i know its a topic (us) dj's over thirty dont want to discuss lol but i heard this 2 dj's having a conversation about another dj (this guys are in their early 20's)and one of them said "wow, he still dj's? isnt he like 38?" im like wtf? im still not there yet, but eventually ill get there in few more years lol, so ever since then i've been thinking, how old is too old to dj? is ther such thing? cause to me funk master flex (what is he? like 42?) is still good but not my favorite like he was in 94-95,and when he starts talking trash im like come on, how old are you now? its just not the same as when he was in his late 20's.

its like theres a lot of rappers that i think they are still hot and they are 40 or close to 40 (jay z,fat joe,busta rhymes for example) and some rappers in their 30's make fun of them for still rapping, on the other hand i see dj's like junior vasquez that hit over 60 and they are still relevant in the game, i know that most of the answers are gonna be "if he is good then he can still dj at any age" and thats what i personally think (or want to think lol) but deep in your heart "HOW OLD IS TOO OLD TO DJ??

Whenever you've lost your passion to move people with music -- whether you're 18 or 81 -- then you're too old.

rs

There is no age limit. If your mixing and scratching is on point! And you're playing good music, age never matters.

When you are having a stroke, I doubt DJing will be on your mind

Age shouldn't matter when you are doing something that you enjoy.

www.youtube.com view <--- watch this.

Hmm thanks for the answers but why is everyone answering like im 50 and shit? lol i was just wondering what u guys think,the thread doesnt say, guys im too old! please make me feel better!! hahaha J/K good to see im not the only one that thinks theres no age limit for this! peace!

I know younger people think there is some switch that turns on when you reach a certain age where you no longer are allowed to have fun, can have fun, stop listening to certain music, start liking classical music and generally just become obsolete. It is mainly ignorance and in a lot of cases outright stupidity. If you are lucky and don't win a Darwin award or get an unfortunate illness you will get older and you will wonder what all the fear of getting older was. Do guitar players just up and quit one day because they reach some arbitrary age or do they keep going because they love what they do? Young people say the stupidest shit.

Im 32 i only been spinning for like 3 years now. Fuck that being too old to start, or keep going shit. Good Music is Timeless.

I have to retract my original answer. The exact age when you are too old is 43 years, 6 months, 10 days.

rs

I dont think you'll decide when your too old, the people who hire you will do it for you. (Im 24 so Im good)

I'm 41 - been DJing on and off since about 1985 or so, sometimes as my full time gig, others as a part time thing, stopped completely twice, just got back into it now after a 5 year hiatus.

The cats I look up to are mostly older than me!

I just turn 40 and still makeing good money at doing weddings and sweet 16's. The day I can't carry my gear thats when I quit!

how old is jazzy jeff? He still rocks the clubs on a regular.

edit: He's 45.

That's badass!

I'll be 47 this summer, been doing this since about 82 or 83. The thing is you adapt and change with the music. In my 20's & 30, I used to think about "keeping it real" and educating the crowd to the latest Underground music (back then it was House) and being a "niche" DJ.

Now still I play Deep House (Soulful) to keep it "real" but more often than not I am playing "Hot Radio Garbage". Thing is in my market (Detroit) the art of beatmixing, blending, and programming has been lost to the "snap and drop" Virtual DJ guys. I beatmix that stuff like I would House (of course not as long) and try to program to keep the flow like I would with House.

A new gig that I got this year is a little boring because the crowd is older and more laid back but they are receptive to some Snoop, Gucci, and Luda at peak hour after the opening set of Steppers music and Line dance hustle shit.

Adapt as U get older and open your mind and it will always work.

(As I type this post right before I go to the Bar and DREADING that first hour of smooth laid back shit - LOL).

word!!!

Don't think it really matters how old you are. In the UK we have Paul Taylor who runs a big night (Retro) playing old skool house and piano house. It runs around the world too. He's in his mid 50s and still is massive.

How old is too old to dj?

There's really no age limit and no one but yourself (or your body) will decide when you're too old to DJ. Some people give up DJing cause they lost interest. Some give up DJing cause it wasn't really their passion. Some of us, whose passion for DJing runs so deep, will DJ until we can't physically do so.

