Loco Dice Interview | How I Play

In Sickness and in Health: MEOKO Investigates the Pitfalls of the DJ Lifestyle...

Something that's become more and more apparent as we've interviewed more and more DJs is the effect that their lifestyle can have on their health. As the global DJ culture as we know it now is still a relatively new phenomenon there isn't really much insight into the side effects of what they do. Now this may sound a little bit exagerrated in comparison to the risks taken by say, someone who works in a dangerous industrial environment, but all the same this is something that MEOKO thought would be interesting to look at.

There are many factors to a DJ's job that can have an adverse effect on their health and we thought it would be helpful to speak to an expert from the NHS to get the inside track on how touring and living life to excess can be detrimental. As much as it's an amazing job to be able to travel the world playing music to people week in, week out, there are some health implications to consider and we think everyone has a responsibility to realise this and take action where necessary.

So here it is... by no means a call to DJs to stop what they're doing, just an insightful overview of how different factors of their job can affect their health.

Lack of sleep:

Staying up late and waking up early, or not even sleeping at all for days at a time is pretty much par for the course in many circles. Whether the DJ is travelling constantly, hitting after-parties or up all night in the studio working on new music, lack of sleep is probably one of the most common problems in the DJ world. As well as the typical inability to focus, reduction in motor skills and increased irritability, lack of sleep can also lead to depression. Of course, one can become conditioned to a lack of sleep, although it's not ideal.

Jacqui Jedrzejewski, a Senior Nurse at the NHS, says: “The fatigue caused by not getting any sleep can affect your mood and create problems within your personal relationships and work environment. The average adult needs between seven to nine hours sleep per night, without this it can become difficult to function normally during the day – one can become irritable and unable to concentrate. Extreme fatigue also opens one up to danger, for instance many road traffic accidents are linked to overtired drivers. Having 10 hours sleep in bed on one night a week may not even be enough to cure the negative effects of chronic sleep restriction. Recovery from sustained sleep restriction may require even more sleep during one night or multiple nights of extended sleep. Adequate recovery sleep duration is important for coping with the effects of chronic sleep restriction on the brain."

Constant touring:

Linked to lack of sleep – the constant touring endured by many of today's DJs can have a overriding effect on their health and state of mind. It goes without saying that travelling from one time zone to the next constantly, with little sleep, hungover or on a comedown – jet-lagged and rundown – is really not good for anyone. The short space of time spent in each location means the body never really adapts to the different time zones, leaving it in a state of limbo. But touring has become a big (and lucrative) part of DJ culture, as many of the best known names from today's generation and older stars too, get booked to play the world over.

In some cases, superstar DJs have been travelling around the globe for close to two decades. Our health expert offered some insight: “Jet lag and the effect of moving from one time zone to another can have wide-ranging effects on an individual's physical and mental wellbeing. From being simply drowsy and confused to affecting one's bowels, urine production, digestion and blood pressure. One of the best ways to at least get your body used to the new time zone you arrive in is to spend time out in the daylight, which helps to adjust your body clock a lot quicker.”

Alcohol consumption:

At pretty much any event a DJ attends there will be a pile of free booze laid on by the promoter who has hired them, as we all know the bigger stars can demand what they like on their very own rider. Bottles of vodka, champagne, rum, whisky, beers... whatever they like, anything to lubricate the creative process and get them amped up for the night. In this kind of environment it's very easy to get carried away and drink to excess – if this is happening more than two or three nights a week, then eventually one's health is really going to suffer. The effects of excessive drinking are well documented – liver disease being one of the most common alcohol-related illnesses.

Our health expert Jacqui Jedrzejewski says: “Men should not regularly drink more than 3 to 4 units of alcohol a day, that's equal to three bottles of regular strength beer or two double vodkas for instance. If you had a heavy drinking session, you should really avoid alcohol for 48 hours afterwards – hair of the dog may make you feel better in the short-term, you might think, but long-term it's really not a good idea. Asserting a degree of control over your alcohol consumption may not be easy, but it will benefit your health massively if you can get a handle on things.”

