Bookworms in the Booth
With the enforced time out of venues, this time is a great opportunity for DJs to learn more about the culture and history we are a part of. I already posted about the multitude of online music documentaries about all aspects of music history. And there are a growing number of music-led podcasts, including some […]
Rob Pursey – Hip Hop Karaoke/Southern Hospitality
Can you tell us a bit about your background, and how you got started in music and DJing, and putting on your own events? I really got started in events just by virtue of having more records than most people, being a total music obsessive and working as a music journalist for Hip Hop Connection […]
DJs – the most versatile workers in the world!
We DJs face an even more uncertain year than we are used to, and that’s working in an already unusually flaky industry! So, I thought I’d explore what transferable skills we might be able to bring to the table if we need to find a way to make ends meet in the time before clubs […]
DJ Tech News Update – Rekordbox 6 and Mixcloud Live
There’s been a couple of recent updates to the world of DJ Tech which are worth covering in the blog. First up, a brand new version of Pioneer Rekordbox is out, version 6. It looks a lot better, with far improved waveforms, but beyond that, this does seem to be a genuinely major update, and […]
Doing Good in a Bad Situation
In the last few years, I have got really into Stoicism – the ancient philosophy of the Stoics, such as Marcus Aurelius, Seneca and Epictetus. One of the themes in their teachings is that adversity is a chance to show character, and develop your good attributes through right action. Well… I didn’t really expect the […]
Martin 2 Smoove
It was my pleasure to get to ask today’s guest a few questions – Eve’s tour DJ, Gumball Rally resident, winner of Best DJ at the London Bar & Club Awards in 2017, and the man who Rihanna called “London’s hottest DJ” – high praise indeed! He’s played all over the world, alongside some of […]
Mixing & Snacking
There are few things that unite the DJ community. But one that definitely does is a love of snacks. Whether in the booth during a long set, or on a journey to a city far away, DJs feel passionate about their snacks of choice. I spoke to a selection to find out what gets their mouths salivating! […]
3 Examples of Livestreaming DJ Set-Ups
DJs love to share their music selections with the world, but circumstances have come together to make this a whole lot trickier in 2020. Today, I’m going to run through my super simple set-up, and speak with two DJs about their approaches to livestreaming, to give an idea of the options. This isn’t going to […]
Beat Battles 2020!
One of the more fun things to emerge from the lockdowns around the world has been the abundance of beat battles between legendary producers from the worlds of hip-hop and R&B. And this weekend ahead (at 9pm EST, Sat 11th April), we have a beat battle that will have hip-hop heads salivating. Two of the […]
Tax – a guide for US DJs!
I don’t know about you guys, but one of my big motivations for becoming a DJ was a desire to avoid getting a “real” job. But what nobody told me was once a year, I would have to do a tax return – a generally confusing, joyless task! Thankfully, there are big-hearted people out there […]