It will be a lot harder to hear because of the massive PA pointing away from you. I assume they will have appropriate monitors, but be prepared to need to turn them way up. Bring some earplugs...

Jesus Pose!!!

Paris Hilton dance!!!

Ah, right. I'll try and get familiar with the sound during sound check. Thanks for the tip.

And @DJ Val-BKNY11203, I know what to avoid :-)

LOL just be yourself. Don't let the size of crowd or the moment intimidate you. Play loose like are home practicing

Bring a Plan "B". Nothing like being "On Stage" with all eyes on you and something dies and you have no backup, whether it be an extra HD, ipod with mixes, control vinyl or Serato CD's. Be prepared for anything.

calibrate decks! especially if big subs are nearby...

if you are using turntables I reccomend bringing something to isolate them from the vibrations. Even a pillow under each will do you justice.

This is VERY important if you are a short dj.....Request a wide and sturdy flight case for proper height so that you are clearly visible to the crowd. Showmanship and stage presence means nothing if all they can see is the top of your head.

for example: Watchwww.youtube.com

Don't be "Over the top" or "overly animated" with the knob twisting unless your name is Joe Clausell. Watchwww.youtube.com

I believe he is one of the few given a knob twisting pass....lol

Very obvious but often forgotten... smile and show you are having fun. Your mood is directly transferred to whomever you play for.

Recently saw John Digweed play on an Awakenings festival, one of the 'smaller' stages, perfect set but the most boring performance ever. No smile no audience contact no nothing. So whatever he tried to stimulate with the music, he lost in being a boring ass.

Ok So that cliche that djs like to always say " hey dude it's just about the music" is bullshit ?

If you go to a Michelin star restaurant you go there 'for the food'. But if that food is served by without much enthusiasm, passion or interest for you as a customer you will be disappointed.

If you go to a classical concert you go there 'for the music', but if the whole orchestra is dressed in whatever they want and the director is bored, reading the newspaper while sometimes waving his stick up and down since they have played that piece thousands of times, you are going to be disappointed.

If you are at a festival, where everybody is cheerful and happy, and the DJ on stage, in the center of attention, doesn't even gaze at the people and has a look in his face as if he is planning his divorce, you are going to be disappointed.

well maybe YOU will be disappointed but why do I have to be disappointed ? Am I allowed to just care about just the food or do YOU decide for me ?

Im just playing devils advocate but do you see the flaw in your argument yet ?

"all that matters is what comes out the speakers" true or false ?

Djs love that cliche....lol

Let me comment about this, now maybe I just do not understand the culture behind knob twisting. I understand what he's doing I just dont see how its overly special but maybe Im just not hearing or seeing something. Someone educate me

Nothing wrong with a devils advocate ;) So let me rephrase, you can enjoy a festival (or restaurant or orchestra or women or... ) any way YOU like. Just as you can decide for yourself if "hey dude it's just about the music" is bullshit.

No need to get philosophical here nor explore any cliché's that have been over explored anyways. PumpkinHead's question was a more generic one and I would say that the average festival visitor goes there for the whole happy experience and not just the music. Feel free to feel different about it, its for PumpkinHead to take out of this thread what she feels is true to her.

Joe is a legend in the house music community.His knob whoring is known around the world and have been known to throw party goers into a frenzy. You have to be at a party with a nice sound system to really hear how he is manipulating the sound. I think it's too much at times...but hey what do I know.

I can vouch for the accuracy of this statement. My biggest downfall when performing in front of crowds is the fact that I'm so focused on getting everything right that I ALWAYS forget to smile. After every competition or battle someone asks me why I look so angry. It sucks because that's just my natural experession. I don't smile a lot. It doesn't mean I'm angry, it's just the way I look when I'm focused. I hate trying to smile because it always feels fake. Right now I'm working on just looking up from the decks and making eye contact with my audience, later on I'll progress to smiling.

Im always burried in my work as well granted I always have a slight sway behind the decks to help me feel the groove of the music better but I rarely smile I do make sure that I look up. The only issue I have is when a set is not pre-planned is finding tracks quickly so that Im not staring at the laptop screen.

Ive heard house music live and I understand what he is doing to the frequencies and how he's pumping the music. I get it Im a DJ I totally understand whats happening I just dont get how many find it exciting. Im partial cause I love turntablism and the knob twisting to enhance/blend the music seems like something all DJs should be familiar with.

It depends on the situation. Sometimes that is absolutely true.

nm

I think that applies mostly when working in a club or any situation where there is a DJ booth where the DJ is out of view. If the DJ is put on stage as the focus of attention then you have to add a visual element to it. After all, they put the DJ on stage for a reason.

Don't eat the brown acid!

You truly need to experience him live to fully understand - an academic understanding of what is occurring is world's away from hearing it (and, most importantly, physically feeling it) in person over a top-notch sound system. Plus, he's using an isolator as opposed to a DJ mixer's EQ knobs (yes, there is a notable difference).

Ive never heard him live. I have heard George Acosta live different type of music but he got his knob twist on as well. I guess I just dont feel it like everyone does. I like house but the over doing on the knob twisting has always been a little corny to me. Imo it adds nothing to the mix sometimes it sounds like its being over done personally.

Lemmie co-sign this...

Saw Joe at Newark Lincoln Park one year, and I was like WTF is THIS dude doin?

I mean, I was in the thick of it all, system blastin', nice day, errybody havin' a good time, the whole bit, but I COULD NOT understand how this guy was gettin' away with twistin' knobs and making the crowd bananaz.

One of my DJ friends was there, and I was like "Dude, really?", he was like "Man, that's Joe, he's ALWAYS been doing that"....and somehow his antics of manipulating the crossover became an "Art" to some.

So, I looked him up on Youtube, and it was consistent, and as a matter of fact, I do believe I did a post here regarding the same thing...

You literally had to be there because it's like he does something to the crowd to make them connect, and the energy of those around you having a great time eventually wins you over...

It's hard to explain, you just have to be there....

Thanks for the advice everyone. It ended up being an amazing experience! Video here: youtu.be


I def have to remember this for next time.


I was very conscious of this and made a great effort to smile more. Now looking at the video, it still looks like I have some work to do in that department. I definitely felt the energy from the crowd and just tried to enjoy myself. The difference from being in a booth at the clubs to center of the stage was quite daunting at first, but I did get over it very quickly.

Congratz.....

Now can we get the unedited live audio/video version ? By the looks of that high end sound system I know it was banging in there and distorts the audio a bit but that's cool....

I wanna hear the joints that made them get hype.

Looks like fun,
I like the tent also!

Of course you'd ask for the mix :-) I'll post it asap



The tent was nice until we got to the end of the night and it was completely sweating. I was the first performance of the day - what you saw in the video - nice and dry. I also played to open for the main acts throughout the night. By the time they performed there was water dripping all over the control vinyl, some drops even fell onto my laptop :-/ Now I'm thinking of solutions for future reference.

Translation....

Did this turn into an impromptu Wet-T Shirt contest?

This thread is worthless without pics.....


























j/k.....what can you expect from a board full of male DJ's?

wow that sucks about the condensation inside the tent! Is this is Denmark?
a splash of water on your keyboard can ruin it quickly... I wonder if some sort of makeshift ventilation system would help? I am thinking of doing a similar tent/festival this summer and def don't want it to rain inside LOL