Drug use:

Although it's rarely spoken about, most people associated with dance music would quietly admit that drug use is pretty common. That's not to say that everyone that plays or listens to the music does drugs, but a large percentage do and it would be ignorant to pretend otherwise. For the purposes of this piece, I thought it would be necessary to explore every possible factor/extreme – and drug use is one of them. Constant and excessive drug use has many effects, from anxiety and paranoia through to memory problems, depression and even damage to one's internal organs.

Our NHS spokesperson adds: “The long-term effects of using recreational drugs on a regular basis include mental health issues such as depression, anxiety and paranoia. The effect on one's state of mind are increased further when combined with lack of sleep and the other factors mentioned in this piece. Physical issues include liver, kidney and heart problems – for instance, coke and amphetamines cause increased stress to the heart.”

She added: What should you do if you feel that you may have an issue with substance abuse?

l Speak up! Share your concerns with someone you trust such as your GP or a therapist who is experienced in helping people with substance abuse issues.

l Get help! If you do not know where to turn for help then a simple Internet search will help you connect you with agencies which specialise in substance abuse treatment and management.

l Act now! Addiction will worsen and become more severe over time if left untreated. In extreme addiction cases the result can be severe physical or mental health issues, or even death.

Back issues:

Back problems have been a common factor within the DJ world for quite some time. Going back to the days when vinyl was the only medium DJs used to play their music, carrying their record bags around to gigs of course put quite a strain on their backs. Nowadays lack of exercise, being constantly sat down on flights and being hunched over the decks also contribute to the condition of their backs. Steve Bug andHeidi are two notable sufferers of back troubles in the DJ world, among many others.

According to our expert: “Back problems are common the world over and in many different areas of employment. Life in the modern world for many means that lack of exercise and being sat in a bad position all day are commonplace. It takes very little time to build up the core muscles in one's back, simple daily exercises (which you can find online) can be executed in many locations, even while on the move. By making these exercises part of your daily routine you can work towards strengthening your back and avoiding long-term ailments.”

Tinnitus:

Another hugely common, and inevitably unavoidable consequence of the DJ lifestyle is tinnitus. From the loudness of the monitor speakers in the DJ booth, to just being in a club environment on a regular basis and, for the producers, the studio environment too. Being at such close proximity to high volumes emitting from some of the world's loudest sound systems all the time, with the added pressure on the eardrums from headphones and, occasionally, really badly EQ'd systems can leave many with ringing ears. In serious cases this becomes such an imposing problem that there is almost no alternative but to quit the music business. There is no cure for tinnitus, though it can be alleviated through sound therapy and cognitive behavioural therapy.

Jacqui says: “It goes without saying that one of the most important methods of protecting one's hearing is via earplugs. In a world where your hearing is paramount, DJs must take responsibility for this by protecting their ears with the necessary implements. Working in the world they do means constant exposure to high levels of volume and they must counteract this with adequate protection.”

Lack of exercise:

Aside from bopping away behind the decks and maybe making a dash to catch their next flight, there really isn't a lot of time for exercise in the average touring DJ's day-to-day calendar. Lack of exercise can lead to the aforementioned back issues, but also a wider range of problems, fromheart disease, to being overweight, lethargy and general poor health. Linked to this is a poor diet, which can also be part of a DJ's lifestyle – aside from the pre-club dinners that promoters sometimes organise, the poor food on offer at airports/on planes and other fast food outlets and so on means that they often miss out on the good nutrition of a healthy diet.

Our health expert says: “Exercise and eating well are two of the most important factors in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Though many people lead a very busy lifestyle, DJs in particular, it's not actually that difficult to squeeze in 10-minutes of exercise into one's daily routine. This can be hugely beneficial, especially when on the road constantly. Likewise, eating well and having a balanced diet - including lots of fruit and vegetables – is also not as difficult as you might imagine, it's all about being more aware of what you eat and trying to avoid fatty, unhealthy meals.”

