Skank

hmmm mabey if you named it

heres an edit i made to give this song more punch it worked a treat on the weekend so let me guys know what you think cheers http://soundcloud.com/skankyboy/enrique-iglesias-ft-pitbull-i-like-it-skanks-peak-hour-hype-mix

well as i know it the usb shares the power evenly between all the shit you got pluged in. when you connect a usb hub it share that usb power supply between the new hub which can end up not being enough to power your devices, if your plug has a power adaptor plug it in and it will recieve full power to each usb slot

yer boy thats me i should be getting commision for the newbies lol electro arnie used to be my screen name on here aswell

if u get a powered usb hub you will be fine u can get them for 20 bucks from ijk

so thats why i crave cock

cool man welcocme what music r u into what area r u from

i got one of these for macbook aswell ill post it l8r

I am going to turn 30 in a few weeks, which means these ears have had nearly 14 years of djing. Hindsight is 20/20 and I can tell you it sure would have been helpful to know basic dj etiquette from the beginning. Many a gig would have been significantly smoother if someone had taken the time to share a few universal principles of dealing with others. So, to help you avoid the same mistakes, lets go over the basics of dealing with other djs, patrons and club owners from the perspective of the digital dj. WITH OTHER DJS This is the area where most djs get themselves into trouble. The common newcomer mistake is to view the other djs as competition and not opportunities for more gigs. Treat your fellow djs with respect and I promise it will lead to more shows. Here are a few critical rules to follow in the booth. 1) Never set up while some one else is djing (if avoidable) - Setting up your sound card and gear during the last songs of a djs set can really create a lot of tension in the booth and leave them very pissed off at you. No bueno. 2) If sound check is not possible then bring a short mix CD to blend out of the last dj. - Set up while that mix plays and only after the other dj has exited. (Give yourself 20 minutes) 3) If all else fails then follow these rules. * Leave plenty of time to do it (20 minutes or more) * Tell him/her you are going to be setting up, and to please let you know if you’re in the way at all. Let him know he has plenty of time and your just setting up in advance. This way no-one feels rushed! * Take your time and do one or two things while the current dj is not in the middle of the mix. When they are in the mix or working- don’t get anywhere near the mixer! * Thank them for their patience when you are done. 4) If you’re opening for another dj here are a few very important rules * Know your place and don’t over rock the floor. Your job is to warm up the room not beat it into submission. If you want to impress the headliner, don’t do it with 15 peak anthems. Impress them by showing restraint and setting up the headliner to look good. This WILL lead to more gigs. * If the floor is empty please don’t turn it up to 8. Keep the volumes low for the early part of the night and if you dare, keeping the tempos lower would also help ease people into the flow. * Make your last track a long one! Don’t ever leave a dj 2 minutes to mix, give him a nice long track with at least 4-7 minutes of transition time to get acclimated to the booth. * Don’t stay on the mixer and ride the filters for the last 4 minutes of the track, leaving the next dj with 1 minute to mix. This makes you look like an absolute amateur. * Don’t stay in the booth and turn it into your personal party with your friends unless invited to do so. * Don’t turn the sound system up to 10. Leave some room for the next dj to push it. * Don’t leave your monitors blaring while they are trying to get set up. * Do ask them if the tempo your playing at will work and don’t make any drastic changes. * Don’t leave drinks lying around * Do tidy up the booth after yourself 5) If you are coming on after another dj * Enter the booth 5-10 minutes before your start time * Respectfully introduce yourself and let them know your expected start time and how soon that is based on your watch. * If there is a conflict in start times, don’t argue! Go get the promoter and let them straighten it out. * When your ready to start playing let the other dj know you are ready to go- don’t stand over his shoulder with your headphones in hand. * Even though you are probably the most amazing dj ever to grace the decks- it wont hurt to watch what the other guy is doing for 20-30 minutes and feel out the crowd. Especially if this is out of town, the residents will have a lot better idea what the crowd wants than you do. WITH CLUB OWNERS Its important to recognize whom you are dealing with. The typical club owner is a businessman with very little time and no interest in the micro sub electronic genre that is your life passion. Keep your interactions short and make their life easy to ensure you will get regular calls back. 1) Don’t send demos in the mail 2) Do drop demos off in person 3) Don’t expect to get paid instantly after your done - they have 25 other people to pay too. 4) If they ask you to change the music, suck it up. 5) When they call to book a gig or you meet in person -always have your calendar available and be prepared to book something on the spot. They won’t call back. 6) Don’t expect to get free drinks all night long. -Every club has different policies but a few drinks for each dj is typically expected. Consume 10 and you will be remembered for all the wrong reasons. If more are provided, great, but err on the cautious side. -If this is your first gig, it might be wise to not drink at all and put your best foot forward. 7) Do follow up regularly to see if there are openings. The squeaky wheel gets the gig. Do make small talk and get to know the booker -show interest in things other than djing. Making friends in good places is the surest way to regular gigs. WITH THE PATRONS This is the hardest area to swallow the ego but it’s probably the most important. The people attending this gig are not privileged subjects of your royal techno kingdom- they are keeping you in business so treat them with the appropriate consideration. 1) When someone requests a song please keep this in mind * Act like an ass hole and the entire group will hate you and probably talk to the staff about it. * Be courteous if at all possible, remember they are drunk and probably have no clue so use your kid gloves when dealing with a rowdy patron * While you don’t have to play a request- consider that this is the most direct way to find out what parts of the crowd “wants”. You may not play the song but perhaps use it as a barometer in your selections. * The easiest way to diffuse a request if you don’t take them is by smiling and giving them a thumbs up. Chances are they wont come back and you both kept the vibe positive. If they do come back, you can legitimately say, ” I couldn’t hear you!” * If you do take requests, it might be wise to bring a clipboard and a pen. This way you are not distracted by trying to figure out what song they want, and there is a record of songs to fall back on. 2) If a patron offers you money to play something * Take the money and put it in “escrow” and say, “I will see what I can do” * If you play the song, you keep it. * If you don’t play it, and they come back give the money back * If they never come back the money is yours. 3) Its not un-reasonable to require that people do not place drinks anywhere near your equipment. -If this becomes a problem- get a security guard and let them handle it. 4) If someone wont leave you alone or becomes hostile - dont confront them and immediately get a security guard 5) Do build a barrier around your personal area - make it clear which areas are off limits. Don’t be afraid to eject patrons that decide to make this zone their personal dance floor. 6) Don’t play into the sleazy dj cliché and hit on women all night. WITH BOUNCERS This is the group of individuals you are most likely to have problems with after the drunken request monger. The security guard wants 2 things: To get paid and go home so keep that in mind when playing your last tracks. Remember that the security guards are the people most likely to take feedback from dancers about your performance, so if you want that information passed on to bookers, try and keep them happy if at all possible. Yes, many a bouncer may be nothing but hired muscle but the last thing you want is to get into a tangle with them so keep your cool if at all possible. A WORD TO THE WISE There are many ways to leave a bad impression in the club and just a few ways to leave a good one so the best policy is to keep your profile low and professionalism high. Even in the biggest of cities, the nightlife scene can be small and full of gossip so keep your reputation clean by treating all the people listed above even better than you would hope to be treated by them.

