When dinosaurs ruled the earth

[Excalibur]

And some of us had flowing locks, and the physique of a greek god! Things used to be a little different in those days.

1) Amp clipping. Never a problem, it didn't exist. (Of course it did, it's just there were no lights on anything, so you turned everything up to max, and waited for the fire to start!)

2) Amps overheating. Now that was a problem, no fans, just big heatsinks at the back. I've known when we would turn them down or off during the food, to cool them down.

3) Big PA's. Big was 200w stereo! ( and that was a con. It was only 150 watt rms. Total, not per side. ) The standard rig was a 100w (70w rms) MONO amp. You were going upmarket when you got the big stereo amp. I've just recently worked a village hall with 1.5Kw and twenty years ago we used to do it with 70!

4) Speaker stacks. Column speakers, five 8" speakers per cab! Bass response was a tad limited.

5) Background music. When you got cutting edge technology ( A cassette player) you could leave the gear running for 45minutes all on its own.

6) Money. You always had some. Coins. You put them on the arms, to stop the records jumping!

7) Lights. If they flashed , they were mega! We used to have a fit and forget unit. Give it a sound input, a mains supply and you had sound to light. No worries. Until it went quiet, and then total darkness!

8) Gear. You often built it, cos there were very few DJ stores. Biggest one near us in those days was RSC. The high end gear from them was badged FAL.

9) Added attractions. Go Go Dancers. I once saw an entire hall move to the front, to ogle these scantily clad gyrating ladies. Nowadays, most folk seem to bring their own.

Well, young un's what do you reckon to that? In those days we flew by the seat of our pants, and actually worked during the gig, as opposed to just lifting the lid on the laptop.:p

Do any of the other over 21's have memories to share of these halcyon days? Come on chaps, share those reminiscences with us.:D

[Corabar Steve]

I remember, not so long ago at that, doing a regular rock night that involved carrying 4 3ft high speakers (to make 2 6ft stacks) upstairs into a room that my Class Ds would be too loud for now.

Using smoke & a white 4 head helicopter (1 on top of each stack) especially for use during Motorhead's Bomber. (we had 2 multi coloured ones on the floor for other songs)

Not having to worry about the use of strobes (in fact using one so powerful that one gig while the band was on I caused the front 3 rows to stumble around blindly for several minutes)

Arc lines all around the DJ area too (that marked off our kit allright! no need for wussy rope lights with us!)

[Tony Scott]

My first lightshow:

* 2 x hanimex projectors (poor mans tutor2) with oil wheels.

* 1 x theartre light 200w with a red gel over it (this was to light me up coz I was the DJ and the DJ was the attraction, not the kit!)
......AND THAT WAS IT!!!!

My first Sound:

* 2 x BSR belt drive decks in a homemade box. the mixer was 2 potentiometers I scavenged from an old amp and wired up mono, rotary man!!

* Orange 120watt guitar amp head (uesd to control the Bass & Treble on this)

* 2 x WEM column speakers, 2 x 12" + Horn (celestion)

* Phone receiver for headphone.

Those were the days.........or were they? :D

[Excalibur]

My first lightshow:

* 2 x hanimex projectors (poor mans tutor2) with oil wheels.

* 1 x theartre light 200w with a red gel over it (this was to light me up coz I was the DJ and the DJ was the attraction, not the kit!)
......AND THAT WAS IT!!!!

My first Sound:

* 2 x BSR belt drive decks in a homemade box. the mixer was 2 potentiometers I scavenged from an old amp and wired up mono, rotary man!!

* Orange 120watt guitar amp head (uesd to control the Bass & Treble on this)

* 2 x WEM column speakers, 2 x 12" + Horn (celestion)

* Phone receiver for headphone.

Those were the days.........or were they? :D

WEM and ORANGE! You were upmarket!

Decks, remember Garrard I think, the motor armature came apart, glued it back together, off centre, wow and flutter off the scale!

[tonymoss]

Ahhhh yes the memories come flooding back, No deck stand or overhead lighting rig.
My twin deck had a built in amp and light controller so just add a light screen and rope light or a couple of FAL units and i was away.
A lot of venues even put a couple of tables out ready for the dj to set up on.
Most of my gear at the time had been custom made from ply wood or chipboard, have taken many a chunk out of venue door frames with my old chipboard speaker cabinets.
later moved on to a bigger light show by adding a couple of fuzz lights, :D :D

[Excalibur]

Ahhhh yes the memories come flooding back, No deck stand or overhead lighting rig.
My twin deck had a built in amp and light controller so just add a light screen and rope light or a couple of FAL units and i was away.
A lot of venues even put a couple of tables out ready for the dj to set up on.
Most of my gear at the time had been custom made from ply wood or chipboard, have taken many a chunk out of venue door frames with my old chipboard speaker cabinets.
later moved on to a bigger light show by adding a couple of fuzz lights, :D :D

Chipboard speaker cabs! So other people made them as well!

