Attention Dj's.

Hey all.... Firstly, it's not often i post on BTS, but i do love lurking and reading a lot of the threads, which i feel are 'nicer' and less heated than ATS.

Okay, maybe some of you guys can help me with some research.

I am mainly addressing this to DJ's and live mixers and the like, and would appreciate it if you lovely people could answer some questions for me.


• Why did you choose to become a DJ?

• How long have you been playing live in front of an audience?

• What equipment and why do you currently use and why did you choose that particular set up?

• What major changes have you experienced in regards to the possibilities available to you with available technology?

• Is your equipment specific to your genre, does a certain piece of equipment work especially well with the style of your chosen sound?

• Is there anything available to you (popular software or hardware for example) that is available and you choose not to use? If so, what are your reasons?

• What equipment did you use before and what were the reasons for changing? Where they technical? Social? Were you inspired by another artist for example or did you follow trends in the industry?

• What limitations are imposed (if any) by your current set up?

• What are your thoughts on the science of music technology, do you feel it will hit a limit or has it no boundaries? Where can you see (or more precisely imagine) live music to be in thirty years time?


Thank you for your time and support.

One Love

Mr - L


[edit on 10-11-2008 by mr-lizard]

[edit on 10-11-2008 by mr-lizard]

Originally posted by mr-lizard

Interesting topic and questions. I was a professional DJ for 20 years, having retired last year, and I'll be happy to answer your questions to the best of my ability.

• Why did you choose to become a DJ?

I started going to nightclubs in the summer in the Greek islands when I was 14. I immediately got drawn to the DJ booth. I just loved the way one person could, if he was good at it, bring so much joy to others. I became friends with DJs and they tought me how to mix. By the age of 15 I started doing it for fun. What I would do is when we would all have lunch at the beach is get them fall down drunk. A lot of times they would not be able to get back to town with their motorbikes. Then I would stand in front of the club at 10pm when it was opening. As the DJ was still sleeping the booze off the club owners who were my friends would let me DJ as I was the only one who knew the music and knew how to mix.
My first serious professional gig was in late 1987 at the age of 20. I was in college in Washington DC and was offered a residency at a major club called Fifth Column.

• How long have you been playing live in front of an audience?

Professionally for 20 years until last year.

• What equipment and why do you currently use and why did you choose that particular set up?

For the first 8-10 years I was spinning I had the usual set up at home. Then I got rid of it. That is because I was playing so often (3-4 times a week) that listening to more music at home was becoming overkill. One can burn out very easily in this business, in fact I almost did a couple of times. So I decided to listen to music only when I bought it and when I played it live.

• What major changes have you experienced in regards to the possibilities available to you with available technology?

Well, imagine the changes from 1988 till today. I started out exclusively with 12" records, by the time I quit last year I was using records/mac laptop/mp3s/cds.

• Is your equipment specific to your genre, does a certain piece of equipment work especially well with the style of your chosen sound?

Like I said I did away with my home equipment a while back. The equipment in the clubs varies a lot. One of the jobs of a DJ is to adapt.

• Is there anything available to you (popular software or hardware for example) that is available and you choose not to use? If so, what are your reasons?

Not really, I was never a big "effects" guy but other than that I always enjoyed exploring new technology. Towards the end of my career I was also a club owner so I had to keep in touch with the latest technology so I can provide it to my DJs.

• What equipment did you use before and what were the reasons for changing? Where they technical?

Embracing new technology is always for two reasons. One is does it enhance my product. The second and just as important is practicality. After 13-15 years of shlepping records around the world my back started giving out, a problem that I still have today. So burning music onto cds or storing mp3 in my laptop became invaluable tools towards the end of my career. I do have to say that it was not easy letting go of records. I was very old school in that way and loved to be able to "touch" my music.

• What limitations are imposed (if any) by your current set up?

As I said I have no current set up. When I was active, and if I needed to, clubs would let me use their setup during the day.

