Offbeat DJs

This blog post is partly about where some of the society money goes, but also about how we support our music events, and my role in the society. I'm John Lapage, and I have been exec of this society for a period longer than the majority of undergrads have been at this University. I started as Vice President at the end of the 09/10 academic year, was treasurer the subsequent year, and now I am 'Live Events'.

We made a new 'Live Events' exec role for this year, because organising the DJs takes a fair bit of organisation, and it deserves its own slot. I'm also aiming to get a few gigs on, possibly next term, finances permitting.

When I DJ, people ask me 'John, how did you become some sort of badass music demigod'. Flashing my pearlywhites I can honestly reply 'because someone showed me what buttons to press, and I have practiced since'. DJing on some types of kit is really difficult, but we have invested in equipment that is really easy to learn. So when our hypothetical Idioteque goer from earlier in the paragraph asks 'can I learn how to DJ', the answer is an unequivocal yes.

Indie DJing is the piss-easiest type of DJing, so much so that anyone who can do 'real' DJing quite rightly looks down their noses at us. Fact is, most indie songs are designed to have a beginning, a middle and an end. Most 'club', 'dance', etc etc music that a real DJ might play are designed to have a good middle, but the start and the end are really there so that they can be mixed into songs with a similar tempo and sound. Therefore at worst, DJing a set entirely composed of straight indie songs sounds pretty much like putting your iTunes on '10 second autofade'. With only a couple of hours instruction, a rank beginner can be shown how to recognise how to cope with different songs, and make an appealing set. The real challenge is actually in song selection, either from planning out a really good set, or when you get good, knowing what songs will mesh well with what you are playing, and also complement the current mood of the venue.

Me, using the old kit at a 24 hour Trampolining Charity event.
DJing can be super lonely.

So why do we bother having DJs really? Fact is that most bars have music playing. Thing is, it looks better for a bar to have someone there, actively putting the music on, rather than just having an iPod playing. It's just about customer perception. Also if you are dealing with the SU or a big bar, they might be trying to sculpt an entertainment programme that covers a spectrum of music, and thus customers. These 'Indie Nights' (like Idioteque) come with strings attached - music policies, on what should and shouldn't be played. It's not very restrictive for us, but it gives the bar an air of legitimacy and variety that ultimately equates to 'more punters, more drinks sold'.

The level of simplicity might on the face of it sound lame, but that's enough for us to put someone on at Idioteque or the Zephyr lounge earlier on in the night, playing the music that they would want to hear in a bar, and getting a bit of experience. Later these people can be introduced to more complicated stuff like looping, effects, filters and so on, and you have the beginnings of a great DJ. With practice and a decent knowledge of the more electro end of the Indie/Alt spectrum, you can end up DJing just as proficiently the aforementioned 'real' DJs.

Our DJing is all MP3-based. Most DJs these days use CDJs, and honestly I don't really understand the point in keeping to that technology. Vinyl DJing is an art unto itself, and we also now have the kit to do this. We have two sets of 'Controller' that plug into a computer, allowing the program Traktor to operate to its full capabilities. The new controller we have just invested in allows up to 4 decks to be operated at once, both within Traktor, or from external inputs such as Vinyl Decks, or any stereo input. It's pretty boss, is what I am saying. This kit in total is the most expensive thing that we have spent society money on, so it's really important to us that as many members benefit from using it.

The Old Kit - Dinky, cheap and light.

The new kit. Fuller featured, robust and heavy as a motherfuck.

It really helps me if I can always find people to DJ. Therefore if you fancy being shown how to do this, and getting into it, get in touch with me (John Lapage) and I'll arrange a group session some time. You can get in touch by finding me on facebook, the uni email register (people search), or by messaging the Offbeat Warwick page. You have to be a paidup member to do this, for insurance purposes. There's no commitment, and we are all volunteers, even me.