Dj Looking For Work

S1234

I am a 16 year old female house DJ and i have been looking for work for months with no luck. I am living in Galway but i am in Dublin regularly and can travel quite far for gigs etc as i have in the past. I am good at mixing for my age and progress all the time. I am looking for work in night clubs, parties, special occasions etc.. (anything really!) If any one has any advice for me or knows any where or anyone that is looking for a DJ then please comment. Any advice at all about the DJ'ing subject would be good thanks!

ironclaw

S1234 wrote: »

I am a 16 year old female house DJ and i have been looking for work for months with no luck. I am living in Galway but i am in Dublin regularly and can travel quite far for gigs etc as i have in the past. I am good at mixing for my age and progress all the time. I am looking for work in night clubs, parties, special occasions etc.. (anything really!) If any one has any advice for me or knows any where or anyone that is looking for a DJ then please comment. Any advice at all about the DJ'ing subject would be good thanks!

Welcome to the world of DJing! I've been doing this for 5 years and in that time I've barely played clubs.

Two distinct camps in my eyes.

1) The club circuit. Great money and a great experience but zero opportunities. In my opinion, the Dublin circuit is ruled by a few companies who use the same DJ's in different clubs on different nights. They generally don't hire and they like it that way. The 'money machine' style of club running. Nothing wrong with it mind you. Going by your age, I doubt you've seen this side very much (No offence!)

2) Mobile work. The usual 21st and stuff. Can be great fun and you can actually be quite selective about what you play i.e You can find gigs that you would actually like to do. Far more opportunities and the money can be reasonably good. In the bracket I would also put smaller clubs and pubs around the country who may want a different night every once in a while. If you are prepared to seriously advertise yourself you can easily enter this market. However you will need to invest in sound and lighting equipment.

If you really, really want to play clubs or festivals however your going to have to produce or at the very least be damn good behind the decks. And I mean frankly unbelievable. If you can produce the odd track or mash up then you'll find it far easier to get into the club circuit.

S1234

I agree with everything your saying but i know people my age playing nightclubs and i just don't know how they do it.. I am good at mixing for my age in my opinion so hopefully in a few years i will be playing in clubs! and when you talk about advertising what do you mean? as in where would i advertise?

ironclaw

S1234 wrote: »

I agree with everything your saying but i know people my age playing nightclubs and i just don't know how they do it.. I am good at mixing for my age in my opinion so hopefully in a few years i will be playing in clubs! and when you talk about advertising what do you mean? as in where would i advertise?

You mean 16? Well that would be illegal given a club would be a licensed premises. Maybe as an act there is a loophole but I highly doubt there is anyone that age playing regular slots. There is, to my knowledge, no one under the age of 19/20 playing clubs in Dublin. I'd put the average age far higher at maybe 24/25. I think you've been misinformed but I'm open to correction.

Certainly the major clubs wouldn't have someone that young playing unless they were phenomenal. The youngest DJ that I can think of would have been Alesso who couldn't play US clubs because he was under 21 until recently or Madeon from France, who was 16/17 when he appeared on BBC Radio 1.

As for how good your mixing is. I'd be careful there. Don't walk around with an inflated ego as its the worst thing in the world. Be humble and confident in your abilities. Its one thing for a few friends to think a mixes is great or a bedroom set is 'bang on' but its quite different to playing perhaps 4 hours in a club and absolutely nailing it.

I think your very young for the mobile circuit as you need dependable transport and some decent cash for the initial set up. A full mobile rig to do decent parties etc would be around €1 to 2k easy. Granted that depends on the exact set up.

As for playing clubs, you can just put your mixes on a CD and hand them out everywhere you go. Don't get your hopes up majorly but there is always a chance. Also download every single Essential Mix of every artist you like and listen to them. Even ones you've never heard of. Its the only way to learn. And from there build your set. Move away from 'one song to a next' and really try mashing the be-jesus out of things. Do the unexpected and get as many songs as you can (Within reason, don't ruin them!) in while keeping a decent set going.

By the way, what are you currently mixing on? Decks? Laptop? And be sure to upload a mix.

TheOldHand

You won't get gigs of any note unless you start promoting stuff yourself or become involved with promoters.