Depression/stress of fame:

Life on the road isn't always one big party from beginning to end, often DJs end up in their hotel rooms isolated and alone. They can become isolated from friends who don't understand the life they lead, or thebreakdown of personal relationships through long distance/always being away from each other and, with the combined effects of many of the factors already discussed in this piece, can sometimes end up suffering from depression. Likewise the pressure of fame, being constantly in the public eye or in demand from fans can provoke anxiety and stress.

Jacqui says: “The effects of depression range from lasting feelings of sadness and hopelessness to losing interest in the things you used to enjoy and feeling tearful or on edge constantly. Becoming isolated from friends, or the world in general and feeling alone or misunderstood can quickly lead to depression. There can be physical symptoms too - such as feeling constantly tired, insomnia, having no appetite or sex drive and complaining of various aches and pains.”

As I said before, the lifestyle of a DJ is a dream come true for many, and many don't live their lives too excessively either. The aim of this piece was simply to look at some of the health issues that can arise from this life they lead and, hopefully, help some of them to avoid serious long-term repercussions. 

By Marcus Barnes

Article sourced from: Meoko

Native Instruments hosts Traktor Cookery School @ ADE

Beatport and Native Instruments have teamed up for a series of ADE events called Traktor Cookery School.

Traktor Cookery School will ask influential artists and industry figures to prepare their favorite dish for a small group of conference delegates. The guest chef will say a few words about his or her dish, and also share some insights on music and digital DJing. Guest chefs won't be announced until the day of the event (via a notice board outside the building), but those locked in for the week include Francois K, Loco Dice,Blond:ish, Daniel Miller, Ann and Tony Andrews of Funktion One, Native Instruments CEO Daniel Haver and Elliot Shaw from DC-10. Each event will also have a variety of Native Instruments products on display and product specialists on hand to explain them.

The sessions will take place next door to The Dylan, where much of ADE's other events will take place. Entrance is free to conference attendees but capacity is very limited. If you're not about for the event, RA will be providing regular updates viaTwitter and Facebook.

Steffi talks on the art of DJing

The Dutch DJ/producer/Panorama Bar resident appears in the latest AllSaints Basement Session video, discussing the finer points of her DJing among other topics.

Steffi interview - AllSaints Basement Sessions from AllSaints Spitalfields on Vimeo.

DJ Mag To Bust Cheaters Of This Year’s Top 100 Poll

Article sourced from: http://www.djtechtools.com/2012/07/31/dj-mag-busting-cheaters-top-100-pol/

In the past we’ve seen DJ Mag’s Top 100 DJs Poll as an easily manipulatable popularity contest – but the team over at the magazine this year are getting ruthless. After a listing on eBay Italy was passed around the internet purporting to sell votes in the DJ contest, DJ Mag has issued a statement saying they know who’s cheating – and that they plan to expose the cheaters this week. Read on for the full statement!

Last week, on Wednesday 26^th July, it was brought to DJ Mag’s attention that a posting on eBay Italy was claiming to be selling votes in the annual Top 100 DJs poll. This was posted in Italy by somebody trying to discredit the poll, and is no longer active as a live auction bid.

DJ Mag believes that this fake eBay posting was probably done by the same group of people responsible for the video last year that claimed to expose how people could cheat in the poll.

“I view this simply as an attempt to discredit the poll,” said Martin Carvell, Managing Director of DJ Mag. “DJ Mag takes the issue of cheating in the Top 100 DJs poll very seriously. As the guardians of the biggest poll in dance music, we do all we can to eliminate cheating in the poll so as to make this the most authoritative snapshot of a DJ’s popularity and visibility at any one time.”

“Although there were no bids made, there was also nothing to suggest that the person behind the scheme would be able to provide the service he or she was advertising.”

By looking at the back end of the voting system, it’s easy to spot who has been cheating. We are currently investigating a number of DJs with a succession of fraudulent votes, and will be making an announcement on this in due course.

