How the trade has changed

[DJWayne]

Speaking for myself here but i cant help but notice how this business has changed over the past 20years i have been in it. These are just general observations and obviously there are exceptions.

Not just the equipment with the advent of DMX etc and moving from vinyl to CD then to MP3 but the whole perception of what a DJ is.

Most of my mates are DJ's and have been for a long time and it seems the newer DJ's coming up are nowhere near as technically minded as the previous generation. Even down to simple things like making / repairing your own cables the newer breed wouldnt know one ennd of a soldering iron from the other so will just go and buy a new cable rather that attempt a repair. Also where equipment and setups are concerned newer DJ's don't seem to know how their gear works and how to fault find (helped a dj the other night who had plugged the jacks from his speakers into the mixer rather than the amp and couldnt find why it wasnt working). :rolleyes:

When i first started if you wanted new lights you built them (light boxes) there were very few "effect" lights probably the best you could get was a helicopter.

Seems that with the advent of the "bedroom" DJ has sort of mixed things up every tom **** and harry think "hey this is easy i can make money at this" soo buy themselves some cheap gear and have a go. Something not working in your bedroom is inconvenient at someones wedding its a major problem but most i have seen are not equipt to deal with it either with spare equipment or the technical skills to diagnose the problem.

We have all moved on and upgraded our equpment as the years have gone on and we a massive range of lighting and effects which we can chose from which is awesome and audio equipment and amplifiers we wouldnt have dreamed of when humping a citronic thames 2 up a flight of stairs in the 80's.

Maybe its just me but i think there are certian requirements in a DJ that seem to be lacking in some as experience of us "old timers" doesnt seem to be passed down to new DJ's coming up.

What are your thought and of course memories of how disco's and DJ's were and how they have developed now?

[Unnamed Disco]

Interesting thread.

I speak as a relative 'youngster' myself who has made the transition from 'bedroom dj' to 'hobby dj' to 'mobile dj' as it were (now aged 24, been dj'ing in one form or another for 8 years or so).

I do agree (and something I'm rather guilty of) is that, because gear is relatively cheap now it's very easy to replace rather than repair so you don't tend to have the same knowledge or 'how it all works'. I can actually solder and repair (just fixed my backup amp and made some phono/xlr leads for my new Mackies).:)

On the flip side (and only speaking from experience), while some of the 'young djs' may lack a bit of experience there are also some ageing ones who can't cut it.

While there's no substitute for experience (a sentiment I'm sure EVERYONE here will echo) an 'experienced' dj with no enthusiasm and a 'ageing lightboxes and sequencers' setup can also struggle to cut the mustard.:(

I think DJ'ing has to be a love as well as a job for it to work (my opinion, maybe others will argue). I think if you lose enthusiasm to get up, load up, set up and throw yourself into it then it's time to move on.

Sorry for the ramble, just thought it was an interesting debate and I wanted to make the point that not all young people are 'wannabes'.

P.S -I'm actually no-longer an un-named disco but can't figure out how to change it! :bang:

[Vectis]

Successful DJing (well, private functions at least) is 50% passion, 30% ability, 20% gear, IMHO.

Repair & diagnostic skills come under ability; spares and knowing how/when to use them comes under passion.

Here speaketh an old timer who built all his own gear right down to amps and sequencers.

[Dragonfly]

I think thats a pretty good split Vectis mate .

[Unnamed Disco]

Yep, Agreed (Isn't this nice, generations living in harmony).
:)

Unfortunately I'm about still getting the balance right, abilities good (imo), gear's probably a bit too much and my unfailing enthusiam means any money I earn gets spent 3 times over :bang:

P.S - off topic (sorry) but does anyone else use moodbars, I have look at some pictures of you guys setups and haven't spotted any (I know they're a pain to transport!). I just feel I'm the only one in the moodbar-appreciation-society!

[Vectis]

I just feel I'm the only one in the moodbar-appreciation-society!

Looked at them, wondered how on earth I was going to transport them, bought Loopytubes instead :)

[DJWayne]

Like i said there are exceptions these are general observations.

We cant all be good at everything and to prove the point i have a friend who is an excellent DJ with brilliant musical knowledge , reads the crowd well presents the disco perfectly. But when it comes to anytrhing technical he's as thick as 2 short planks which he readily admits so he employs a roadie who is excellent on the technical side of things and if things go wrong problems get solved by the roadie.

[Unnamed Disco]

Too true, when I last gigged with them I was driving a 4x4 and they went from the front (over the passenger seat) to the opposite corner of the boot!

Great effect though and (I believe) much better than ligh:Censored: eens!

[Corabar Steve]

P.S - off topic (sorry) but does anyone else use moodbars, I have look at some pictures of you guys setups and haven't spotted any (I know they're a pain to transport!). I just feel I'm the only one in the moodbar-appreciation-society!

Paul & Paul, Thames Valley Discos & Spirits High both use them

[Spirits High]

Paul & Paul, Thames Valley Discos & Spirits High both use them

I do indeed and I love them, best value for money spend on gear so far
hopefully this link goes to a short video clip of them.

http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/polobloke/?action=view&current=74f71278.pbr

Got them for a bargain as they were clearing the stock room down at Eclipse. Started off using them on their stands but now hang them from the ends of my 4ft stand. Find them "easier" to transport off the stands aswell.

;) apologies for going off topic!

[robbiedj]

Having started in 1970 (yes, most of you weren't even born) I have found 2 major changes.

