Pioneer DJ Sold!
But don’t panic – apparently its business as usual at the biggest name in DJ technology!
Japanese company Noritsu has taken on Pioneer DJ, spending $606m on the brand, and buying them from private equity firm KKR (who picked up Pioneer DJ in 2015). Noritsu is best known as a photo-printer manufacturer.
A short statement read…
“Our business, operations, brands, including brand names will not be affected.
We will continue contributing to the music industry with our innovative products and superior service through Pioneer DJ, rekordbox, KUVO, TORAIZ, Pioneer Professional Audio brands.”
Its interesting to imagine how the move from a private equity firm, whose focus seems to have been to reposition the business model of the company and get it better placed in new markets, to a hardware manufacturer will impact the company.
A KKR spokesman said…
“We are proud to have worked with the management team and employees of Pioneer DJ, now AlphaTheta, to assist the business’ growth in key global markets and to accelerate the company’s migration towards a software-subscription model to align with emerging industry trends – all as a standalone company,”
Interesting times ahead for Pioneer DJ!
Read more about their VM-10 mixer here
Coronavirus – COVID-19
Its a well established fact that you can catch several horrible diseases from playing low-quality MP3s in your sets, which is why things like the Heavy Hits Pool are so important for DJs.
But now there is a new risk for DJs, and looks like it is going to impact 2020 in some pretty unprecedented ways.
Ultra Miami and SXSW have been cancelled in the USA. Italy is basically closed for the next few weeks. Events of over 1000 people are banned in France. Football matches have been played behind closed doors, or postponed. Festivals across the world are holding meetings to work out how to proceed, wedding planners are having nervous breakdowns.
Health scares come and go, but this one looks set to be especially damaging, both in human cost, with thousands dead already, and economic, with stock markets around the world in turmoil as traders try to predict what damage this pandemic might cause.
Its therefore a very tough time to be working in the events world – an inherently unpredictable and volatile business at the best of times.
While its true that DJs and events professionals are generally not in the high risk category for dying from coronavirus, the fact is that we can easily act as accelerators for its spread, because of how many people we come into contact with in the course of a weekend, and because of how much we travel. We all have a responsibility to those who are at risk of death or serious ill-health from this virus, and a duty to try to slow the spread, so that health services are not overwhelmed.
So what can you do to make it less likely that you catch, or transmit, coronavirus/COVID-19?
1. WASH YOUR HANDS!!!
A lot. Way more than usual, with soap and water. The water will help rinse the virus off. Soap breaks down the virus and “kills” it, so lather up, and get washing your hands for 20-30 seconds at every opportunity. Wash them the moment you get home, the moment you get to work, the moment you arrive at a venue or restaurant or bar. This is the single best way that you can help yourself, and the people around you, and its so easy. A lot of people have been having fun with Wash Your Lyrics – converting your favourite songs into a helpful guide to time yourself!
2. If you can’t wash your hands – use hand sanitiser.
Ideally, you want 60% alcohol or above to have maximum effectiveness. As DJs, we get a lot of people grabbing our hands for handshakes, and high fiving etc. When that happens – quick bit of sanitiser, clean those hands, carry on. If you can’t get the 60%+ stuff, other sanitiser is better than nothing – but the high alcohol stuff is far more effective. Make sure the sanitiser gets into all the bits of your hands – between the fingers, on the backs, etc etc.
3. Don’t touch your eyes, mouth or nose if your hands aren’t clean
A big way that the virus is transmitted is from it getting on hands (hence all the hand washing!), and then people touching their faces or putting fingers in their mouths or noses. Try as best you can to avoid doing this, unless you know your hands are clean.
4. Disinfectant wipes
Wipe down the decks and mixer before you get started with some decent disinfectant wipes. I was already doing this anyway, because I’ve seen the state of most decks in most club, and they are disgusting! This won’t keep you totally safe, but it will help. Plus the decks won’t be gross. Its not clear whether these products will definitely kill coronavirus, but based on what we know, it seems likely that they will
5. Avoid unnecessary hand contact
Judging from my gigs last weekend, this one ain’t easy. But try to avoid handshakes, high 5s, bro hugs, kissing people hello/goodbye, etc etc. People might think you are being paranoid, but forget that noise. You’re being sensible, and its as much for their benefit as yours. Wave to people, make a joke of it and go for an elbow-boop, whatever works.
6. Cover your mouth with a tissue or your sleeve when you cough/sneeze
Not an easy thing to remember in the middle of a sneeze, but basically this is to help avoid it being spread in the air to people around you and to avoid getting it on to hands, because hands then have a habit of touching everything else (and therefore maybe transmitting to others). Put used tissues in the trash straight away.
If you do find that you have symptoms or you’ve come into contact with someone who has it, and you suspect you might have the virus – don’t go to your doctor, don’t go to a hospital. Pick up the phone, call the relevant helpline for the country you are in, and get the advice from there. They will have the best advice for you, you will minimise the pressure on the health service where you live, and you will reduce the risk of you spreading the virus, or you getting it from somebody else at a hotspot like a hospital. Listen to what medical experts are telling you, listen to what the big medical and scientific institutions are telling you.
