Booking inquiries: DJDarylNorthrop@gmail.com
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Monday, October 14, 2013
Get that glitch!
Well fan(s) it's been quite a while since my last posting. I wanted to share my latest mix. It's a short-ish mix of mostly glitch. If you are not familiar with glitch, it's time to get acquainted! Glitch is an innovative mix of EDM genre's, drawing from hip-hop, techno, and funk.
Turn this one up and enjoy!
Want me at your club/bar/event? Email DJDarylNorthrop@gmail.com for booking details.
Turn this one up and enjoy!
Want me at your club/bar/event? Email DJDarylNorthrop@gmail.com for booking details.
Saturday, May 11, 2013
New mix mania! May Day Mix vol 1 available for exclusive download :)
It's time for updates, everyone. Get excited!!!!
Ok. Well. That's your choice, isn't it? But, I had a great set of back to back gigs in late April, and wanted to share the mixes from those magic nights!
Except for one little problem.
I didn't record the sets. Oh, I have my reasons, let me tell you. They aren't good reasons. 04-27: technical issues. 04-28: just plain forgot which was likely due to sleep deprivation. Oops.
DO NOT DESPAIR. I did record two new sets that capture the spirit of what I was doing, and I will share them with you :) Yes you.
And as promised - click here for May Day Mix Volume 1!!!
Ok. Well. That's your choice, isn't it? But, I had a great set of back to back gigs in late April, and wanted to share the mixes from those magic nights!
Except for one little problem.
I didn't record the sets. Oh, I have my reasons, let me tell you. They aren't good reasons. 04-27: technical issues. 04-28: just plain forgot which was likely due to sleep deprivation. Oops.
DO NOT DESPAIR. I did record two new sets that capture the spirit of what I was doing, and I will share them with you :) Yes you.
And as promised - click here for May Day Mix Volume 1!!!
Saturday, April 6, 2013
In the mix - adventures of a DJ....including EXCLUSIVE DOWNLOAD!
Hello party people!
Time for an update about all the things going on in my world of music and life. I ran across this picture on Facebook recently, and it seems pretty accurate.
My DJ experience has pretty much matched the description in the picture. Back in the day, I handed a promoter a mix tape (yes, an actual tape), and mumbled something like "Uh, I'd love to spin at one of your events or something, um, yeah, so, great" and maybe I'd get a gig, or maybe not.
But today, the situation has changed. DJ's do many, if not all of the extra duties listed in the picture. Ran across some of these in our last event at The Electric Maid, and thought I would share what I learned.
First, communication is key. Some of our DJ's and bands that were playing had good communication styles, stayed in touch, and were easy to get ahold of. Others were more difficult to get a hold of. And sometimes, the organizers (including me) just did not do a good job of reaching out to them. Lesson learned: never underestimate how valuable clear communication is. If you are an organizer, think about what would you want to know if you were performing at the event? Then, clearly communicate that to the people on the bill. A simple email of 'Who What When Where' will generally suffice. Performers usually need to know when they should be there, what they should bring, when they are scheduled to perform, who their on-site contact is, if they are going to get paid, and how much, etc. Don't take this stuff for granted. Why leave more things to chance when you don't have to? Pre-organizing like this lets the magic happen during the performances, and not in the set up. Everyone has a better time that way.
Second, how may acts should you book? For our last event, we had 2 live acts, and 5 DJ's. It was more like a mini-festival than an EDM night! Nothing wrong with that, but some things we experienced were eye-opening. One of our acts needed to make a second trip for additional equipment, which delayed them going on. Not the end of the world, but how do you handle it? You can change the order of the lineup, or cut their set short, or cut time out of other performers sets, or cut the performer from the bill altogether. All of these have pros and cons. For 5 DJ's, we had an enormous amount of equipment on stage. Luckily we had a large table, for all the controllers and laptops. Also, we had to consider transitions. Ideally, you do not want dead air while you are ripping out the cables from one controller and plugging them into the next controller. This means you need either: an on-stage mixer that 2 or more DJ's can plug into at the same time, or, a DJ with a 4 channel mixer that the other DJ's can jack into when it's their turn to mix. Much thanks to DJ Chucklez and his wife who really came through not only as our headlining DJ, but with sound and lighting logistics!
2 live acts and 5 DJ's is a big and cool event, but next time the key will be to tighten up the communication and coordination!
AND as promised, here is an exclusive download available only through this blog! I recorded my set, and want to share it with you. It's a multi-genre exploration and contains a dance vibe you simply will not hear any where else. Enjoy!