1. The music has got lighter
I started with vinyl, all those singles and albums weighed a ton. Then the music industry took pity on me as I grew older and gave me cds, smaller and lighter. Now, knowing I need all the help I can get, laptops with external hard discs. All those tracks in a nice small package. Bliss :whistle:

2. The lights have got heavier.
I only needed my "traffic lights" to start with, then an oil effect. Now i need several effects and a DMX controller to please clients who want a varied light show or a single colour used.

You can't win can you! :bang:

[PropellerHeadCase]

Having started DJing in the mid-90s I'm sort of half and half - I've never gotten around to soldering anything though I s'pose I could at a push but I'm reasonably technically proficient at diagnosing faults, EQ methods, etc.

I think the biggest change, even in the thirteen years I've been DJing is in the music, not just what constitutes good retro but what there is to be 'in to' and how narrow a focus it's possible to have if you're a fan...

In the 80s Hip-Hop/Rap was in its infancy and was either 'the cool new pop song' a la Tone Loc and Salt 'n' Pepa or it was roundly ignored 'til later and viewed, in retrospect, as a classic, or just outright ignored by all but the "true fans". Now there are dozens of subgenres of Hip-Hop and Rap - from "Crunk" to "Conscious", and you can't not play hip-hop at most younger parties (it's the new rock'n'roll, yo).

In the early 90s House was in its infancy and the odd song made it to the charts, but it was mostly for in-the-know club-goers - now it's mainstream and has spawned numerous sub-genres, too - from Deep to Hard to Funky and back again, with an Electro twist.

In the mid-90s Trance was in it's infancy and 'Children' (initially called symphonic or dream house, by the pop press at least) was huge. Now you can't move for trance re-makes of old dance songs - and there's even a couple of good ones. And again, lots of sub-genres - Vocal (Pop), Tech, Terror, you name it (or someone else will).


I think one of the biggest changes in the industry has to be the necessity to have skill in moving fluidly between increasingly divergent genres - it's what separates the true mobile DJ from the hobbyist and/or club DJ, I think, as most hobbyists/club DJs like/play only a few genres, but many mobile DJs can play a reasonable set in most popular styles for an hour or more.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

I think one of the biggest changes in the industry has to be the necessity to have skill in moving fluidly between increasingly divergent genres - it's what separates the true mobile DJ from the hobbyist and/or club DJ, I think, as most hobbyists/club DJs like/play only a few genres, but many mobile DJs can play a reasonable set in most popular styles for an hour or more.

I think that is partly true, in that most mobiles will play a lot of genres, but also think it's true that most of them wouldn't know what they are.

Let's be honest, people are making up new genres everyday and most are so close to something else, it makes me wonder why they bother.

Do a poll on here and find out how many people play French house for example, or how many people play grime, or how many know what it is. How many people know which catergory that certain tunes fit into? Not me, that's for sure.

I hear mobile DJs talking about 60s, Motown, 70s disco, new romantic. I don't think I've ever heard one talking about crunk or any of the other numerous 'new' genres talked about.

[Ricesnaps]

Looked at them, wondered how on earth I was going to transport them, bought Loopytubes instead :)

Do you mean these?

http://www.loopylights.com/product_info.php?cPath=52&products_id=266

Liked these for a while - you got any pics of them in action?

[Megamix]

Most crowds I play to are just normal everyday folk who like to hear familiar music from different decades - alas not wanting sophisticated tunes or hard to find 12" remixes. I love all sorts of different types of music which I've never played to an audience...its just nice to slip in that tune that they may have forgotten about and see if it gets a good response.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Most crowds I play to are just normal everyday folk who like to hear familiar music from different decades - alas not wanting sophisticated tunes or hard to find 12" remixes.

That's what I was saying in a round about sort of way.:)

[Vectis]

Do you mean these?

http://www.loopylights.com/product_info.php?cPath=52&products_id=266

Liked these for a while - you got any pics of them in action?

Yep - that's them.

Nope - no video or pics specifically but if I get time over the weekend I'll sort some and get 'em posted.

I like 'em. Use them up the sides of the deckstand to hide all the wires. They also light up the console area, which is cool.

[Have a disco]

Yep, Agreed (Isn't this nice, generations living in harmony).
:)

Unfortunately I'm about still getting the balance right, abilities good (imo), gear's probably a bit too much and my unfailing enthusiam means any money I earn gets spent 3 times over :bang:

P.S - off topic (sorry) but does anyone else use moodbars, I have look at some pictures of you guys setups and haven't spotted any (I know they're a pain to transport!). I just feel I'm the only one in the moodbar-appreciation-society!

Afraid I have a couple of them as well MK 2's but am thinking of getting dmx controller for them as to maximise there potential.

I have almost everything from classic fuzz lights and lightropes still and strobes and of course light boxes to sound activated lighting PSL Gobo stars and Chavet Pizzazes to a modern laser as well I remember using H/H amps and speakers when I started DJing years ago using traffic light floods and a par 32 scanner bank things certainly have changed. I first used vinyl and now use MP3 discs as well as CD Im very reluctant to make that final fling to Laptop or MP3 players.

A certain amount of fun in the humping n grumping has gone thank goodness but it did mean you had to be more careful on what tunes you took for each night customer music taste checking was necessary years ago no good taking all the new tunes if they wanted 70's 80's mainly now I can carry everything in 6 flip cases maximum compared to 8 record cases and they were blooming heavy

[bluishbob]

I can understand what has been said about younger djs, but i must admit that in my few years i have done a huge amount of repairs. I always take a gas soldering iron out on gigs with me and have been known to solder a lead while setting up. I have fixed my smoke machine, a 4gang coloured lamp chasers a speaker and many leads.

I find that with a sevear lack of money it really helps to be able to do these things.