Because Egle Said So

Egle said I should write a new post, and while I'm not always this easily influenced by women, she was right - I should - so, here ya go!

So, while I only have a couple events to write about, I do know of some great articles that I would like to direct you all to for your reading pleasure.

First, maybe we all could use a little more education on WHAT a DJ really is. If you want to read the full article, you can read it here. And if not; here's a rundown on what a DJ is...

A disc jockey (also called DJ, or dee'jay) is an individual who selects and plays prerecorded music for an intended audience. Now this is as basic as you can get. But the job these days goes far beyond just selecting the next song. In fact, these days, radio DJs don't even select the songs to play, that is done by programmers and managers at the radio station, based on algorithyms or something that show the best songs... but I won't get into that...

A Radio DJ simply announces and plays the next song, whatever it may be. They are told to promote the song however the artist wants and if they go against that they could get in trouble, if not fired... A radio DJ is definitely the low-paid sheep of all the types of DJs; working for the man and putting in long hours with little reward. Many people see the likes of the big names, Howard Stern, Opey and Anthony, and many others and look at Radio Disc Jockey as a glorified position, with a lot of attention and tons of money. These big names are exceptions to the rule. The radio DJ is the least glorified position in the station next to the interns.

But a DJ can instantly gain some flexibility and some gratification with just a little skill infront of a live audience. A DJ can take three different routes other than radio, whether it's being a Club DJ, a Turntablist, or a Mobile DJ.

The difference between a Club DJ and a Turntablist is simple, technique. While often these days the two forms of Disc Jockey are mixed, they are indeed separated by the types of music and the typed of audience. The once Club DJ played only disco, which later became house and its subgenres, simply beatmatching or cueing the next track to play, to keep the dancing going. Nowadays, there are tons of different forms of transition between songs, such as cueing, audio mixing, slam, scratch and slam, slip cueing, and simple beat and key matching. All have been pioneered by DJs of the past and are now industry standards. There's the 32 in and out, the blend, the radio fade, and the slam. Club DJ's and turntablists alike have now taken pre-recorded music and turned them into compositions of their own. While a club DJ is more about playing the music for a dancefloor, a Turtablist is more about the show. A Turntablist is all about the skills behind the decks, the scratching, the tricks. Dancing is only a biproduct of the performance they put on, turning the turntable from a simple record player, into an instrument itself.

The Mobile DJ is the middle ground between the radio and club DJs.

While the the other two types are about skill, technique, and talent - all that is required as a mobile DJ is an ear for the best music. The typical dancefloor will stay packed as long as the next song is a little better than the last. Beatmatching and scratching and so on are not necessary for a mobile DJ, but more to the effect of formatting and programing are the major points they must focus upon. Every week, they have to change their style to meet the needs of the client they are working for. They have to change their genres, carry whole libraries of the best music, and most of the hard to find stuff so they can put on full productions. The advantage is, Mobile DJs are indeed the highest paid on average. A good mobile business can drag in $1000 to $5000 an event, even lower class DJs or freelanced mobile DJs can start at $700. Times that by 40 to 60 events a year and that could mean a decent yearly salary.

So the DJ has many faces these days. OK, that's enough education for one day class.

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This weekend is gonna be tough. I have off Thursday and Friday, where thursday I'll be spending the day cleaning for my party Friday, getting everything finalized for my Saturday event, and buying neccessary food and drink items. Friday, will be setting up, cooking, preparing beverages and all the details. I'm hosting a Cinco de Mayo party at my house. A big one. One that will be kinda like the Trio's debut performance as well. The Trio: Me - JPhoenix, DJ CoolStylz, and K.I.D. the DJ. Me, Adrian, and Juan. All of us specialize in something a little different, myself being the biggest difference because I play house and trance. But together we can throw down a major bash and that's just what I plan on having. A Bash.