Try to be responsible, and see the bigger picture. I personally have had my dream gig next month cancelled – two weeks DJing in Rome. I’m gutted, but I accept the reasons why it had to happen. I doubt it will be the only gig I lose in the next few months. Shouting at promoters who cancel events is not fair on them (they will not want to do this, and will most likely be losing a lot more money than you, having done a lot more work), and will only hurt your future chances of being booked.
It might be that you miss out on some gigs, and for DJs that often means you don’t get paid. Its hard to take when things outside your control hit you like that, but nothing is more important than your health, and the health of those around you. If you don’t have an emergency fund – let this be the event that motivates you to set one up, and put a little aside from every gig for these sorts of unexpected problems.
This is a time when everyone needs to pull together as a community, and support one another however we can. Hopefully we will get through this with the minimum harm, and be stronger for it.
More info here
US Center for Disease Control & Prevention
Performance Anxiety, And DJing Sober
One of the realities of DJing, especially on big stages in front of large crowds, is performance anxiety. And one of the most common ways to cope with this is to use alcohol – something that can easily slip into abusing alcohol, which has led a lot of DJs (myself included) to completely quit in order to be able to continue doing what they love for a job.
AFK asked for advice on his Twitter, sparking some interesting replies, the highlights of which are below, followed by some of my thoughts, on day 661 of my own sobriety.
Sober DJ friends, how do you deal with stage anxiety? I’m playing my first sober show in 12 years of DJing next weekend. I’ve been eating better & exercising which has helped immensely with general anxiety but I know i’m about to get a shotgun blast of it when I get on stage
— AFK (@AFKdubstep) February 20, 2020
There were lots of different suggestions, ranging from trying non-alcoholic drinks as a placebo, to just preparing so much you are ready for anything, to just getting up there and doing it! Here’s some of the more interesting suggestions, and I’ll be back to offer some of my thoughts after them!
To me the thing that causes any anxiety from being on stage is looking directly into the crowd’s eyes. Whenever you look into the crowd, look to the distance and no so much to the individuals. Anxiety kicks in when the contact is made. -tiago from ghost
— HI I’M GHOST (@hiimghostsound) February 20, 2020
Look at the back of the room like straight forward slightly above the heads of the crowd. Bring a friend with you that you confide in. Drink some tea before , don’t drink a shit ton of caffeine that’s going to make you all jittery and amp your HR up, request a few towels (1/1)
— LIZZY JANE (@thisislizzyjane) February 21, 2020
i been drinking non alcoholic beer to take the edge off. The placebo helps
— 🕯12th Planet🕯 (@12thplanet) February 21, 2020
275 days sober over here. Cater your rider towards good beverage alternatives. I always have a drink in my hand; it just always happens to be Topo Chico. Little things like that make it easier
— phenomenal (@PHNM) February 20, 2020
once you do the first mix you’ll find it feels the same as when you’ve had a few drinks. the nerves go away. it’s sometimes better!
— AC Slater (@djacslater) February 21, 2020
just remember that whether youre alone in your room or have 15k people in front of you, the actions required for DJing are the exact same. Youve preformed a million times and you will kill it like always. Those people are there to see you, its pretty damn hard to let them down
— Somnium Sound (@SomniumSound) February 20, 2020
You just do it man. You’re overthinking it lmao. Ever play a dubstep set before? Ok then you know what to do. Youll find that after the first song literally nothing bad happens and its autopilot from there
— CRY WACHI 😥 (@KaiWachiMusic) February 20, 2020
Prepare. Simple.
— DJ PUFFY (@DEEJAYPUFFY) February 22, 2020
My thoughts
While there is no “correct” answer to this initial post – there’s all sorts of different reasons people get performance anxiety, and all sorts of different reasons why people might decide not to drink, both in life and while DJing – there are a few things that I think are worth mentioning, some of which are covered above.
First of all – preparation.
One of the best ways to overcome nerves is to be so well-prepared, and so good that it is extremely unlikely that you will screw up. Experience will help with this, and that comes with time and effort. The more you practice, and the more you perform, the more you have that knowledge to fall back on. Have playlists well stocked and updated, have certain stock combos of tracks that you know you can fall back on when things aren’t going to plan and get a party back on track. Have spare needles, a back up USB or 2, some extra CDs just in case, a cable to plug your phone in… Be prepared for any eventuality that might throw you off track.
Nerves
Another point that was made by quite a few respondents to the original tweet – nerves are natural, its about how you interpret that. This is true of so much of life – things happen, we feel an emotional response to that, but then we have a choice of how to act, how to interpret this, and that makes a huge difference to the results. If you feel nervous, that means you care. That means you are playing a show you give a damn about. That means something is riding on your performance. These are all good things if you look at them the right way.