There are a number of DJs that have been caught cheating, and DJ Mag will be naming and shaming them by the end of this week.

[via DJ Mag]

We’ve written about the flaws of the DJ Mag Poll previously, and while it is fundamentally a popularity contest and not connected to quality of performance or skill, it continues to be used as an industry marker of who the most successful DJs are worldwide. It’s impressive that DJ Mag is stepping up to the plate and taking ownership of the authenticity of their poll – but we’d love to see them adopt a system closer to that of Resident Advisor’s top DJ list.

Click on the image above to see the full listing.

Additionally, here’s a screen capture of the original eBay Italy auction, purporting that they can sell the ability to “BECOME A SUPERSTAR DJ”, and promising “No disqualification!” and that “Your image will be clean!”

We’re interested to see who DJ Mag has caught red-handed – do you think it will be any big names vying for a higher spot on the list, or just no-name DJs trying to buy their way on? Discuss in the comments below. 

Henrik Schwarz Video On Live Sets in Ableton

Producer Henrik Schwarz explains how he organizes his live sets in Ableton and how he programmed his Schwarzonator plugin. 

CDR is the platform for the airing of new ideas, works in progress, unreleased songs, remixes and edits in a sound-system oriented environment. Created on laptops, bedroom studios, sampling sequencers and digital multi-tracks, music producers can at last air their productions in a neutral space to a like-minded audience. CDR connects producers, labels, DJs and music lovers- simply for the love of music.



CDR Berlin Workshop HENRIK SCHWARZ (Innervisions) from CDR on Vimeo.

Dennis Ferrer's New Group: NeuWave Renegades

I saw this article over at Resident Advisor. I wanted to see what you guys thought about it, if you thought it would work and whether you think these guys still have a grasp on our music?

Feel free to hit me up and let me know what you think on Twitter (At_One), on Facebook or in the comments box below.......

Objektivity founder Dennis Ferrer is launching a new collective with The Martinez Brothers called Neuwave Renegades.

According to Ferrer, the "crew" will both DJ and produce as a team. Friends of the family like Kerri Chandler and Andre Hommen will occasionally join in on the fun, but Ferrer and the Martinez Brothers are the core NeuWave Renegades. The outfit already has a 12-inch in the pipeline for later this year, will play their first round of gigs under the new banner this weekend in Italy, Switzerland and Amsterdam, followed by a party in Miami next month during Ultra week. Chatting just minutes after checking into his hotel in Milan, Ferrer gave us the rest of the scoop over the phone this morning:

Give me a rundown of the idea behind Neuwave Renegades.

Well, I grew up in the B-boy kinda days. I saw all these crews in the scene, and I wanted to do a crew. Right now, everyone in our camp is like a family. So we thought, "look, we should make a whole crew, make it something kinda interesting." It's like a hip-hop crew, but house. It's a collective.

What makes the group work?

We've got youth, and we've got experience. It's a nice combination. The boys [Martinez Brothers] are young, they bring a young crowd. I'm a bit older, I bring a different crowd. So that's what makes it interesting–in one big place we've got everybody. It's not just teenagers or just 40-year-olds. When you're 18, you don't wanna hang out in a club with 40-year-olds, it's just whack, no matter how people try to portray it, it's whack. So yeah, we wanna get everybody together and just hang.

I saw Anthony Parasole and DJ Qu are playing your party in Miami. How are they involved in this?

Anthony and Dj Qu are a different crew, they got their own thing going on, but I think they fit with what we're doing. They're not part of Neuwave Renegades, but they make a good addition. It's rare in New York to find other people feeling the same way we do, as far as bigger DJs go.

What can you tell me about the residency in Ibiza?

It's gonna be incredible, I don't know if I can really discuss that though. [laughs]

What's behind the name Neuwave Renegades?

