TIPS FOR YOUR FIRST DJ GIG, HOW TO MAKE AN IMPRESSION

Hello DJs, I’m here to share with you some tips on how to prepare for your first ever DJ gig. Let’s go! What’s good you guys? Welcome to my blog. So you just got your first ever DJ gig and this is probably the most important thing for you. But you’re scared that things might not turn out to be perfect. So in today’s video, I’m going to help you and give you some tips so that your first gig is not your last.

Hopefully. So, we’re going to categorize this video in two parts. First part is when I share things with you about what you need to do before the gig. And the second part is when I will tell you what you need to do on the day of the gig. Alright, so part one. let’s talk about all the things that you need to do before you reach the venue or before the gig. Tip number one, gather all the information about the gig. Now, since this is your first ever DJ gig, you need to be at the top of your game. You have to know the venue location exactly. You need to know what kind of a gig it is. You need to know whether it’s a genre-based gig or if it’s a particular kind of event, like if it’s a wedding or a birthday and what is the music choice of the client if it’s a private party.

And all these things are extremely important to gather before you reach the venue. You’ll have to know your set timings. You will also have to know what kind of DJ equipment they have. So, you’re comfortable on the day of the event. So, if it’s a club gig, I recommend that you go to the venue two, three days in advance and have a feel of that venue. Try to see what kind of music the DJ is playing and how the crowd is reacting to the DJ. Try to look for some challenges that you might notice. Also, listen to the DJ set but do not copy the DJ set and when you’re there, I recommend that you do not socialize much. Just go there because you’re doing a certain kind of research and then when you’re done, just get out of the venue.

Tip number two is prepare your DJ set. Now, even if you don’t plan on playing all of the tracks that you’ve placed on your DJ set, I strongly recommend that you have at least 20 or 30 tracks pre-planned so that when you reach the venue and if you have some kind of anxiety, you at least have a better start because you know what 20-30 tracks to play in the beginning. It will be nice to know what tracks will mix well in the beginning so that you can have a better start. Also, make sure all your tracks are analysed in Rekordbox or whatever DJ software you use. Make sure you have all your hot cues prepared and ready. And I also recommend that you make two copies of the same music in two different pen drives.

Just in case if you lose one or if one stops responding or if there is no link cable connecting the two players. Tip number three. Practice and have a backup plan. Now when I say have a backup plan, what I mean is that you need to create four sets of four tracks each and the best of the tracks which you think will work with any crowd and the crowd will definitely love and respond. Now this is because in case you’re looking at the crowd and if the crowd is not having a good time or if you notice that the crowd’s mood is going down and the people are leaving the floor, you can play one of the tracks from these four sets and automatically all of the people can respond

and scream and shout and you can uplift the mood of that crowd. So always prepare these four sets of four songs of the most popular songs that any crowd will love. Also decide if you want to use the mic or if you don’t want to use the mic. It’s better that you’re aware of yourself and even if you have a slightest of the doubt that you might suck while using the mic, I recommend that you do not use the mic. Not using the mic is any day better than using the mic and sounding like crap. At the same time, I also recommend that you use the mic at least once, maybe at the end of the DJ set. You can just say simple things like, hey, my name is Deep.

I hope you guys had a good time. Looking forward to see you guys next time. Using a little bit of the mic can make sure that people recognize you. Tip number four, invite all your friends, do the necessary PR and promotion. You see, this is your first gig, so you may want to invite all your friends over. If your friends are supporting you, it is always a good thing and even the club will recognize that. So it’ll be nice to see some known faces on the dance floor cheering for you. So please go ahead and make sure that you promote it enough that your friends are showing up. Seeing some known faces cheering for you can help you boost your confidence and that can result in a better DJ performance overall.

So these are the four important things that you need to do before reaching the venue and that wraps up the part one. now guys if you notice that i work really hard with this youtube project of mine and my goal with these videos is to make sure that i help beginner djs and djs in general and support the djing community by sharing my knowledge and experience. So I urge you guys to please share this word with your fellow djs and let them know that there is a bro online who is ready to help them and support them and that bro is me. So I request you to please support me on this journey and make sure that when you’re here Please click on that subscribe button if you haven’t already and click on that bell icon to get notified every time I upload a new video.

Coming to part two of this video, now let me tell you what are the things that you need to do on the day of the event. Tip number one, pack your backpack with all the essentials. Now before the gig, make sure that you pack your bag with all the essentials. carry one pair of RCA cables, carry your headphones, make sure the headphones are working. Carry a pair of link cable. Sometimes the link cable won’t work at the venue. Also, I recommend that you create two copies of the pen drive. It’ll be nice if you can also carry your laptop to the venue. Also carry an aux cable if it’s a private party. Tip number two, look your best. Please dress up well and be presentable.

Make sure that you’re comfortable with what you’re going to wear and how you’re gonna look. Now let me tell you that you don’t have to have spikes or look funky if you haven’t done that already. Make sure that you’re comfortable. That is the key. You don’t have to wear funky glasses to look cool in a nightclub if you haven’t done that already. Ultimately, the goal is that you’re comfortable with what you’re wearing and how you look. Being presentable and looking your best is essential so that you’re comfortable and most people would like to see you and see that you are comfortable and you’re carrying yourself very well. So just make sure you wear your most comfortable clothes and look and feel fresh and positive.