One suggestion that came up a lot is meditation, and this can be useful both in the moment, and also as a general life-practice. You learn to get better at spotting the emotions you are feeling, and recognising why you feel them, and in doing that you are much better placed to handle them correctly. And in terms of before you go on – for some people that will be a very useful way of calming themselves, bringing heart rate down and so on. This approach might not be for everyone though, as many people want to be amped up before they head out on stage!
Embrace mistakes
Likewise, if something does go wrong – don’t sweat it. Mistakes are the main way people learn lessons in life – once you wrap your head round that, it is liberating.
Things go to plan – win, it all went how you wanted.
Things don’t go to plan – win, you got a free lesson, and can avoid that mistake next time.
I’ve made every silly mistake you can imagine over the years – lifted the needle off the wrong record, ejected the wrong CD, the wrong USB, knocked the Serato box so it fell off the stage and we had several minutes of silence! And I’ve seen world DMC champs make the same mistakes – everyone does at some point! What matters is that you keep learning from them, and be better prepared next time.
DJing vs Performing
Of course, a big part of this is the subtle difference between “just” DJing, and DJing with the performance aspect that many big stage EDM shows require. But – if I think I need 20 tequilas to wave my hands around in the air and jump about on stage, then that is an issue with my mentality – it has nothing to do with the reality of the situation, which is that if I wave my hands in the air and jump around, it looks exactly the same and the crowd reacts exactly, no matter what drinks are running through my veins! The difference is, with a boat-load of alcohol in me my motor skills are impaired and I might not be making the most rational decisions about what tracks to play next!
There’s a real bit of wisdom in the famous Nike slogan “Just Do It”. So much of what we feel nervous about doing in front of people is just a barrier we have put up in our minds – the moment you hop over it, you realise how silly it was to think it stopped you doing anything.
In Conclusion
Before I quit booze, I told myself that I was a better DJ if I was on the same wave as the crowd, and used that excuse to justify drinking heavily to settle any nerves I had – but the problem there is that its very easy to get carried away after a few drinks and reduce your DJing abilities! And of course, once you are in the habit of DJing drunk, its easy to lean on that even when nerves aren’t a factor.
After I quit, I got SO MANY more compliments on my sets. And this is without even talking about the mental and physical health implications and so on. As time wore on, I realised that nobody really gives a shit if the DJ is drunk or high or sober, what they care about is the set they play, and the show they put on. I might have enjoyed my sets more when I was wasted – that doesn’t mean that they sounded better!
This is a topic I think about a lot now that I’m clean and sober, so I expect I will return to it more in the months and years to come. For now, get out there and kill it at your gigs this weekend!
Music News – February 2020
Today we’re going to have a little round-up of the big stories from the world of music in the last few weeks.
Starting things off, a couple of sad stories. The untimely deaths of legendary DJ and musician Andrew Weatherall, and young rapper Pop Smoke, shocked their fans.
First off – the tragic death of Pop Smoke, shot dead in LA. The circumstances are still a little murky, but what we do know is that multiple suspects turned up at his rented property in the Hollywood Hills in LA, one entered the property around 4.30am, shots were fired, and Pop Smoke was killed. Many theories are flying around – his address was visible in social media posts that day on luggage tags, which led some to speculate that this was a robbery gone wrong. But the fact that the masked gunman appeared to exit without anything, and the others didn’t enter the property (according to sources who claim to have seen CCTV), seems to contradict that idea. Police are investigating the possibility that it was a gang-related hit – Pop Smoke has been linked with the Crips by some officials. Whatever the circumstances, its a terribly sad loss, and a tragic death for a young rapper on the verge of really crossing over into being a huge star.
Check out this New York Drill playlist, featuring several of Pop Smoke’s big tracks.
Moving on to Andrew Weatherall, who died in hospital of a pulmonary embolism, at the age of 56. He is probably best known as the remixer behind the classic Primal Scream album, Screamadelica, one of the seminal albums of the rave revolution in the early ’90s. He completely reinvented their blues-rock sound into something quite unique, creating multiple magnificent anthems that catapulted the band to stardom. I was a huge fan of his sound – I went to see Primal Scren at the time, had the famous sun logo on various T-Shirts, and I saw Weatherall DJ in all sorts of venues, at all sorts of times of day.
To me he was, without doubt, the best electronic DJ in the world. A master selector, drawing on genres as diverse as techno and rockabilly, with an incredible grip on dynamics, of tension and release – the key to a great dance music set in my view. He first rose to real prominence at the famous Shoom night, one of the earliest Acid House parties, and the one best known in the Acid House revolution in London in the late ’80s and early 90s. He went on to form Boy’s Own Records, and was instrumental in laying down the blueprint for Trip Hop.
One of the fascinating things about Weatherall was his career trajectory – he easily could have become a superstar like many of his contemporaries went on to be, but chose instead to stay true to the music he loved. Memorably, he was quoted saying
“It’s a lot of work, once you go up that slippery showbiz pole, and it would keep me away from what I like which is making things. I mean, I had a little look in the early nineties. I stood at the bottom of that pole and looked up and thought to myself ‘The view’s pretty good. But it’s very greasy and there are a lot of bottoms up there that I might have to brush my lips again. So, maybe I’ll give it a miss’.”