It kinda reminded me of the Planet Rock days, when you had Planet Patrol, Renegade Soundwave... in New York I feel like we're kinda the renegades. We're not the usual suspects in New York. We're not full on techno, or the full on soulful crowd, we're neither nor, we're in the middle. We're kind of a new wave, but not "new wave" like the punk rock thing, so I decided to give tribute to the German band Neu, and made it Neuwave. We're not trying to fit into anybody's mold, we're just Neu!

Will you guys make records as Neuwave Renegades?

Yeah, Neuwave Renegades is gonna be a moniker for recordings too. It's a full-on project.

So will each record be you, the Martinez Brothers, Kerri and Andre?

It'll be whoever is available at the time. It's interchangeable–that's the cool thing about it. At the parties, it might be the brothers, it might be me, you don't know what the fuck you're gonna get. It's not about the individual, its about the concept, kinda like Body and Soul, you know, back in the day. Or like Underground Resistance, with them you never knew who the fuck was gonna be there that night, it's just UR!

What's the first release going to be?

We got one we're working on called 40 Deuce, and some other shit... there are no titles yet but the hard drive is fuckin' full.

Pioneer's DDJ controller in action

By their own admission the audio is a bit rough, but this video shot by Skratchworx at last weekend's NAMM conference does at least give a pretty good overview of what the new pioneer controller looks and feels like.

NAMM 2011 - Pioneer DDJ Controllers from skratchworx on Vimeo.

Download Mathias Shaffhäuser's live album

The idea for “In Concert” goes back to my first concerts in 2008 when I realized that this concept would just have to be recorded one day – it was such great fun right from the start and in this techno house circus I dare say, this is rather unheard of. Especially, however, because I gradually added more and more vocals and instruments to the set (a bluesharp, a melodica and percussion), which led to ever more specialized versions.

Around 70% of the concert you can listen to here was recorded at the club “Ilses Erika” in Leipzig, where I performed as part of the Popup Festival 2010. Some bits and tracks are taken from live gigs at the Zenzi Club in Mumbai (India), Maria am Ufer in Berlin and from the Suxul club in Ingolstadt. They were chosen simply because there was something special to them or because the Leipzig recording had dropouts or other little glitches that needed to be replaced. Other than that, there are no additional overdubs or corrections; the club vibe and the slightly rough sound were to stay intact. Only the vocals on “Confusion / Hey Little Girl” have been doubled as I couldn’t find a single recording on which my voice was loud enough. But even here, it was done without the usual studio tricks.

Under “free download” on the website you can not only find the entire live album, but also a pretty little make-it-yourself CD booklet for those who like to stick something on their shelf they can actually touch.

Along with this free album, Ware releases “In Concert EP 1” with an alternative live version of “Lost In The Pile / Well”, a one-track medley that I released with Alex Smoke in 2009, and the old blues piece “Well (Baby Please Don’t Go)”. In addition to my live version there are remixes by the Cologne-Berlin techno super gang Brandt/Brauer/Frick, Paulice from Argentina (Adjunct Rec.) and by Pedramovich (Mixed In Sheffield Rec.). In March, look forward to “In Concert EP 2” with a new version of “Nice To Meet You” and several remixes by Markus Guentner and others. Links to the shops where you can purchase these EPs are listed under “buy”.

And now: enjoy the music.
Mathias


Besides rocking the computer,
Mathias performs live on track...

01 lead vocals and keyboards
02 backing vacals and piano
03 lead vocals and small shaker
04 bass syntheziser
05 girly vocals and blues harp
06 big shaker and toy melodica
07 lead vocals
08 spoken words
09 tambourine + yeah yeahs
10 lead + dubbed vocals + keyboard
11 lead vocal

Tracklist

01 „Nice To Meet You“
feat. elements of „Graupause“
00:00:00 – 00:06:04 h

02 “m².02.02”
M. Schaffhäuser Remix (original version by m²);
feat. elements of “BeBobDeLuxe”
00:06:04 – 00:13:41 h

03 “Life”
00:13:41 – 00:21:00 h

04 “Syntagma”
(Original version by M. Schaffhäuser & Ziggy Kinder)
00:21:00 – 00:25:32 h