[tonymoss]

No quick fix rcd consumer units in venues, if the power blew, you were in the hands of a bloke with a torch and a reel of fuse wire.

[Excalibur]

No quick fix rcd consumer units in venues, if the power blew, you were in the hands of a bloke with a torch and a reel of fuse wire.

Once had a board fuse blow, and plunge the hall into dakness for ages. Called leccy board, no-one came, so one of the many sparkies in the hall ( lucky or what?) replaced it. "You haven't seen me, right" ;)

[Tony Scott]

WEM and ORANGE! You were upmarket!

Decks, remember Garrard I think, the motor armature came apart, glued it back together, off centre, wow and flutter off the scale!

LOL!.........did love that amp!

Garrard SP25MKII's these were in my 2nd decks, a Citronic Hawaii, Mono deck (awsome bit of kit at the time) :)

[TONYTIGER]

Hi you guys or ill re phrase that you youngesters as none of you are drawing your old age pension yet ,most of your memorys i would guess are from the 70s ,but the real early days were the begining of the 60s in those days there was not one piece of disco gear available you had to make yourself. To give you some idea i used to make my own oil wheels , i also made a bubble machine around 1964 and wait for it a dry ice macine a year later ,lights were old traffic lights turntables were goldring ,speakers were tanoy, amps were leek my mic was a reslo ribbon yeh i know it sounds like a foreign language . I remeber my first job in the Flamingo Club Walldof St Soho ,but there is one bit of gear that we used in those days that has stood the test of time ,you guessed it THE MIRROR BALL even talked about on the forum now. I know some bright spark out there is going to ask how you make a dry ice machine all you need is the following bucket, kettle element,chicken wire,fan,and some hose work it out . Please keep your memorys of the old days coming in to the forum it gives a old pro like me a nice warm feeling TONYTIGER

[Ricesnaps]

Just to really frighten you. My first ever paid for gig:

Maplin mono microphone mixer
Dad's 70's style hi fi
My Alba Midi system
a bookcase from school, board on the back, internals lined with tin foil and cloured bulbs - no front

I think I also brough my dads 30 watt 70's style record player speakers.

Oh how life has changed

[Excalibur]

Hi you guys or ill re phrase that you youngesters as none of you are drawing your old age pension yet ,most of your memorys i would guess are from the 70s ,but the real early days were the begining of the 60s in those days there was not one piece of disco gear available you had to make yourself. To give you some idea i used to make my own oil wheels , i also made a bubble machine around 1964 and wait for it a dry ice macine a year later ,lights were old traffic lights turntables were goldring ,speakers were tanoy, amps were leek my mic was a reslo ribbon yeh i know it sounds like a foreign language . I remeber my first job in the Flamingo Club Walldof St Soho ,but there is one bit of gear that we used in those days that has stood the test of time ,you guessed it THE MIRROR BALL even talked about on the forum now. I know some bright spark out there is going to ask how you make a dry ice machine all you need is the following bucket, kettle element,chicken wire,fan,and some hose work it out . Please keep your memorys of the old days coming in to the forum it gives a old pro like me a nice warm feeling TONYTIGER



Finding some daft :Censored: older than me still doing this job gives ME a nice warm feeling!:D

One of my first amps was a Tandberg, had a fader on front cut music while you used mic. Changing channel was huge push buttons. Used every type of Wharfedale speaker I could get my hands on. First set was built using kit from Comet! Bought chassis turntables, and built a console for them too!

[Excalibur]

Just to really frighten you. My first ever paid for gig:

Maplin mono microphone mixer
Dad's 70's style hi fi
My Alba Midi system
a bookcase from school, board on the back, internals lined with tin foil and cloured bulbs - no front

I think I also brough my dads 30 watt 70's style record player speakers.

Oh how life has changed

Other than the fact that you're far too young for this, that's an exact equivalent to my first. The booking for this went:-

"Who's got the biggest record player?"

Me "That'll be me"

" Can you do the disco then?"

Me "OK"

Contracts? Pah:p

[Corabar Steve]

I remeber my first job in the Flamingo Club Walldof St Soho
Even if you don't remember the address. The Flamingo was on Wardour Street :sj: http://planetsmilies.net/vicious-smiley-1864.gif (http://planetsmilies.net)http://planetsmilies.net/vicious-smiley-1763.gif (http://planetsmilies.net)

[spin mobile disco]

First amp was a 100 watt mono combi amp. H& H I think it was. First lights were 2 spot banks controlled manulay with a weighter rotor switcher (home made casing made from old roadsign) When i say spot banks I do mean the old 40 watt screw fitting bulbs painted varios colors.
Anyone rememeber the old brown cabling we used for everything and the bakelite plugs that shattered all the time?