S1234

I'm not being big headed but every party i have played there have been other DJ's there that have complimented me on my mixing and compared to other DJ's my age i think i am better than a lot them that have been doing it long like i just think i have more of an idea of what mixing is, i wouldn't be as good as people a lot older then me i'm not saying that, i just meant for my age i would be good. I no 16 and 17 year olds one in particular that has played in clubs all over Dublin like ALT, 21's, Quinns, Button Factory, Purty Kitchen and a few more but i can't think off the top of my head.. So i'm guessing people have been bending the rules if your telling me thats illegal, i didn't no that! Yeah i think that would be a start sending out CD's. I have a laptop and a controller (DDJ SX). I have KRK Rokit monitors but no speakers for parties yet which i've been told by a lot of people is important to have? I have used CDJ's a few times and i can use them quite well but i wouldn't have the money for them to practise on because i pay for all my equipment myself..

TheOldHand

I didn't know laptop djs called themselves great a mixing.

S1234

And where did i call myself 'great' at mixing? And i clearly said i can use CD's so if your gonna be putting stupid comments like that can you stop comment on the post, i'm looking for advice not to be criticised for no reason.

TheOldHand

S1234 wrote: »

And where did i call myself 'great' at mixing? And i clearly said i can use CD's so if your gonna be putting stupid comments like that can you stop comment on the post, i'm looking for advice not to be criticised for no reason.

not being big headed but

complimented me on my mixing

i am better than a lot them

You say you've used cdjs a few times. A real pro then.

S1234

I'm gonna ask you again where did i say i was great? And i was asked about equipment and i answered so that makes me think i'm a pro? Get off the post please criticising a 16 year old girl over the internet over nothing would you get a life.

ironclaw

TheOldHand wrote: »

I didn't know laptop djs called themselves great a mixing.

Based on that alone S1234 I'd ignore them


S1234, as was said above your best off hammering promoters with CDs and mixes. Get your name out there and see what happens. Without being sexist, you are a girl and thats a fantastic niche in itself (When really it shouldn't be, the music is what matters) Honestly you'll find it much easier to get gigs if your as good as you say you are. For every female DJ there are about 100 lad DJs.

How long you been DJing? The SX is very new and was very hard to get initially. And secondly, can you mix without any Sync? The reason I ask is most clubs are too small to accommodate a laptop and controller. If your warming up, forget it as they won't have time or mixer space to get you out and the main act in. At least that is my personal experience, it is changing given the 'digital era' we're in now.

TheOldHand

I've been laptop djing longer than she has been alive, or since she was 6 to be exact. The whole mixing thing isn't something you'd shout about. Play good tracks.

ironclaw

TheOldHand wrote: »

I've been laptop djing longer than she has been alive, or since she was 6 to be exact. The whole mixing thing isn't something you'd shout about. Play good tracks.

Ok, fair enough. I thought you were implying a laptop DJ couldn't be a DJ etc etc and all that nonsense. My mistake!

But yes, I believe there should be less emphasis on how you mix and rather the what you mix and how they blend it.

S1234

The reason i mentioned my mixing is because ALOT of people my age press a play button and call themselves a DJ. They don't mix at all just wait till the end of a song and press the play button again thats why i thought it was important to mention. And no i never used sync because a lot of people told me that was cheating etc.. so i never bothered with it. I literally just got the SX from DJBox, i've been waiting since December, i was using a S2 before that.
How would I get in touch with promoters? Just through nightclubs and discos or would I actually have to find out names and phone numbers?

VinylJunkie

Listen, you won't get gig's in nightclubs, DJs are ten a penny in Dublin AND you are underage. My suggestion, enjoy the house parties an come back in a couple of years with a bunch or mixes that you should be posting on mixcloud or soundcloud.

S1234

I don't live in Dublin I just know a lot of people in Dublin my age who get plenty of gigs in night clubs but thanks for the advice anyway

VinylJunkie

Do you have any mixes online at least? What music style's are you into?

