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Fr3z3r
Starting Member
Poland
14 posts
Joined: Nov, 2004
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 Posted - 2004/11/10 : 08:31:56
Now I'm not yet spinning in clubs, I feel I need to practice a bit more. But apart from spinning and music production, my main time-eater is e-business (several decent projects under my wings now) and e-marketing. Also marketing in general.
That said, I can't rely on my personal DJ experience - just on careful observation, analysis and free thoughts as a marketer. Please add some "from-my-experience" factor to this thread, guys. :-)
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So to start out, I think it has to be said that being a hardcore DJ in a mostly housey/trancey environment can be difficult. That's probably not a problem if you're in the UK or in the USA - great variety, many different clubs, always some folks willing to hear this kind of music.
But let's use my home country as an example. Most nights look like this:
DJ A / UK House
DJ B / Hard House
DJ C / Drum'n'Bass
DJ D / Deep House
DJ E / Hard House
DJ F / Electro
So house and breakbeat grabbed the "elite" status for themselves. As for really big, out-of-the-city clubs, epic trance rules as the most popular dance music... Along with house. And some more house. ;-)
I heard that you guys in hardcore-firendly countries also face this bitter reality - house is just infinitely more popular than hardcore. Hardcore is a pretty secondary genre nowadays, and unknown to many.
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So what can you use for your advantage?
1. Uniqueness
Very hard to achieve for those house DJs (teeheehee...), much easier for hardcore spinners. A friend of mine - spinning happy hardcore at that time - went to a club promoter and said he'd like to play happy hardcore. Just to be honest - that friend was a terrible DJ. And he got his chance. That particular promoter was just open to innovation and the sole fact that my friend was unique was enough to give him a try (sadly, he busted it completely).
There are many communication factors and techniques (mostly NLP-based) that can greatly help you achieve your goal - get a chance to spin in front of a great crowd plus some free promotion. Keep in mind that people are bipolar. One promoter prefers a CHANGE, while another doesn't want it because he's worried about the image of his place. Develop the message that pleases both approaches. And, for the love of God, speak about how HE and his club will benefit, not you. However, be confident and stay confident, no matter what. Have that something in the way you act, smile, look. Be as unique as your offer.
Seriously - get a book or two about body language and NLP in communication, even if you're a marketing-phobe. It'll help you more than you can imagine. Really. And not only in your DJ career. :-)
2. Promotion Kit
Has a lot to do with uniqueness, but more with pure impression. Your promotion kit is your "salesman". Make it good-and-sharp-looking.
Record two mixes on CD-Rs with printed labels. Get some neat business cards and prepare a brief folder about you and your music (lots of creativity space here, but again - benefits are what counts!). Trust me, it won't be THAT expensive.
Two mixes with labels, in a double-CD box, plus three business cards, plus a folder, all packed in a solid, cardboard envelope. Your secret weapon. And from what I've seen and heard, it works like hell. Yes, a successful DJ is a successful marketer, at least in his field. Period.
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I'll shut up now and let others speak out. More advice from me later. :-D
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Edited by - Fr3z3r on 2004/11/10 08:36:04 |
Underloop
Advanced Member
United Kingdom
3,895 posts
Joined: Mar, 2002
91 hardcore releases
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Posted - 2004/11/10 : 13:26:49
Thats some great advice there Fr3z3r..... nice to see people giving business tips as well as the usual "how to make a really hard kick drum" style advice. 
If I may be so bold as to add to the above..... yes, definitely create a good package to give to promotors..... make it stand out from teh rest, and above all make it look PROFESSIONAL!!!
I promoted a couple of charity nights a few years back and we got swamped with demos from loads of people (it was a house and rock night.... nice combination I know, but SOMEHOW it worked!!!... anyway, I digress). There were promos from bands, and promos from DJs. The bands had the right idea, and had a nice cover on them, making them visually appealing, and instantly I looked at it and thought, hmmm that looks like it could be good, and stuck it on the player straight away. The DJs on the other hand just stuck a tape (this was before CDRs were mainstream) and scribbled the tracklisting on it and a telephone number.... it didn't make me itch to put it on.
