Mikey_With
Hi, All.
Now, got the first gig in February playing Hard House to a crowd expecting Hard House, and need some advice about what to expect.
What could go wrong, how to prepare (besides practice, practice, practice), disaster recovery, possible issues, that sort of thing. What spares should I take? Should I plan the hours set? Please bear in mind, I'm the opening set, playing to my mates who are there to support me, the first few punters who wander in early, the bar staff, and perhaps the guys who run the cloakroom.
Does anyone have any horror stories from their first gig to a paying audience, and what they did to claw it back, if indeed you DID manage to rescue success from the jaws of defeat?
While I appreciate worrying about what could go wrong is probably not the best idea, and I should just concentrate on both doing it, and enjoying it, there's nothing like being absolutely prepared, and with (literally) a world of experience here, someone somewhere may just have some suggestions...
Answers on a postcard, please..?
Now, got the first gig in February playing Hard House to a crowd expecting Hard House, and need some advice about what to expect.
What could go wrong, how to prepare (besides practice, practice, practice), disaster recovery, possible issues, that sort of thing. What spares should I take? Should I plan the hours set? Please bear in mind, I'm the opening set, playing to my mates who are there to support me, the first few punters who wander in early, the bar staff, and perhaps the guys who run the cloakroom.
Does anyone have any horror stories from their first gig to a paying audience, and what they did to claw it back, if indeed you DID manage to rescue success from the jaws of defeat?
While I appreciate worrying about what could go wrong is probably not the best idea, and I should just concentrate on both doing it, and enjoying it, there's nothing like being absolutely prepared, and with (literally) a world of experience here, someone somewhere may just have some suggestions...
Answers on a postcard, please..?
发表时间 Sun 02 Dec 12 @ 2:59 pm
wildcountryclub
step one: relax a little. being too nervous will make things worse.
step two: preperation. whatever you can think of that you might need - put in a pack and take it along - spare cables/wires, first aid kit, tylenol. eventually you get to where you know what you'll need for those minor emergencies so the show can go on. believe it or not i even pack a spare set of fresh clean socks, and after 4-5 hours of being on your feet, they make a HUGE difference in how you feel when you put them on. and unless the club requires it: dress like a customer! they will identify with you alot more than if you do.
step three: be ready for complaints, requests, and drunks. complaints and requests let you know what you audience is thinking and can be a helpful way of learning to "read the crowd". even if you only have 50 - 100 people you have to try your hardest to get in their heads and figure out what they want before they ask for it - keeping current with music charts is one way but not always the best way. just because its a chart topper doesnt mean its going to be popular where you are. it takes a long time to develop this skill and every venue's customer base is going to be different sometimes in ways that are subtle and some that arent.
and as far as the drunks go, be ready to put your people skills to the test. the girls are the worst. trust me.
step four: 5 people or 1,000: present yourself accordingly and be yourself. getting on a mic and trying to MC to a small group like you doing it for 1,000 is a mistake. some might argue that point, but if you've ever gone to a club and the dj was trying to make like an Ibeza hype man on stage for less than 100 people in a venue that held 500, then you might know what i mean. it just looks and sounds weird and like the dj is trying to over-inflate himself.
step five: STAY SOBER!!! limit yourself to one or two drinks and take it slow. or better yet, don't drink except for water or maybe a soft drink.
those are just some basic things i've picked up over the years. don't want to write a handbook - yet - but we should one of these days.
good luck.
step two: preperation. whatever you can think of that you might need - put in a pack and take it along - spare cables/wires, first aid kit, tylenol. eventually you get to where you know what you'll need for those minor emergencies so the show can go on. believe it or not i even pack a spare set of fresh clean socks, and after 4-5 hours of being on your feet, they make a HUGE difference in how you feel when you put them on. and unless the club requires it: dress like a customer! they will identify with you alot more than if you do.
step three: be ready for complaints, requests, and drunks. complaints and requests let you know what you audience is thinking and can be a helpful way of learning to "read the crowd". even if you only have 50 - 100 people you have to try your hardest to get in their heads and figure out what they want before they ask for it - keeping current with music charts is one way but not always the best way. just because its a chart topper doesnt mean its going to be popular where you are. it takes a long time to develop this skill and every venue's customer base is going to be different sometimes in ways that are subtle and some that arent.
and as far as the drunks go, be ready to put your people skills to the test. the girls are the worst. trust me.
step four: 5 people or 1,000: present yourself accordingly and be yourself. getting on a mic and trying to MC to a small group like you doing it for 1,000 is a mistake. some might argue that point, but if you've ever gone to a club and the dj was trying to make like an Ibeza hype man on stage for less than 100 people in a venue that held 500, then you might know what i mean. it just looks and sounds weird and like the dj is trying to over-inflate himself.
step five: STAY SOBER!!! limit yourself to one or two drinks and take it slow. or better yet, don't drink except for water or maybe a soft drink.
those are just some basic things i've picked up over the years. don't want to write a handbook - yet - but we should one of these days.
good luck.
发表时间 Sun 02 Dec 12 @ 4:28 pm
Walter Worek
Great advice wild espescially number 5 Never drink on duty -- reading a crowd can be difficult for your first gig ..... recon the room a few times to get a general idea of the room BEFORE YOUR GIG .. identify regulars ( talk to a waitress they can be a VALUBLE resource) and problem regulars (i.e. DRUNKS) AND RELAX dont try to be deadmau5 just be yourself and you'll do fine ... you might even find a few regulars will help you out and be unofficial security for ya...