S1234

All types of house music to be honest, recently i've been mixing a lot of deep house but none online yet, i get it now i should be putting some online which was obvious i don't no why i haven't been already.

ironclaw

S1234 wrote: »

I don't live in Dublin I just know a lot of people in Dublin my age who get plenty of gigs in night clubs but thanks for the advice anyway

With respect, your going to have to start naming names or particular nights. I go out a lot in Dublin and I've never seen anyone I would consider to be 18. Let alone 16. I've also played in Dublin and tried to get gigs in Dublin. It's a very closed market in my eyes.

Maybe on quieter nights, more niche nights, before 12 or as warms ups you could be right. But certainly big, commercial student nights are run by about 3 company's and I have the pleasure of knowing most of the DJs by name. No one is under 24.

Could you post a 20 min mix on SoundCloud? It's abit like the Athletics forum here. It's not that we doubt you but if you said you ran a 10km race in 20mins you'd want to be able to prove it. Same applies for mixing in my eyes.

VinylJunkie

Agree I've been promoting nights for the last year an rarely come across anyone under 21 never mind 16 year olds. In Dublin promoters book know acts to play nights and use resident DJs for the most to play warm up slots that's just the way its done. Unless you are going out to these gigs an meeting people in the scene you have no hope of getting gigs unless you have a DJ mix that blows people away.

frankspencer

For someone who works nationwide as a DJ mainly in weddings but have done some big clubs also. The club circuit in Ireland is mainly based on who ya know and who they know. Most gigs I get or give to other Djs comes form networking. Best to get in with a DJ and just observe and take in.
I am based in Galway city aswell. Galway club scene is a very much closed shop. Same DJs for years but saying that they all know their stuff.
The mobile scene in Galway is a mixed bag. Lots of undercutting by young wannabe's but with the right set up and networking you can earn good money.
I started at 17 and my second gig was a nightclub. But back then there was 8 djs a night getting work in my hometown. Last saturday three Djs had gigs.
No offence but I have lost count of the amount of people that tell me they are starting Djing. If you want to dj regularly prepare to work hard and give up a lot of your time.

TheOldHand

BTW when you say you are looking for work then you can forget about it. You have essentially no chance of getting paid gigs unless you are playing chart music.

S1234

Well I don't know the full story people could be lying about their age and getting away with it as they look around 18. And yes everyone is telling me Galway is the worst place to start because of how exclusive it is to work in places.. but others have told me its easy to get gigs in town so i'm confused as to how hard it really is? Sorry i should of made it clear i have been DJ'ing for over a year and yes thats not a lot but im not just starting.
"TheOldHand" Forget about it? I've already been payed in the past by a few people! Please i've asked you to stop commenting because all you seem to do is put me down so please could you stop.

ianuss

Hi OP, if I was you I'd quit going on about your age. Saying stuff like 'compared to other 16 year olds' and 'I'm good for my age' are irrelevant points when it comes to djing.

You're either good enough or you're not. Unless promoters are actively looking for kids you should be comparing yourself to ALL djs, not 16 year olds.

And with the greatest of respect, to be djing a year is nothing. It's great that you like it and you feel you're good at it but there are loads of talented djs with decades of experience who don't get paid.

melekalikimaka

S1234 wrote: »

I don't live in Dublin I just know a lot of people in Dublin my age who get plenty of gigs in night clubs but thanks for the advice anyway

you know or you think? i KNOW theres no regular dj in any of the 9 or 10 biggest clubs in dublin close to under 18

S1234

I SAID that DJ'ing for a year wasn't a lot if you read what i said, i haven't put up this post to be put down i am just looking for advice, knowing my age is very relevant for getting jobs as i know no i'm not allowed in to a nightclub. And i know for a fact, i'm not arguing, but seriously 100% i know 17 year olds who have been in nightclubs, not regularly though.

ianuss

And you've been given plenty of sound advice already. You're going on like someone owes you paid work.

S1234

I wasn't referring to you! and i'm not even looking for paid work i will work for FREE if it means experience ,

TheOldHand

What paying gigs have you got? Playing deep house?

ironclaw

S1234 wrote: »

I SAID that DJ'ing for a year wasn't a lot if you read what i said, i haven't put up this post to be put down i am just looking for advice, knowing my age is very relevant for getting jobs as i know no i'm not allowed in to a nightclub. And i know for a fact, i'm not arguing, but seriously 100% i know 17 year olds who have been in nightclubs, not regularly though.