First lighting stand was a rotory cloths drier turned upside down with hose clips to use for locking positions.

[TONYTIGER]

Even if you don't remember the address. The Flamingo was on Wardour Street :sj: http://planetsmilies.net/vicious-smiley-1864.gif (http://planetsmilies.net)http://planetsmilies.net/vicious-smiley-1763.gif (http://planetsmilies.net)

Yes thats the one ,memory starting to go so many gigs ,so many places, if i ve got it right Georgie Fame and The Blue Flames used to gig there a lot.Have you been there Steve ? TONYTIGER

[Excalibur]

amps were leek TONYTIGER

Bet they were full of pretty glowing things!;)

[Corabar Steve]

Yes thats the one ,memory starting to go so many gigs ,so many places, if i ve got it right Georgie Fame and The Blue Flames used to gig there a lot.Have you been there Steve ? TONYTIGER

I'm not that old!!

I have a keen interest in the Mod / Freakbeat scene from the 60s, so I've read up on a lot of the venues. I used to frequent the Marquee (just up the road from the Flamingo) in the 80s (along with the Intrepid Fox, The Ship & the San Moritz Club)

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Just to really frighten you. My first ever paid for gig:

Maplin mono microphone mixer
Dad's 70's style hi fi
My Alba Midi system
a bookcase from school, board on the back, internals lined with tin foil and cloured bulbs - no front

I think I also brough my dads 30 watt 70's style record player speakers.

Oh how life has changed

Amazing what can happen in a couple of months...:D

[Thames Valley Discos]

Not having playlists and people enjoying whatever you played.
Twin Fal lights that hinged together. Par lights with a motorised gel holder pointed at a mirror ball. Home made speakers with the actual speaker chassis from the Who!
Custom made twin console with built in tape deck and sound to light controller and touch sensitive buttons with an auto mix button( well ahead of its time)
A tunell light(wow i loved that)

[Excalibur]

Not having playlists and people enjoying whatever you played.
Twin Fal lights that hinged together. Par lights with a motorised gel holder pointed at a mirror ball. Home made speakers with the actual speaker chassis from the Who!
Custom made twin console with built in tape deck and sound to light controller and touch sensitive buttons with an auto mix button( well ahead of its time)
A tunell light(wow i loved that)

Ah yes the infinity tunnel. The heaviest effect I ever had to pick up!

[Candybeatdiscos]

And some of us had flowing locks, and the physique of a greek god! Things used to be a little different in those days.

1) Amp clipping. Never a problem, it didn't exist. (Of course it did, it's just there were no lights on anything, so you turned everything up to max, and waited for the fire to start!)

2) Amps overheating. Now that was a problem, no fans, just big heatsinks at the back. I've known when we would turn them down or off during the food, to cool them down.

3) Big PA's. Big was 200w stereo! ( and that was a con. It was only 150 watt rms. Total, not per side. ) The standard rig was a 100w (70w rms) MONO amp. You were going upmarket when you got the big stereo amp. I've just recently worked a village hall with 1.5Kw and twenty years ago we used to do it with 70!

4) Speaker stacks. Column speakers, five 8" speakers per cab! Bass response was a tad limited.

5) Background music. When you got cutting edge technology ( A cassette player) you could leave the gear running for 45minutes all on its own.

6) Money. You always had some. Coins. You put them on the arms, to stop the records jumping!

7) Lights. If they flashed , they were mega! We used to have a fit and forget unit. Give it a sound input, a mains supply and you had sound to light. No worries. Until it went quiet, and then total darkness!

8) Gear. You often built it, cos there were very few DJ stores. Biggest one near us in those days was RSC. The high end gear from them was badged FAL.

9) Added attractions. Go Go Dancers. I once saw an entire hall move to the front, to ogle these scantily clad gyrating ladies. Nowadays, most folk seem to bring their own.

Well, young un's what do you reckon to that? In those days we flew by the seat of our pants, and actually worked during the gig, as opposed to just lifting the lid on the laptop.:p

Do any of the other over 21's have memories to share of these halcyon days? Come on chaps, share those reminiscences with us.:D


Ok you just described my gear lol no wonder i dont get any work in these days lol

[PropellerHeadCase]

I started DJing in the early 90s so the most interesting thing about when I started was that I hired my entire rig for each gig, so it was different every time.