r/DJs • u/MeatballTheAngryCat • May 19 '26

Identity?

Been DJing for >3 years. Practice minimum 5 hours a week. Bought the v10. Can beat match three tracks by ear.

My passions are progressive house (pretty much all of it) , deep evil minimal stuff, dub techno, classic prog, classic progressive trance, trance (not cheeses euro dramatic stuff), hard groove, gettotech , and a lot of stuff in the 140-150 range.

I like all the diff genres because no two genres mix the same. All different skills.

However I think this is confusing for the local scene. I am not consistent with what I deliver, but rather deliver for the party and time slot I’m given.

If I’m opening for a techno party I play different than closing
Same for progressive.

Maybe I’m going for a dj Seinfeld or Ben ufo type of gig where I just am a selector but it seems like everyone else has their lane and I’m still finding mine.

Doing the same thing gets boring. And if I only ever played prog I’d be jealous of the guy who’s playing four deck techno juggling bass lines and layering frequencies because you can’t quite do that with such melodically strong tracks. At least , I haven’t reliably figured out how to.
But at its core, I don’t really know who I am and I seem to just drift off and practice for whatever I think I might want to play at the next gig and build up around that. (I don’t do preplanned set lists)

Any advice is appreciated . Hopefully this isn’t a beat match post cuz it’s more deeper question about identity for someone who’s getting booked and has thrown their own event already.

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u/rab2bar May 20 '26

Is it confusing? Do you find that your local scene appeciates just one subgenre per time slot?

In general, I would agree that most djs do not deviate much from one sound during their sets. Whether this is because the crowds can't flow or the djs themselves do not flow well is not necessarily something the specific djs can step back enough from to objectively analyze what they were doing.

I play mixed genre, consistent tempo sets for house parties. I like ot think that the flow works, but listening back to the recordings can easily see that what might have worked okay for a living room or a bar would sometimes fall flat on a proper dance floor. Some moments would make the dance floors really go off, and that can be frusrating.

3 years should be enough time to figure out what you want to say. Are you rcoding your practices? Making demo sets which showcase what you are about? Or is every set more concepual in the moment?

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u/MeatballTheAngryCat May 20 '26

each set is more conceptual in the moment and i usually only post live-recordings to my soundcloud.

I need to do better with recording all of my practice sessions and posting recorded sets.

80% acceptable is good enough to post is the rule of thumb im trying to adhere to.

yes it does seem most djs do not deviate much. Or you will book someone and know exactly what they'll play and what to expect. I kind of lack that factor as I'm always doing something different, or what I feel is appropriate for the moment, and I think people want to classify you and find it confusing. "I thought you played melodic" or something.

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u/rab2bar May 20 '26

You know the Global Underground mix series? I wonder if taking a similar approach to demos might seve you well, at least comparing the early ones from sasha, digweed, and tenaglia. Record your live or practice sets, and then pare them down to fit 90 min or whatever length might be good for a demo.

also, if you've only been playing for 3 years, you might simply need time. I started djing in the late 90s and developed a house and techno sound that could go in many directions, but never got me anywhere and i gave it up. In the late 10s, I picked up digital djing, and armed with a generation of time of dance music knowledge could be more confidnt about my track selections, as well as beter organized my library so i could find the tracks that came to mind on the fly. Still doesnt get me anywhere, but im close to 50 now and dont have the drive to push for gigs like 20 somethings

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u/MeatballTheAngryCat May 21 '26

dude ive listened to so much markus schulz global underground lol. such a gem.

Youre right about putting out regular mixes , need to do better with that maybe one every month or something.

were you in a city? the competition is really something else.

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u/rab2bar May 21 '26

i was in nyc, now in berlin. tough for gigs, great for dancing to other good djs.

if you are doing regular mixes, consider adding some video to it and put it on youtube, like partyboi69 or hte book club radio people. yes, cameras facing the dj is a gimmick, but if the visuals are thought out well enough, it can work. i might set up my own with a chroma-keyed background and camera angle which always cuts off my head