Tip number three, reach the venue early, not on time, but early. So you’ll have to leave your home early to make sure that there are no hiccups. Maybe there’s a jam on the road. Maybe there are certain roadblocks that you were not aware of, or even worse, maybe your car or bike can break down. I’m not saying that these things will happen, but it’s better to be aware that these things can happen. And it’s better to calculate all of these risks because it’s your first ever dj gig. You don’t want to be that guy who reaches the venue and gives excuses to be late on your first ever DJ gig. So reaching the venue early is essential. Tip number four, do a thorough sound check.

So now that you’ve reached your venue early, make sure that you spend enough time on the console and do a thorough sound check. Make sure all of the buttons are working fine. Make sure that all of the things that you need to perform your best are all working fine. Check the faders, check the crossfader, check for vinyl mode if you use that. Check for your browse knob. Check for your track selecting button. Check for the play and pause buttons. Some of them are worn out. So check the equipment completely and also ask the resident DJ if he’s there already about the maximum volume or the master volume and how much you can increase. Make sure that you’re not sounding too loud in the venue.

So it’s better you leave that to the resident DJ. Also check the headphones port on the mixer. Please connect your pen drives and check if they’re reading well. and all of these things. Make sure that you do all of these checks so that you are not surprised at the time of the performance. Tip number five, be responsible and be professional. So this is your first gig and maybe it’s your first time at that venue, so all eyes will be on you. Everyone knows that there is a new dj coming, so please be nice to everyone and don’t be an please be nice to the sound engineers, be nice to the bar managers, be nice to the resident djs and the staff at the venue.

These people are there every single day and they meet DJs every single day. So it’s nice to be humble and polite with them. Now in some cases other promoters and other club owners might also be there at the venue. So please make sure that you leave a good impression. Go ahead and talk to the sound engineer. Go ahead and be nice to the resident DJs. Talk to the lights guy. Admire the resident DJs and be friends with them because they will definitely give a feedback to the promoters and the club owners. Now you don’t have to be extra sweet and you don’t have to speak too much. You don’t have to fake things. Just be nice and just be polite. And if there is a resident DJ opening for you, wait for your turn.

Just don’t give out negative vibes. Be a positive person and just be happy. Tip number six, watch your alcohol intake. Now the chances are that you might get a couple of drinks on the house, but I personally always recommend my students not to drink on their first DJ gig. Now if you often drink and if you think drinking might help you ease out and relax you a bit then go ahead and have that one drink so psychologically you feel better but that’s it. I would strongly recommend you don’t go for the second one because it’s your first gig and it’s important to be aware and alert at all times. And if you don’t drink you also make an impression that DJing is important to you and that you take this seriously.

Also a side note is that if you end up messing up somewhere while performing At least they will not blame your drinks for it. But ultimately it’s your choice in the end and you’re watching this video because you wanted my advice. So this is my advice. Tip number seven. Now it’s your time to shine and it’s performance time. Now so far you’ve done all the things right and now it’s time for your DJ set. Make sure that you’re at the console at least 20 minutes before your DJ set Try to get familiar with your surroundings. Try to get comfortable with your location, with the DJ console. See if there are any loose wires around. Try not to tip over things. Check out the placement of your console.

See that you are comfortable where you’re standing because when you entered the club first, the club was empty and it was probably well lit and now it’s dark. So it’s better to be comfortable with your surroundings. Now you can have some anxiety, so carry your water bottle and keep it next to you. remember to play safe and you don’t have to do anything extra. Just go ahead and open your dj set as you planned before and play those 10-15 tracks to observe and understand the reaction of the crowd. Try not to look uncomfortable and try not to look lifeless. Don’t be robotic with your things and don’t look down. Just look at the crowd and try to be comfortable and look happy. Just be confident and make sure you show them that you’re having a good time.

You are the life of the party and you are there to make sure that the people are having a good time. so smile when you’re mixing and make random eye contact with people. Dance a little and clap a bit. Maybe cheer up the crowd. Do all those nice things. Be the life of the party and most importantly, make sure you are having a good time. Tip number eight, closing your dj set and make sure that you’re noticed. So you’ve been killing it all through the night and now it’s your time to end the dj set. So make sure that you have made yourself aware to the crowd and make sure that the crowd has noticed you. So now is the time to play one of those best tunes

that people can sing along to, etc. And as I said earlier, try to use the mic and say thank you at the end of your DJ performance. Simple things like, hey, thanks a lot for having me guys. I hope you guys had a good time. Looking forward to see you guys next time. Simple things like that will make sure that everybody who was dancing in their own vibe looks at the console and notices you. Tip number nine, after gig rituals. Things that you need to do after the gig. Now that your DJ set has ended, try to say thank you to the club owners and the promoters. Say thank you to the DJs who supported you and maybe compliment them for their DJ set.

Also say thank you to the sound engineers and light engineers who supported you during your act. Do all these nice things and if you did not get the chance to meet the promoters personally, just send them a message, a thank you message before leaving the venue or the next morning. Also the next day what you can do is you can put up a nice picture from your gig last night so that other people can see that you had a great time because also chances are that some of the people who noticed you last night will be looking for you online. So they can see that picture and they can be sure that you were the guy who rocked their party last night. So there you have it guys.

Those are my tips for your first ever DJ gig. Try to keep up the momentum, try to have a great time and that is the key. Happy to help.