As a result, he remained a relatively underground figure, but absolutely beloved and universally respected within those circles. A true gentleman, an incredible story-teller, and a real one-off.
Every time I saw him DJ, I would be blown away by his selections, almost never recognising a single song. Even with the advent of Shazam, I would rarely be able work out what he was playing, other than that it was brilliant. I last saw him in the late afternoon in a converted warehouse in Hackney Wick late last summer, and he played a magical, mid-tempo, disco-tinged set as the light from the windows slowly changed.
If you are curious to hear more, fans have compiled a truly incredible goldmine of his sets here, in what has been dubbed the Weatherdrive. Over 900 hours of his mixes, spanning decades, with more to be uploaded.
Staying in the UK, news came out this week of something which may make a huge difference for DJs across Europe.
New visa rules for performing artists were announced, to take effect from January 1st 2021. A tier 5 visa of this sort would cost £244, and last for between 12 and 24 months, and would be required by both the artists, and their crews. Politico reported that they would be needed for live performance as well as competitions, auditions, promotional activities, workshops, talks and taking part in cultural events. Its not clear if this is a final position, or if this could be subject to change should the UK government manage to arrange a deal with the EU. As someone who DJs regularly across Europe, and loves to see the best European DJs play in London, I will be following this closely. It certainly could have a huge impact on small and medium level clubs, promoters and acts, where margins tend to be razor-thin.
In more light-hearted news, Eminem has launched what he is calling the Godzilla Challenge. Its certainly a hell of a challenge to spit that fast, and that precisely! He’ll be reposting the best efforts, and awarding prizes, and it’ll be interesting to see what talent this unearths!
“Fill ‘em with the venom and eliminate ‘em” @triller #GodzillaChallenge is on. Who can spit it? Reposting + got prizes for my favorites. https://t.co/jWfW83X7P8 pic.twitter.com/jKMpJH7nw7
— Marshall Mathers (@Eminem) February 25, 2020
Over in Ibiza, bass-driven event Together at Amnesia has announced its line-up for summer 2020. Chase & Status will be performing 10 shows to mark them playing at Together for 10 years, and the likes of Shy FX, Sub Focus, Holy Goof, Wilkinson, Redlight and more will be joining them.
The Brit Awards 2020 took place earlier this month, which I wrote about here.
And finally, The Roots were honoured by Philadelphia City Council by having a stretch of East Passyunk declared “Avenue Of The Roots”, a well deserved recognition of their incredible career!
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Brits 2020 – All The Winners
The annual Brit Awards has become a real institution in the music calendar, and given the global reach of the British music scene, that should come as no surprise really. Last week the winners of the 2020 awards were announced, and so here’s a little run through who won what!
So, without further ado, the big winners on the night
Male Solo Artist – Stormzy
Stormzy’s endless march forwards shows no sign of slowing down!
Female Solo Artist – Mabel
Mabel has had a great year, both as a featured artist and as a solo artist in her own right. She performed her celebratory break-up song Don’t Call Me Up
Best Group – Foals
Foals have been around for a while, and came back with a bang in 2019. They were rewarded with the Best Group award
Song of The Year – Lewis Capaldi “Someone You Loved”
Lewis Capaldi has had an incredible year, in part because of his hilarious presence on social media. But, in fact, his songs are generally pretty emotional, and this video starring his second cousin Peter Capaldi (who you might know as Dr Who) is genuinely moving
Album of The Year – Dave “Psychodrama”
Probably the biggest talking point of this year’s awards show was Dave’s powerful performance of Black. This one certainly set Twitter alight…
Best New Artist – Lewis Capaldi
More success for man like Capaldi!
International Female Solo Artist – Billie Eilish
Billie Eilish has been hoovering up awards this year after her meteoric rise, and she performed her brand new Bond theme, No Time To Die.
International Male Solo Artist – Tyler, The Creator
Tyler, The Creator made a point of sarcastically thanking former British Prime Minister Theresa May
So now, head over to the Heavy Hits pool to snap up some tracks by these guys!
Heavy Hits
Brits 2020
Happy Birthday Rihanna!
This might be a day late where I’m writing this from, but somewhere in the world it is still Ri-Ri’s 32nd birthday!
Party DJs all over the world understand the huge appeal of Rihanna – she’s delivered hit after hit after hit since debuting with Pon De Replay, a song which still goes off in the club!
Here at Heavy Hits, we have a crazy selection of Rihanna classics, edits and bootlegs – check out the updated Rihanna playlist here.
And of course, she made one of the ultimate birthday tunes for the modern DJ!
Its rare for a modern performer to have such a long career at such a consistently high level – probably only Madonna and Beyoncé can claim to have been at or around the top for a longer stretch than Rihanna, and there’s no shame in that!
One of the great things about Rihanna is that she constantly pushes the envelope for what constitutes pop – BBHMM, Work, Pour It Up to name but 3 – while also being one of the best when it comes to straight up, anthemic, singalong pop choruses – We Found Love, Rude Boy, Diamonds.
