I got into DJing after attending a Hard House/Hard Trance event in London in 2003 I’d never heard this genre of music before until I walked into a little club in Camden Town one summer night.
The energy of the clubbers and the DJ blew me away the pounding beats on the sound system was like nothing I’d experienced before this was in actual fact my introduction to clublife at the age of 17.!! It was the first time I witnessed the “Rave Scene” and all the other stuff that comes with it.
The sound of Hard Dance music gripped me from that point 150BPM+ fast rapid music weather its Hard Trance, Hard House, Hard Style, Techno, Psytrance or Hardcore I’ve loved it ever since. I’ve never played professionally in a club or produced my own music but it’s still the dream.
I could never see myself just one day deciding to start mixing Drum & Bass or Dubstep the genre I love generally has a hold on me - it’s strange.
Would be interesting to know other peoples story on here as I’m sure 95% of us mix EDM music - but where did it start for you.?
Listening to old rave tapes in the early 90s (from about age 11) was what got me into it, Carl Cox, Ellis Dee, Micky Finn, Seduction, Stu Allen (massive influence) and then some of the early North East Hardcore DJs like Bass Generator, DJ Attack etc. I also had a love of House Music and started listening to Danny Rampling and DJs like that. First went clubbing at 16 and then at 18 bought some Citronic turntables which will have been 1999.
My mates were/are all into harder music but I was never that bothered about it, although I went to plenty of events with them and have seen many of the DJs. I always loved House and started buying those type of record and heading to see Masters at Work, Sanchez, Choo Choo, Yousef, Steve Lawler, Derrick Carter in clubs around Newcastle, Middlesbrough, Leeds, Sheffield.
Once I started getting gigs I started going back to my other childhood love of soul, funk and hip hop and realised that I actually loved the eclectic type of set… these days I’d say that my dream slot would be a sunset warm up in Ibiza playing around 100bpm and that’s what the main of my music reflects, I guess Greg Wilson and Nightmares on Wax have played a massive part in that too, making me realise DJing wasn’t just about beat matching 4/4 music at 125bpm. Having said that I went on the decks at home last night and played some deep house from the likes of Franck Roger. I occasionally play techno (faster stuff with funky/disco type vibes rather than the slow plink plonk) and still love DnB and Breaks.
If I had a track that perfectly describes what I’m into it would probably be LTJ Xperience - I don’t want this groove to end…. It’s about 100bpm but feels housey/faster, it’s also dubby and has soul.
1986 first heard Love Can’t Turn Around - Farley Jack Master Funk and Jack Your Body - Steve Silk Hurley at a club in Ascot. Was instantly hooked and bought the House Sounds of Chicago LP, then came Acid House in '88 and was regularly going to clubs in London and spending most of my money on vinyl, collecting labels like DJ International, Trax Records, Underground, House Nation, Soundpak & Hot Mix 5 then later Nu Groove Strictly Rhythm etc.
Rave at big events was not my thing so I found smaller underground clubs in London and like @STU-C bought a pair of Citronic turntables.
Listening to Kiss 100 FM I found the late Paul ‘Trouble’ Anderson and taped most of his sessions, and still got a box full of cassettes. With his unique blend of soulful and deep house I was hooked.
Been collecting and playing Deep and Soulful House to this day, and still got most of my old vinyl which is transferred over to MP3. Some of my favourite labels over the last few years include Quantize, Foliage, Making Moves, Groove Culture, Phoenix Soul, etc. I’m not a bedroom DJ but a living room collector DJ where I record a mix once or twice a month for my own self pleasure
I need to think about my journey as well. Some things are in my profile.
Interest in music started very young. Mostly through the magic of radio. Playing at parties by schoolmates. Own drive-in show with friends. Parties at schools and graduations. Local radio. Etc…
Started with a Technics QD33 I think, so my first summer job money went into SL-1210 MK2’s of course…
I ended up playing mostly mainstream music in a large local venue (3000+). My DJ network was very good, but ultimately chose to not go into the DJ business. Finishing school. Or I just hesitated to take a giant leap into the unknown.
