Advice

[chrisshennan]

Hey guys n gals. New member. Wanted to reach out for some advice and see what you think.

Djing bars for 10 years now. Have gone full time (4 nights per week) for the last few years.
My original intention for this was to make music and produce/dj as a career but this hasn't happened yet. (Clubs tours festivals etc)
I've done some production and played a few club events based around that style and the music I really want to play out but it's mostly been bar work.

Now, I'm certainly not complaining about this, but, the bar djing seems to be the money maker while I'm working on the production Side of things.
I'm just wondering if there's any crossover here that I'm not thinking about.

I'm feeling very bored with the same kind of gig now tbh. Maybe I'm stuck in a rut or stuck in my ways but if I played what I really wanted to play in these bars, it would empty them and I'd have no work I guess.

Is anyone else here working full time djing in bars while trying to push the bigger dream of production /djing and releasing records!?

Thanks for reading and looking forward to chatitng

Chris

[Bodega Funk]

Hi !

I would say that just the fact that you're paying the bills with DJ'ing is a huge step in itself. Keep grinding and making moves towards what you really have your heart set on and you'll get there. What's the genre of music you really like to play ?

[chrisshennan]

Hi !

I would say that just the fact that you're paying the bills with DJ'ing is a huge step in itself. Keep grinding and making moves towards what you really have your heart set on and you'll get there. What's the genre of music you really like to play ?

Hey thanks for the reply. I guess it's electronic based. Ppl like Todd Terje /erol alkan /justice/ chemical brothers and similar.
Certainly not the stuff I'd get away with in the bars that I play.

[Dizzle]

i did the same exact thing from 1993-2003. be mindful of your inspiration. creating quality music and fwd movement requires inspiration, hard work and more. nothing like the routine of dullness to kill inspiration. also, if you stay in the bar scene you may get pigeon holed as that type of dj, making it harder to advance what truly inspires you. my advice is focus on where you want to be. let go of what gets in the way.

[mitchiemasha]

It does cause complications when the music you're making isn't the music you're playing. Finding the inspiration to rush finish a track gets harder due to the lack of needing to play it the very next night.

[chrisshennan]

Yeah I'm with you on all this. Did you manage to make headway with anything during that time! Dizzle?

[efinque]

I'm probably not the best person to take advice from but I am/have been in a very similar situation so here are my thoughts, do take them with a grain of salt though..

I believe the fundamental and underlying problem is that the bar/Top 40-scene is very opportunistic in contrast to the underground/club scene which is very individualistic. This causes people of certain age and type to govern them and it's fine as long as you "fit in" the sociological pocket.

For example in your case you can possibly have more power over what people listen to than you might think firsthand, or that people working in the club scene can actually be afraid of losing their hard-earned status and clientele by hiring your kind which is both funny and sad because it's deemed to happen anyway and they could be actually doing harm to themselves by not hiring new artists.

Then again they have very different responsibilities to their fanbase and to them it means risk-taking both on a personal level and regarding the club/label.

I think to some extent working the bar scene earns those wings but you need to use your "underground" roots to create your own niche. Some call this progress, but basically it could just mean you're growing out of your current role.

To put it in a bit harsh way; the people who run established, successful clubs think you lack experience and/or a complete understanding of the genre they represent. This contradicts with the general philosophy of modern electronic dance music but I guess so it's always been (the "our thing"-phenomenon, I have to admit that I hate taking part in conversations like this because I'm presenting a very dystopian, "dirty" side of the business as well as revealing a little about myself on the side but I couldn't resist)

This can mean running your own club night, starting your own label, company etc and networking with likeminded people. I've hosted a few events with little to no success but in the end they were good times (although I do feel bad at times ranting about it here, but oh well..) I'd figure running a club can be socially, culturally and financially very profitable for all parties, especially if you have contacts and a venue to use as a platform for your aspirations.

Then again people never making it to the international "superclubs" and festivals may end up as authors, radio hosts etc in their scene which is a very similar phenomenon as in sports for example (in the bar scene, from the "man in Tabac" you become the "man in the back" so to speak, and there are aspiring people with new ideas and visions to fill your place)

[Dizzle]

This can mean running your own club night, starting your own label, company etc and networking with likeminded people.

good point! there are opportunities depending especially w/ the market you're in (size/age/college/etc.)

Did you manage to make headway with anything during that time! Dizzle?

i eventually got a club to let me have my own night to do as i pleased on wednesdays since i made them money on the weekend. the stuff i was working on wasn't gonna work there so i moved to a bigger city.