Part One of this series covered setting goals and deciding on the direction of your DJing career, and the second installment helped you secure your first gigs. But now that you’ve got some skills and some steady gigs, how do move to the next level of booking high-profile, globe-trotting dates? Any DJ’s path to the top will be multi-faceted, but it’s pretty much accepted these days that you will not get there without producing your own respected tracks and remixes. Many DJs will already have a music background or a desire to produce music, so it’s not simply a career move to do so. However, for some insight on the correlation between production and a DJ career, we talked a man who might not have a DJ career without production: San Francisco’s tech-funk producer/label owner/DJ Claude VonStroke, who had some great advice to share. While it’s beyond the scope of this one article to show you how to make good electronic music, over the coming weeks, DJ TechTools will begin offering technical articles on music production for DJs. Please use the comments section if you have specific wishes for what you’d like to learn or understand better about music production. STROKER ACE Claude VonStroke is the DJ/production pseudonym for Barclay Crenshaw, who grew up around the rich musical breeding ground of Detroit and bounced around New York and Los Angeles before settling in San Francisco. After producing a 6-hour DVD package on the international electronic music scene called Intellect, the Claude VonStroke persona was born one night at a party as friends were discussing fake European DJ names. Before long he was spinning and producing as VonStroke, and in 2005 he started the tech-funk label Dirtybird, followed by the deep techno lable Mothership in 2007. VonStroke has amassed a lengthy credit list of productions and remixes in less than five years, including his second full-length album, Bird Brain, released just last month. What interested you first, DJing or producing your own music? I always DJ’ed since I was a kid (maybe not house blending-style DJing). But producing is what I am best at, and it’s always better for me when that is going well. Would you be where you are today in your DJ career without having produced so many of your own tracks and remixes? No way. It’s not like I’m Derrick Carter on the decks. I had to make my way through the production route for sure. I kind of learned to DJ professionally on the road, believe it or not. When you have big tracks, sometimes people assume you are an awesome DJ, but it’s not true all the time. Some of my early gigs were so shitty they make me cringe when I think about the mixing. I’ve really progressed as a DJ over the last few years. Now I feel much more comfortable and fearless on the decks than before. DJing is my “most improved” skill. Was there a particular track or remix you made that got you a lot of DJ gigs on the strength of that track? I’d really like to think it was the “Warpaint remix” (my favorite) but i have a feeling it was actually the more commercial “Heater” [2007] and “Put Your Hands Up for Detroit” [2006] remixes that got me the bigger paid gigs. [VonStroke discography] How did you first get into production, and what’s a good first step for other DJs to get into production? I got into production when I was 11, and I’ve always been obsessed with gear and computers — so I don’t have any real advice for someone who wants to learn everything in like one year. All I can say is that if you want to be great, it is going to take some time. Start by copying your favorite tracks. Seriously… try to copy them exactly — even for sound quality. You will learn a ton by dong this. It is the fastest way to ramp up your skill level (or get really frustrated). Do you have advice on how to get remix assignments? Yeah, make hit tracks! Or… tracks that sound really different to the point where someone will be like, “I want this kind of sound,” and then you are the only option available. You will need to have some releases out on real labels for anyone to notice you, for sure. Once someone makes their own tracks, what do you think is a good first step for getting the music some attention? Sell them to your favorite label. Make tracks specifically for a label and send them in saying “I made this for your label.” The worst possible thing you can do is send out an email to 30 labels saying this is your new demo. Then no one feels special, and they’ll just bin it straight away. Is starting a label a good approach, or should DJs be established first before doing so? Starting a label is a great way to go, but… you need to save about 20 grand before you even consider doing it. You need great art, great music, good mastering, etc. It takes some money to get started, believe me. You should be able to go through four releases before you get paid 1 cent. That is a good plan for starting a label. My DJ setup is an Allen & Heath Xone:92, 2x Technics 1200's and 2x CDJ-800s. Pretty standard club stuff. What’s in your recording and mobile production studio? I’m usually deep into Reason and Ableton Live. I rarely dabble in Cubase and Logic, but I have them. I used to love Sony Vegas and Cakewalk Sonar on PC, but now I’m on Mac. I have a lot of outboard gear, but it’s not necessary gear. It’s writer’s block gear — meaning I twiddle some knobs to break through when I’m stuck, but I don’t rely on the outboard stuff. I have a Moog, a [Korg] Radius, some analog valve gear, lots of pedals, a patch-bay, etc. I never produce tracks on the road, so my laptop isn’t really set up for making music.

