The Passionate DJ Podcast

For Episode 88, we take some time to reach in to the mail bag and see what's going on with you all! Before that (but after a light razzing), @modingo divulges the details of one of his recent gigs, where he played a more modern set for a teenager's Sweet 16 party. Being that Mo is the crotchety old guy that he is (LOL) -- he employed the assistance of his 4 teenagers to help him refine the playlist, which was a learning experience for himself, as well as his kids...not to mention the bonding time, with music as the centerpiece! Through the course of answering emails, comments, and voice mails, we touch on several topics, ranging from penetrating market like Las Vegas, even when you're a working spouse and parent with little time to dedicate to "partying". For another listener, we discuss ways of starting your own event or series, for the sake of establishing some more gigs for yourself, or to help promote a crew you're with or want to be a part of. This listener has a big gig coming up and wants to start moving things in that direction, and get a little more time behind the decks, in front of people, before the "big one"! We also throw around some gear suggestions for a local-to-us listener who is ready to make the switch from a controller to CDJ's, but is questioning whether or not she "needs" the full-on NXS2 setup. (Hint: you don't "need" it, but if you've got the budget for it, we are all admittedly Pioneer fanbois lol) Also, David is being cited! For a college paper, that is. One of our listeners is writing a paper for school, and the highly controversial http://www.passionatedj.com/why-djs-are-not-musicians article caught his eye. It's one of our more "viral" articles, that catches the viral wave, every so often. It's fun when it does, because it's such a polarizing topic, even though the intent of the article is often missed as a lot of people don't get past the title. But, this listener did, and is going to use it as part of a paper! We hope you enjoy Episode 88, but more than that we hope you see just how much we value all of you, the PDJ community, and truly want all of us to become better DJ's, through passion and purpose. So, keep sending in those voicemails, emails, and comments! We love interacting with you!

In Episode 87, the gang is all together and decide to spend this time to just get all caught up with each other. First we recap the 3DMentional show "Another Trip Around the Sun" featuring Sasha. Mad props to @Tony-Desaro and Billy for pulling it off, David for the KILLER direct support role executed with perfection, @Mo-DIngo for the stone cold sentinel-like security duties, and @TripTurlington...well....he danced :-D We also chat about what's next for 3DMentional, and maybe even Trip has a new event in the works. Tony has recently been playing around with a Native Instruments S8, so we poke and prod him a little for his thoughts on that versus the Nexus setup he is more accustomed to playing on. Mo wraps us up by bringing up a friend in Saint Louis that he's been able to help over email, regarding fitness events. As always, leave comments, or hit us up via voicemail...we'd love to hear from (and respond to) you!

In this episode: we take a voicemail about motorized controllers, David discusses how he fits DJing into his “work life”, Mo Dingo tells us about some frustrations at a recent mobile gig, and we discuss the struggles of “lone wolf DJs”. Also... Can you get paid for online DJ mixes? Soundcloud recently announced the expansion of a revenue-sharing program to include “artists who create ‘recorded and live sets, remixes, and other user-generated content.'” Struggles of Lone Wolves: - It’s hard. It’s a lot of work. - Less events to use as examples - Useful feedback is at a premium - The idea factory is a one-man show - Much smaller data pool to base decisions/less crowds to observe - Limited promotional power - Lower chance of having an “in” somewhere - Less social media reach/launch power Tips: - Forge a unique path… blaze a trail - Learn your market & build to suit - Fully realize your ideas and drive them home - … But know when to try new things - Invest in decent portable sound rig (you might have to “go mobile” sometimes) - Know when to buy or hire your way out of something And finally, when you're struggling as a standalone DJ without any help, you can always reach out to your online community... and Passionate DJ is here for you! Ask questions on our show notes, blog posts, SoundCloud... Tweet at djwithpassion Leave us voicemail ... and together, we'll become better DJs through passion and purpose!