So, happy birthday Rihanna, here’s hoping there are many more, and keep the hits coming – or to put it another way, please don’t stop the music!
NAMM 2020 DJ Equipment Round-Up
Between the excitement of the Super Bowl and an operation that had me laid up for a while, this post got a bit lost in the mix!
But, as mentioned on a few posts already, NAMM 2020 took place recently, and now we are able to go over the highlights of what came out for DJs in this years event.
It’s debatable if anything really jaw-dropping or essential was announced – most of the obvious things have been mentioned in previous blog posts, but there are some things worth adding to the pile for a lot of you!
We covered the impressive Pioneer DJM-V10 mixer here, but the response to this has been interesting, if not exactly unpredictable – nobody likes a moan quite like DJs!
Ignoring the fact that Pioneer themselves have been clear that they don’t see this as a replacement for the DJM900 series mixers, a lot of club DJs are baffled about some of the features it includes, and the hefty list price it comes with.
NEWSFLASH!!! – you don’t have to buy it, and it’s REALLY unlikely that you are going to end up playing on it in clubs unless you are supporting someone on or around the A-list, and they have requested one in their tech rider, in which case suck it up, buttercup!
That said, a lot of club tech guys I know are predicting an influx of tech-riders for 6 CDJs and a DJM-V10, only for 4 of the CDJs to be used as coat racks and drinks holders…
The Denon Prime series has certainly turned a lot of heads, not least because of the on board WiFi capability, which opens up a whole realm of possibilities (and questions!), some of which we explored here. It looks like a serious power play by a company with a deserved reputation for quality.
We didn’t mention one great-looking new Denon product – the Prime Go. This looks like it has everything you might need to throw down a set, plus the incredible bonus of a 4 hour battery life in case you find yourself on the beach or in the mountains, with no power outlets nearby! This really takes DJing into the realms of true mobility, it’ll be interesting to see which competitors build on this…
The Rane Seventy mixer looks like it is the business – Rane have a well deserved reputation as one of the best in the business. We covered this more here. For now, check out this awesome DJ Craze video they launched the mixer with!
There were a few other items worthy of note in this round-up.
The Reloop RMX-10 BT is a budget DJ mixer with a fascinating feature – it facilitates bluetooth streaming from your phone, or other music sources. You can plug things in normally, but it is interesting to see things like this and the Wifi of the Denon players creeping in – as technology improves and becomes more reliable, will the mess of cable spaghetti in DJ booths become a thing of the past?
Numark have an even more budget item – their DJ2GO controller has had an upgrade, to the DJ2Go Touch, so apparently the tiny jog wheels function in much the same way as the platters on far bigger controllers. This is a big step forward – I had a go on the original, and while it was still very good value, it is strange that they didn’t have that functionality, and were only really useful for scrolling through your library. This looks to be a far more complete item for a beginner, at a really good price.
Looking now to equipment for the mobile/wedding DJs out there, there’s some really cool bits here
My favourite – The ADJ MDF-2. A modular, portable light-up dancefloor! Super cheesy, but drunk party-goers lover things like this, and thats a fact! This would certainly grab people’s attentions vs a generic piece of flooring.
There’s some new speakers for anyone looking to upgrade their sound – the Electro Voice – Evolve 30M looks like a great piece of kit for a mobile disco, and EV have famously high quality sound, while Mackie have launched the SRM V-Class Series – again, a very well-respected brand.
FAQ for Wedding DJs – Ben Boylan
One of the great things about the Heavy Hits community is that it understands that there are all sorts of DJs around the world, catering for all sorts of parties.
And one of the most important parties anyone can ever DJ at is someone’s wedding – literally the most important day of the couple’s life! They can be incredibly fun to DJ at, and a very lucrative corner of the industry if you get a reputation for doing them well, but too many DJs take on this responsibility without contemplating or understanding the differences from a normal club or bar gig.
In the following blog, Ben Boylan answers several frequently asked questions on this topic, which will leave you in a much better position to plan and execute a wedding gig.
Do You Take Song Requests?
If you have DJ’d a wedding, a couple has asked you if you take song requests from their guests.
Couples ask this question because they want to gauge how much you will let their guests influence the song choices at your wedding. Some couples welcome the input of their guests, and others want to control the playlist. It’s up to you to feel them out and guess which type of couple they are. That will help you give them the answer they are looking for and book the gig.
There are three ways you can do it
I always say that the answer is ultimately up to them but it can go three ways:
1 – The DJ accepts all requests.
This works at weddings with groups who are not big dancers. Sometimes it’s hard to get anyone to dance. Encouraging guests to make requests gets them involved and will probably get (at least) a small group on your dance floor. Alternately, this doesn’t work great when you have a packed dance floor, because guests often request songs that they personally like, rather than crowd-pleasers. But usually, this one is OK.
2 – The DJ accepts no requests.
