DJ Stone Crazy
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DJ Stone Crazy
ParticipantDJ Stone Crazy, post: 18623, member: 79 wrote: I don’t know if this fits for you. A buddy told to me journal any songs I see that gets people dancing. Here’s a thought: As you write your journal, how about turning it into a blog? What you learn just might help other DJs.
My bad. I didn’t your whole post.
ParticipantI don’t know if this fits for you. A buddy told to me journal any songs I see that gets people dancing. Here’s a thought: As you write your journal, how about turning it into a blog? What you learn just might help other DJs.
ParticipantI usually work around this by using harmonic mixing.
ParticipantDJ EENGENIOUS, post: 106, member: 14 wrote: Music in general is gravitating toward EDM – incorporating elements of House, Electro, and Dubstep. The new Britney Spears album is a great example. Beyonce’s new song was produced by Diplo, and take Jason DeRulo’s song “Don’t Wanna Go Home” which samples a classic house track, “Show Me Love”
So yeah, definitely seems like that’s where we’re headed. I personally didn’t use to like Dubstep at all, but over the past few months, I’ve really gotten into it. I try to incorporate it into my mix throughout the night, and the reaction from the crowd is always great. It’s still niche, but will definitely pick up as more and more mainstream artists incorporate it in their music.
Favorite artists are Skrillex and Nero. Skrillex especially, he’s a true visionary.
I agree with your first part. I turn on the “urban” station and half of those songs are sounding like cheesy dance music songs. Nothing against cheesy music. I just the soul music I used to hear. I must be getting old.
ParticipantJam-Master Jake, post: 13279, member: 1317 wrote: I lived in Washington, DC for several years and played keyboards/rhythm guitar in several of the more popular cover/bar bands in the DC Metro Area and the Atlantic Beach Club Towns. We had the exact opposite problem as you, Stone Crazy: bars didn’t want to hire “talented” bands, they wanted “crappy” DJs….even when the bar bands were bringing in bigger crowds than the DJ’s were bringing in. It was a simple matter of money: why pay a band $500-$5000 ($1000-$2000 in the case of the bands I was in) for a night when they could bring a DJ in for anywhere from $300-$1000?
The only venues where the DJ’s were king were in the major dance clubs in downtown DC (and there were some DAMN talented DJ’s spinning there). Otherwise, the main bars/nightclubs were all largely driven by live bands packing the venues to capacity with lines around the block. An example is a cover band called “Mr. Greengenes” that used to play at the Clarendon Ballroom (one of THE hottest nightclubs in all of DC). “Greengenes” used to play “The Ballroom” once a month and made between $3K and $5K per night, and The Ballroom made $30K+ in drink sales and cover charges per night. Once the “Great Recession” hit the US in late 2008, however, things really began to change. Crowds were still strong, but drink sales were dropping because people didn’t have as much money to booze it up. As drink sales dropped, the clubs stopped paying the big “Tier-A” bands their premium prices when they could, or they stopped booking those bands completely when they couldn’t. Things gradually shifted more and more towards DJs who could provide music for substantially less, increasing the club’s profit margins. Again, many of these DJ’s were NOT talented, nor were they even PROFESSIONAL in many cases.
Did things improve as the economy improved in DC? Nope. DJ’s still reign supreme and the already poor DC band scene got even worse. Clarendon Ballroom still packs the house with 1000 people every Thursday-Saturday night and now makes the same amount of money in drink sales they used to make 4 years ago…but the biggest change is they only have a live band once a month. Awesome for the 4 DJs they book to spin for them, but bad for the 5 cover bands that used to play there regularly…even the ones who are willing to play for the same amount the DJ’s are making.
I think it all boils down to the dynamics of the city you live in. In Baltimore, DJ’s are currently in higher demand than live bands as well. In Anchorage (where I currently live), DJ’s reign supreme and the band scene has nearly dried up to nothing when it comes to decent-paying gigs.