Click here for FREE and EXCLUSIVE mix!
Coming up on Saturday 04-27, Dancekraft is at The Looking Glass Lounge in DC! DJ Phaydn is headlining so you will NOT want to miss this incredible night of music.
Time for an update about all the things going on in my world of music and life. I ran across this picture on Facebook recently, and it seems pretty accurate.
But today, the situation has changed. DJ's do many, if not all of the extra duties listed in the picture. Ran across some of these in our last event at The Electric Maid, and thought I would share what I learned.
First, communication is key. Some of our DJ's and bands that were playing had good communication styles, stayed in touch, and were easy to get ahold of. Others were more difficult to get a hold of. And sometimes, the organizers (including me) just did not do a good job of reaching out to them. Lesson learned: never underestimate how valuable clear communication is. If you are an organizer, think about what would you want to know if you were performing at the event? Then, clearly communicate that to the people on the bill. A simple email of 'Who What When Where' will generally suffice. Performers usually need to know when they should be there, what they should bring, when they are scheduled to perform, who their on-site contact is, if they are going to get paid, and how much, etc. Don't take this stuff for granted. Why leave more things to chance when you don't have to? Pre-organizing like this lets the magic happen during the performances, and not in the set up. Everyone has a better time that way.
Second, how may acts should you book? For our last event, we had 2 live acts, and 5 DJ's. It was more like a mini-festival than an EDM night! Nothing wrong with that, but some things we experienced were eye-opening. One of our acts needed to make a second trip for additional equipment, which delayed them going on. Not the end of the world, but how do you handle it? You can change the order of the lineup, or cut their set short, or cut time out of other performers sets, or cut the performer from the bill altogether. All of these have pros and cons. For 5 DJ's, we had an enormous amount of equipment on stage. Luckily we had a large table, for all the controllers and laptops. Also, we had to consider transitions. Ideally, you do not want dead air while you are ripping out the cables from one controller and plugging them into the next controller. This means you need either: an on-stage mixer that 2 or more DJ's can plug into at the same time, or, a DJ with a 4 channel mixer that the other DJ's can jack into when it's their turn to mix. Much thanks to DJ Chucklez and his wife who really came through not only as our headlining DJ, but with sound and lighting logistics!
2 live acts and 5 DJ's is a big and cool event, but next time the key will be to tighten up the communication and coordination!
AND as promised, here is an exclusive download available only through this blog! I recorded my set, and want to share it with you. It's a multi-genre exploration and contains a dance vibe you simply will not hear any where else. Enjoy!
Click here for FREE and EXCLUSIVE mix!
Coming up on Saturday 04-27, Dancekraft is at The Looking Glass Lounge in DC! DJ Phaydn is headlining so you will NOT want to miss this incredible night of music.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Sunday update - insight and beats
Everyone! Get excited! This entry is two posts combined into one!
Setting up a playlist is a topic of endless controversy in the DJ community, because there are so many ways to do it, and often times a DJ will consider *their* way the only way to do it correctly. That, of course, is hogwash. The best way to do it is the way that works for you and gets you to a creative and entertaining set. I will share with you how I do it, and you can take it from there.
First, get comfortable.
Ok, so this may not be the best way. But, it's a great picture, and vaguely associated with music, so why not include it?
Assuming (dangerous, I know) that I know how long I am going to play and what genre(s), here is how I get the set list put together. These are in the form of questions that I go through a process of answering. The answers form the set list.
1. Do I have enough music? For example - if I have a 1hr DJ slot on a multi DJ event, I always make sure I have 2hrs worth of music in my set list. The main reasons why are: you don't play the entire song. Even an awesome 4 minute track is going to get chopped down to 3min 30 or less due to cueing and mixing in to/out of. The other reason to have extra tunes is when you decide to deviate from the set list. No set list ever survives contact with an audience. Ever. If you blindly grind through a pre-chosen set list without regard to how the people who came to dance are reacting, you are a bad DJ.
2. How will you "pace" the set? Once I have chosen my songs, I generally sort them by BPM, from lowest to highest. But, it is important to keep in mind the following caveats. Most club-goers do not dance every minute of the evening. They leave the dancefloor to socialize, get drinks, go to the bathroom, etc. In fact, the bar or club manager may specifically demand that you partially clear the dancefloor every so often so people will go to the bar and buy drinks. That's how the venue makes their profit. Another variation of BPM sorting is setting up "waves" in your set. These are 3-4 tunes that build up in speed and intensity to a crescendo, and then the song of the next "wave" brings the energy down a bit, and then builds it back up again. This method is a good way to satisfy club-goers desire to do stuff other than dance, and bar manager's desire to sell drinks.