05 “Mönk Mönk”
00:25:32 – 00:28:56 h

06 “No Reduction”
M. Schaffhäuser Remix
(original version by [A]pendics.Shuffle)
00:28:56 – 00:36:11 h

07 “Lost In The Pile / Well (Baby Please Don’t Go)”
(original version by M. Schaffhäuser & Alex Smoke)
00:36:11 – 00:44:22 h

08 “Gott ist tot”
00:44:22 – 00:50:34 h

09 “Miles Over Zero”
00:50:34 – 01:00:16 h

10 “Confusion”
(original version by M. Schaffhäuser & Markus Guentner);
feat. “Hey Little Girl” and “Epitaph”
01:00:16 – 01:07:57 h

11 “Coincidance”
Trentemøller Remix;
feat. elements of “Truthology”
01:07:57 – 01:14:25 h

Download Mathias Shaffhäuser's live album

7 Tell-Tale Signs You DJ or Love Music....

For every DJ actually out there playing sets in front of an audience, there are 10 who only do it at home. What’s more, there are 100 who really want to do it but haven’t got around to starting yet. One of the reasons is that many people simply wonder whether they’ve got what it takes to be a DJ.

So if you’re one of those who isn’t DJing in public yet, or has yet to build up the courage to start at all, and you’ve ever wondered if you’ve got what it takes, read on. The good news is that it’s easy to spot whether you’ve got the right stuff to one day make a great DJ. Here are some tell-tale signs that you’ve “got the music in you”. See how many apply to you, and check your score at the end…



How many of these situations describe you?


1. Whenever you move house, the first thing you do is set up your music system
Find a socket, get the speakers out, wire everything up, select the first tunes to listen to in your new place, and let the music help you unload and unpack everything else. Moving into a new home with your stereo in a cardboard box in the corner, silent? Unthinkable.

Why it matters: You’re passionate about music. You need it in your life at important times. It’s cool to have music on. All DJs share this intensity – they need it in order to hear enough tunes to be a step ahead of their audiences.

2. You can’t just “let the music play”
You can’t simply passively enjoy music – you’re there on the volume control, or adding things to the playlist, rearranging and shuffling, plotting a path through your listening rather than just letting someone else’s pre-arranged order do for you. And that includes when you’re in the car!

Moving into a new home with your stereo in a cardboard box in the corner, silent? Unthinkable.

Why it matters: DJs don’t just play music, they manipulate it and programme it, they build suspense then release it, they react to what’s going on around them by adapting the soundtrack. You don’t need DJ equipment to do it – just an awareness of what you want to hear next.

3. You find yourself saying “this sounds just like…”
You simply can’t listen to the radio or watch a music show on TV without saying: “Well, it’s obvious Katy Perry’s been listening to Kei$ha a bit too much recently!” or some other arch comment.

Why it matters: All great DJs make musical links and leaps, often surprising ones, in their sets. Being able to pair up records and see influences across artists, genres, even decades, is a big part of DJing.

4. You prefer to listen to your music within earshot of other people
Whether it means keeping your bedroom door open, or your window, or cranking it up so the neighbours can hear, you just don’t want to keep that music to yourself!

Why it matters: DJs are not so much interested in what they happen to like per se, but rather in what other people think of what they like. They feel a need to express who they are through the music, and they get addicted to the acceptance they get from playing “their” tunes to other people.

5. You retreat into music when you’re emotional
If things go against you, someone hurts you, or you’re just having a bad day, your instinctive reaction is to get the tune that says it to you (and you know which one it is, too) and smother yourself in it – loud.

Why it matters: DJs know the power of music to change, reflect and build people’s moods, and they harness its mood-changing potential in their DJ sets. They’ve learned because they know the effect it has on them.

6. You forget what someone’s saying to you when a tune comes on that you like
No matter how important the conversation or how much you want to be involved in it, as soon as a song, riff, vocal or melody you either know and love, or haven’t heard before but that interests you, comes on in the background, you find yourself locking onto that instead!