I get this one often, usually from couples who want to control the playlist or ones who don’t like the music taste of their family and friends. As soon as a couple says this, I ask them why. If it’s because they think their family and friends will make a lot of requests, they are setting themselves up. If five guests are told, “sorry, no requests,” at least one of them is going to go bother the bride and groom. Maybe all five will. I have DJ’d at least three weddings where the couple came up to the DJ booth and said something like “Just play whatever they want. They are driving us crazy!” So this policy doesn’t always work well.
3 – The DJ uses their judgment.
If the request matches the type of music the couple likes, and it is a song the majority of the room will know, play it. This is the best policy and the one most of my couples agree to.
Once again, couples ask this question for different reasons, so if you haven’t booked them yet, I would try and figure out their motivations and answer carefully. Many couples are just scared no one will dance at their wedding. Others have a dream of choosing a long playlist that their family and friends will compliment. Put on your psychologist hat and have fun. Good luck!
What Time Do You Arrive?
Arrive 2 hours early
This is another question I get asked often. The standard for DJs bringing a normal set up is 2 hours before guests arrive.
Note: it’s not 2 hours before the ceremony. It’s 2 hours before guests arrive. Guests usually arrive 30 minutes before the ceremony. And you want to be set up and ready to start before the first guest arrives.
You need the extra time
It usually takes me 30 to 60 minutes to setup once I have loaded in. So why not just arrive one hour early? Because if something goes wrong, you need the extra time. I’ve had to run out to Best Buy or Radio Shack (RIP) to buy a cable or batteries. Trust me on this one.
2 hours might not be enough
If it’s your first time at the venue, get there early, especially if it’s big. In Brooklyn, many wedding venues are in a warehouse. And those are often just one big room and that can be easy. But some banquet halls have multiple floors, rooms, and outdoor areas. And barn weddings can be tricky too. Sometimes the ceremony is a half-mile into the woods!
And if you are providing extra services like photobooth, intelligent lighting, etc, you may have to get there earlier than 2 hours.
Check with the venue
Some venues let you arrive at any time that day. Others have an event ending before you get there. So in the week before the wedding, shoot them an email and ask if you can arrive 2 hours before guests.
Setup checklist
Here are the things you should have set up before guests arrive:
1 – PA for ceremony (if providing)
2 – PA for cocktail hour (if providing)
3 – PA for ceremony
4 – All mics tested and ready to use
5 – Any additional services like lights, photobooth, etc.
Time yourself the next time you set up and make a note of it. Good luck!
What Happens If You Get Sick?
This is a question I get in almost every consultation I have with a couple. It’s an uncomfortable one, but since it gets asked so often, you should have an answer prepared. I also would suggest putting it in your contract as a clause.
Here’s what I say
If for some reason I became ill or an act of God (earthquake, tsunami, etc) prevents me from coming I will present you with 2 or 3 great DJs who will do the job at the same price and under the same terms. I will send them everything you have sent me. If you choose to use one of them, I will send them your deposit. If you decide not to use one of them, I will return your deposit.
Here’s what I put in my contract
In case of cancellation by <your name here>, a suitable replacement, as judged by You, will be provided within 72 hours of said cancellation.
Return the deposit
In my contract, I call the deposit a “non-refundable deposit.” In other words, if they cancel, they don’t get their deposit back. This is one of the only cases where I would give it back without question.
But don’t scare them
Reassure the client it’s not going to happen. I don’t know about you, but I’d have to be pretty sick to miss a wedding. If I was puking and it was almost time to leave and go to the wedding, I’d probably bring a few plastic bags and start packing my car. And as for an act of God, God would really have to f#ck $h!t up. In other words, I say “…But it’s not going to happen. Don’t worry.”
And it probably goes without saying, but let them bring this one up. If they don’t mention this, just leave it in the contract and don’t say anything about it.
Cancelling can damage your rep
There are some wedding DJs who cancel more often than I do. In other words, more often than never. Do what you are comfortable with, but if you cancel regularly, the word could get around and that’s not the type of thing a wedding DJ wants to be known for! Nuff said…
I hope these tips help you deal with this difficult question. Good luck with it!
For the wedding DJs out there – check out these great wedding playlists that Ben has curated!
Heavy Hits Monthly Charts – Round-Up, Jan 2020!
Where does the time go? It’s already February 2020, and clubs are filling up again after the traditional January dip. But what were the smartest DJs in the game (the ones that know to get their tunes at Heavy Hits…) downloading to play? It’s time to round up the Heavy Hits Charts!
First up – Electronic / Dance.
Dua Lipa’s Don’t Start Now is already a cast-iron pop banger, but disco monster Purple Disco Machine has added an extra layer of funk to the mix, and is the most popular download in the last month. Ride It by Regard is relentlessly popular in recent months, and in number 5 here. There’s a fair few remixes – a moombahton flip of No Guidance takes #2 spot, while beefed up versions of timeless classic Sweet Dreams and Show Me Love occupy #9 & #10. A track that I’ve really been hammering lately sits at #4, Lose Control by Meduza ft Becky Hill & Goodboys, the follow up to their Grammy-nominated Piece Of Your Heart
Moving on to the most popular section on Heavy Hits – Hip-Hop / R&B.