There were a couple of tapes that didn't look s good, but I had ben recomended them by a friend who told me they were good, so again, when I got these I was "oh, thats the group such and such told me about... Imust have a listen" so again they got top of the pile..... so the first step is...
1) Get the bugger's attention!!!
I also get quite a few CDs from DJs wanting to play on Intense Radio..... the number of CDs I receive that have a tracklist along the lines of:
1) Raverbaby
2) Raverbaby
3) Evolution
4) Raverbaby
5) Evolution
6) Token Quosh tune
7) Evolution Plus
8) Raverbaby
is unbelievable. I have nothing against any of the above labels by any means, but its just the same old tunes I'm receiving over and over again...... you ned to make your CDs stand out amongst the other CDs..... get some promos, get some of your friend's tunes in there, get some rare records..... don't just look in your local store, look round other stores all over the world....right now theres some fantastic stuff coming out of the US for instance..... make the promotor want to listen to your CD(s) because he wants to hear certain tunes. OK, maybe a house or trance club manager might not have heard many raverbaby tunes, but guaranteed if your sending it to a hardcore promotor they will have! Over, and over again! So lesson 2:
2) Be original and stand out!
Fr3z3r mentions providing 2 CDs.... I sometimes do this. I provide 2 CDs for different time slots. Lets face it, as a DJ starting out your NOT going to get the 12-1 slot,or any other peak time slot... no chance, zip, diddly squat, big fat NO! But you want to be able to show you can play that slot too. So what I do is I do 2 sets.... the first being a warm up set. Something to get the evening going, to lead up to the main act or whatever. The second is my peak time monster mix. The mix when the crowd are so hyped up (by your previous mix naturally) that they just want to dance and dance and dance... and this is the mix thats gonna blow their heads off!!
3) Show your capable of adapting to all situations
Thats all I can think of for now, except to add to Fr3zr's comments about a package...... include lots of info about yourself, but DON'T over-hype yourself. The promotor is well aware of the fact that you are not better than Sy at scratching, so don't say you are and all that. Just be honest, yet push yourself forward.... writing a good Biog is one of the hardest things to do with being a DJ.
Matthew aka DJ Underloop
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"We don't stop playing because we grow old;
we grow old because we stop playing."
- George Bernard Shaw
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Fr3z3r
Starting Member
Poland
14 posts
Joined: Nov, 2004
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Posted - 2004/11/10 : 14:05:41
quote:
Fr3z3r mentions providing 2 CDs.... I sometimes do this. I provide 2 CDs for different time slots (...)
That's exactly what I meant! We all love HHC anthems and singalongs... And they can make the crowd EXPLODE, that's true. But the trick is to be able to mix something teasing, not pompous, for a good start. Who knows - maybe a promoter will fall in love with HHC thanks to your demo mix and he'll want you to play at peak time... But - especially in a non-hardcore environment, like Poland ;-) - be ready to spin as a kind of experiment.
I think that's important. It's safe to assume that any promoter cares for the crowd's enjoyment ONLY. Not for his own pleasure, and definitely not for YOUR pleasure! If the crowd's happy, then you're on your way to the stars. But if you fail to fill the floor OR you pump it too much and people lose their energy before the peak time... Ouch.
So choose your tracks carefully. There are some non-anthems in HHC - less memorable, but still very good and perfect to get a party started. My friend - at our little (200 people maybe) open-air party a couple of weeks ago - started with "Elysium". I thought: "Shit, what is he doing? It's supposed to be a night-long one, not a kindergarten dance!" But then he played 120 mins of really good, discreet, teasing beats... And well, the peak was SO impressive.
