Act Like a DJ
August 07, 2006 @ 8:56 AM
The Working DJ vs. The Professional Skateboarder
I decided to write about the similarities between the life of a full time DJ and a Professional skateboarder. There are many similarities between the 2; the first I would have to say is the fact that you get paid to do something that you love to do. One is playing records and drinking at the club as the other is rolling around with their homies clocking tricks with filmers and photographers. You get to travel the world, get paid, and have fun.... So all you bitter pros and DJ's quit your bitchin.
Skills - Just like skateboarding its not what you do its how you do it. Some skateboarders can live off that amazing kickflip because of their unique style. If you give the same 20 records to a House DJ (A DJ that primarily uses house records) and a Turntablist (A DJ that manipulates the record to create different sounds) and tell them to record a mix, you are going to get different results. It is a matter of opinion what you like but it is all about how the DJ uses their individual style and skills with the records they have.
Pay - As a DJ you get paid in cash at the end of the night vs. getting a check in the mail for skateboarding. It is nice to walk out of the club with cash just sucks when you have to wait till 2am to get that $$, or track it down the next day if the promoter flakes on you, usually doesn't happen. The pay scale is similar to skateboarding in which if you are a seasoned DJ that has a good name and history you get a higher rate. DJ Q Bert gets $10,000/show where the average DJ gets $100 per hour. So if you are an average DJ that spins out 2 nights a week (Friday/Saturday) for 2 hours each night you can make $1600/month-close the average Pros salary. There is also higher paying gigs like a wedding where you can make up to $1000/night but that is a whole different monster.
Set up - A DJ constantly plays at different club venues with different equipment all the time. Some clubs have good set ups while others have that 1980's mixer with no fader and no monitors and a wack ass sound system. Monitors are very important because they allow you to hear what you are doing. DJ'n on a wack set up is like skating that demo in Blackpool or any small town where all there is to skate is a milk crate and a shitty metal bank ramp. Again it comes down to your skills and creativity to make best with what you have. This is why it can be good to start out DJ'n on equipment that is NOT top of the line, cause a good DJ can play on any set up as a good skateboarder can shine wherever they're at.
Sub culture - Just like skateboarding there is a whole sub-culture in the DJ world. Instead of "hey, did you see Appleyard’s new shoe?" its "did you hear that Missy single". From crusty record collectors to up and coming turntablist's it’s all about the records. One of the coolest things about being a DJ is searching for records. It is like one big treasure hunt that never ends. When you find that record that you have been searching for in the back of the store underneath a bunch of crap you are stoaked. But like I said- it never ends, but hey its music and that is what DJ'n comes down to-it is an appreciation of music.
Top 10 things that happen when you know you are a DJ:
1-You never pay cover charge at the club cause you know all the door girls and security guards at all your favorite clubs
2-You never pay for drinks cause you know all the bartenders
3-You can easily drop $50 on records and be bitter about spending $10 on food
4-When you hear a song and you are automatically thinking what would mix good with it
5-When you are at a club you find yourself peeking over the DJ mixing to see what he is playing
6-When you are travelling to a different city and all your friends are at the beach yet you are at some 2nd hand store digging for records
7-When you are going to sleep your ears are still ringing from the loud sound system you had to play on that night
8-You have 3 copies of the same record yet you still might accidentally buy another
9-You have over 5,000 records yet it is hard for you to sell one of them
10-You hire help when you move just to move your record collection
Satva Leung is Team Manager for Ricta and Mob griptape.
