it also seems to be a little misleading. like prepare to play in the nba (famous dj) instead of get a skill (bar/multigenre/mobile dj). you'd be more likely to make a living or make a decent second income from the "skill".
also mastering one doesn't preclude being decent at others.
I think, if you can only play one style, you will probably crap on about taking people on a 'journey through' (what ever your style is).
But I think then, you will listen to all the other 'masters' of that genre and they will be only as good as you. They will take you to the same journey.
I think of every genre and song as a colour on a pallet. Or even a vocabulary. The more you know and understand, the more detail you can add to your story.
Your expression of creation, (even though we are only playing other peoples music). The more detail your picture will be. The more stop off's your journey can have, as opposed to just, playing a Deep House set or a Techno set which, might have different songs, but, ultimately is the same vibe as the Dj before you. Not to say it's a BAD vibe, but why would you just want to repeat it?
^
truth
EXACTLY.Originally Posted by AdrianR
My point in starting this discussion was just to get an idea of where a lot of you stood in regards to branching out to IMPROVE your current specialty genre... Or if you are just contained in your box. Maybe I could have worded it better, but most of you got what i was going for.
I used to be strictly trance, then some years ago I started DJing tech hous. After that I then progressed to techno and ditched the trance and tech house. Now though, I am slowly building up a collection of various sub-genres of house music. Deep house is probably the most numerous, however I just can't seem to mix it. I know practise makes perfect, but no matter how much I do I still fail to sound good. Normal house and tech house I have no problem with though
How are you failing?
there is a saying: he's a jack of all trades but a master of none.
I like being a master of one or two things rather than a jack of all trades. Because when I'm good at something, I'm damn good at it. because I don't spread myself too thin trying to conquor everything in my path.
You forget. We're Dj's. We're only playing other peoples music and now with Sync buttons and everything it's easier than it's ever been. Sometimes too easy!
Being a Dj has taught me one thing, which may sound silly, but, hear me out.
Do the things you hate doing until you can do them well. That way you won't have fear of them and when it comes time to do things you love doing, you'll do them at a much higher standard.
I've played so many genre's that I hate that I can't keep count. A lot of them I've hated. But I played them and with knowledge from other genres, (As well as knowledge from the ones I dislike), I learned to play them in such a way that even I could get jiggy to them. Then, I began to enjoy them for what they were because I knew I could manipulate them into something that works for me. And what works for me, is whatever is working on a dance floor. If people are dancing to it, I love it, and I've made a lot of people dance to some God awful trash before simply because it was played in a way they could enjoy it. That may have included playing other songs from other genre's I dislike before or after it to help create an atmosphere where that music can hold it's own. It may mean, playing it sped up or over a song of a different genre, or sampling parts of it. All kinds of things.
Point is, it's always been difficult but I always got the job done. If I had just stopped at House or Techno or Deep House or Banging Techno... To put it simply, I'd be fucked if I was to play anything outside of that scope. And thing is, I have A LOT of friends who don't see me as a serious club Dj because, that's not their world. But they still ask me to do their private functions when a Dj is needed and out of respect to them, and honour to them, I have to play what THEY want. Which could be Rock, Retro, Hip-Hop, anything. And most times it has to be played along side EDM. If you can't bridge the gap you have missed out on so much EXTRA potential pleasure you could get out of being a Dj.
Anyone can mix two EDM songs together now days, but you have to know how to make each song be it's own using the past and previous
Clashing basslines mostly, but also the tracks just don't seem to sit right when I mix them. I'll keep on practising, maybe I'll get it some day
one style doesn't mean one acceptedly-named subgenre, it means one style. And I'd way rather be the master of that. I'd have no trouble getting gigs, everyone would be ready to be taken into that zone, and I COULD take people on a "journey" in fact better than someone not quite as honed in like that.
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