3. What happens after my set is done? Is there another DJ coming after me? Is there a band playing? Is the club closing? If another DJ is coming on after you, it is good etiquette to coordinate the changeover ahead of time. What song are you ending on? What type of music are they going to play? How will you handle an equipment change over, or him getting his songs loaded up while your last song is finished. Working out these details will result in not only a less stressful situation for you, but a better experience for the people at the club, a more professional image of you in the eyes of the club manager, and better relations with other DJ's.
Class dismissed! Now, onto the fun stuff. Played a gig at Galaxy Hut in Arlington on Monday March 18th and recorded the set. Played a lot of new material for the first time in a venue, and really had a great time! I was opening DJ for Kahnjaige and DJ Looseleaf. Looking forward to performing with them again!
Setting up a playlist is a topic of endless controversy in the DJ community, because there are so many ways to do it, and often times a DJ will consider *their* way the only way to do it correctly. That, of course, is hogwash. The best way to do it is the way that works for you and gets you to a creative and entertaining set. I will share with you how I do it, and you can take it from there.
First, get comfortable.
 |
| Pic is shameless click-bait. Sorry. Not sorry. |
Ok, so this may not be the best way. But, it's a great picture, and vaguely associated with music, so why not include it?
Assuming (dangerous, I know) that I know how long I am going to play and what genre(s), here is how I get the set list put together. These are in the form of questions that I go through a process of answering. The answers form the set list.
1. Do I have enough music? For example - if I have a 1hr DJ slot on a multi DJ event, I always make sure I have 2hrs worth of music in my set list. The main reasons why are: you don't play the entire song. Even an awesome 4 minute track is going to get chopped down to 3min 30 or less due to cueing and mixing in to/out of. The other reason to have extra tunes is when you decide to deviate from the set list. No set list ever survives contact with an audience. Ever. If you blindly grind through a pre-chosen set list without regard to how the people who came to dance are reacting, you are a bad DJ.
2. How will you "pace" the set? Once I have chosen my songs, I generally sort them by BPM, from lowest to highest. But, it is important to keep in mind the following caveats. Most club-goers do not dance every minute of the evening. They leave the dancefloor to socialize, get drinks, go to the bathroom, etc. In fact, the bar or club manager may specifically demand that you partially clear the dancefloor every so often so people will go to the bar and buy drinks. That's how the venue makes their profit. Another variation of BPM sorting is setting up "waves" in your set. These are 3-4 tunes that build up in speed and intensity to a crescendo, and then the song of the next "wave" brings the energy down a bit, and then builds it back up again. This method is a good way to satisfy club-goers desire to do stuff other than dance, and bar manager's desire to sell drinks.
3. What happens after my set is done? Is there another DJ coming after me? Is there a band playing? Is the club closing? If another DJ is coming on after you, it is good etiquette to coordinate the changeover ahead of time. What song are you ending on? What type of music are they going to play? How will you handle an equipment change over, or him getting his songs loaded up while your last song is finished. Working out these details will result in not only a less stressful situation for you, but a better experience for the people at the club, a more professional image of you in the eyes of the club manager, and better relations with other DJ's.
Class dismissed! Now, onto the fun stuff. Played a gig at Galaxy Hut in Arlington on Monday March 18th and recorded the set. Played a lot of new material for the first time in a venue, and really had a great time! I was opening DJ for Kahnjaige and DJ Looseleaf. Looking forward to performing with them again!
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Monday, March 4, 2013
How do I prepare for a gig?
I suspect I will always feel like a "beginning" DJ. Never comfortable, never satisfied, always trying to do better - that's the way to operate. But, I have found a few processes that work for me, and I will share them with you. The first revolve around preparing for a gig.
Why leave too much to chance?
When you are playing a gig, there will be many things that are completely out of your control: weather, club manager's mood, electrical failures, crazy club-goers, etc. Do not obsess over these things. Instead, focus on what you can control. The preparation you do for your gig is one of these things.
1. What is expected of you? Find out when you are supposed to be there, when you start, when you stop, and who your point of contact is at the venue. Now, you would think that the club manager or promoter who booked you would give you all this information up front. Oh how wrong you would be!!! Sometimes you have to beg, threaten, and wheedle even these basic points of information about the gig that you are supposed to play at! It's happened to me. It will happen to you.
