Alex Moschopoulos

My suggestion…find two tunes with SIMPLE RHYTHMS.

I don’t have any titles off the top of my head, but try tunes that have the simple kick drum and hi-hat rhythm…as opposed to some complex “busy” rhythm. Your goal is to just differentiate the two tunes playing and then keep them held together. Eventually you’ll grow into more complex tunes where you’ll decipher the kick drum from all the other sounds.

Here’s my advice on social media:

1. Only use the platforms that you know will benefit your efforts. I’ve seen kids sign up for anything and everything, placing 10-15 icons on their websites, but only seeing 2-3 platforms gaining them a fan base. If you really don’t see a market on a platform, or you have no time to use it, then skip it.

2. Make an investment in your social media. Beyond signing up for too many platforms, the biggest mistake I see many make in social media is to only use them for promotion. If all you’re posting are new releases and upcoming events, then people will ignore you. The winners in social media are those who actively engage with fans on a daily basis. They’re the ones sharing their personal lives, conversing with fans, and being with them…as opposed to above them.

3. Be secure in yourself and your accounts. I have one colleague whom I swear seems to delete his accounts and set up new ones every few weeks. He says he gets hacked a lot, or is overrun with trolls, so he “cleans the slate”. What he should do is make sure he uses very secure passwords (to hopefully prevent the hacks) and learn to ignore, ban, and/or deal with trolls. Your fans won’t keep re-liking your profiles if you keep deleting them. Build that strong fan base, and they will become your advocates…attacking the trolls who try to make your life miserable.

4. Understand and accept your limits. This ties into your problem. You have 887 videos on YouTube. Are these your tunes? If not, then consider deleting a large chunk of those videos if they don’t serve your benefit. You should also not worry about “old art”. I have mixes on my site with the old album art format I used to use. It’s pointless for me to “redo them” when I made a new look/feel/brand, as it would destroy the recognizability of those old items.

I’ll also toss in that you should not worry so much on the art, if you’re pushing music. If you look at a lot of art on music now, they keep it simple. Some make one layout and use different colored versions to separate releases. Others simply have a logo of the label with the title/artist on it. No one’s seeking Picasso/Michaelango level artwork on a release. Keep it simple. If you need help, try networking with design students.

Lastly, social media and marketing is a side portion of your work. If you find you’re spending more time on social media than on your actual work, then it’s time to cut back. The folks I see who “invest in social media” still only post something once or twice a day, or even a few times a week. Take a deep breath and look into what will benefit you, and what is just a waste of time.

I’m a nut for the “138” style of trance, and I’ve found some success with the “My Beatport” system where I follow artists and labels who CONSISTENTLY put out good tunes, rather than those who maybe put out 1-2 good tunes.

Live sets are a bigger one for me. Usually after Ultra and Luminosity, I’ll look for the live sets and tracklistings online, listening and shopping off them for the the tunes I liked. ReOrder, Darren Porter, John Askew, and Standerwick have been good sources for me lately.

I also think if you’re seeing a saturation of mediocre or cookie-cutter tunes on the web, then look into other sounds or genres. Try Psy-Trance, some harder hybrids of trance and techno, or whatever might float your boat.