Listen, take it from me. Forums can make your blood boil but I can hand on heart say all the folks here want the best for you. Tone etc can be very hard to convey and I've often taken stuff the wrong way here!

I started at 15. Practised to high heaven but only landed my first gig at (I think) 19. I actually didn't feel ready to play before then. I know you might feel ready but there is a huge difference between bedroom and stage. Its colossal. I'd say 75% of DJing is getting out of the 'oh sh*te' moment when no one is dancing. You also need to make a choice between playing what you love (And perhaps less gigs / smaller crowd) and playing charts (Far more gigs but probably less enjoyable)

My best advice is do up 4 mixes. Brilliant mixes. Upload on SoundCloud and pass them out. Hound promoters in a good way. The response you get will more than likely be negative but its the only way you learn and eventually it comes right.

i will work for FREE if it means experience

And never, ever work for free. Ever. People will take you for an utter ride. Play for a small fee but never free.

S1234

That is exactly what i was looking for good advice so thank you .. I have done garage parties and house parties, this is a stupid question but what is the main difference between them and dj'ing in a night club?

S1234

TheOldHand wrote: »

What paying gigs have you got? Playing deep house?

2 Garage parties hopefully more in the future if the manager gets money again.

TheOldHand

S1234 wrote: »

That is exactly what i was looking for good advice so thank you .. I have done garage parties and house parties, this is a stupid question but what is the main difference between them and dj'ing in a night club?

What is a garage party?
You won't get any gigs in Dublin if you demand wages. Its a hobby to nearly every one. There are thousands of decent djs who reckon they could be warming up some place and they will do it for free.

S1234

No i was paid twice by an event manager for doing the garage parties which were over 18 events.. If you read back i said i would work for free and then someone mentioned not to do that.

TheOldHand

I think you need to grow up a bit and wait for college. WHat usually happens then is you meet likeminded people at sessions and put on parties for friends, djing away. After a few years of that you might decide to put on gigs in the city or work with another promoter. Its all about playing music that you're into and having a party. The commercial bar work/ club end of it of it is completely different.

S1234

Thanks for that advice but when you mention growing up and going to college that isn't going to happen for me as i wont be able to get into college and this is one of the main reasons i am looking for work but thanks.

TheOldHand

House DJ and paid work. Those words are rarely ever seen together. Sorry to burst your bubble but if you were living in Dublin and giving it a shot from there then you would have a miniscule chance of getting a paid gig maybe in a year. But not living in Dublin or knowing people in the "scene" then you have no chance.
I did some mobile and bar work for a few years. Completely unsuitable to a 16 year old girl or a young woman. You won't be playing house music either.
I wouldn't go near it now myself even if I needed to.

http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/weddingmusic/3870276

ianuss

S1234 wrote: »

Thanks for that advice but when you mention growing up and going to college that isn't going to happen for me as i wont be able to get into college and this is one of the main reasons i am looking for work but thanks.

Well you should just cross out 'college' and replace it with 'adulthood' then because the advice he gave you was spot on.

If you are hoping to make it as a successful dj in Ireland playing house or techno, good luck to you. There are hundreds, if not thousands of djs with similar aspirations and there aren't many success stories out there.

Do it because you love it and keep your fingers crossed and your expectations very, very low.

S1234

I actually stay in Dublin on the weekends and i'm hopefully moving there in September so hopefully that will help me. But im still going to keep trying even though the chances are low.

frankspencer

NEVER WORK FOR FREE AND NEVER NEVER SAY YOU WILL DO A GIG FOR LESS to get experience. Club owners etc will pin you that price or crap money forever. Example a club in a venue in the west, told me I was too expensive (which I wasn't same price as other djs in club)
The guy thought at 21 in college i could be pushed around. I said I charge that price and refuse to lower it, two years later I am resident DJ on more money in that club.

You might not like the tone of these posts but the other posters are DJS and this is a business so its taken very seriously. I would take these guys advice on board, they have helped me out with certain questions I had over the years.

im invisible

frankspencer wrote: »

NEVER WORK FOR FREE AND NEVER NEVER SAY YOU WILL DO A GIG FOR LESS to get experience..

.

TheOldHand wrote: »

There are thousands of decent djs who reckon they could be warming up some place and they will do it for free.

