What is your niche when it comes to being a DJ?

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Latin music, but I specialize in Salsa Dura - "hard" Salsa from the late 60's to early 70's. The crowd I DJ for are like dancing machines - the only equipment missing from the DJ booth is oxygen and a defibrillator - I have to deliberately play slow stuff so nobody passes out!
 
Let me say this. I wanted this topic to discuss what you do and not focus on someone else. My true passion is deep underground house music. That's I heard a lot of in Club Zanzibar. That's my passion. Now that doesn't mean I can't play other things such as what we call standard stuff. For me it's boring but I can do it. It's about what the client and their guest want. If it's the corny standard stuff, just got to put my game face on and do my job.

When I get lucky to have a crowd that doesn't want to hear just the standard stuff and is open minded, that helps me with fuel I need to keep doing what I love.
 
Let me say this. I wanted this topic to discuss what you do and not focus on someone else. My true passion is deep underground house music. That's I heard a lot of in Club Zanzibar. That's my passion. Now that doesn't mean I can't play other things such as what we call standard stuff. For me it's boring but I can do it. It's about what the client and their guest want. If it's the corny standard stuff, just got to put my game face on and do my job.

When I get lucky to have a crowd that doesn't want to hear just the standard stuff and is open minded, that helps me with fuel I need to keep doing what I love.
Mix, based on what you write here, it actually DOES appear that you can't play much of anything else. You constantly talk about how you hate this and hate that or as above, "how boring" it is. The reality is if you want to be a part of standard mobile DJing, you have to suck it up, learn other types of music, and come off as being at least semi-knowledgeable to clients. If you CAN'T do that, then quit complaining about a lack of opportunities and either broaden your knowledge about other music genres (lord knows I had to do that with Country and Rap/Hip-Hop) .. enough so you don't have to pull in someone else every event .. OR .. focus ONLY on what you do know, but that will require covering much more territory if you want mre than 1 gig a year.
 
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I had the Twitter-Gestapo filter the following post for accuracy and the only words that came back accurate were:



BTW, you do have a special ability to set em nicely.
I said it correctly. There are crowds that if you play the same old stuff every other DJs and are not creative they will boo you and never want you back. Steve we do more than 1 event a year. It's just that we're in this plandemic and it has a lot of DJs either not doing hardly any events or just quitting the business. Steve reread what I said. At times I do suck it up and as I said I put my game face on. I make like I'm having a good time for the client and the crowds benefit. What I learned to do is if I'm the DJ for an event, just do my job to the best of my ability to see to it that the client and their guests have a good time. Just pay me.
 
Let me say this. I wanted this topic to discuss what you do and not focus on someone else. My true passion is deep underground house music. That's I heard a lot of in Club Zanzibar. That's my passion. Now that doesn't mean I can't play other things such as what we call standard stuff. For me it's boring but I can do it. It's about what the client and their guest want. If it's the corny standard stuff, just got to put my game face on and do my job.

When I get lucky to have a crowd that doesn't want to hear just the standard stuff and is open minded, that helps me with fuel I need to keep doing what I love.

This could be part of your challenge.

I’m very passionate about the music I listen to. It has NOTHING to do with the music I play at events. I get no fuel from playing a song that I happen to listen to when I’m listening to music. I get “fuel” from seeing people having a great time, not from people that happne to listen to the same music I do.

Back in the day, it may have made things easier because I knew some of those songs better, but today, I know typically what songs work with what audiences and when....and I have my music that I listen to.

Enjoy your deep tracks whenever you want. Focus on the crowd at gigs
 
Mix, based on what you write here, it actually DOES appear that you can't play much of anything else. You constantly talk about how you hate this and hate that or as above, "how boring" it is. The reality is if you want to be a part of standard mobile DJing, you have to suck it up, learn other types of music, and come off as being at least semi-knowledgeable to clients. If you CAN'T do that, then quit complaining about a lack of opportunities and either broaden your knowledge about other music genres (lord knows I had to do that with Country and Rap/Hip-Hop) .. enough so you don't have to pull in someone else every event .. OR .. focus ONLY on what you do know, but that will require covering much more territory if you want mre than 1 gig a year.

I worked at a rock radio station for 30 years.
When I got into the mobile biz, I was FORCED to appreciate other genres.
And to be honest, I hated having to play disco, dance music, and country (this was in the 80's)

But then I noticed how much guests LOVED disco, dance and country.
I also realized that it didn't matter WHAT STYLE of music they were dancing to....
AS LONG AS THEY WERE ENJOYING THEMSELVES.
So, today....my favorite music to play is still ROCK...
and it is still the only genre I listen to on my own time.
But I have a much greater appreciation for ALL music.