Here is the next step in our on-going series on building your DJ career. In the first installment we looked at setting goals and deciding in what direction you want to take your DJing career. Now we will assume that you have been practicing like mad and are ready to take that big first step: to start playing out. Getting these first gigs is going to be the hardest part, so we asked several club owners and promoters the best way to approach them and get your first gigs. FOOT MEETS DOOR “Its really hard to figure what that one catalyst will be that is going to spark it, but once you get that one foot-in-the-door chance, just work your tail off.” That’s Ben Doren, a successful promoter and club owner, talking about what it takes to get noticed by club owners and promoters. He started 2nd Sunday, one of the most successful day parties in California and ran a club for many years in San Francisco. Throughout the years he has booked many of the world’s tops DJs and worked with countless local DJs as well. We called him up to ask the best way to get noticed and booked. Ben gave us a list of the best ways to get your foot in the door and some tips on how to keep it inside. THE CATCH-22 “It’s really simple; it’s not rocket science. All you really need to do is create a following. I wish there was some other way, but that’s what it really comes down to.” So how do you create a following without gigs, and how do you get a gig without a following? #1 – Immerse yourself in the scene Promoters go out–a lot–and they notice who else is out too. Make yourself regularly seen, and not only will they take notice but also remember you when it comes time to call a DJ. People forget easily what they dont frequently see. #2- Build an email list or Twitter following Club owners may be music fans, but they are also businessmen, so you need to present a clear business proposition. “Hey Slick Rick, I have 500 Twitter followers and half of them will come see me play. Book me to DJ, and I will make you $1,000 at the door. Pay me $500 and keep the rest.” Your ability to promote yourself by contacting fans is going to be your biggest asset, so collect those emails like diamonds and treat the list like gold. #3 – Team up with other DJs Building up a following and collecting emails is hard work, and it will take a long time if you try to go at it solo. Team up with a local group of DJs who have similar sounds and interests and multiply your collective DJ powers! Go Thundercats! #4- Set up a Sound Cloud account Share your mixes with as many people as you can. If possible, be prepared to localize the listener data and show how many people in your city have actually heard you play. #5- Offer to pass out flyers Offering to pass out flyers and help promote BEFORE you’re even booked will send a clear message to the promoter: “I am on the team and will go the extra mile to make this party a success.” DJ gigs follow the snowball effect: Book a few gigs, work like hell to pack the room and then other owners will take notice and start booking you too. #6- Offer a pro-bono set If all else fails, offer to play for free and then work like hell to show them you’re worth some money. If people show up, then trust me, the promoter will have no problem paying for the next set. Ben suggests that it’s appropriate to ask for a little extra on the second set to make up for the first freebie. YOU GOT THE GIG Here are just a few ways to turn the first one into several more. #1- Grab a stack of flyers Dont wait for the club to call you; go down to their office and ask for a giant stack of flyers. Mention where you are going to drop them, and make sure you do it. #2- Show up on time This is not a house party, and you don’t get extra cool points for showing up later than everyone else. #3- Collect emails at the party Your set rocked–everyone loved it. Make sure they know where the next one will be. It won’t hurt to casually mention to the owner that “people really liked my set tonight. We collected 100 emails of girls who want to hear where my next gig will be.” #4- Don’t abuse the guest list This can go either way. Ben suggests that you be smart about the guest list: ”If they are looking to fill the place, then bringing a guest list of 100 people will be seen in a very positive light. But if the club is always full, then asking for a big list will not be taken very well.” #5- Stay sober-ish Ben points out that many DJs show up and ask for 20 drink tickets for themselves and their friends. Not only does that cost the bar money, but also if you’re getting hammered, it chips away at your credibility. For the first few gigs, stay on point and limit your drinking to a reasonable level. Then later, once you have a solid relationship with the club, start asking for bottles!

How to become a successful DJ Pt.1 First, I need you to answer 2 very important questions. 1) Do you really want to be a successful dj? (think hard about this) 2) Are you prepared to put the time and energy into something that will probably take several years to produce results? If yes, then continue. If no, then you just saved yourself a lot of time. THE PRIMER First a slight disclaimer. No one can truly promise to give you the secret to success in any field. What we can do though, is pass on some tried and true methods that may help you get there… What does successful mean to you? Name 2 djs that you want to be like. This will help define what you are shooting for and focus your goals into a targeted direction. While the term “success” is largely a personal concept, Djs can be broken down into 3 broad tiers of financial success. You may want to consider which of the following 3 you want to reach. 1. getting paid to dj at some parties but keeping a “day” job 2. scrape together a living as a full time dj 3. become a famous dj that gets flown around the world to play for big money there are a lot of shades of grey between these steps but in general they represent 3 different lifestyles and I recommend you decide which lifestyle you really want to live. We are completely confident in stating that anyone can achieve 1 and 2 if they are really prepared to put in the work required. #3 is a special exception because it usually involves a lot of variables that can be out of your control. That’s not to say that it wont happen, as anything is truly possible, but no one can teach you how to get there. We can however show you some basic steps that will help you achieve #1 and #2 and possibly set a course for #3. The following steps are for early on in your career, after you get started we will take it further with some more advanced material. Step 1: Pick Your Hero’s Based on the questions above, where do you really want to take this thing? Who are 5 people that have ended up where you want to go? Step 2: Study Them The people that are where you want to be have spent years getting there. Do yourself a favor and try to learn a thing or 2 from their mistakes. If at all possible try to track a trajectory of their career and see what major moves or events caused them to arrive at success. Study their website, their agent, their cards, their mixes and promotional material. We are not advocating copying here, but you can spend 2 months observing or 2 years re-learning what others already know. Step 3: Get to know them If at all possible you need to start associating with the people that are on your hero list. Contacting them and asking questions is encouraged but actually spending time with people that have achieved success in your field is 100x times better. Surrounding yourself with djs that are actually working is going to do a number of positive things. 1) expanding your reality, and locking in the idea that success really is possible 2) increasing your chances by putting you in the spot light when last minute gigs and opportunities pop up. 3) learn by osmosis. Habits are very contagious. Step 4. Tell everyone you know Its amazing how many gigs the people you casually know might be able to provide- if only they knew you were a dj. Dont hide your aspirations- flaunt them. Pass out CDs, flyers, invites, cards to everyone you know and never expect them to make the connection. Ask each person a straightforward question like: Hey do you know anyone in the club business? Those warm contacts that are only a few degrees of separation away will be the best way to get your foot in the door early on. How to Be a Successful DJ Pt. 2 (The First Gigs) takes you through how manage those first gigs, leave an amazing impression and get asked back on the regular. How To Be a Successful DJ Part 3: Production includes an interview with funky tech-house producer/DJ/label owner Claude VonStroke about the strong correlation between producing your own floor-filling tracks and getting to the next level as a DJ.