New Drake always does well in the charts, and his collaboration with Future is no exception here. Roddy Ricch – The Box follows it up in 2nd (although over in the USA Billboard charts, those positions are reversed!). Pop Smoke’s Christopher Walking is decent, although it could probably use a little more cowbell. He also features on the track in #3 (Gatti), and seems to be here to stay, with his incredibly raspy voice. Down in #10, a real throwback – all the way from 1997! That’s one of the cool features of Heavy Hits and it’s many playlists – it’s a great way to dig for old classics!
Up next – International!
Burna Boy leads the way, and he is probably the biggest star in Afrobeats at the moment based on the requests I’ve had for the last year or so. He also takes #5! Chris Brown pops up on another chart you might not expect to see him in, while Wizkid is right up there too, one of the few Afrobeats stars able to claim to be at Burna Boys level, and the fact that he has 3 entries in the top 10 backs that up. Afro B scored one of the biggest club hits of recent years with Drogba, can Condo ft T-Pain achieve the same level of success? It’s certainly catchy, but I’m not sure it’s as distinctive…
Moving on – the Latin chart.
Colombian star Karol G takes top spot, with Tusa (ft Nicki Minaj). Karol G has been making serious waves in recent years, and with the explosion in global popularity of reggaeton and latin music recently, its a name you’ll probably see more of. The Black Eyes Peas’ pivot to latin sounds sees RITMO in 2nd spot. Both RITMO and the #3 Eres Top take the approach of sampling well known classics (respectively, Rhythm Of The Night and I Need A Girl Pt 2). There’s a lot of familiar names on this chart if you follow latin music – Daddy Yankee, J Balvin, Nicky Jam dominate.
Pop / Top 40 now!
Maybe I’ve missed them, but it feels like its been a while since a proper big slow jam hit – YUMMY by Justin Bieber certainly ticks that box! There’s a great mix of sounds on this chart – The Weeknd’s 80s-influenced Blinding Lights is a real personal fave, and check out DJ AndOne’s special Flashing Lights wordplay edit in #6! Lizzo maintains her status as a club favourite, while Ariana Grande keeps producing anthems for the ladies to sing along to!
Finally, Reggae / Dancehall!
Top spot for the first month of 2020 was taken by XXtentacion ft Tory Lanez & Mavado – Hot Gyal. Shensea & Tyga may be blessed to be up in #2, but they aren’t quite the best according to our subscribers! Konshens has a couple of tracks in here in #3 & #9, my favourite being Pull Up To Mi Bumper. Also great fun is the bonkers Back It Up, Drop It! Also worth a mention is Bathroom Break Vol 4 by Serg Sniper – check out these really handy DJ tools for when nature calls!
So that’s the top tracks for Heavy Hits users at the start of this year – back next month to round up February!
How To Be A Sports DJ – with DJ TP
With Super Bowl weekend upon us, I sat down for a chat with DJ TP, to ask him about how exactly a sports DJ goes about their job. Here’s what he had to say…
Tell us a bit about your career to date
I started out in the late 90s before my teens. At the age of 16 had my first club residency in London’s west end, and a weekly show on pirate radio. The same year I won the now defunct DMC Young UK DJ of the year Championships. Today I am fortunate to rock parties globally, working with some of the biggest brands, and on some of the biggest stages in the world, and residences in my hometown of London.
How did you get linked with the NFL games, and were you a fan before being one of their guest DJs in London?
Since 2015 I’ve been a resident for the England Rugby team. Over time, I gained relevant experience & key contacts in the sporting world. It was a natural progression to venture into other sporting industries, such as the NFL, MLB, the FA and UEFA. As with all DJs, not having an ego and trying your best to make people happy always helps! I have always followed the NFL, so it was great to play some part in their events, but will say I have become more of a fan since doing so.
How has your experience with this gig, and sports events in general been – what have you learnt from your gigs so far?
There are essentially two types of DJ in a sporting environment. The ‘reactive DJ’ has a really tough job, and will be responsible for player stings, music during breaks of play etc, working around things like VT and interviews etc. You will have in-ears or a speaker linked to the main production desk, and have to be prepared to react instantly to any instructions given, so your crates need to be organised and well-stocked. The other type of DJ would be a ‘mix DJ’ playing high energy, and topical mixes during longer breaks such as half time, or player warms ups for example, very similar to what you’d do as a guest mix on radio, something I also gained experience of in recent years guesting for the BBC, Kiss FM and Capital Xtra in London. For both types of “in-game” DJ, you have to be prepared with clean edits, tracks relevant to the teams, or sometimes even players. I have done more of the latter style, but hope to do more reactive DJing in future. The most important thing to remember is that you are a small part of a huge over-all production, so communication and listening to instructions is key. There is no room for egos or complacency.
What does a game day look like for you? What are your duties before, during and after the game?