As a Dutch DJ, you essentially grow up with very diverse music styles. I think it’s the reason why so many Dutch DJ’s are world famous.
My inner core has always been techno, but within techno there are too many styles. I’m in the Eric Fetcher, Linear System, Oscar Mulero pure techno corner. However, as I also like the old trance, for that reason I also really dig KAS:ST for their melodic deep techno.
Talking about trance: everything Dirk Dierickx (MIKE) made. And the Tiësto tracks made by producers Dennis Waakop Reijers and Geert Huinink.
For money, open format. I am lucky enough to have built a referral network of clients who prefer someone who plays 80’s to early 00’s music on turntables. So, most every gig is a blast. I do a lot of corporate retreats, company parties, and a handful of weddings.
For the love, Drum n Bass. My older brother was a raver, so I literally grew up with electronic music. I was mostly into hard house and hardcore as a kid. Then I heard Freefall by J Majik play on KUNV. That tune has kept me hooked an DNB since the old age of 12. It’s also the tune that got me into not just playing other people’s music(on piano), but writing my own.
I began this journey in NYC at 13 when I went to help some friends DJ a gig & a Love for the art was born. Went thru the paths of a mobile to a Club DJ in Brooklyn/NYC was a great part of the LIMELIGHT crowd [Anthony Cap/Bones/LennyDee/Beltram] at the end of the 80’s & beginning of the 90’s RAVE scene that started this hype. Was traveling to Vegas in 92-93 to spin & moved by 94. Las Vegas Club scene was just a few spots & started growing to the Corporate giant industry we know today. A family situation & had to quit for 18 years to be the best DAD ever BUT sold ALL my life’s work & equipment on the cheap. The end of 2018 saw the return of a fun time in ALL genres as age has become the enemy not other DJs [lol]. Now an educator of the art to those whose want to journey & online streamer mentor for those willing to say I want to learn more. Here to try to do the things i didnt back then but more organized & true. Hope you come along.
Our style is all types of House but a DJ should be ale to MIX anything, any genre, any key at anytime. So we do it all these days.
Was collecting music since Disco, Punk & Rap was new, then snuck into a 'bar when I was 16 and saw the DJ mixing two Italo-House tracks, thought it was awesome and wanted to do the same. After +35 years of being a DJ and playing “House stuff”, I still think it’s awesome and live streaming has given me the platform to push the craft into the realm of broadcast content. Or as one community member put it “the official post-modernism DJ. Not afraid to deconstruct the DJ culture.”
I don’t restrict myself to one genre or tempo, and I don’t always mix (gasps from the audience).
Back when I started, DJs didn’t mix. Decks back then didn’t have pitch adjustment anyway.
The “Technics” of the day was the Garrard SP25. Two of those in a big wooden box with a mono rotary mixer on the front panel, and maybe some coloured spotlights running off a three channel sound-to-light controller.
My early kit was all home made, as there was no way the teenage me could afford Citronic decks from Roger Squires.
As a regular in my local record shop, I became friends with the DJ behind the counter, which got me into working in clubs during the 80s as his sidekick. He never could mix, so he had me doing mixes for him on SOLAR Radio etc.
He also talked me into entering the first ever DMC mixing contest in 1985.
I’m a little bit older than some of you on here being the ripe old age of 57 so my journey into music started with 70’s funk and 80’s Soul, old school hip hop and reggae. I was lucky enough to work around the soho area of London so I had the pick of really great record shops. I had a room set up at home with my technics SL1210’s, mixer, speakers and shelves full of vinyl. I also used to Dj at the local pub and friends party’s. When I met the wife I eventually and stupidly sold my equipment and vinyl, worst decision ever. I’ve always been into the music and now mess about at home on my Mixstream pro or my macbook using serato pro. I love the funky/soulful house stuff that around now especially as some of it is using samples from the music I grew up to.