DJs who use PCs know that sometimes all the other software we use on our laptops gets in the way of what really matters, the Music! I’m a laptop guru by trade and I get asked all the time by fellow DJs and performers alike, “Monika, how can I make my laptop better suited for DJing?” Here are a few short tricks and tweaks that can speed up your performance and optimize your machine for performance! Most of these have been floating around for a while, but I thought it would be a great idea to go over this again since the question is always on the lips of learning Digital Djs. WARNING: Perform all these tweaks at your own risk! And remember to backup everything (including your registry) before playing with fire! Make a new account Creating a new user account is pretty straight forward in most versions of windows. Navigate to the control panel and open the “user accounts” option in either XP or Vista and create yourself a “DJ” User account. This will help distinguish your DJ rig from the space where you visit DJTechTools. Create a Hardware Profile Copy your current hardware profile rename it to “DJ Only” and while you’re running the new profile reduce as many devices as possible, turning off everything from the CD-Rom to the Wireless card. Reduce those DPC latencies. You can check what helps your latency with the DPC Latency Checker. Additionally in the new hardware profile/account you can reduce the amount of services running. Navigate to #run > services.msc and you can eliminate any unnecessary services (like network services). This will help assure that the maximum amount of resources is dedicated to your software. REMEMBER: Hardware profiles are chosen at start-up! So you will have to reboot if you want to switch! Performance Be sure set your computer to focus on background services. This may seem counter intuitive, but experience has shown that you will see less audio dropouts and raised MIDI performance in this case. Eliminate rogue software Once you are in your newly modified DJ account you can start customizing even further. Run msconfig and eliminate any non-essential processes starting up. The extremely geek literate may want to use Microsoft’s autoruns.exe to take it to the next level running only your DJ software and csrss.exe. Kiss Explorer.exe Goodbye! Finally for the ultra hardcore we have the tweak to end all tweaks. Making your chosen software into the new Windows shell for your DJ account! Remember, edit the registry at your own risk, and don’t blame me if your laptop blows up in your face. 1. Open the registry by going to START -> Run and then typing “regedit” and clicking “OK”. 2. Navigate to ”HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\IniFileMapping\system.ini\boot” 3. Find the String named Shell and change its value from: “SYS:Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon” to: “USR:Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon”. This tells Windows to look in the User key for the shell rather than the Machine key. If you don’t set this Windows becomes confused and Windows will see both Traktor/Serato and Explorer as your shell. 1. Next, go to “HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon”. (Be sure you’re logged into your newly made DJ account!!!) 2. Either find or create a string named “Shell” with a value containing your Software’s EXE (for example, “C:\program files\Rane\Serato\Serato.exe”). This sets Serato as your username’s shell. At this point your DJ Software is set up as your shell. In order to continue using Explorer as your file manager you must complete these steps: 1. Navigate to “HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer” and create a DWORD with the name DesktopProcess and a value of 1. 2. Navigate to “HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced” and, again, create a DWORD with the name DesktopProcess and a value of 1. And that’s it! Tear up the dancefloor with your new LEAN DJ account!

As artists who depend on computers, we put a lot of faith into delicate technology that’s prone to mid-gig problems — especially in a hot club with sweaty partiers running amuck, drink in hand. In this post we’ll look at five basic steps that you can take to minimize the odds of anything going wrong during your set. SIDE-STEPPING DISASTER The dance floor is packed. You’re deep in the groove and fully rocking out. It’s only you, the music, and the crowd. Life is good. Then… disaster strikes. Your music starts glitching, and not in a good way. Panicked, you look down at your laptop, only to see a frozen screen. Within seconds the stuttering turns to deafening silence. Red-faced, you keep your gaze fixed at the computer as the crowd reacts with a predictable chorus of boos. This is the worst case, nightmare, shoot-me-now scenario for anyone who performs live with a laptop. Take it from someone who’s been there; nothing sucks more than having your gear check out during a set. The good news is that you can minimize the odds of having anything go wrong — even a minor, three-second glitch that throws you off your groove. Just follow these straightforward steps to a glitch-proof performance: Watch Out for Your Surroundings First and foremost, watch out for spilled drinks. Sounds common sense, right? The problem is that when you’re in the middle of a set, it’s easy to lose track of what’s happening around you. That third Redbull/vodka might be exactly what your enthusiastic fan needs that particular night, but it doesn’t mix so well with your laptop and controllers. And while the DJ booth or stage might seem like a protected area, there are always those partiers who want to jump up on stage and rock out with you. Also find a good place to set your own beverage of choice. Bass bins are a very bad choice; they might be within arms’ reach, but the vibrations can send your drink crashing to the floor. Instead, put that liquid courage out of the way, where it won’t easily get knocked over (the floor is a good option). Some DJ booths even have shelves under the main table, which can do admirable double-duty as drink holders. At just about any venue, you’ll also find a snake’s nest of cables with various three-letter acronymns (USB, RCA, etc.) being strewn in all directions. It can be a challenge to figure out which cables are attached to your gear… especially in a dark club. To keep track of your cables, color-code them with electrical tape. This can be a lifesaver during setup when you’re looking at the back of a mixer and trying to figure out which belong to you. Getting it right the first time will lessen your chances of anything going haywire mid-set. Also be ready to use the classic roadie’s trick of using duct tape or gaffer tape to pin your cables to the floor, so they don’t tripped over or knocked around. In some cases you can even tape the cables to the side of the wall or DJ booth to get them completely out of the way. Put Your Laptop in the Comfort Zone Most music venues are chaotic environments; they’re hot and sweaty, with intense vibrations from the bass hammering your ears and your gear. Here at DJTechTools we’re big fans of anything that can cushion your laptop from glitch-inducing heat and vibration. Whether it’s a laptop stand or a product like cool feet doing the job, always be sure to protect your machine from the clubby elements. In a jam, you can even use your laptop bag…just make sure there’s enough air flow underneath to keep the electronics from overheating. There have been reported instances of vibration causing total device failures so you may want to bring a foam cushion as a back up. Power Up Some third-world countries have more reliable electrical systems than your average club. As a precaution, always bring your own surge protector/power strip and extension cord. Also fully charge your laptop before the show. This way, if your adaptor doesn’t work at the gig, you can turn down the brightness of your screen and have at least have 45-60 minutes to jam. Dual-boot Your OS One of the most common causes of audio hiccups is a sudden and unexpected drain on your CPU’s resources. A fresh OS that you use only for your DJ’ing/performance software won’t be exposed to these problems. It’s a fresh, virgin landscape in which you can have free reign — no worries about viruses, nagware, or system conflicts. The internet is filled with useful info on how to dual-boot your OS of choice. A simple guide for Windows XP users can be found here. If you don’t have the ability to set up a dual-boot, at the very least optimize your system to maximize available CPU/memory and minimize the odds of a glitch. Stress-test Your System What would happen to your set if a USB cable was suddenly yanked out, or if one of your MIDI controllers suddenly lost power? Would your system glitch or freeze, or could you keep your set running smoothly? Knowing in advance will help you be better prepared if/when something unexpected happens. If you use a USB hub, also make sure that it’s powered; search the laptop DJ forums and you’ll find a scary number of artists who had problems as a result of using unpowered hubs. Finally, as a general rule of thumb, it’s also a good idea to put your set on “lockdown” a few days before your gig. Whether you’re using Serato, Tracktor, Ableton, or an Atari program from 1986, last-minute changes can introduce last-minute chaos. Finalizing a live set in Ableton a few weeks ago, I somehow managed to instantly erase all my MIDI mappings by simply dragging in a new track. Always, always have a stable set saved and ready to go. And make sure that the software version you’re using is solid as the proverbial brick shithouse. NOBODY IS IMMUNE Glitches and mid-set meltdowns can happen to even the most established acts. Last year Gui Boratto was rocking a set at Beta, Beatport’s Denver club, when someone knocked a drink on his mixer. Set temporarily aborted. The same thing happened to Infected Mushroom a few years back, stopping thousands of dancers dead in their tracks. Over the past few months Glitch Mob had a string of mid-set issues, most likely due to software instability. It can happen to anyone — but the odds are reduced in a big way once you get a grip on the possible things that can go wrong. One last point, in case all this worst-case-scenario stuff has you stressed out. As long as there isn’t deafening silence for several minutes, most crowds will forgive even the most obvious of glitches. So if the worst-case scenario does rear its ugly head, be sure to have a CDJ or iPod ready to go. Keep the crowd dancing and you’ll always live to fight another day.