In Episode 85, all four of us finally got back together after a few weeks of different issues that kept the crew from getting together. Unfortunately, we had to go dark, last week. @TripTurlington has taken some time off for family responsibilities and David encountered some issues with Audacity while recording on vacation. Ultimately, while we hate it when it happens, we miss episodes from time to time. We hope it doesn't throw anyone's week off, too much. While we will continue to strive for the weekly release schedule, sometimes...life just happens. During the break, @Mo-Dingo attended a Silent Disco in our hometown. We've talked about these, before, and they're not a new concept, but it's a fairly new thing for our area, so we chat with Mo and talk about our perceptions and experiences with Silent Discos. April 1st, amidst all of the pranks, contained some truly sad news for the music community. Ikutaro Kakehashi, the founder of Roland and creator of the TR-808 passed away. We take a moment to honor the passing of the man who spawned a movement within electronic & sample-based instruments, as well as indirectly spawned several genres of music that we all enjoy, today, because of his inventions and innovation. And, lastly, as to the namesake of this episode, we discuss "Another Trip Around The Sun", the birthday party of our very own @Tony-DeSaro, which will feature none other than @SashaOfficial as the headliner. We ask Tony to dive in to a deep conversation about the party, from conception to execution, and every nitty-gritty detail in between. From all of us at PDJ to everyone at 3DMentional, congrats and good luck on what is sure to be a successful show! If you are able/willing to travel for, and would like to attend this show, please feel free to contact us here at Passionate DJ, and we will assist you in getting acquainted with where to stay and eat. :) https://www.facebook.com/events/413550768988235/

Today's episode covers a lot of ground! After David gives some updates on his personal DJ setup (an eBay shipment arrived!) and talks about why he's making those changes, the conversation moves into the realm of 3 and 4-deck mixing. A listener calls in to the show, expressing confusion about the purpose of having more than 2 decks. We discuss some of the reasons people do this (both for utility and for artistic reasons), but ultimately land on the resolution that 2-deck mixing is appropriate for most scenarios. For our main topic, we talk about jaded DJs, and how to prevent burnout. After pointing out several reasons that this can happen (using one of Kilma's articles as a starting point... see link below), David points out some ways that disenchanted DJs can get the magic back: • Know your limits & set realistic goals • Find your groove, and a workflow that works for you • Directly & honestly identify your personal hurdles • Look after yourself and your body • Take breaks • Build strong relationships • Seek inspiration, encouragement (PDJ is always here!) • Pivot. Try something new. Evolve. Kilma's "Warning Signs" Article: https://dontkilmavibe.wordpress.com/2016/04/04/6-warning-signs-that-you-might-be-a-jaded-dj/ Have you ever been a jaded DJ? Did you manage to bring back the "magic"? We would love to know your story. Leave a comment, or better yet, send us a voicemail on PassionateDJ.com. We may feature it on the show!

In today's episode, David dedicates some time to those who are undecided about becoming a DJ (or, continuing to be one). How does one know if DJing is a good fit for them, and their lifestyle? It's not always sunshine and rainbows; there are some important considerations when deciding to actively pursue DJing as a "career" of sorts. David goes over the following questions, which one can ask to help understand what it means to become a DJ: Are you a creative person? Are you willing to be in the public spotlight? Are you thick-skinned? Are you disciplined/a self-starter? (This takes initiative, regular attention, motivation…) Do you have time? (See "Advice for Busy DJs with Day Jobs", Episode 62) Do you have the energy, physically & creatively? Can you keep your ego in check? How social are you? Are you persistent? (Can you work hard, even when it sucks?) Are you a patient person? (DJ careers are a slow-burn.) Are you willing to learn / open-minded? Do you take yourself too seriously? Can you leave your comfort zone? (See Episode 57, "Comfort Zone") Do you have passion? (That can help you power through anything else on this list)

In this week's episode, we check in on Trip and his fresh conversion to the Mac platform. After several months of Windows issues, he decided it was time to give the Apple platform a try. The core of this week's topic, however, is approaching an early episode of the podcast with a modern, twist. A "remix", if you will. Now that we have a different platform, and more ideas, opinions, and experiences to draw from, we thought it would be beneficial to ourselves, and our audience, to revisit some of those earlier topics. Some of the points we rehash from Episode 2: -- Working Hard -- Taking Care of Your Ambassadors -- Scarcity -- Adding Perceived Value -- Leveraging Your Connections -- Work Speak -- Being Quality-Focused -- Exceed Expectations -- Reward Your Supporters What experiences have you had with creating buzz, instead of hype?