Started DJing in ‘99 using a crappy “DJ in a box” kit from Numark. I hated that kit so much.
I loved listening to house as a kid, especially being from the NYC area, some radio stations would have live broadcasts from clubs. My favorites were when 97.1FM would do their “Saturday night dance party” broadcasts. Being underage, I would tape them when broadcast and listen to them all week.
I started clubbing as soon I was 18, and started spinning a few short years l after that when I saw that Vinyl wasn’t gone at the time (1998). I started by convince my idol, based out of Norfolk VA, to allow me to go behind the booth and record her sets. She had over 20 yrs experience by that time, and I would lug my PC tower and 19” monitor to the club and stamp out CDs days later. I learned a lot by watching other DJs and talking to them about their craft.
I spin many genres of Electronic music, but mostly Funky, Disco & Jackin house.
My vinyl collection continues to grow as a result of my love of the music, and I love sharing how I mix with whomever is interested. I don’t do it for the likes and subs
I made my first official dance moves at the kids disco to the Le Freak when it was released. I couldn’t dance but this was where the dance music story began.
Except for the nursery rhymes my musical background started with a cabinet turntable and a loaded bag of vinyl singles most from the 50’s, King Creole by Elvis was a favorite.
Then visiting clubs in the late 80’s and the 90’s, trying to dance again, and met some women hence I didn’t put them off completely by my improvised moves, and I didn’t have to pay for anything…
Was focusing on the guitar for some years and started then to use Fruity Loops, trying to make my own tracks.
Several years passed with no listening to the radio, consuming a fair amount of Joy Division and Bauhaus.
Then one day I found Solardo and was blown away by the basslines and the new, to me, sound and use of vocals. That’s what I wanted to try.
Now producing and mixing(learning) funky, disco, house.
My latest(public track) you can listen to here and download:
I started going to raves in early 1995 (19 yo). I got to be friends with some cool DJs, and they inspired me to buy some Techs and a Vestax mixer. I started out w’ Jungle/DnB in 1996, added UKGarage/2Step in ‘98, NuSkool Breaks in 2000, and Deep Dubstep/Future Garage in 2007. So, for over 10 years I was primarily into broken beats. However, in 2008 I also began dabbling with Chicago Jackin’, Deep & Tech House, as well as Hardgroove Techno. Though I still absolutely LOVE all the genres, I mostly focus on Hardgroove Techno these days.
Interesting stories guys, Thanks for taking the time to reply and sharing.
I see a lot of mentions of first DJ equipment purchased when we started out. I remember having a pair of Belt Driven Kam turntables somebody give me for next to nothing but can remember really saving for a solid year working hard to buy a pair of Technics 1210’s this would of been around 2005. Didn’t really know much about the industry at the time but knew Technics were the industry standard.
But quickly found out I made what I considered a huge mistake with such a high value purchase as the digital age and MP3 was upon us and the Pioneer CDJ MK1 was reigning supreme. I’m glad I’m one of the people that can say I learned djing on Vinyl but thinking back I should have bought CDJ’s - which was still way out of my price range.
First CD decks I bought was the Denon DNS1000’s they were built like tanks lol and were good quality.
The Technics were sold off once I realised they wasn’t getting used as opposed to the DNS 1000’s.
Years later I was in a financial position to afford gear like the CDJ2000 NXS and Denon SC6000’s.
Love mixing, love the music, we’ve all been there late at night mixing in them headphones and going to a different place dreaming of being a headlining act known globally.
As mentioned before I’ve never played professionally or devoted the time required to make a career of it as my working life has come in the way. The job I’m in is very demanding and I’ve climbed the corporate ladder, earning a very decent salary and won the respect of my piers - been doing it for over 15 years - but is not the dream and I can only imagine what life is like for people like Tiesto or Carl cox who make a ridiculous amount of money doing what they love