man im jealous about your LA trip id give my left nut to spend a few months over there

very true especially when they are noname djs aswell

Publicity for the Working DJ Now I would like to focus an essential aspect of promotion; the press kit, which is a small package containing biographical background, basic facts, press, pictures, and samples of your music. A press kit’s purpose is to generate interest in you as an artist allong with providing promoters, press and agents critical materials about you. Chances are you have been asked for a press kit before but dont know where to start, so we have compiled a few musts in developing a successful and potent press kit: FORMAT- Digital or Physical? Press kits like the impressive set above are usually targeted towards the music press and used by bands with bigger budgets. While you want to get press, most people that will request your “press kit” are not usually writers and wont need such a fancy presentation to get the materials they need. We recommend you create 2 press kits 1) a Digital version available on your site that can be emailed to prospective bookings quickly. 2) A Physical version that includes a flash drive with the digital content and a few choice physical items such as: * Mix CD * Photo with bio * Something interesting to make them remember you * Business Card * Stickers if available The physical version is going to keep you in the minds of important people and cant get easily lost in a pile of emails. Lets look at the critical materials that should be in both versions. COVER LETTER The cover letter attempts to engage the reader personally. Grab reader’s attention by detailing why they should be interested. Provide details that show you have done your research about the company, organization, newspaper, club, or record label the reader represents. Keep it short and sign it personally. insider tip: target and respect your audience Press kits are usually sent to promoters, clubs, A & R Reps, and radio stations, therefore, tweak your press kit depending on the circumstance. A good general rule, however, is stay clear and concise. Professionals reading your press kit have very demanding time restraints, and are using precious time to consider you. PICTURES Include professional pictures. If you don’t have any, begin a budget for them, or find a budding photographer who will take pictures for their own publicity for free. Make sure to include a good mix of action and studio photos. Djs should be careful to include photos with solid color backgrounds that can be easilly used in flyers. The photo above is a good example. Your digital press kit must contain hi-resolution photos that can potentially be printed in a magazine or on flyers. They should be at least 300 DPI and ideally in a TIFF format. JGP is also acceptable but make sure the quality is excellent. Insider tip- dont do the usual dj shots! Including ”dj” publicity shots like the one on the left wont get gigs- they just make you look like the typical dj cliche. Make your photos classic and simple. Please… * Leave the sunglasses off! * No biting a record * Dont sit on your record crate in the desert * No fake scratching on a CDJ-1000. Generally try to leave the gear out of the shot unless its an integral part of your image and makes you original. * Making the “i’m the greatest dj in the world” face. * Do we need headphones around the neck? BACKGROUND Beginning from birth is an immediate throw away to a reader. Biographical information should pertain only to a few highlights of your music career. Add a brief summary of what makes you and your music special and different. Remember a press kit helps guide reviewers, writers and promoters in creating articles that will provide further publicity for you. In this critical section, you need to answer the all important question fast: Why should we care? Consider peoples short attention span when writing your bio, and make it easy to digest in 1 minute or less. Insider tip- Avoid the hype Don’t oversell yourself. By suggesting your band/dj act is the greatest alive, you become the car dealership of music. It is important to be positive in your promotion, but do it with credible statements instead of exaggerated hype. The press kit’s audience is not the general public and recognize when an artist and their music have the right ingredients to make a successful music career. GIG SHEET The gig sheet is a roster of places and festivals you played. It should not be exhaustive, so don’t include the high school talent show or DJ HERO competition you won. Less is more, pick the most identifiable places and let your high points really shine. MUSIC If your biography is the soul of a press kit, then the demo is the heart. You aren’t a musician if no one can hear your music. A standard formatted CD is much better than other music mediums because it is user friendly. The CD allows listeners to skip quickly between songs, meaning they are more likely to listen to the music. These listeners aren’t the typical fan at a show, so don’t send a hand written or badly labeled CD. There are many CD duplication services that can manufacture in bulk for very little cost. Mixonic does a fairly good job. In your digital version provide links to mixes, remixes and original productions. Include the physical files on the USB stick you send to people and for extra credit include your logo on the surface of the drive. PRESS Good press goes a long way in building credibility. A reader is more apt to pay attention if they know others are talking about you. Use quotes that are specific and visualize the image you are promoting. If you don’t have any press, then use quotes from anyone that might be a credible source. BEFORE AND AFTER Finally, make sure to only send your press kit to known contacts. The music business is all about connections, so use them as much as possible. The flashiest press kits still need to be followed up with phone calls, emails, and snail mail. Be humble and listen to any feedback, because even if you are turned down, people are typically willing to share insight with you. If you have a website, make a specific page or link to an online version of your press kit. Dont wait- start building your kit now so when someone requests it you look extra professional by immediately sending over a fantastic package that accurately reflects your talent.