DJing isn’t 9 to 5, and DJs know that inspiration can come from any snippet of music, snatched from anywhere.

Why it matters: DJing isn’t 9 to 5, and DJs know that inspiration can come from any snippet of music, snatched from anywhere.

What’s worse, once you’ve lost it, you might have lost it forever. Now, what was it you were saying again?

7. You’re always the first to notice when something is played twice
Whether you’re eating out in a restaurant or listening to the radio at work, the minute they play the same song again or the CD in the establishment goes round again, you notice… and then wonder why nobody else ever seems to.

Why it matters: Part of you wants to be DJing right here, right now! You know you can do better than the radio station, you feel slightly angry that this cool bar or great restaurant has such little regard for its musical backdrop that it could let such a thing happen. There’s a drive in you to make the world a better musical place through the simple act of playing records properly.

Happy New Year.... How to get Booked?

Good Morning, Afternoon and Evening. Happy New Year, I have loved my christmas & new years break, now i'm back to knuckling down.

So to start the year I think I will enlighten you all via my pals over at 5 Magazine on how to get Dj bookings, maybe I should heed there advice... lol

The Quickie Guide to Getting DJ Bookings

From CZ's perspective:

1) Have one or 2 mix CDs ready to go. TRACKED. LABELED. One track CDs with magic marker don’t cut it.

2) Have a business card always on hand. The bullshit line “I just ran out of business cards” is on par with “It’s not you it’s me.”

3) In order to get booked, you have to be SEEN. Show up at people’s events, network, socialize. If there’s a night that you would like to play at, then go out and support it. Pay the cover. Buy a drink. Say hello to the promoter (but don’t bug.)

4) Tell the promoter ONCE that you’d love to play for her/him should there ever be an availability. Approach it real laid back without any kind of imposition. Don’t make the promoter uncomfortable with your nagging. If you notice the promoter tiptoeing away from you then you’re being a pestering pablo.

5) Online threats (which we’ve gotten) about having to book you will definitely not put you on the DJ Top 100 list. It’s childish, ghetto and ultimately lazy. No one owes you a gig.

6) Have a Soundcloud page. A Podomatic page. Your own personal DJ website. A press packet. (Spell check please kindly.) The more professional you look, the more on your shit you are, the more equity you have.

7) Have mixes that show your versatility. You may have a certain style, but all of us have a little of this and a little of that in us. You could have a soulful mix, a disco mix, a jacking mix, a classics mix, an electro mashup (oh how that pains me to write that), you get the gist.

We’re fortunate that we’re at an age where anything can be disseminated to thousands and thousands of people via the internet. Get a podcast or a regular show on UStream and slut the hell out of it. Yeah everyone and their mum is doing it but you’d better get in that game because you’ll have a better chance of being noticed instead of sitting at home doing nothing.

9) Facebook and Twitter are your friends.

10) Have friends. Friends that will come and support you when you do get that gig. Because you may be the best DJ in the world but if you play and no one comes to see you, then the promoter may think twice about booking you again.

11) Be good. When you play. Duh. But also have friends. I said that already.

12) There could be a whole host of reasons why a promoter doesn’t book you. Maybe your style just doesn’t suit what they’re looking for. Maybe they have to book a whole bunch of DJs before you. Just keep it moving because you have myriads of options.

13) Patience, patience, patience! So your DJ schedule is a little dry right now, so what? Bang out those mixes, keep at the podcasts, make music, find more contacts, send out those press kits. Spread that net as wide as you can and keep at it!

What won’t get you a gig? Sitting around and complaining about all the reasons why you don’t get booked. Do away with bad skin and be ProActive.

14) Be nice. Assholes are no fun.

15) START YOUR OWN NIGHT. Seriously. So many major DJs have stressed that this is how they eventually made their name. If no one is going to book you, then book yourself! There must be thousands of bars and lounges in london…go online…look in the phonebook…start your own night.