For Episode 81, the guys report back after spending the day at the Dayton Record Fair, digging through tons of crates of records and hanging with other DJs and vinyl purists. While @TripTurlington and @Tony-DeSaro exercised a little more restraint and didn't purchase anything, David and @MoDingo picked up more than enough to share. Before we get to the track listing for this episode, however, we also touched base with @Tony-DeSaro, who is planning his birthday party in April. And, he announces the headliner for the event, which is none other than one of the iconic DJs that got Tony in to EDM, to begin with: @SashaOfficial! The track listing for this week's episode: Craig Mack - "Flava in Ya Ear" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMbELEUfmIA) Gap Band - "Party Train" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bACKLW19XdE) Slave - multiple selections from "The Concept" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFtlqyq34oo) Cameo - "Word Up" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZjAantupsA) & "Candy" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sn8KYD1Vco0) Select breaks from "All the Breaks Vol 1 & Vol 2" (https://www.discogs.com/Various-All-The-Breaks-Vol-1/release/3551016) Ton Loc - "Loc'ed After Dark" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2lHi9alZPM) Prince & Sheena Easton - "You Got the Look" (http://www.mojvideo.com/video-prince-ft-sheena-easton-u-got-the-look/0095e502deb08bfa0323) And, as a bonus to celebrate the upcoming 3DMentional show with Sasha, @TripTurlington closes out the show with his 2003 remix of Sasha's "Wavy Gravy" from Airdrawn Dagger, as it appears on Trip's 2003 mix entitled "EclectiK" under his Digital PsyKosis moniker. If you'd like to check out the full mix, it's available on Trip's Mixcloud at: https://www.mixcloud.com/tripturlington/trip-turlington-as-digital-psykosis-2003-eclectik-demo/

For Episode 80, we return to the Pick 3 format! Only this time, it is David's turn to be invaded! First up: @MoDingo pulls DJ Lima & Evanz D's "A Fresh Mood"...a fresh and funky house jam with lots of cool bassline movement, horn stabs, and filtered disco samples that had the crew bouncing in their chairs. (https://www.discogs.com/DJ-Lima-Evanz-D-A-Fresh-Mood/release/5649606) Next, @TripTurlington pulls The Mystery's 2002 supersaw trance giant "Devotion". This gets the guys reminiscing about the late 90's / early 2000's rave scene. A few tears may, or may not, have been shed. We cannot confirm nor deny. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkIK1uYB0Gc) Finally, @Tony-DeSaro pulls Busta Rhymes' "Do My Thing" that strikes up lots of conversation about Busta Rhymes' upcoming during the 90's hip hop era, the unique drum and bass remixes on this 12", and crate digging in thrift stores. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XXDS69iA_s) The guys also answer an email, while Mo reports on his 9 hour gig playing for a Crossfit events, and Trip (once again) laments yet another Windows 10 error (that's 3 in 6 months) that now has him considering coming over to the Mac platform.

In Episode 79, @Mike-Donovan drops in while David, @Tony-DeSaro, @TripTurlington, and @MoDingo reach in to the Passionate DJ mail bag to respond to some of your voicemail and email messages! The guys take a stab at responding to a listener who is looking for more clarification on how to approach making mashups after listening to Episode 23 (https://soundcloud.com/passionatedj/pdj-023-dj-producer-remixer-whats-the-difference). Since it's technically possible to make mashups on the fly using DJ gear, or be more meticulous and create a more polished, finished product with a producer's software tool set, the guys give an array of options that will give anyone more to explore. The next message focuses more on the future of DJ gear, and the producer/DJ versus the DJ/producer phenomena that seems to have blurred many lines over the years, as well as the understanding of what is expected of modern DJ's. Finally, one of our supporters in our hometown shares his challenges with politicking in our local scene, and about levels of gear quality. This is a challenge for a lot of people, even us, as Passionate DJs, so we hope that by addressing this topic for that listener, it helps many of you that may face the same challenges. Keep sending those voicemails and emails! We love receiving them!