While I’ve made mistakes in promoting, I would like to share a few guidelines and tips that I have found tremendously helpful in promoting myself as a DJ and producer over the last five years in the hope that they should help you prevent the same mistakes. Moving from Chicago, I was ill-prepared for Austin’s virtually non-existent electronic scene as Chicago’s well-groomed and stable scene had accustomed me to the comfort of abundant gigs and the freedom to focus on musical ability. Though I knew promotion was an essential marketing tool, like many musicians, I cringed at the very word. I wanted publicity, but my idealism and ignorance persuaded me that musical talent alone would birth my career. This belief was irrefutably untrue. Apply the following suggestions to your own particular situation and you should see results like I did. STEP UP YOUR REP Unfortunately, the information age has added to the negative connotation of promotion by emphasizing depersonalized pop-ups, mass e-mails, invitations and friend requests on social networks. The sheer bulk of this type of promotion deters many potential listeners, while others become downright hostile to bands or DJs sending invites. Don’t get me wrong, social networking is not a waste of time and can be very helpful. However, music is about much more than an amount of online friends or a song on the radio. At its best, music becomes transformational to our lives. Who says promotion can’t do the same? 1. PROMOTE YOUR TRUE IDENTITY, NOT AN IMAGE Promotion should become an extension of you and your music/style/sound, rather than an unidentifiable mass in an inbox. Listeners may love your sets, but the feeling of a personal relationship will keep them coming to shows, buying your tracks and supporting your overall efforts. An image only misleads people, and contemporary media-savvy people are interested in honesty. If you create a phony and manipulating facade, it will drive away many potential fans and possibly affect your creativity. Show yourself to your fans and listeners with authenticity. Fans are attracted like bees to pollen by someone to whom they can relate. In addition, honesty breeds self-confidence, and you won’t be scared to see value in yourself and your abilities. Good promotion helps listeners realize your worth and separates you from the pyramid-scheme musicians. For related ideas, I recommend Jason Timothy’s (Innerstate) recent blog essay on monetizing your worth. Here are the tips I find helpful to show your personal side to fans: Talk to your audience: At gigs, don’t separate yourself by sitting on a “cool” pedestal. When not playing, talk and interact with people, learn what music they are listening to and discuss venues in which you have found good music. At smaller shows, invite the DJ wannabes (the people at the front watching every move) into the booth area for a closer look. Take pictures: Don’t be afraid to take pictures with people. In fact, take a friend with a camera and take your own pictures and post them on your website. This lets people access your website to help remember the night. Dance with them: Get on the dance floor when not playing. I saw Gabriel and Dresden play at 1015 in San Francisco, and my only memory from the night is Josh Gabriel cutting across the floor as Dave Dresden played. I still think Josh Gabriel must be a cool guy. Go see other musicians: Support your local music scene and see what types of sounds people are enjoying. Get inspired. Support and develop friendships with other local musicians. 2. PROMOTION USES HOOKS Writers use hooks to keep you reading; politicians use them to get your vote; and TV shows use them to keep you watching. Good promotion utilizes a hook, which invariably involves a gimmick. Unlike the typical gimmick, however, a JohnThomasFlyer1hook can be an honest communication of you as an artist — a concentrated message that expresses your identity, given to your audience in a creative way. To create an effective hook I recommend: Focus: I sit down and write out a clear, distinct message for my audience. I consider the age, location, gender and musical taste of the audience and decide how the message is best received. The more focused the message, the quicker the connection. Be different: A DJ friend in Chicago plays deep, sultry house music. He was having a hard time handing out his demo, because so many DJs were doing the same thing. First, he spent a lot of money professionally labeling CDs to make them different, but at the end of the night a majority of them were left on the dance floor. One day his girlfriend (a sex education teacher) brought hundreds of extra condoms home. He attached them to the outside of his demo, and wrote “safe sex kit” on each CD jacket. At his next show, not a single one of his CDs was left behind. Originality produces both love and hate from listeners, but either way, you get a response. Put your information on everything: It sounds like common sense, but I have so many CDs handed to me by incredible musicians or DJs, and I have no idea who they are. Your CD leaf and CD need a name and personal contact info on them. A brilliant hook has no purpose without an identity attached. A brilliant hook contains a brilliant idea. Ideas have replaced materials as the infallible currency of today’s world. Marketing guru Seth Godin wrote a wonderful manifesto called Unleashing the Idea Virus, which I recommend reading to understand the importance of ideas. (You can download it free.) Godin suggests that ideas are the most powerful tools for marketing and promotion, because like a virus, they are highly contagious. According to Godin, an idea virus makes our identities attractive to customers and grasps their attention. Godin writes, “They attract us enough that we need to understand what’s inside: we set ourselves up to be exposed to the virus.” Godin’s ideas have been a tremendous help in developing my hooks for promotion. Here I paraphrase his basic steps to making a hook or idea work well: • Make sure your idea is worth talking about. • Identify your market. • Expose the idea to the right people. • Use already hooked listeners to your benefit by helping them talk about your music optimally. • Build a chain of communication with listeners who volunteer their attention. • Amaze your audience, so they will reinforce your ideas and make them grow. • Ideas don’t last forever, so realize when you need to change it up. 3. PROMOTION IS PROFESSIONAL Musicians and DJs typically aren’t great businessmen. We think in creative rather than pragmatic ways, but even creativity needs a solid structure for its message to ring. As a song needs structure, so does promotion. If you are professional, the promoters, bookers and the audience will recognize your worth. Remember, people do judge a book by the cover. You don’t have to be physically good looking, but professionalism makes anyone an attractive entity. Business cards: Business cards may seem outdated, but I think they’re one of the most helpful tools in promotion; they are a tiny physical reminder of you. A business card can be a creative manifestation of your identity, and one that is well made will be used rather than lost in the bottom of a purse or destroyed in a pocket on laundry day. Business cards should be creative, clean, visually attractive and contain your name, company and contact information. Take them everywhere; they are worthless left at home. Press kits, demos and websites: Press kits are a great form of multimedia exposure. An effective press kit contains a plethora of personal information, credentials, pictures and demos. Though cheap bulk CD demos are fine to give away at shows, press kit demos should be attractive and well-labeled. A website must communicate your identity and be easy to browse. So many performers have websites overloaded with Flash and clusters of design, but spend very little time on the content of their site. Fans are more concerned with content and accessibility than pizzazz. Besides, if the Flash takes a few minutes to load, many fans will leave before they see it. Personalize: I’ve already mentioned it, but stay personally connected to your musical community. Quick e-mails, consistent newsletter updates and greetings at shows make a big difference. Don’t tick off promoters and production companies: This is one of my hardest areas, because I love music before money but many promoters are in the business only for money. When things go wrong at a gig (and they will), stay kosher with the promoter. Don’t let your reputation be damaged because a bad promoter with a big mouth is trying to blacklist you. If you find a promoter who really loves the music and shares your vision, marry them. Take responsibility: Bad shows happen to the best of us. Always take responsibility with your fans. Not long ago, I had a show I promoted hard to get a great crowd. The show flopped, because the sound man was too stoned to realize the subs and monitors weren’t working; the promoters were too drunk to care; and my playing time was cut by 75% because the band before refused to get off stage. I had 300 extremely let down people who had shown up specifically for me. Although I was furious, that night I went home and personally wrote e-mails to as many fans as I could and promised them a full refund from my own pocket. No one wanted a refund, but many expressed how special it made them feel that I would apologize. After implementing these promotional ideas in Austin, my musical career once again became fruitful and at times quite lucrative. Promotion has added to my maturity, creativity and self-worth as an artist. My fan base is steadily growing, and the fans I already have stick around because they believe in my particular brand of musicality. It is a slow process, but living my purpose and sharing it with others is worth doing right, and while promotion still doesn’t compare to the feeling onstage, it is an essential part of the process.