TheOldHand

Cheese djs playing music for ***** = get paid

Frank there isn't hammering out techno to a discerning crowd.

Hidden Agenda Club

My advice is to abandon djing and start producing your own music if you want to get gigs.

VinylJunkie

Hidden Agenda Club wrote: »

My advice is to abandon djing and start producing your own music if you want to get gigs.

This

WasterEx

Unless you're as good as this guy, it's gonna be tough for you to get exciting gigs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJfpVzLN90U&t=11m0s

Dno how he does it.

If you're serious about it though, just keep practicing and dedicate time to it. Eventually you'll get there.

ironclaw

S1234 wrote: »

That is exactly what i was looking for good advice so thank you .. I have done garage parties and house parties, this is a stupid question but what is the main difference between them and dj'ing in a night club?

There is no comparison between the two. To name a few:

1) Your the main act and the anchor holding everyone in the club. If you blow it or are just plain terrible, people will leave. Most clubs offer 'free in' before 12 and that is a large percentage of the crowd in my experience. These people won't stay if the music is terrible.

2) Following on from the above, the bar needs people to stay so they drink and make money. If they start leaving or just arn't in a fun mood because the music is terrible, it reflects badly on you. Proper nightclub owners know good music and they know exactly what the bar should be doing revenue wise. They'll attribute any losses to you and you'll quickly have a bad name. Get a bad name and you'll never work in that city again.

3) Your being paid and watched. Both of which add hugely to the pressure. Couple this with the 'stage fright' feeling and you could be the best DJ the bedroom world has ever seen and completely blow even a basic set. And you need your set to be pristine. Especially in the beginning.

Flipside of all this is house parties where there is no pressure if you mess up (Bar maybe a sarcastic boo) and no business at stake. You could probably get away with being an utterly rubbish DJ for years on the mobile circuit if you could advertise well (As many have)

My personal advice to you given your age is to try get in with some promoters and 'watch and learn' in clubs. Proper clubs. You have no experience of them to the extent that would allow you to DJ in them. Clubs in Ireland are completely different to clubs in Ibiza etc. Chaulk & Cheese. And I can testify that having visited and worked in both. Same applies to major festivals.

The bottom line is, Irish 'clubbers' want to hear Charts. Or house-y mash ups. End of. There are maybe three 'niche' nights that I know of in Dublin and they play Funk, Deep House & DubStep. That ain't a big market if you ask me!

My best advice to you is:

• Download any official BBC1 Radio Essential Mix to get an ear for what the top dogs do (https://soundcloud.com/search?q=BBC1%20Essential%20Mix)
  
• Get some real experience in the club scene.
  
• If you really want to make a career of this, look at the mobile business for quick money (Hard earned mind you!) However given your age, I cannot see this being an option. I'm not sure if you mentioned money being a factor in going to college but a proper mobile set up will set you back at least €1.5k to €2k. If it was me, I'd spend that on college first.
  
• Start to produce tracks. If you produce even one great track you'll be billed on festivals in no time.
  
• If you want some mobile advice, PM me or start a new thread. And I'll give you the run down.
  
• Keep your expectations, in Ireland at least, very low.

Hidden Agenda Club

Im not sure what proper clubs Iron Claw is on about but the likes of Button Factory, Twisted Pepper, Grand Social which are home to good music and there is a market for it.

If you really want to be a dj, I would suggest putting on your own under 18 party in a small venue around 100 capacity and charge a fiver in and get some of your mates to dj as well. But I would still advise you to spend more time producing. Here is a video of Irish producers New Jackson playing in the Button Factory last week http://vimeo.com/60942801

ghostdancer

ironclaw wrote: »

The bottom line is, Irish 'clubbers' want to hear Charts. Or house-y mash ups. End of. There are maybe three 'niche' nights that I know of in Dublin and they play Funk, Deep House & DubStep. That ain't a big market if you ask me!

while i agree with the rest of ironclaw's post, this part is complete nonsense.

most nightclubs in Ireland play chart stuff, or pop-house, but there are plenty more other proper clubnights that are packed, as mentioned by Hidden Agenda above.

