GIG LOG December 2014 Telford

0:01 Mile hour, horsepower horsepower

Hi guys, on the way to a gig again near Telford and it's a lovely sunny day. As usual absolutely loads of traffic and everyone's doing 40 mile an hour. You pass people who are doing 40 and then you've got their clear road in front of you and it's great because you can go at a legal 60 here in the United Kingdom but sure enough if Because everyone else in front of you is doing 40, you're only doing 20 mile an hour faster than them which means eventually you will catch up with yet another load of people doing 40 miles an hour. And so it continues. I have had this conversation before but I'm sure a lot of the accidents in the UK and possibly around the world are to do with people who go too slow, not too fast, who go too slow because

What they're doing is they're hindering the people who just want to go about their daily business at a decent speed, not a snail's speed, chugging behind some grandma, a Ford Mustang Capri 55 horsepower, well not 55 horsepower, 500 horsepower, 25 litre GTI, who's just sat there doing 35 mile an hour. Anyway, that's But, bit of a whinge over and done with. The next whinge is this. Are you as a DJ, a mobile DJ, are you sick and tired of playing the same old crap? No. There are certain tracks I thoroughly enjoy playing because they're just there. They're in history. Michael Jackson. Bit of the old ABBA and Come On Eileen. Just absolute classics. But then... Top 40 music. We tend to have to play it because everyone requests it, which I can appreciate that. I can understand that. That's fair enough. But the question you must ask yourself is how does it get into the top 40 in the first place? I'll answer that question. It's very simple. It's about money. The big companies will pay someone somewhere down the line to promote their song.

2:38 I predict this will be in the charts in a couple of weeks

As soon as you hear that song on the radio and you hear your wonderful radio producer DJ saying, oh this is a great track, then they have instilled the seed into your mind for you to think that it is a great track when there are probably a thousand tracks out exactly like that that have been released on the same week. But it just so happens that this particular DJ has been asked to play. And he or she will say, this is a great track. I predict this will be in the charts in a couple of weeks. Well, it just so happens that it's now on the playlist for the radio and they will start playing it incessantly for the next however long. So the more they play it and the more you hear it, the more you get used to it, the more you get used to it, the more you like it, the more you like it, the more you want to buy it, the more you want to buy it, the more you want to request it.

4:09 Why is it that there's only a few coming out?

The more you want to request it, the more it gets played and so on. Now if you don't believe me then I'm sorry but you're thick because that's what happens. Now I don't know the exact number but there are a fair few thousand if not tens of thousands of songs released every single week. So why is it that we only get to listen to half a dozen? Why? Why is it that there's only a few coming out? Now, Radio 1, I don't know whether they still do this now or not, I'm not sure, but they used to say we predict chart entries for A, B and C. Well, it just so happens that they used to play those tracks so much that people would buy them. So of course they'd get in the charts. Now, if you don't realise how much you're being controlled, then you're thick. You're absolutely a bunch of muppets.

Because the system is making you play the tracks that you're playing. The people who go to your gigs don't all of a sudden have this random group of songs, oh play this, this and this. Most of the time they will ask you to play the stuff that's being played on the radio. And they feel that those are the songs they like. But they are, they do like them. In a way, because that's what they'd be listening to. But if they had freedom of choice and there was this vast array of music that they could choose from, then the charts would be completely different and random. It's already getting to the stage where we're just having X-factor crap now. And again, if you think about it, I mean, why does X-factor now? Why do they have X-factor around about December time, November?

It's the Christmas time and they want the X Factor to be pride in place in the charts. It's ridiculous. Again, I have mentioned this before. Years ago a song would creep up the charts. They would stay at number one for quite a few weeks then disappear. Nowadays it's very rare that you get a song creeping up the charts eventually getting to number one, staying there and slowly disappearing. Now it's straight in at number one And then it's pretty much gone. So what is happening with the music industry? Well, it's very simple. It's being controlled and you're being controlled by what you play and what you listen to. So if anyone there is wanting to be a new DJ, a mobile DJ, and they don't know what they should be playing, then it's a very sad thing to say but it's very true.

6:46 In other words, you're choosing the popular songs of around about now

Just listen to the top 40 in your area or country and pretty much buy the top 40 from the past six months and then after six months try and find the ones that were played more so, the very sort of catchy ones say the past two years prior to the six months. And then anything before that just get the classics and you've pretty much got an entire set. If you picked and chose your tracks correctly, I could guarantee you that you could get a complete night set on probably a one gig thumb drive. If you chose them correctly. In other words, you're choosing the popular songs of around about now. You're choosing the Gangnam Styles, the Come On Eileen's, the Macarena's, the Barbie Girls, the Abba's, the Take That's, the Robbie Williams, the Michael Jackson's.