Ooops, I digress... But the point's right there. :-)
quote:
Thats all I can think of for now, except to add to Fr3zr's comments about a package...... include lots of info about yourself, but DON'T over-hype yourself. The promotor is well aware of the fact that you are not better than Sy at scratching, so don't say you are and all that. Just be honest, yet push yourself forward.... writing a good Biog is one of the hardest things to do with being a DJ.
Looks like you have some experience already, Underloop... Do you have your own kit? Maybe you could show us something (scans, photos)?
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Underloop
Advanced Member
United Kingdom
3,895 posts
Joined: Mar, 2002
91 hardcore releases
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Posted - 2004/11/11 : 12:01:13
I'm still in the process of updating my package (oooo errrr missus!!!) as its about 1 year old now lol. Basically it consisted of a Biog on headed note paper, along with a covering letter (specific to each promotor/label it was sent to) along with (used to be) 1 CD in a jewel case with a nice cover full tracklisting and contact details on EVERYTHING.... label insert, CD itself and obviously the letterheads. All in a jiffy bag and a sticker on the back with my company logo and address stating who it was sent by. I always contact people before sending stuff asking if it isok to send it, and then when they get teh package on their doorstep they see the label and think "oh, i've been expecting this" and open it rather than "oh, another bloody demo" and proceed to stick it with the pile of other brown jiffy bags on his desk.
Now I've got a bit more experience under my belt I'm updating my pack to include:
- Biog on colourful, glossy paper, with lots of photos n things
- 2 CDs.... updated regularly either warm up set and peak time, or old style set and new style.... just basically showing I can do variation.... also full colour artwork on all
- business cards
- List of quotes from various emails, forum posts etc that I've received about my mixes - always useful to show that people actually like you....after all they are teh ones who will be giving their money over to the promotor!
Once its finished I'll put some up for people to see. In teh meantime, for inspiration, head over to http://www.sparkleproductions.freeserve.co.uk/ for more ideas!!! Sparkle are one of THE DJ Agencies, and handle a huge number of top dance and hard dance DJs
Matthew aka DJ Underloop
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"We don't stop playing because we grow old;
we grow old because we stop playing."
- George Bernard Shaw
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Garry T
Junior Member
United Kingdom
98 posts
Joined: Sep, 2003
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Posted - 2004/11/11 : 12:39:48
For anyone reading this and think what a load of rambling think again....
Great advice there
I love it when I get handed/sent a demo with no writing on, nothing at all, not even a little on the cd......it goes in the bin soz but if the sender makes no effort to tell us who its from then............
or I will write something on it and then give it to someone else (joke  )
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12 Nov Fruitclub@Brunel rooms
www.choons.net
www.tiltedrecordings.co.uk
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_____________________
www.clubjellybeanz.co.uk
1 May HTID Ministry
29 May HTID v Hardcore Heaven
10 June Raveheart Swindon
www.choons.net
www.tiltedrecordings.co.uk
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Edited by - Garry T on 2004/11/11 12:50:26 |
mr bishi
Advanced Member
Ireland
874 posts
Joined: Mar, 2002
49 hardcore releases
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Posted - 2004/11/11 : 14:14:24
This is all sound advice, i reckon it should be made a sticky.
Hell hath no fury like a hippo with a machine gun.
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http://www.nioldskool.co.uk
http://www.irishclubbing.net
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dr0p_dead_fred
Banned
Canada
2,154 posts
Joined: Oct, 2003
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Posted - 2004/11/11 : 18:57:58
if you want advice sy has videos
i think theres one for scratching,mixing ect
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it's not all hardcore
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StrifeII
Advanced Member
United Kingdom
2,143 posts
Joined: Mar, 2001
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Posted - 2004/11/11 : 19:17:03
good stuff fr3z3r and underloop, really useful =)
mention somethin about really working on your intros - if its a shit 4/4 tune then noones gonna really care, but play something like CLSM - Takes Me Higher or Faces of Angels then the crowd'll lov eit :)
- Rob / Blasphemy
http://www.dj-blasphemy.com
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