Hang in there, Dude…keep honing your craft and keep experimenting. Figure out a way to stand out above the other DJ’s and you’ll have no problem being booked. Do you have a booking agent? If not, look into contracting with a booking agency that books bars/clubs. You might also see if you can work out a deal where you hook up with one of those bands…have them play 2 sets and you play 1 set, while also spinning during their breaks. You’d be amazed at how much a little creativity can pay off for you!
Best of luck!
Funny you mention money. I had to jump on that place several times about that. By the way, after I left, another venue picked me up. Thanx for the words.
Participantdjrenots, post: 13214, member: 263 wrote: DJ Stone Crazy, You could be missing what is going on beyond the dance floor, I’ve seen 3 clubs in the Pittsburgh,Pa area closed down due to violence. It maybe easier for the club owner to see whats going on and want to be in business for the long run instead of paying the consequences for the patrons actions. It’s just what I’m seeing here, I don’t know exactly what your situation is.
Fights rarely happen on my nights. Understand I don’t only play hip-hop. i even play rock. Old school hip-hop is just what I’m known for. If you’re insinuating what I think, let me point out I DJ in predominately, white, dive bars. Then again, you might be on to something.
ParticipantI’m mostly known for 80s and 90s hip-hop and soul. yet, I play the newer stuff too. I play anything that gets people dancing.
ParticipantWhat up? I live in the Central Florida Area (Sanford and Orlando).
December 10, 2011 at 6:16 am in reply to: DJ NAMES: How did you choose yours? Ever wish you'd chosen a different one? #11175ParticipantWhen I was younger, folks always remarked about my off-the-wall comments. “Did you hear what he said? He’s crazy.” Thus was born Stone Crazy. I used that name on MySpace. When I first started out, I didn’t have a DJ name. Then when the bar owner asked my name for advertisement purposes, I put DJ in front of Stone Crazy.
November 30, 2011 at 11:23 pm in reply to: Is It Sometimes Better To Have A DJ Versus A Live Band? #10699ParticipantDJ Hessler, post: 10602 wrote: I think the best is to have both a DJ and a band.
I’ve seen a bar move away from that. In between the band’s sets, the “DJ” is some computer with the playlist already picked out.
November 30, 2011 at 11:20 pm in reply to: Is It Sometimes Better To Have A DJ Versus A Live Band? #10698ParticipantSpandryl, post: 10579 wrote: Being in a few bar bands its tough in my town when a dj takes over a night when I could be working… its happened in a few places. I used to frequent this place that had two rooms with a live band and a dj… it sucked watching people go from us (70s/80s funk) to the other room (top 40).
I agree with Mr. John. Most bands are way too loud. Dynamics are key to sounding pro. And competing with djs means that we gotta be super on point the whole night.
As far as djing goes, its cool that a few bars in my town will have a dj play something different than top 40, that’s why I got into it in the first place… I hope to get a regular night at some point.
Because you play an instrument means you understand music better. This may be your advantage over DJs that don’t play an instrument. Hope the best for you.
November 28, 2011 at 4:20 pm in reply to: Is It Sometimes Better To Have A DJ Versus A Live Band? #10561ParticipantWhen some folks hear the word “band”, they will not enter the bar. I think some bar owners love the “live band” prestige, even though it rarely makes them money.
ParticipantI write at least three times a week. Just like you, I post it on my Facebook page. Just like you, I also use Word Press. When you keep blogging, search engines take notice and start including your blogs. When I used to blog on MySpace, it took me four years to finally gain the number blog. Commenting on other blogs brings people your way. As for blog content, write what interests you. Also photos definitely brings people your way. Besides the Facebook post, you might want to register with StumbleUpon. Sometimes, I get major traffic from that site. Hope this works for you. And no, you don’t have to write every day.
ParticipantI enjoy working with the BPMs and Harmonic mixing. Until I learned more about it, I never realized how a 30 year old song can easily mix with a current song. Sure, some folks don’t like it. Yet, most people don’t complain.
ParticipantI did some reading on this. Las Vegas is just in it for the money. After the scene dies down AGAIN, EDM DJs will be shown the door.
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