The Madonnas, Summer of 69, and then you know what? You're away. You can do a set. So anyway, sort of a bit of a rant, but I have been in this industry a very, very, well, quite a while. Getting on for 30 years, that's ridiculous actually. Bloody hell. And it's amazing how it has changed. Amazing. For example, years ago, you would turn up A couple of vinyl turntables, Technics if you were lucky. If you weren't lucky, well actually if you were still lucky, you had an all-in-one DJ console with a mixer, a tape player if you were like really lucky, Bell Drive turntables, Garrard or something like that, Stanzer maybe, and about four or five boxes of 7 inch and then you had that box of 12 inch. But if you had a box of 12 inch then

9:29 They're getting a DJ who can play music, who's got kit

Other DJs used to look at you and go, wow, you're cool because you've got 12-inch singles man, not just 7-inch. But most of those were LPs. Nowadays, what do you do? You walk in with the new Mark NP, a laptop, a couple of powered speakers, a couple of flashy lights, you're doing a function. Now again, there are a lot of people who seem to be booking these cheap DJs now because they think they're getting a good deal. They're getting a DJ who can play music, who's got kit. But are you getting a DJ who understands old school stuff, who can pull out the classics? That's something you have to ask yourself. Do you want that for a start or do you just want a DJ who will play top 40? If so, then fine. The DJ that you're booking, have you booked a DJ that's got PL, public liability insurance? Have you got a DJ that's

We've got kit that is very new and or has been pat tested. Have you got a DJ that understands the crowd? Have you got a DJ that uses the microphone correctly? Have you got a DJ that's able to communicate with the crowd and interact with the crowd and not just say that was, this is? These are the questions you need to ask and if you can tick a load of those boxes Then if you are getting a DJ that's costing you £100, then you've got an exceedingly good deal and that DJ quite possibly will be out of business very shortly because he or she would not be able to financially keep up their business by earning £100. If you are paying £100, then be wary because it's more than likely you're going to have someone

Has maybe been in the industry for a couple of weeks. Has got some Now CDs, has got a couple of mates who used to be DJs, been a roadie for them. Turns up at a function and all of a sudden the bride and groom rush over and go, quick Warner Radio mic because we've got speeches now. Have you got the best man song? Have you got the bride song? Don't forget the father dance. By the way, we'd like you to introduce some of the people who are coming in. Don't forget we're having... Drinks at this time and we're doing this, that and the other. The new DJ may think, oh shit, what have I got into here? So the business itself is not just let's play some music. In fact, mobile DJing is not play music. To understand people, you have to understand everyone, not just the people or persons that have employed you for the evening.

But it's the management. It's getting there. A tip I always say to people, you can have the best light show, the best sound system. You could be the best DJ in the world. You could be a Radio 1 DJ booked. Think about this now. Radio 1 DJ booked to do an hour set at 10 o'clock. If you turn up at 10 to 10, you're going to piss people off big time. You are going to really piss people off. Not because they're angry with you, But because you've made them anxious, you've frustrated them because they want to know you're coming. So my advice here is very simple. Never be late, always be early. You can be the best DJ in the world, be late, you can do a fantastic job but they will always remember for the fact that you were late. You can be very early, set up, have a relatively good show, do a pretty good job but they'll be happy because you turned up on time.

13:39 Introduce yourself

So, to making sure you do a good function, really, is to make sure you are on time. You're there, ahead of schedule, even if they say you are not allowed to set up until exactly 6 o'clock. I would get there for 5 o'clock and I'd be parked outside, ready. Now you may think, alright, an hour, you sit in the van for an hour. Well, you're not actually, because what you're doing is you're getting out of the van and you are... Walking around the venue, you're having a look, you're trying to get a mental idea of where kit goes, where should you put a speaker, where should you put your tripod, where should the console go. So you're never just sitting around, you can and will and should always be doing something. So don't think because you're an hour early means that you can just sit in your van. Go in, have a look, introduce yourself to the management, introduce yourself to the bride and groom, say hello I'm here. If you do that

14:38 I've got this Vivitek 3D projector

They'll bloody love you because, wow, he's here already or she's here. Wow, look! They can't sit up for another hour but they're here already. They will love you. Alright, let's pause the camera. A lot of waffle in there but I hope it makes sense. Okay, so we're rocking the wide-angle lens and we're in Telford Golf Club. I've got some easy pins here to show you what I've done. I've got them plugged in and charging. I'm going to use some of those just to colour. Maybe some of the tables have a couple of pin spots on the kit I'm using, maybe on the CDs as well. I've got this Vivitek 3D projector. It's a short throw and I've got that set up now on the screen. I've also got this effect here which is a QTX light. I've had bad donkeys ages. That's fallen out of the van about 20 times and still works so I'm reluctant to get rid of it. I think I'll use it until it dies.