发表时间 Sun 02 Dec 12 @ 10:38 pm
GadgetMan
Doing the opening set at an event for a specific genre is a good way to build your live skills and confidence. Having been a warm up DJ as well as a medium headliner, here's some tips.
First and foremost - don't drop all the latest, popular or classics in the first hour. While the club may only have a few people in it, it's kinda disrespectful to the DJs coming later. Don't steal their thunder.
Dropping a few is ok. By the time the later DJ's play them the crowd will be well in to the night and won't remember... Plus any night with multiple DJs playing is going to get tracked played over. Unless the DJs are there all night or share sets upfront (neither of these happen).
Plan your set. Know what you are going to play in this hour. Don't try and wing it or change your mind on the night. Planning for an hour is harder than you think.
Practice it. You have a couple of months. Record it, at it back in the car when you go to work, out or just at home. If something doesn't work, plan the change and start over. Practice-Record-Listen...
Changing in advance is good, but not on the night - not your first time out.
I've been a DJ for 30 years, bu only recently have I started to be a 'guest' or 'named' DJ - usually I'm the regular guy in the booth or the hired mobile for the night.
I actually find this kind of night the hardest, so if you master this, doing a whole night should be plain sailing.
Good luck my friend. Make sure you let us know how it goes. And if you need more help building up to it we're all here.
Post your practice set to Soundcloud let a chosen few have a listen and get constructive feedback.
Cheers,
Roy
First and foremost - don't drop all the latest, popular or classics in the first hour. While the club may only have a few people in it, it's kinda disrespectful to the DJs coming later. Don't steal their thunder.
Dropping a few is ok. By the time the later DJ's play them the crowd will be well in to the night and won't remember... Plus any night with multiple DJs playing is going to get tracked played over. Unless the DJs are there all night or share sets upfront (neither of these happen).
Plan your set. Know what you are going to play in this hour. Don't try and wing it or change your mind on the night. Planning for an hour is harder than you think.
Practice it. You have a couple of months. Record it, at it back in the car when you go to work, out or just at home. If something doesn't work, plan the change and start over. Practice-Record-Listen...
Changing in advance is good, but not on the night - not your first time out.
I've been a DJ for 30 years, bu only recently have I started to be a 'guest' or 'named' DJ - usually I'm the regular guy in the booth or the hired mobile for the night.
I actually find this kind of night the hardest, so if you master this, doing a whole night should be plain sailing.
Good luck my friend. Make sure you let us know how it goes. And if you need more help building up to it we're all here.
Post your practice set to Soundcloud let a chosen few have a listen and get constructive feedback.
Cheers,
Roy
发表时间 Mon 03 Dec 12 @ 1:36 am
sureview
some very good advice has allready been given, i will not repeat.
for me one of the worst things that can go wrong is a break in music, i am sure most DJ's will agree, be it a duff amp, computer crash or a bad connecting lead, sudden silence at any event is bad.
always try and have spare connecting leads, check your equipment, make sure your laptop is checked over, dont install any new software the day before, of course its not normally practical to have spare mixers and amps, but i always carry spare fuses, its one of the things that you pickup over the years.
I have seen a few posts on here were they have had problems with a frozen pc, its a real must to make sure your computer setup is stable, I have a seperate KAM twin mp3 player , cost around £100, as a standby device, it means i can reboot the pc, or switch to selection of tracks if i have computer problems, if your just starting out and you cant afford this option , a cheap secondhand cd player with a selection of current tracks burnt to an emergency cd will give you a basic 'keep the music going' backup.
the main thing on the night is to relax, not to panic, dont play every request as soon as you get them, your not a juke box!, try and stick to your set, of course i would always be prepared to modify it, dependent on what the crowd are asking for and the state of the dance floor.
I am sure others on here will offer further advice , its a great comunity on here , I will finish with Good luck, relax try and be confident.
for me one of the worst things that can go wrong is a break in music, i am sure most DJ's will agree, be it a duff amp, computer crash or a bad connecting lead, sudden silence at any event is bad.
always try and have spare connecting leads, check your equipment, make sure your laptop is checked over, dont install any new software the day before, of course its not normally practical to have spare mixers and amps, but i always carry spare fuses, its one of the things that you pickup over the years.
I have seen a few posts on here were they have had problems with a frozen pc, its a real must to make sure your computer setup is stable, I have a seperate KAM twin mp3 player , cost around £100, as a standby device, it means i can reboot the pc, or switch to selection of tracks if i have computer problems, if your just starting out and you cant afford this option , a cheap secondhand cd player with a selection of current tracks burnt to an emergency cd will give you a basic 'keep the music going' backup.
the main thing on the night is to relax, not to panic, dont play every request as soon as you get them, your not a juke box!, try and stick to your set, of course i would always be prepared to modify it, dependent on what the crowd are asking for and the state of the dance floor.
I am sure others on here will offer further advice , its a great comunity on here , I will finish with Good luck, relax try and be confident.
发表时间 Mon 03 Dec 12 @ 9:55 am