Twisted Pepper on a Saturday is generally techno, and very busy. Fridays would often be house and can sell out weeks in advance depending on the act. Thursdays are popular too, and don't fall into those 3 categories really, although occasionally there might be an act booked that does.
The Button Factory has been selling out plenty of Wednesday/Saturday nights recently and has a broad mix of house/techno/electronica.
Kennedys is generally straight techno.


as for your situation, i'd give up thinking that 16/17 year olds are getting booked in Dublin, or infact any clubs in Ireland really. while you might know of someone who has managed to get a few bookings in a few places while being underage (although i'd be sceptical), the people DJing in the clubs I've mentioned are in their 20s/30s, and older, and presumably it's the same around the country.
i can't think of anyone involved in the Bodytonic lot and their various linked promoters or the ones centered around the Button Factory/POD that have people underage, let alone actual DJs.

as mentioned earlier, start making mixes and put them online to showcase your abilities and what you play. many of the regulars in clubs I go to got there by being mates with a DJ who was already there, or with the promoters (with the DJ ability to back it up obviously), so I would spend the next couple of years networking, and if you have the time/interest, produce some of your own stuff.
you need to either stand out from the crowd, or be very friendly with people already involved in clubnights, as there's hundreds, if not thousands of house DJs in Ireland who are perfectly good who will never get near a paying gig, let alone regular paid work.

if you want to do "night clubs, parties, special occasions etc.. (anything really!) ", then that's a different matter, as there's nightclubs in towns up and down the country who play the same chart crap and it would be far easier to get work with them, or in the corner of a disco-bar some night. can't really offer much advice on that as it probably depends on the place/manager/night, but I don't think a house/deep house mix would go down well in many of those places, and you'd be expected to play Rihanna, Calvin Harris, Example, etc.

ironclaw

Hidden Agenda Club wrote: »

Im not sure what proper clubs Iron Claw is on about but the likes of Button Factory, Twisted Pepper, Grand Social which are home to good music and there is a market for it.

Sorry folks, didn't wish to offend anyone with an exact number. I just recalled 3 off the top of my head. I know there are a lot of smaller (Yet excellent) niche nights in Dublin. However if you took the grand total of people who go out, I'd say significantly less than a third would be interested in such nights. This in comparison to other countries i.e. Holland, England where the followings would be a lot larger. Thats not taking away from the fact they are packed on the nights in question.

No offence intended and most of the alternative nights I've been too, on the whole, have been excellent.

digitalfunk

My advice is to play at local 18ths/21sts etc at the weekends at local function rooms/GAA halls. They're great for earning a few hundred quid per month and will train your ear and build confidence. During the week, do podcasts and produce tracks. Test them out at gigs and on podcasts. See where it takes you. Good luck.

leggo

Play the U18's club nights. If you can convince the people promoting them (basically mail the Facebook page behind it) that you can get people to come (you'd need to sell anywhere between 80-100 tickets though) you'll get an opening slot. For free, that is. You won't get paid, end of.

If you do: be sound and accommodating, do what the main DJ tells you, learn the difference between being a warm-up act and a main act and be a GOOD warm-up act (i.e. don't play all your 'banging tracks' while the crowd are coming in and wear them out before the night even gets properly started), don't annoy the promoters by mailing them constantly about your set etc and keep friendly with everyone you meet along the way. Don't expect instant results, just do what you do well and be happy you're playing in front of people. Focus on the craft not the end results or your progress. Progress is a slow process, so just worry about the process now and being good. The rest will follow.

Make a Facebook page, Soundcloud, Mixcloud etc and use them; play every house party/mobile disco that you can (you're gonna need to buy a good mixer, amp, speakers & lights for the latter); record every set and listen back to it to see how you can improve it; take pictures of you at work in different venues and build up a CV. Get to know EVERYONE in the scene you can and get them to like you.

IF you do all of that, by the time you turn 18 and can start playing real club nights, you'll have played everywhere in Dublin and will know a ton of people so you'll get work.

Getting DJ-ing work isn't impossible if you're under 18...as long as you know all of the above, you're good and have a good attitude. It's a young man's, or woman's in your case, game. I wish I could be starting over again knowing what I do now.

Problem solved. That's everything you need to know. Doing it all is the hard part, though.