Sound checking nice and early (for the bigger events this sometimes takes place 1 or 2 days before match-day), linking up with the main production team/show caller to see what their requirements are. The production companies involved are incredibly well organised & will provide a timeline of events for the day, and in most cases a point of contact that will be by your side for the duration of the event to assist. The duties for a DJ vary, and in some cases I have been responsible for playing a fan zone outside the ground, running over to the bowl itself and then playing during player warm ups, half time, and post match as fans exit. You need a comfy pair of sneakers on days like that!
What’s been your favourite moment at a stadium event as a DJ?
The first time I played to a sell out crowd of 84,000 at Wembley was a bit of a shock to the system. I had previously played an exhibition match to 20,000 but the stadium felt so different being full and with that level of production on board. It was during a Titans v Chargers game, the booth was right up in ‘the void’ next to the jumbo screen – of any stadium I’ve played in before or since, this has the most incredible view. I mixed the player warm ups & half-time sets, spinning everything from Queen and Ed Sheeran, to Kanye and Lil Wayne. I am not a famous DJ or well know producer, who are the regular ‘go-to’ for such huge events, but I did work hard for the opportunity over a number of years and really appreciated something so special, and the platform it has given me since. I also got to meet the main reactive DJs who are hugely experienced (playing the super bowl annually) and do an amazing job. I am hoping to learn more from them in future.
What have you learnt from DJing at NFL and other sports events? How does it link to your experience in clubs.
Picking the right track to get a huge crowd chanting, is magic. In the same way dropping a “Giggs” track in his native south east London gets a huge reaction. As the DJ, you play a key part in generating an atmosphere. If your set gets the crowd going, they in turn can have a direct impact on the performance of the athletes. You can even play tracks to dampen the spirits of the opposition. It does help to have knowledge of the teams playing, their rivalry, or even tracks that you know the players like. With the Jacksonville Jaguars, we get a brief, and it was crazy to get fist pumps from the players in the tunnel when I dropped Travis Scott ‘Highest in the Room’. The team lost badly, but still, they were hyped at that moment before the game, haha!
How do you cope with nerves when there is such a huge crowd?
Before anything I’d say being organised, getting there early and having total faith in your set up! I’m a Serato DJ and make the necessary checks to ensure everything is cool. Like any daunting gig (hell even weddings can be scary), once you’ve done it, you can go back with less nerves. Lastly, remember to have fun with it & don’t over complicate things. In some cases, the scale is so big you cannot fully comprehend it which is perfect! You just turn up your both monitor, and rock-out just like you would at home.
Apart from NFL games, what have been the highlights of your DJ career, and what goals do you have for 2020?
I have something really special happening this summer, but I am not yet allowed to officially share the news! Its something sports linked and could well be the highlight so far. I am really excited for it.
I am really lucky to have DJ’d & curated for some of the biggest brands all over the World, the likes of Google, Tik Tok, Facebook etc in the last year alone. I’m most at home in the club (playing mainly hip hop, and sometimes house), but I also play a variety of special events linked to my background in the events industry. This new years, I was responsible for playing a star-studded NYE dinner under the backdrop of the Burj Al Arab in Dubai where I counted in the new decade. In terms of sports, the experience I have gained has enabled me to be a safe set of hands for some of the biggest stadium events in the UK and I’m hoping to do this internationally later this year.
For my own highlight to date, I grew up a huge fan of UK Garage, so seeing Craig David sing ‘Rewind’ at the first ever MLB game in Europe, and jumping on the decks after him, playing to a crowd of 60,000 Red Sox & Yankee’s fans was quite a moment. I also got to meet him before the game and he was a straight up gentleman.
In 2020 I want to carry on in the same direction, and would love the chance of being a resident for my team, Arsenal FC, in the same way RedBull 3Style Champ ‘J Espinosa’ is resident for the Raiders (now of Las Vegas!), or ‘4 Korners’ is for the NBA Champions, the Toronto Raptors. I am a life long season ticket holder at Arsenal and have followed them all over the World through the highs and lows. As a kid I used to make mixtapes in the lead up to big games and play them all week before the match on my cassette player, which I suppose was my gateway to DJing. It’s a dream to create an atmosphere at the Emirates. I’ve also DJ’d and curated for the England Soccer team and hope to do more for them, and also would love to work with FIFA & UEFA.
Anything else you want to let us know about?
Music is an incredibly powerful tool for sport. I have seen it directly increase participation, giving the young a chance to learn new skills, keeping them on the right path, especially in inner-city London. I am proud to have worked with England Rugby’s ’o2 Touch initiative’, where I helped create a series of mixes designed to be played during a touch rugby session (you can hear one below). Using current hits and mash ups gave the participants a point of relate to a slightly less fashionable sport they may otherwise have over-looked. The sport has grown significantly, and I even got the chance to give the England Roses team a DJ lesson along the way. I believe the UK is at-last seeing how to incorporate DJs & that music can impact the overall experience for fans and players, on all levels of the game. I hope to play a part in this during the next decade both in DJ/curating, and developing new formats.
Check DJ TP out here