View full show notes at http://passionatedj.com/78 In this week's episode, David and the guys finally lock down some time with @Mike-Donovan, the promoter and mastermind behind the Volume: Deep House Fridays event series in Dayton, Ohio. (http://volumedeep.com/) We've made mention of Mike several times on the show. Having come from a rich musical family history, and involved in the prime of the Midwest's mid-late 90's rave scene, Mike makes it easy to define passion. Mike brings a lot to the table, and he’s as passionate about the community he’s trying to help build as he is about the music he loves to share. From his thoughtful and creative visual approach, to his ear for great house music… Mike has found a way to curate a consistent, sophisticated, and fun event series in an intimate setting. Mike has loads of insight and great stories to share: from his early days promoting with @Tony-DeSaro and Dana as Bounce Theory, to releasing mixes through his own Featherweight Music venture, and now educating and entertaining Dayton, Ohio about Deep House through his Volume series. Mike is also responsible for the graphic and branding for Passionate DJ. If you like our look, and you're looking to brand yourself, check out his work at http://thataboycreative.com.

Episode 77 has the guys taking an array of questions to the online oracle known as Google, ranging from the serious to the silly, and even some that you may have never thought to ask anyone, for fear of it being considered a “stupid” question. We start out our episode with a question from a listener, who is new to DJing and wants some advice on how to provide an entertaining soundtrack for her yoga classes. Since our very own Mo Dingo is experienced with DJing Crossfit events, we defer to his expertise and provide suggestions on how she might accomplish this. We then dive into Google to explore the reasons your ears ring after a show, the origin of the “Fresh” scratch sample, who has the largest record collection in the world, the world’s most expensive record player, and much more. For the latter half of the episode, we dig in to the origin of some of the most highly sampled breakbeats of all time in the hip hop genre. We give them a listen, and try to name songs which have the sample. Listen along and try to decide if you can name any tracks which are sampled here!

A lot of people are finding their way in to DJing, these days. Equipment is easier than ever to afford and use, and music is so much more vastly available than at any time in history. Despite this, so many are finding that even though the mechanics and ability to BECOME a DJ have become so much easier, they don't understand WHY THEY'RE NOT GETTING NOTICED. Now, there's potentially as many reasons for this, as there are DJs. But, in our experience, we've seen some patterns, and decided to call them out for Episode 76. 1) Don't let low barriers of entry to DJing make you lazy. Because everyone can be on a similar playing field, in terms of competent equipment and available technology within an obtainable budget range, we MUST have something that sets us apart (aka “Value add”). One of the biggest things that will get you NOT noticed, is being lazy. Respect the hustle, and hustle for your respect. 2) Improper networking and communication techniques are one of the quickest ways to get ignored. (ie, Do NOT spam the hell out of everyone) -- Build up your internet presence, but don’t spam it....treat each message you send as if these are people you are trying to build a relationship with, not just sell them something. 3) However, another major annoyance are hobby DJs that don't respect the business aspect of the club/party/DJ scenes. It's not all about you...there's other people taking huge risks and there's significant money behind it all. By all means, follow through with conflict resolution, when and where it is appropriate. But, if you're a hobbyist DJ, playing with people who make their living by DJing (or some type of supplemental income), don't expect people to bend over backward to make you happy. Just as you are looking for people to do something for you, they are looking for you to do something for them, too. 4) Being jaded, thin skinned, unable to take criticism, and having a big ego. No one likes someone with a chip on their shoulder and self-serving attitudes. Positive self-esteem, a good self-image, confidence, and the like are ok....being a prima donna or diva is NOT. Ultimately, be a part of the community you want to be a part of. 5) Support those who have proven to be worth it to you, your scene, and others. Those you support, tend to support you, back. When you don't support, or come to the shows, you're out of sight. If you're out of sight, you're out of mind. Also, at one point @TripTurlington mentions an article posted by Aaron Simpson, the owner of @SimplifyRecs, where he talks about how to send the perfect demo. He actually gives you a laundry list of things NOT to do, but ends on a positive note, giving some great advice on how to effectively communicate your product in the music industry. Granted, he's talking about producers and sending demo tracks, but it all translates very easily to the DJ & promoter realm. Give it a read! http://www.simplifyrecordings.com/editorial/send-perfect-demo

