Alex Moschopoulos

I never realized how much he inspired me in DJing and deep house until I wrote that eulogy.

I’ve caught so much inspiration from his proteges, like Derrick May, Derrick Carter, etc…never really thought how much Frankie inspired them.

I also didn’t want to say this, but his death made me think about my own mortality. How I’m not some young 20something or even 30something running around the club and rave scene. Makes you think about how far one has come in life, and how this music has lived to the point that it is going to out live its creators.

I would. I have three twitter accounts right now. One for myself as a web designer/developer (@amportfolio), one for the DJ side (@DJamChicago), and one for my food blog (@CulinariaBlog). Each serves its own purpose, and I’d rather not intermix them.

Your DJ twitter account should be your marketing/engagement persona for yourself in music. Feel free to post funny non-relevant stuff, but I’d separate your personal life from the DJ life.

I’ve been listening to dance music since I was 10…that’s the early 80s.

I hear complaints about audio quality and yet I think about how bad many Chicago Trax records sounded, or how many smaller labels put out music that wasn’t “professionally mastered” but seemingly did well.

I do understand when someone puts out a tune that just sounds horrible from an audio viewpoint, but for all the “get it professionally mastered” comments I see, not everyone can afford it. I make what I believe is a decent salary in web design/development, but even I can’t afford or justify spending money to master a tune or mix. To me, that expense is either for a label to pay or when you’re 100% serious about going into the “big leagues”.

PLUS…I think to bash on bedroom producers for not doing that is just bad. One of the greatest factors of this culture is on how much the DIY spirit dominates. It’s the big reason I’ve made that series on promotional materials, because I want to see you all go DIY in as much as you can. I want you all to never think “I’m not good enough to do that” and just try anyway. It explains many things in my life and while I didn’t “blow up” as a DJ, that same spirit fostered my lucrative career.

NOW…in terms of the usual complaint of “cookie cutter” crap EDM churning out and the supposed lack of quality music, I did address that in 2012. In my book, there will always be crappy poppy manufactured music that appeals to the masses and makes music enthusiasts cringe. I’ve watched this happen for decades.

My best advice is to shop smarter, support your musical love, grow with it, and build a scene…rather than beg/complain how your current scene won’t try anything “new”.

I still go on Beatport and Traxsource and find loads of great stuff to buy and play…so I can’t fathom that things went all downhill. It’s just the usual issue of the mainstream world loving more watered down sounds that might not turn you on. That’s the problem of living in the underground, and trying to grow from it.

Wish European soccer wasn’t so hard to watch in the US. 🙁

I agree with Marco. You might want to turn up the sophistication of the music.

The rest is on the owners and security. Charge a cover to keep the bums out. Be selective at the door. Enforce “proper attire”. Kick out sloppy drunks.

I would utilize breakdowns…when there’s no beat.

It comes down to knowing your tunes and being on top of what would work with what.

From what I’ve seen, the college/sports/trendy bar scene isn’t like the club scene. More often than not they take on DJs like job applicants, put them on the payroll, and some more corporate-owned venues even provide music and gear.

Like I said, they want competence over popularity. They’ll do the work getting a crowd, but want someone they can rely on to keep them there.

Network with resident DJs, ask managers (when they’re not busy) if they’re taking applications. You just might have to risk annoying someone to get the big rewards.