Sorry Scott...seems you were typing the same idea at the same time.
 
This could be part of your challenge.

I’m very passionate about the music I listen to. It has NOTHING to do with the music I play at events. I get no fuel from playing a song that I happen to listen to when I’m listening to music. I get “fuel” from seeing people having a great time, not from people that happne to listen to the same music I do.

Back in the day, it may have made things easier because I knew some of those songs better, but today, I know typically what songs work with what audiences and when....and I have my music that I listen to.

Enjoy your deep tracks whenever you want. Focus on the crowd at gigs
I get that and I agree. It's just a refreshing break when you get to do an event that it's music you, the client and their guests enjoy. That makes the event for me feel like I'm just doing my job. Please do remember there a certain clients and crowds that just having some knowledge of a certain style of music will not be good enough. You have to really be on top of your game or they won't enjoy you.
 
I said it correctly. There are crowds that if you play the same old stuff every other DJs and are not creative they will boo you and never want you back. Steve we do more than 1 event a year. It's just that we're in this plandemic and it has a lot of DJs either not doing hardly any events or just quitting the business. Steve reread what I said. At times I do suck it up and as I said I put my game face on. I make like I'm having a good time for the client and the crowds benefit. What I learned to do is if I'm the DJ for an event, just do my job to the best of my ability to see to it that the client and their guests have a good time. Just pay me.
I don't recall a single gig where you came here and said "Didn't need my partner today .. played some House, some Rock, some Country .. even a little Jazz while people were eating!!". In fact, the ONLY artists you mention playing, and how everyone (all 10) in the audience tells you how you should be a superstar DJ, are little known NJ based old House/Soul singers ... period ...
 
Dramacho,

Here is a reply to your intended inquiry.

My niche, changes with the ever evolving music landscape.

In the early days of my foray into this craft, my niche was very Rock oriented as I obtain my first residency in a rock club spinning actual vinyl. Mainly because I owned lots of albums and my friend need a jock that would show up on time , sober, stay that way and with enough music knowledge to not F-Up his bar. LOL. I knew I could show up on time and remain sober...I still can F-Up a bar getting behind the wheels. I guess 2 out of 3 was sufficient.

As I progressed, I kinda went un-niched and delved into mixing multiple genres, enjoying most, except country.

Late 90's I got real club oriented, aside from private events. I obtained an amazing residency that developed into an appreciation for house/progressive house/trance and I got really good at mixing that type of program. The audience, as always, enjoyed it but with progressively dwindling appreciation as the next genre/style/"niche" developed and became popular. The early 2ks obsession with Hip Hop/Rap killed that club in 2002. To this day, that 5ish year residency was the best, most rewarding, memorable and satisfying club gig that I could imagine. (Details upon request)

As I always believed, my performances, my success and my satisfaction with this craft were never going to be for advancing my chosen, favorite, narrow niche but for the audience. That has paid dividends that no niche devotion could ever surpass.

I guess my niche is somewhat skilled mixing for predominantly happy audiences in connection with my successful small business.

YNicheMV.
 
Rox.
I learned more about you in those few paragraphs..
than I have in 12 years on this site.
Thanks for sharing!
You are welcome.

Just how it happened, no grand design, other than my three tiered creed (God, Family, Country) and an addiction to people (some people) and happy noise (laughter & music)...but almost everything in that post had been posted, in one way or another, before.

Learning is fun...duh, mental! :laugh:
 
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Let me say this. I wanted this topic to discuss what you do and not focus on someone else. My true passion is deep underground house music. That's I heard a lot of in Club Zanzibar. That's my passion. Now that doesn't mean I can't play other things such as what we call standard stuff. For me it's boring but I can do it. It's about what the client and their guest want. If it's the corny standard stuff, just got to put my game face on and do my job.

When I get lucky to have a crowd that doesn't want to hear just the standard stuff and is open minded, that helps me with fuel I need to keep doing what I love.

I spend hours a week learning and relearning music much of it I don't like but if I intend to stay successful I need to at least know it if not like it. If you're not willing to do that stay in your lane and play for people that enjoy your selected genre. There are very few events I can't handle because of my wide range of music knowledge there are some I choose to no longer do

Dramacho,

(Details upon request)

We have a somewhat similar story love to hear the details

When I'm on the radio, I'm playing country music.

What station are you on Brendan?
 
I see a lot of the focus has been about music. Do you have something else that you're really good at well known for? I'm known for my great mixing skills. I think of DJ Taso and not what he gets paid to do events but the great things he can provide that clients will spend their money on.