Yeah, who says old DJs are shit just becuz they're old--young people? Since when have they been right?? ;)

I know a bad ass EDM DJ opening for guys like Tiesto, Guetta, etc. That's like saying, how old is too old to be a rapper? ...guys like Eminem, Snoop and Dre are gettin up there in age too..

Look at David Guetta, 42 years old... He's really only had some top 40 hits the past 2 or 3 years... Tiesto, 41... Some of the biggest EDM guys in the world. I thought starting to DJ at 30 years old would be too old, but it's about the music and really, the maturity of the DJ... I think as the DJs get older they realize it's less about being friends with the crowd and more about having an identity... a lot of young DJs that are the same age as the crowd want to be popular.. when you're 10 years older than the crowd, you realize it's more about a business at the club and less about being friends with the crowd...

Sorry I missed it... the DJ opening for tiesto guetta, was like in his late 40's...

you know you're getting to old to dj (or anything else for that matter) when you start complaining about the new technology and attempt to prove yourself to the community by repeating over and over how these new guys have no talent, hahaha

ask Francois K.

David Rodigan is 58 and still filling events wherever he plays.

I started spinning 1.5 years ago at 31. I'm not the shit or anything but I've been getting more gigs than I can even handle. I'm 33 now and a bunch of the bigger dj's in town are close to 40.

Just do your work and do it well and age won't even be a part of the equation.

How many people in Radiohead, Spoon and the Black Eyed Peas are well over 30?

All of them.

I'm 43 (as of Thursday), and I'm probably better than 97% of you.

Let's battle.

en.wikipedia.org(musician)

Saw this guy DJ at a venue I worked at last year...

Also Tom Wilson RIP he was in his mid 50's when he passed and he still filled venues up and down the country!

I'm 44. I win. ;)

Overalll u love what u do then u can kick it when your heart says its time then u know its time to hang it up

its all about the heart

LET'S BATTLE!!!

The winner gets Depends. :P

i say mid 30s. i don't see myself staying up to 5am every weekend trying to make young people dance when i'm that old with a family

hey man .. i'm 35 .. been spinnin in the clubs since i was 18 .. still playin the top hits to the masses .. i'm one of the most respected dj's in my city .. takes time to build a reputation and hold on to it .. and guess who gets all the big shows?? me .. from weddings to the clubs .. brings in the $$ for my family ..

+1......... same here home!!! nothing but and respect in my city as well

home = homie

I am 43, started with tape decks in 83, been out of DJing for a while but always kept a set up in my house. Just got Serato and am back in the groove.
"Age ain't nuthin' but a number" but it also gives you an edge because you have seen the good, the bad and the uggly.
@ the end of the day your age doesn't matter if you can rock the crowd and get payed to do it.

MC Lyte rocked a set at my work not too long ago, and she was on point the whole night. I cant really say she rocked the crowd, because it was a group of Nike execs, but she still put on a great set. Much respect for the old school. She had wisdom only years of practice and performing can give.

so far is 35 to 1, so its not bad, 25 more years to go then hehe

Shit I feel so young at 40. Let's do this!

New or used?

meh .. i may retire when i hit 40 .. we'll see .. when it starts getting to be a drag and stops being fun and enjoyable ... it'll be time to hang up and bronze the headphones .. hell .. i stay up till 5 - 6 am on the nights i work the clubs .. then hit the pillows for a snooze and wake up with my boy during the day .. as the saying goes "your only as old as you feel" .. music is rejuvinating for me .. a release for all the other regular day to day b.s that happens .. keeps the spirit alive, and the heart beating in time with the music !! in the words of Dr. Alban .. "Let the Beat Go On" (1994)

I am 46 and have been working in clubs for 30 years now. I will play until nobody wants to hear what I do.

I don't really think age is a question. If you take care of yourself and your priorities age doesn't really matter. I am 37 with grey in my beard and a bald spot...Guess what I shave my head/face and pass for 25. I barely drink and never smoke and am more passionate about music than I was last year or the year before.