2. Recon - the Army does it, and you should too! Where are you playing? If it is a brand new venue, or in another town, or both, do some recon. While a new club in a new area is not enemy territory, a few less unknowns can help the night go smoother, with you and your audience having more fun. Some things to think about: How are you getting there? Where will you park? If you are taking the bus or subway, will it still be running at 3am when you stagger out? If not, how are you getting home? Do DJ's and the staff come in through the main customer entrance, or is there an unmarked door in the alley that you should come in and out of? Also, if the club is new, seriously consider either getting their very early on the night of your gig, or going as a guest a few nights prior and getting the layout of the place. Where is the DJ booth? (It's hidden out of sight in some clubs, or right in plain sight in others). Where can you stash your gear that's safe and secure? Bathrooms- you'll want to know where they are. Go early, before they turn into hazardous waste sites....ew.
Ok - you've gotten your itinerary, and done your recon. You aren't done yet. On to the music, which is the most important part of the night!
3. What music are you expected to play? Some clubs operate with very strict music policies. Know them, and follow them if you want to get paid and get asked back again. Wednesday night might be disco night, Thursday is polka, Friday is dubstep, etc. On the other hand, some clubs give much more leeway to the DJ's. This is a good thing, but respect why the club exists. They are there to make money, and as much of it as possible. It might not be the best venue to do a 4hr exploration of industrial b-side's from 1986 to 1991, unless that is the niche of the night. In which case, feel free to play Front 242's "Welcome to Paradise." Clearing the floor and keeping it clear, or worse yet, causing people to leave early is no way to get asked back. Now, in theory (hahahahaha!), the person who booked you has some idea of what type of music you play. Now is the time to be pro-active. Call or email them and say, "I plan to play three hours of face-melting DnB and dubstep, are you cool with that?"
Hope these tips help people out there. I learned these because some of them happened to me, or to people I know, or I have read about them on cool sites like www.DigitalDJTips.com. This list is by no means comprehensive, but by following it and paying attention to things that you can control, you can minimize your own jitters, have more fun, give a better music experience to the club goers, and increase your chance of getting asked back.
Next up - whipping that lazy mule of a playlist into a dancefloor slaughter machine......
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Mix time! Recorded live 02-14-13 at The Electric Maid in DC
3rd post in the blog, and I figure an actual mix link is due. This mix was recorded live at The Electric Maid in DC on 02-14-13. That's right, Valentines Day. Some DJ comrades and I threw an alternative V-Day party. Partially a prototype event to see if we can get a monthly party going, and partly to do something different for a day dominated by commercial romance.
The mix features several different styles: breaks, electro, and some various techno genre's. I don't get too hung up on genre names, so judge for yourself as to what box they might fall in.
Happy listening!
Friday, February 22, 2013
My DJ philosophy...
Or, "Why did you start DJ'ing in the first place?"
Was it to become the next "Superstar DJ?" - No.
Was it to get girls? - No.
The reason I got into DJ'ing back in *cough*1992*cough* was simple. I really enjoyed the raves and warehouse parties that were incubators for techno, jungle/breakbeat (the forerunner of modern drum & bass) and house music. BUT, for every one good song that was played, 3 or 4 boring as shite songs would follow. After a while, I could not stand it any longer. I bought a used Pyramid mixing board from a friend, and cobbled together a jury-rigged setup of turntables and basic cd players.
My DJ philosophy then, as it is now:
1. Entertain - people are there to dance and have fun, not marvel in how cool/weird/awesome I am. If that happens, great, but it's not why 98% of people go out to most dance/raves/parties/clubs.
2. Educate - play music that people don't hear at 50 other clubs or on the radio. Broadening the music scene is one of my goals, and I try to pick songs that are accessible, but are not being played to death at a zillion other venues.
3. Do Not Starve The Audience - I listen to a lot of other DJ's, and they seem to play one dull tune after another, or layer a bunch of dull tunes together. This isn't me. It's not what I do. I do try to structure my set so they have high energy peaks, and then come down a more chilled-out level for a while, and then back up again (think of a series of waves). But, I avoid dull, repetitive song after dull repetitive song. I simply will not starve the audience - they deserve music that feeds their desire to dance and be entertained, and not bored out of their minds.
So that's my mindset! What do you think? What's your music philosopy?
Thursday, February 21, 2013
So what is this all about?
Hey everyone -
I am starting a blog to help with my DJ activities. Posts will include:
Mixes
Music reviews
Event updates
Shameless self promotion
Videos
Lessons learned
Keep listening!
I am starting a blog to help with my DJ activities. Posts will include:
Mixes
Music reviews
Event updates
Shameless self promotion
Videos
Lessons learned
Keep listening!
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