a Moderator?
December 6, 2014 at 3:47 pm #2103461 -
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