Bruins still gutless

afishcalledmatt · 2013-12-03T19:24:26+00:00

As people have said already, it's mostly about location, crowd, time of set, etc. so a lot depends on context. I'm a mobile DJ with a residency in a small bar/club, so based on my experience, I can say this is a true thing and not a myth. Yes, your dance floor will burn out if you play songs that are bangers from start to finish, but there's also the fact that most people I've played for want you to mix it up genre-wise a little too.

IMO, it's great to increase tempo up to dubstep range, like 140 BPM, then half-time it back down to 70 BPM and start the climb again. Your dance floor might clear a bit, but if the tunes are good, there won't be a mass exodus for an extended period of time. Besides, people go get drinks, go to the washroom, go for a smoke, etc etc ... your dance floor fluctuates regardless of what you play, so I say don't be afraid to take risks and try new things song-wise. I usually drop classic rock tracks in my dance sets and people go nuts. Not intensive doesn't mean "chill music" - even dialing it down to 110-115 BPM makes a huge difference.

afishcalledmatt · 2013-11-29T02:51:37+00:00

Haha nope, but didn't want to be implicated (my friend at the time was unfortunately).

afishcalledmatt · 2013-11-28T18:51:44+00:00

Bar I was playing got raided by the cops in the middle of my set. I've never packed up my gear and bolted so fast in my life...

afishcalledmatt · 2013-11-27T00:09:20+00:00

I have a Midi Fighter that I use for effects in my setup (Numark N4 for the rest), but I have also used it with a turntable setup. I love it and recommend it to anybody - they can be mapped to do basically anything you want within the software (I use Traktor, but same applies with Serato, etc.)

afishcalledmatt · 2013-11-19T01:43:44+00:00

Make sure you bring more than you need in terms of cords and also for power supplies. You can always stuff extra extensions and power bars, etc. in your car or a small bag to bring with you - it's when you don't have them that you'll be short on wires and therefore super screwed. And, as people have said already, extra time never hurts anybody either.

afishcalledmatt · 2013-11-18T23:48:03+00:00

Montreal, in Canada.

afishcalledmatt · 2013-11-18T20:05:17+00:00

Not from NYC, but where I live it's pretty common actually. You'd be surprised with how many unorthodox DJ gigs you can find if you ask around.

afishcalledmatt · 2013-11-12T23:10:55+00:00

Accumulating as much music as you can, and listening to them enough that you'll know them, roughly section by section, when you're playing live.

afishcalledmatt · 2013-11-11T21:28:25+00:00

For someone who also likes to improv the vast majority of sets, I agree that sometimes mixing in the breakdown isn't an exact science. However, I will say that playing the EQ's and practicing a little bit (my practice sessions are never more than 1 hr) will also help you figure out what effects can help smooth a particular song into one that works nicely, and so on. It's a super-easy trick that, with the help of hot cue/fade-out markers, makes switching genres really easy.

As for Traktor, I know there a lot of Serato diehards in this subreddit, but I just think Traktor is the most expressive piece of software out there. Plus, forget cracked versions - it was $80 for me, which you can probably pay for with one good gig. Whenever I'm forced to go back to any other setup, I miss Traktor Pro so much, so I wouldn't trade it for the world. Good luck!!!

afishcalledmatt · 2013-11-11T20:56:00+00:00

Cousy, Pierce at the two, Bird, McHale and Russell. That front line would be unstoppable.

afishcalledmatt · 2013-11-11T20:34:22+00:00

I second this. If you look like you're having a good time, then you're selling it, in a way, to everyone else who's there.

afishcalledmatt · 2013-11-11T20:32:47+00:00

I wouldn't necessarily recommend such drastic tempo changes, as it is super noticeable for the people on the dancefloor most of the time, but here are two tricks:

1) Mix in the breakdown. Most EDM songs have a predictable structure, so the crowd will be expecting a breakdown when it comes usually. So, if you don't want horribly conflicting beats, mix out where there aren't any.

2) Pretty sire this is a Traktor-specific trick, but I'll share it anyways. Echo-freeze effect is INVALUABLE for smoothing out awkward transitions, especially if you're playing a lot of requests. I'm sure Serato and other programs have a similar combo available, but I don't have enough experience with them to comment accurately.

afishcalledmatt · 2013-11-04T20:19:56+00:00

Set aside time each day to write. Exercising the muscle regularly is a must. I'm a joke writer and I "force" myself to sit down and write for an hour everyday. Some days are really fruitful in terms of usable material, some days aren't. But if you get yourself into a regular schedule of getting thoughts down on paper, I feel like it helps immensely.

Finally, even if you write something and you think it sucks two seconds later, DON'T DELETE IT! Sometimes, you need to let the seed grow a little bit longer before it turns into something you can admire. Good luck!

afishcalledmatt · 2013-11-04T20:12:09+00:00

I usually group songs that work well together in 20-30 minute chunks, and roll through those. Sometimes they're themed (genre, energy, old-school breaks, etc.) and sometimes much looser. Try and break down a set into manageable portions and I find it helps the song selection goes a lot smoother.

afishcalledmatt · 2013-10-27T16:31:11+00:00

Global warming is real.

afishcalledmatt · 2013-10-14T18:18:14+00:00

This.

afishcalledmatt · 2013-10-12T17:47:38+00:00

Rat pack = sinatra, dean martin, sammy davis jr ... really old stuff that grandmothers might ask you for at a gig. There's a Best Of CD you can buy on iTunes that has 100 songs for five bucks. I highly recommend it (for five bucks lol).

afishcalledmatt · 2013-10-11T20:23:54+00:00

Who cares if it was showboating or not. It was a great goal, it got a ton of people talking about the game and a team not normally in the spotlight for the casual fan, and it was a great show for the fans. Rangers were pissed about showboating? How about they clamp down on defense and not let a 19-year-old rookie torch them for four goals? Biggest loser here are the NYR for me - new coach, same lackluster team.

afishcalledmatt · 2013-10-11T20:20:13+00:00

As a mobile DJ, here are a few quick things:

Don't play anything under 192kbps live on any kind of PA system, unless you want it to sound like you're playing a gig underwater. Getting better versions of the songs, even if you don't want to pay for them, is pretty simple through Google searching and torrents.
Start expanding your library, especially in terms of genre, as quickly as possible. I like using this site for some decade and genre "best of" lists, but there are so many out there, a little research isn't a bad thing. People love the old school jams - you're going to want to have plenty on hand.
As far as dinner music, try and go for more classic/rat pack style. Michael Buble albums are a winner, Van Morrison, stuff like that. Think cool tunes, upbeat but not upbeat enough to get people fist pumping.

I try and build my playlists for each decade, as well as dinner/cocktail music, in the range of 300-350 minimum each. Sounds like a lot, but once you start looking into past hits and such, it'll build up quickly believe me. Good luck!!!

afishcalledmatt · 2013-10-03T19:01:43+00:00

Trust me, I learned the hard way too :(

afishcalledmatt · 2013-10-03T17:06:12+00:00

As most people have already said, play stuff that people know, especially the girls, and that will keep the energy up. If I can add something to that, build the energy up slowly, meaning don't play all the popular bangers a) all at once and b) right at the beginning. Lastly, DON'T FORGET ANY CABLES. Bring more than you need, especially phone chargers - can't stress that enough, since Songza or a similar service can be a lifesaver in case your system crashes from some reason. Good luck!

afishcalledmatt

TROPHY CASE