Full show notes available at http://passionatedj.com/75 Episode 75 is all about two important virtues which many DJs disregard: restraint and patience. Today is a short solo show, where David first discusses the latest happenings in DJ news before getting on to this beefy topic. We live in a world of instant gratification. Everything we do is “now, now, now!” And anything that doesn’t deliver instant gratification is pushed off to the wayside. Technology has done great things for us, but it has also made us impatient. And, like many things, this has affected the way many people approach DJing. Because of things like tempo sync buttons, digital music distribution (legal or otherwise), and ultra-portable all-in-one DJ solutions, it’s super easy to get started in the realm of DJing without “putting in your time” in the way that many people once had to. The warmup DJ has a very specific and, seemingly, obvious job. He is supposed to prepare the room for the headliner… akin to a local band opening for a national act. When we’re talking night clubs, he (or she) is supposed to start getting people interested in what the night will have to offer. The problem is, today’s typical warmup DJ is more concerned about “rocking out” than supporting the night as a whole. They want to play all their banger tracks in the hour or two that they have been given, in order to impress whomever may be listening. The funny thing is, I (along with many DJs and promoters with much more experience than me) am rarely impressed by someone who goes all-out to a room of people who are not quite ready to dance yet. This DJ is impatient in two distinct ways. Firstly, he’s advancing the energy of the night too quickly (how can you find room to ebb-and-flow when you’re already starting at 10?) Secondly, many of them are simply not willing to put the time into their overall DJ career. In other words, they want to be a superstar without merit. You can’t put all the complaints towards the DJ. Promoters are the ones in charge for putting all the puzzle pieces into place. Just as DJs should be curators of music, promoters should be curators of entertainment. Many younger promoters are guilty of trying to jump on whatever trends are hot that particular week, and run with it. Most of them take a half-assed approach, because they think jumping on the latest bandwagon is all they need to do to sustain an audience. This is why most club nights seem fairly “watered down”. A good promoter knows how to pick-and-choose their DJ lineup… not just because of what genre that DJ is known for, but because they know that their values line up. It’s not always the case that well-established promoters will only book well-established DJs… perhaps it’s more accurate to say that they will only book DJs who have proven to them that they know how the timeline of a successful night should look. The best way I know how to describe 99% of today’s DJs and promoters is lazy and functional. You can’t throw a stone without hitting a DJ in the head who is able to mix two tracks together without trainwrecking. But, think of it this way… you also can’t throw a stone without hitting someone in the head that knows how to cook something edible. Does that mean there’s no such thing as a good chef? Today’s technology is already perfectly capable of stringing together a list of songs with gapless playback and perfectly in sync. Give your crowd a reason to have you as their selector. That’s how to stand out in today’s sea of noise. Put in your time, perform your craft with conviction, and be patient. It’s not the only way… just the best one. For the rest of the show notes, please visit http://passionatedj.com/75

HAPPY NEW YEAR! This year has been AMAZING for Passionate DJ, and we never saw it coming! 2016 saw a rebranding, and a shift from the articles and online blog content toward the audio podcast show becoming the main offering. The podcast has seen exponential growth, ever since David changed the format to deliver weekly content and bringing on Trip, Tony, and Mo for round table discussions. We've had some killer interviews, some great shows, and a lot of feedback from you. This week's show is all about how AWESOME this year was for us, so we flashback to some clips of a few of our favorite episodes, check in with former guests and play their voicemails, drop some listener comments, and look forward with some predictions about what we'll see from gear companies and the American dance scene, in general. Each of the guys takes a moment to put forward a resolution to share, as well. What were some of YOUR favorite PDJ moments of 2016? What would you like to see more of, from us, in the future? What are YOUR resolutions for 2017? All of us here on the PassionateDJ.com team are so very thankful for all of you that tune in and listen. It's all of YOU that are making this thing work. We'd literally be talking about this stuff, anyway, so we're glad that it's helping so many of you out there. We learned a lot in 2016, and plan on putting those lessons learned to great use in 2017. There's a lot more in store for this show in the coming year, so stay tuned, share with your friends, and keep on spinning! PS... All of the music you hear in this episode was produced or remixed by @TripTurlington (except for one really obvious one). So, if you like what you hear, give him a follow on his Soundcloud page and support by purchasing his releases on @Base-Industry-Records at Beatport, Juno, Amazon, iTunes, or any of your other favorite digital music distributors. https://www.beatport.com/artist/trip-turlington/476166