lol

Picking a dj name is probably not high on the list of priorities when your starting out, but its something that could have a big impact on how well your career goes. A big part of djing successfully (in the monetary sense) is developing a brand for yourself. Like it or not, the name you choose will be the first impression people have of your brand- so choose carefully! In today’s article we are going to dive deep into what makes certain brand names work and and what factors you should consider when picking a name for yourself. Dont Judge a Book by its… Name Unfortunately we all do. Like it or not, humans subconsciously have observable prejudices against certain names. In his brilliant, but controversial book, “Freakanomics” – Steven D. Levitt studied the effect various names could have on a child’s financial and social success. Through rigorous research, the famous economist determined that certain types of names have a harder time in life. (*1) Marketing experts know that sounds can play a big role in human behavior. Its generally understood that a price ending with E sounds smaller and a price ending in O sounds larger. (*2) To get people to buy- companies generally price sales with numbers like 9, and 3 so the discounts sound larger. It may sound crazy, but you have to consider that certain name sounds could actually play a role in your success. To test this theory lets look at the top 10 djs in the world (From The Dj’s List) * TIESTO * ARMIN VAN BUUREN * DAVID GUETTA * ATB * DEADMAU5 * PAUL VAN DYK * FERRY CORSTEN * CARL COX * BENNY BENASSI With the notable exception of Benassi, not a single dj in the top 10 has a name that ends with an “E” sound (like crazy). Instead they all end with a lower O sound that is produced from the back of the throat. Expand that search to the top 50 and only 2 more djs are an exception, making up 6% of the group. While this example is hardly a solid scientific study- there may be something to the sound of dj names as well and its worth further analysis. One thing we know for sure- You want to steer clear of “dj” names that have a cliche ring to them like Dj DeckStar. Nearly no-one in the top 100 has any kind of direct industry reference in their names. *1: http://www.slate.com/id/2116449/ *2: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/18/business/18drill.html Is it Too Long? It would be logical to assume that longer names are hard to remember and there-fore undesirable. In reality, there are a lot of top 100 djs with long names. Look closely however and you will start to see a pattern. Even though there is a mix of long and short names, the number of syllables seems to follow a trend. The really big house hold names always have 2-3 syllables (Daft Punk, Deep Dish, Tiesto, Paul Van Dyke,), and almost no one has more than 6 in their name. It makes sense, less syllables = easier to pronounce and easier to remember. The exceptions to this rule are a few djs using their given foreign names (for example Hernan Catteneo) that have more than 6. Your will notice peaks at 3 and 5 syllables, which musically speaking, have a nice “ring to them”. The Ultimate Goal Best case scenario: Your wildest dreams come true and global dj fame comes knocking. The goal is to become a household name, like Tiesto, where that name or brand is not only owned exclusively by you but always points to your work. Imagine if Tiesto had instead picked Dj Mobile or Dj Midas. He would have run into the following problems: • domain names already locked up • pre-existing trademarks • copyrights • google searches that produced car parts instead of dj mixes. If at all possible you want to choose a name that: • is not used by anyone else in a professional capacity • has an available domain name • produces under 300 google search results • is phonetically spelled so people can easily search for what they hear (deadmau5) being a VERY notable exception. When you hit the big time, capitalize on the years of efforts and make sure people always think of you- not some other random dj or company. What about Country of Origin? Do British, American or European names fair better than others? For a while there, during the height of the Minimal craze, it was almost a requirement to have a German sounding name. I know of several American producers that created “German” monikers that seemed to have helped their careers significantly. This may work if you time the trends, but be careful- what if the sound associated with that country go out of style? It may be safer to go with a neutral sounding name that cant be associated with a style or location for the longest life span. During the dot com boom it was in vogue to put .com at the end of your brand name but now in hindsight it just looks plain cheesy. Pick a name that is timeless and wont pigeon hole you into one sound. For example, Dj Scratch might have a hard time making it as a Techno dj if the DMC championship does not work out. In Conclusion Achieving success in any musical field is going to require a lot more than just a clever dj name but it doesn’t hurt to give your self the best chances from the get-go right? If your going to use a Moniker, pick a name that will help build your career- not make it harder to start one.