• What are your thoughts on the science of music technology, do you feel it will hit a limit or has it no boundaries? Where can you see (or more precisely imagine) live music to be in thirty years time?

The first and most important thing to remember here is that technology is simply a tool, a vehicle for the music to go from your creative mind onto the audience. It is a necessary tool yes, but will never substitute for content. Other than sound quality, the audience doesn't care about how the music gets to their ears. I have seen way too many DJs lose themselves in their gadgets and gimmicks and forget the most fundamental thing, the music.

The second thing is this. When I first started out very few people had decks at home. Kids were still buying drum sets and guitars. The DJ community was indeed very small. As technology became more available and as DJing became more socially glamorous more and more people got into it. By the mid nineties when I lived in London, you couldn't go to a simple birthday party at someone's home without a DJ spinning there. This actually created a lot of resentment from the old school DJs who up until then had a monopoly on the genre simply through their access to the technology. They hated the fact that every kid with a laptop could in essence do what they do. I never saw this as a problem, if one is good at what one does then one doesn't fear the competition. In fact as the technology improved and became more available so did the overall quality of DJs around the world.

Thank you for your time and support.

Not a problem, I love talking about this stuff.
Let me know if you have any other questions.

Btw, if you want to hear one of my last compilations from a year ago, you can download it here: comp 04/07







[edit on 11/10/2008 by schrodingers dog]

Thanks mate...

Anymore takers????

Originally posted by mr-lizard
• Why did you choose to become a DJ?

Hmmm...well, I became a DJ mainly because at the time, it was something I knew I could do, and it was easy money. But, aside from that, I love music...all kinds...and I wanted to bring that to a stage and share it with a crowd, not just one crowd in particular, but many.

• How long have you been playing live in front of an audience?

I first started just months before I turned 17 at an all ages club, so almost 2 years now.

• What equipment and why do you currently use and why did you choose that particular set up?

I had a 32 speaker setup, mainly arrays, I'm still making payments on those, but they are on a different budget from the "me things" that I have. I use a mix of JBL, and Pioneer "tools", and simply JBL speakers. I prefer the 32 speaker setup to ensure that music goes everywhere, now granted I don't always use all 32, but for big parties and such, they're nice to have. No matter what it is electronic-wise, sound, video, whatever...I have to have the best, or high end gadgets...always.

• What major changes have you experienced in regards to the possibilities available to you with available technology?

Hmmm...the only city where I was actually out and about was Rosemont, Illinois, just outside of Chicago, so I can't give you a good answer, sorry.

• Is your equipment specific to your genre, does a certain piece of equipment work especially well with the style of your chosen sound?

It works fine for just about anything, the sound processor has all the streams that I need for almost any kind of music. Still, I would never play opera music on them, that might just be a little TOO annoying, you know?

[quoote]
• Is there anything available to you (popular software or hardware for example) that is available and you choose not to use? If so, what are your reasons?


I tend to use my own made software for any kind of production I do. I like to know exactly what I'm doing, and how the software I'm using works, and that's why I like it. Sure it may not have some of the fancy stuff, but...I don't use the fancy stuff

• What equipment did you use before and what were the reasons for changing? Where they technical? Social? Were you inspired by another artist for example or did you

Before?...ha. I used a cheap-o 2 speaker sound system that was RENTED to me by a local music store. I don't think I need to say why I switched.

• What limitations are imposed (if any) by your current set up?

Hmmm...well for what I do, there aren't many limitations, I know when I first started doing more productive shows, and tried to steam things online, I couldn't, but I tend not to do that anymore.

• What are your thoughts on the science of music technology, do you feel it will hit a limit or has it no boundaries? Where can you see (or more precisely imagine) live music to be in thirty years time?

Music has no limits, and the ability to make music has no limits. There is always going to be something new, as music is a universal language that has infinite possabilities. I don't think that music will ever stop progressing, it has been around since the dawn of time in some way, shape or form...and it will continue until the end.

But...that's just me.