I've also got the Chauvet 350, Intimidate Spot 350. Just turn the settings down on this. There you go. 350, Spot LED 350. And a couple of the Cam LED power bars. Also got the Chauvet Core Bar 4 down there. You can use that for sort of up-lighting. From the front it looks pretty good, but there's a strange room that's got a huge pillar right there. And this here from Cam, if we have a look at the back, what I like about this, very simple, very self-explanatory. Now what I haven't done is I haven't brought the remote with it, but it's great to use with the remote because at a distance you can just get it to go any colour. That's a K-Strip 6. I have that as a lighting, got the power bar again over there. Intimidate spot from Chauvet 350 on a set of Wolfdale Pros. These are the Delta series 500 watts RMS each and they're exceedingly loud. Okay so kit wise if we have a look in fact if i just go back around this way show you how to set everything up what i've done i've gone from the laptop of course i'm using

17:21 To their microphone, radio mic, Lego keys

The DJ Tutor allows you to use the CD1, CD2 and CD3 controllers. To their microphone, radio mic, Lego keys. Also under here we've got the Cam KXR2000 V2 amp that you have. Some very good kit today and two things I'm going to kiss their asses. Here's the Pioneer Wego, alright? Use the Wego 3. I played on the CDJ-2000s, I played four CDs. All night, four tracks. The rest of it was on the Wego, alright? Now this is a small, tiny controller. So anybody out there, anyone who says the Pioneer Wego is a toy, is a dickhead, I'm sorry because it is not a toy. I managed to do pretty much a complete night using the Wego and a laptop. That's it. It worked perfectly. Perfectly, alright? So, just straight up fantastic. And the other is that friggin' cam amp, alright? I'm going to put a link in the description to the amplifier I used, but I had it on half volume all night and it was just absolutely, boomingly loud. No distortion. I was really impressed, very impressed.

20:17 Left it up and away you go

I had the amplifier on half volume and the master volume to about, on the mixer, about one o'clock. Because remember what I was doing, I was routing the Wego through channel 1 so master output from the Wego went into the line input of the DJM-900. Left it up and away you go. Well Mostly did the videos tonight and, well, yesterday. It's now in the morning. And it was just rocking, absolutely rocking. It's now... I shouldn't really say this actually. Okay, it's now 10 minutes, 5 minutes to 4am. The gig finished at 1 o'clock. And I probably, I packed up myself, probably left there about quarter to 2. And I'm now about 10 minutes from home. And that was Telford. Yeah, all right. Well there's nothing else on the road is there? I think I passed a few vehicles. Well, I should have like swung past them. Morrison's van. I always meet at Morrison's van and I don't know. It was like, there's the Mor... Oh, it's gone. Anyway, so if you want to do video mixing, seriously consider it.

22:53 Got myself a tin of that shit

It's very good fun. Also, for downloading, I mean there's loads of different places to download. There's ZipDJ, there's CDPool, but for video, there's extendermix.eu. Now, your choice is a tip for you. But you download an audio track and that's all you've got is the audio. If you download a video, you have the video and you have the audio and I believe Extendermix.eu still do a deal for like £40 per month and you can get 100 videos, so that's 40 pence each, which quite possibly is cheaper than buying just the bloody audio file, which doesn't make any sense to me. Anyway, so great fun. It was in the Telford Golf Club, so it was sort of the other side of Telford. And just great fun. Weather's pretty good. I'm absolutely shattered. Got myself a tin of that shit. What's it called? Shit. No, Red Bull, that's right. Well, I shouldn't really call it shit, but I will because it's just full of crap, really. There's nothing good in it except it maybe keeps you awake a little bit. Talking about keeping awake, I don't do drugs.

But I do remember many, many years ago there was myself, there was a few friends and we went to a nightclub in Barmouth called The Sand Dancer. This was like billions of years ago. And may it mind, I'll just mention him as Toby. You might remember. But we took each about 12 Pro Plus. I'm not joking. I had 12, 11 or 12 Pro Plus and oh dear, that was funny because you're just like, you're awake. You are like a-wake. Never forget getting home and going to bed and then sort of waking up thinking, hold on a minute, I went to bed half an hour ago and I was wide awake. Oh, very silly. But yeah, later on that afternoon I felt like shit. There you go. Anyway. And I'll tell you what, I'm going to dedicate this video to my son Ryan. Ryan, listen, I know we don't, well, see eye to eye, yes, long story there ladies and gentlemen, so the less said the better, but let's say Ryan, my man, forgiveness is the key, I forgive you mum, and well done for passing your test mate, good on you kiddo, you bastard because it took me twice.

You bastard, you passed it the first time. You bastard. But good on you mate. If you were next to me now, I'd give you a hug. Alright? I love you. Practice and enjoy. Thank you.

This transcript was produced automatically from the audio of the video and may contain mistakes.