Here is the first in a new series of videos we are doing called “What’s in your DJ bag?” where we stop guys on the road and find out the different pieces of gear they rely on night after night. Watch the first episode featuring MSTRKRFT and read on for more details about the gear. IN THEIR BAG We found everything a rockstar DJ needs… * Serato box (Version 1) * Pioneer Magnesium headphones * Custom molded ear plugs (neon yellow) * 13-inch Macbook Pro (with solid state hard drive) * Car visor booklet with Serato and white noise CDs * $1,000 in cash * American work permits * Large Gold watch * Bottle of Crown Royal * A seriously awesome mustache

see if i could of found somthing with this info before i bought serato i MAY of purchased traktor but im still an avid supporter of ssl

You hit the street, passed out your demos, talked to everyone you know and now its finally paid off with a few gigs. Most djs spend so much time preparing music, hunting down shows and promoting that when it finally comes time to prepare for a gig- they leave out some very important items. Each show is not only an opportunity to play your favorite songs and rock the crowd but the very best opportunity to get more gigs and build your career. To help you out we have created this important list of items every dj should have in his gig bag to make each gig a smooth one and create opportunities for future shows. THE LOCAL GIG For your local bar or club here are a few items you need to have. Powered Light- make sure your equipment is visible no matter what conditions you may find. The Joby Gorrila torch is great. Business Cards- People will ask for one so make sure your ready. Don’t just give yours out though, always take their card and follow up the next day! Many smart djs make their business cards memorable so your prospect can put together the pieces even after a night of rough drinking. I use cards with a wax coating so they last the rigors of my dj bag. Custom molded Ear Attenuators- Even if you must crank up the monitors while djing there is no reason to blow your ears in the hours before or after your play. There-fore, always carry around a pair of these handy buggers which will save your ears for the mix. Remember, with each hour of heavy noise exposure- your ears attentiveness decreases. So like a good fighter, rest your most valuable weapons before and after each match! Check out this site for more info on “musicians earplugs” Back Up CD- There is absolutely no excuse for dead air. Even if the improbable happens and your laptop takes a shit- then you absolutely must be ready with a long mix cd that give you plenty of time to trouble shoot. This ideally would start off with a big intro that makes it sound like the silence was planned and gives you at least 20 minutes of time to figure out what’s wrong. Extra USB Cable- Yes, they do go bad and without one your screwed- so always pack a backup. It might make sense to use one of our high quality USB cables (they are finally back in stock!) Many users have sent us letters talking about how these cable’s high quality shielding and ferrite’s have stopped dropout problems in crazy club environment’s. If your controller or sound card starts acting crazy one of the first things to check is the USB cable. It might either be of poor quality or just isn’t working anymore. Pad of Paper, Pen, and bunch of Mix CD’s- This is the secret weapon of most successful dj’s in the early days. At the end of each gig, walk around and ask people if they liked the set. If the answer is yes- give them a CD and ask them to write down their email for your “list”. You will quickly convert casual listeners into devoted fans and build your most valuable asset- a following. Making decent money for the gig? Pay one of your friends to walk around while your playing for the best results. We like mixonic for good looking mix cds Foam Padding- Most of you here are using controllers so you have probably found yourself with no-where to put your controller in booths designed for vinyl djs. Sadly, not much has improved in the past 5 years since I first started putting foam on top of turntables to hold my controllers so it still remains a good option if you need reliable place to put your controllers. Cut yourself a small rectangle of foam that’s approximately 15″ X 10″ inches. I have always used the 1″ egg crate foam and set it right on top of the center spindle. The foam will keep the platter from spinning and provide a non-slip stable surface for your controller. Camera- You may rock the crowd every night, but without documentation, no one will ever know. Shoot video and photos at your gigs to sell yourself to future promoters and owners. The Cannon power shot looks good at night in most conditions. 1/8″ adaptor – I highly recommend always keeping at least one extra headphone adaptor in your gig bag. It will eventually pay off big time. Extra Laptop Power Adaptor- You are eventually going to show up to a club without your laptop power supply and only 2 hours of battery time. Avoid this very stress-full event and purchase an extra laptop power supply that lives in your dj bag and never leaves. Trust me, its absolutely worth the $50. The Out of Town Gigs Along with the items in the above list, international and national gigs require a few extras. Envelop or Pouch- Keep the receipts for every single thing you buy. Even if you don’t get re-imbursed for these expenses by the promoter (which is often the case), every single one of them is tax deductible! This will save you big cash in the future. IEM’s- In ear monitors are a lifesaver for prepping tracks on the plane. They block out all the noise and allow you to work in peace on your sets. They also make airports barely tolerable with the right play-list. I personally use the Shure SCL2’s which have a good bang for your buck. BackUp Hard Drive- In the case of laptop loss or failure the show must go on so you need to have a hard drive with all your music backed up on a portable drive. This will also prove useful for music swapping with your buddies on the road. The lacie rugged hard disk is my personal favorite. Work Visa- International locations, especially third world countries are officially hip to International Djs and how easy it is to spot them. Give away clue? Thousands of flyers with your face and country of origin are plastered around the city. If you are traveling, make sure you have your work visa- deportation is a major bummer. Water! Some of my globe trotting friends are equipped with bullet proof Immune systems- sadly I am not one of them and frequent gigging will always get me sick without sufficient hydration. Flights, Alcohol and late nights all work together to leave you severely de-hydrated so to stay at the top of your game make water a top priority for Leave the Drugs- Seriously. There is no way to know how other countries feel about them. Just ask Groovrider who sat in a middle eastern jail for several years before being recently pardoned.

lol thanks man