Age just means you have to be mindful and more deliberate because you have much less wiggle room. I am a firm believer that DJing and mental/physical fitness go hand and hand. The oldest DJs I know, whether 25 or 50, drink too much, do too many drugs, eat like shit, have poor sleep habits, and generally are in sorry shape. Like Ice Hockey, Martial Arts, Drums, guitar, whatever. Stay in shape and have intention and you can do this shit forever. Some things to think about:

If you are still getting sloppy drunk at every gig and creeping out the 21 year old girls they you are too old.

If you are too fat to squeeze into the booth without breaking a sweat or too weak to carry your own gear than you are too old.

If you have to sit down when you dj a 4 hour set because you get tired and not because you are injured or handicapped you are probably too old.

Stay fit, stay informed, and stay passionate. I plan to rock parties at the senior centers. DJing has been so much of who I am for so long, there is no fucking way anyone could rattle me to give it up due to age.

Sloppy drunk at every gig and sleeping with young girls makes you old? Ha, i'm only 25 and up until a year ago i was doing exactly that. I must be too old to dj now?

I'm a pretty fit person so i'm lucky but you can't put weight down as a thing to stop dj'ing. What if a person was overweight before they started dj'ing or they put weight on very easily?

You are never too old to dj, but you can be too old to party like a 20 year old. Heavy drinking in your 30's and 40's can cause major health problems. So for me, at age 34, getting completely blasted while spinning is over. I now drink moderately which makes me hate drunks. And at a top 40 club, that's all that is in there....

As you age getting gigs where you enjoy the music helps imho.....

Definitely... I'm 31 and stopped drinking heavily myself, turns out the only people that don't annoy me are the sober 20 year old chicks that can't drink yet. Heh, sounds ok to me... :)

One thing that happens when you get older, you'll hate doing Mobiles. Back in the day, I used to love getting 3 to 5 times what I would make at the Club, but now - damn, I have to move Speakers and Amp (Peavey CS 800 is a anchor) - do I really want to do this mobile???

Although I have a complete mobile system, I sometimes still rent a system for another (slightly younger) DJ and adjust my price accordingly. No set up or tear down for me and at 3am, after the gig, that money loss is more than justified.

^lol. 40 here and still doing mobiles.....lighter, better sounding gear has been a godsend....

hahah so true!! i remember back in 96 i used to take 2 cerwin vega 18" earthquake speakers to every single gig lol, fuck that now i take a jbl 18" eon self powered that is 1/3rd the weight of each CV lol

Kyle,

My fist answer was a bit tongue and cheek. I hear you on the weight thing though it is a slippery slope. Let me clarify - 20 and fat is one thing 40 and fat is a whole different can of worms. In most cases weight, drug use, booze, whatever, are things within our sphere to control though admittedly some have to work much harder than others. Like I said, as we age we have less and less wiggle room. Poor health and bad habits tend to catch up to us much faster and have much more serious implications than when we were young and indestructible.

There are exceptions to every rule but typically age + any uncontrolled bad habit = a liability. People will definitely hold age against you if there are other factors that add into the equation.

The truth is, if the liability equation hits close to home then Djing will probably quit you long before you quit Djing.

Oh and hell yes lighter gear makes mobiles much easier. So does hiring my nephew to set up and break down :)

shit im 38 and nothing gonna stop me ever from djing..not even a bullet in my head!

Salute to you bro..i myself been in the game for 25+ years never made it to the big boys but im still standing, i love it and thats all that matters

oh BTW i posted this same subject in December

www.serato.com

I sure hope you're better than me. You have 15+yrs experiene.

im 14 and i love to dj. i dont think ill ever stop :)

Piss off, we're old! How can we remember that?! LOL

lmfao ^^^

That's wassup Dub.

BTW I used to go to DJ Hut from time to time.

I take my Magic Pills Every morning thats why hahahaha

fixed

That short term memory is a KILLA in your old age...

<----------- 44 yrs ol here..been djing since 12yrs old. I dont do the full-time club scene anymore, mainly private parties and weddings. I have a 2hr mix show on our local radio station every Friday Nite. I do it now mainly out of love for my art and also for the fact that everytime I hear a track...I'm always mixing it in my mind and hearing things that no one else does.
I dont believe there's a "too old" factor simply because as long as you're progressing with your talent and staying "fresh", you're just as good as the next man.