The Truth About Open Format Nightclub DJ's (DJ Rant)

[@_bayjor]

nice video, feels more like a casual chat. Some good tips and talking points for more intermediate DJ's

[@BigBigBafz]

This is the perfect summary, especially regarding requests. I love it when somebody comes to me with a well thought out request that completely matches the vibe at the time. Props on the video!

[@TravisBeckMusic]

Thank you! When someone’s b lining it for you your anxiety can go up but when it’s a cool request that fits in at that moment it’s a powerful wave of calming serenity lol!

[@chocltelvr]

Amen! Hallelujah. There are very few requests. More demands coming from people thinking it’s their own party.

[@poodlelord]

Well said, I try and encorporate this into the weddings I do. And the person paying me is usually really happy because everyone had fun. You earned a subscriber. Looking for more.

[@TravisBeckMusic]

poodlelord Awesome I appreciate it and huge thanks for subscribing! Nice to meet another fellow DJ. What else would you like to see me talk about?

[@57ashdot]

Absolutely, being a resident DJ in a venue that is open format is a tough job. Everybody is a critic, but you have job to keep people entertained, expose them to music they might not know and find they actually like, and have enough technical skill to seamlessly mesh lots of different vibes and tempo ranges.

[@TravisBeckMusic]

Spot on! I couldn't have summed it up better myself. Thanks for checking out the video. I always tell younger guys starting out that transitions are so important to keeping the energy flowing!

[@57ashdot]

Transitions are so important. Not to talk smack at other DJs, but especially in electronic music circles, a lot of other DJs I know stick with one genre of music and never learn the tricks moving between BPM ranges (half/double time mixing, various transition effects you can use to mask abrupt changes, etc.) or creating flow for a set. They are just like banger-->banger-->banger-->banger. People get ear fatigue from that so quick. I really enjoy mixing DnB, but I'm not going to play back to back DnB tracks the entire night, even to a hardcore electronic music crowd. Even I would get bored, and that is my favorite genre lol.

[@TravisBeckMusic]

So much yes to all of that! I love using the echo effect to mix out with but yes any and all trick are important. My favorite stuff to play is dubstep stuff but I only get to play a tiny percentage of that during regular nights but like you said even when I play a festival where I can play whatever I want I'm still switching up BPM's and mixing in Electro House, Big Room, etc. We havn't even talked about people who play pre recorded sets yet lol! I guess it's just all about what you want from DJ'ing whether you actually love the craft and a variety of music or if you just see it as a way to gain fame and money which believe me is much easier said than done!

[@DJPhreakuency]

You said it well... 🙏

[@gary8411]

Applause. Applause. Well said my Amigo. CHEERS! ;)

[@TravisBeckMusic]

Thank you brother! That means a lot coming from the man who helped mold the music of my youth!

[@jmoak311]

What are your thoughts on dj equipment and why other DJ’s are so critical of what gear you spin on? I’m a mobile dj. I have turntables and a controller and find myself more and more using my controller with Serato. Why do other dj’s care so much about what gear you spin on and why are DJ’s encouraging me to buy cdj’s to dj MP3’s? I get clubs having cdj’s because it allows for someone to use cds or HID if you’re using software But I see so many DJ’s spending double the $ on cdj’s and they don’t actually play cds lol.

[@TravisBeckMusic]

jmoak311 I don’t know why other DJ’s can be so critical of someone’s choice of gear. To me all that should matter is what the DJ is most comfortable on and can perform their best on. To me my mixer is my instrument so I don’t care what anyone’s opinion is of what I’m playing on. That’s mostly and old school outdated way of thinking. “If you don’t spin vinyl you’re not a real DJ” that line always cracks me up. Go for gear that you can master and rock any crowd in any building and the critics will be sitting outside of the club wishing they had the gig!

[@DjMbezzle]

Stopped listening after he said the human ear can't hear anything under 40bpm lol

[@TravisBeckMusic]

DjMbezzle I meant that it’s hard for people to detect a distinct rhythm under 40 bpm not hear. I also got this fact from Adam Neely who’s a big KZbinr and a Berklee graduate.