New Year's Resolution: Landing a Denon DJ Gig in the UK (and Beyond!)

General Area DJ Lounge
1

Hope you’re all kicking off the new year on a high note! I wanted to share my resolution for 2024 and seek some advice from the seasoned DJs in this community.

This year, I’ve set my sights on scoring a DJ booking in the UK, and I’m open to exploring opportunities in other interesting countries as well. Specifically, I’m aiming for corporate or themed party gigs to add a unique touch to my repertoire.

Working as a DJ since the mid-90s I’ve started out on the 2000MK2’s, and seen the world evolve to the current EngineDJ ecosystem. For tax and availability reasons I’ve always bought the bulk of my music from UK based stores and recordpools: Whitedisc, Mastermix and PromoOnly. Those music sources exposed me to a lot of bangers which would work great on the British floors but not as much on my native floors. And their lies my interest in UK bookings (whereas I consider San Anthonio also as UK :smiley: )

Here’s where I could really use your insights:

Denon DJ Gear Compatibility: I’ve completely “changed my rider” and turned my back to Pioneer. I know Pioneer makes still some great hardware, but it’s not made for me. It’s crucial for me to spin my sets on Engine gear. Any tips on venues, events, or contacts that favor Denon setups would be immensely helpful.

Money Matters: Though my intentions are truly for the adventure and life experience part of the idea. I do need this to be a paying gig for two equally important reasons. I do not want to undercut the work of local DJ’s. It is work with a value. I don’t want to be considered because Im the cheap option. And I don’t want to be considered to put a local DJ under pressure to lower their rates. And the other reason is simple: The missus wouldn’t approve if this turns out to be an expensive trip with travel and accommodation and such. Any advice on negotiating rates or finding gigs that are known for compensating DJs well would be fantastic.

UK Insights: If you’ve had experience DJing in the UK or know about the scene, please share your knowledge. From hotspots to networking events, I’m all ears!

International Opportunities: While the UK is my primary focus, I’m curious about other countries that might offer exciting opportunities for DJs. Any suggestions for countries where Denon gear is popular and the party scene is thriving? And if it’s not for my maybe we can help someone else with the same ambition!

Let’s make 2024 a year of unforgettable beats and successful gigs! Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and experiences. Cheers!

(Note this is placed in the DJ Lounge part of the forum)

1 Like
2

Hey Ben,

Alles goed? :blush:

For the topic of playing on Engine gear in clubs, I did a change last year that might work for your needs :blush:

While preferably playing on SC6000/x1850, I bought a Prime Go for my club shows/festivals, which has worked wonders!

I’ve played a few shows on it by now, and it has world great. I’ve simply connected the output of the Go to a channel input on the DJM, and made sure to keep the output volume at a proper level.

Not only can I now play exclusively on Engine gear, but it’s also super convenient for preparing at the hotel-room, as well as knowing the gear you’re playing at in the club is actually working (rather than showing up to abused players or mixers with missing buttons etc).

While playing on the Go isn’t entirely the same as SC6000/x1850, I’ve hardly given it a thought once I’ve actually started playing, and when listening back to the recordings (another plus that it’s so easy to record), they’ve sounded every bit as good as when I’m playing on the “flagship”-setup at home :blush:

I’m actually playing in the UK on March 1st, and plan to play on the Go there as well :blush:

The mix below is recorded straight on the Go during ADE in Amsterdam in October btw :slight_smile:

1 Like
3

Who is that time-traveling man with CDJ-2000s in the mid-1990s? Certainly he can time travel to the 1960s and get in on DJing before it’s everywhere…

Horrible idea. Either get rid of the rider completely or at least relax your front end requirements. Switching from one brand to the other on a rider is not only impractical since hardly any production companies or clubs have Denon DJ gear to hook up for you, but you’re just perpetuating the same Prima donna nonsense that’s been going on for years.

4

My guess is that by 2000 he means the Denon DN 2000F :blush: that was proper “industry standard” :sunglasses:

1 Like
5

Ah… so started out with Denon, moved to Pioneer, and now wants to move back to Denon.

6

I personally think the DJ scene in the U.K. is on the decline, making it more and more difficult to get gigs. You really have to know someone who can get you into a venue and even then it’s quite clicky and elitist in most places.

If you’re in the Netherlands I don’t think coming to the U.K. to look for DJ work will be an entirely positive experience compared to home.

As far as gear goes, it’s Pioneer Pioneer Pioneer over here unfortunately.

7

Thanks Kris,

I might do that with my mixstream :slight_smile:

8

Actually I was referring to the Denon DN-2000Mk2. The clubstandard player before the Pioneer CDJ500 came to market. I’ve stayed on Denon until the DN-S3500 units. Switch for a bit to Traktor and Serato though Pioneer hardware for a while.

“change your rider” was the advertising slogan way back when Denon was introducing the Engine Prime ecosystem. Before COVID I’d keep my music collection syncd between a Trakor, Serato and Recordbox database. I’ve decided to stop that and move to only Engine. YMMV but I really don’t want the hassle of double/triple music collection. I’d rather lose a booking than lose time over unneccery preparation work.

1 Like
9

I said then and I’ll repeat that it’s a terrible slogan.

10

What do you propose instead? It’s the easiest thing in the world preaching about the problems, not so easy providing the solutions.

11

Riders are for Prima Donnas.

Riders are for sissies.

Lose the rider.

Forget the rider.

Take the front-end out of your rider. (doesn’t quite have the ring of the others)

The idea you could ever stipulate a production company or venue have Denon DJ Prime gear as the front-end is absurd on many levels that I won’t get into here, but if the production company providing the gear or the venue happens to use them, you should be able to adapt.

You’re certainly justified in making fun of DJs who need a particular turn-key front-end, their drives already attached, tracks already loaded, crossfader already assigned, they’ve got every track the same BPM & key, and then they jump on stage, hit play & flip the faders frantically a lot while dancing behind the decks. Something goes wrong, they leave stage.

InMusic could get a lot of mileage out of saving DJing from the shenanigans going on now and the pansies that can’t deal with different gear or any little issues on their own.

12

Whilst I’d love for them to go in that direction, I don’t think it’s a remotely sensible business model right now. People crave automation and InMusic are here to make money, so the writing is on the wall as far as that goes.

13

That’s an additional issue, but now that you mention it, if you want to differentiate your products, that’s one way to do it considering no one else is going in that direction and the most optimal way to embrace automation is actually with the use of a computer + software + controller, not standalone systems. At least the option to get rid of automation and further customize would be nice.

14

Riders aren’t Pre-Madonna but just professional behavior. It shows the organizer that your are taking your craft seriously. And it will improve your gigs because you know what to expect when arriving at the location.

15

You should be able to DJ on anything that’s not busted, just like the material girl did in order to turn herself into a fat Russian cam girl with too much cosmetic surgery.

1 Like