It comes as no suprise as with any musical genre I have ever lived through has reared its retrogressive head in my direction. Growing up in the 90’s there was a definite 70’s revival going on in terms of fashion and music, all through the naughties there was a distinct 80’s analogue feel to everything and here in the 2010s (the teenies?) even the Godfather of Hardcore is re-releasing his oldskool classics. No doubt the dubstep of todays dancefloors will be staging its own oldskool comeback in twenty years time and so I guess it’s only fitting that the journey with UKG comes round full circle too.
The UK Garage scene for me was a very important part of where I am today. It was my first transition from the hard and heavy Happy Hardcore sounds I was into in my late teens, to the more mature beats and soulful vocals of a more down-tempo vibe. Garage music for me at the time opened up a whole new musical world and a lot of the influences from that yester-year style spurred me into the Funky House scene that I enjoy today.
Waffle to one side, I have put together an oldskool UK Garage mix that I thought I would share. I’ve already put up links on Facebook to this mix but here it is for you to enjoy again.
Its been a while since I’ve had a good old rant but something has got to me lately that has really pissed me off. In fact it was over a year ago I decided to write 5 Alarm Bell Phrases Every DJ Should Avoid and it’s one of the points I wrote about back then that I want to expand on today. I’m not going to name names here, those responsible will know who they are, also there is more than just one type of person involved in this.
The thing that has really got me annoyed is the constant requests from promoters for me to come and DJ for them in exchange for selling tickets to their event. If you are a DJ that has been playing for at least a few years then I’m sure you will have been approached at some point in your career by a promoter of a big name club who wants to offer you a dream spot at their club. It all sounds great at first until it comes to the business of getting paid.
You get told that you will earn your money from DJing by making around £2 on each ticket that you sell and often promoters will require a minimum number of tickets to be sold. Now I don’t know about you, but when I price up a DJ gig I am representing my ability to perform and perform well. Undercutting the competition or offering to play cheaply just is not for me. If you quote a cheap price to play then you are compromising your integrity as a DJ and telling the promoter that you are not very good at what you do. Chances are you are actually a very capable DJ and you are much better than a lot of bedroom jocks out there - so your performance should be priced accordingly to reflect your talents.
I makes me so angry that clubs and promoters will pitch to vulnerable, inexperienced DJs that they can come and DJ at these big brand events as long as they sell X number of tickets for them. I’m sorry but surely that’s the job of the promoter?!?! The clue is in the name. If a promoter is struggling so much with an event that they have to rely on the DJ’s mates to come along then in my eyes it is an event to be avoided.
Not only is this kind of attitude towards DJs completely wrong, but it is saying to the DJ ‘Look, we don’t care what you play or how you play it, we don’t care how well you structure your set or seamlessly blend your tunes, we don’t even care if you or the crowd enjoy the night or not, we just want numbers through the door’. This kind of attitude is wrong as it shows that the promoter is lazy and incredibly stupid. They only care about the money in their back pocket and they really don’t give a shit about you, or your reputation but worst of all they don’t give a shit about the crowd and if they are having a good time or not.
By recruiting DJs in this way it is severely damaging club culture as we know it and turning it from an industry of fun and enjoyment where DJing used to be and should be a pleasure, into a cold corporate world of preying on desperate DJs to rape them of their talent and line the promoters pockets with gold. If you are a DJ then you should just be a DJ. You shouldn’t have to spend any time on promotion - that is what the promoters should do. If the night is not a success then it should be the lazy, clueless promoter that financially loses out and not you.
If this kind of thing continues to spread it will not always be the hard working talented DJs that get all the breaks and opportunities, instead it will be the arrogant unprofessional bedroom jocks that happen to have the most friends that get the chances in this industry. The DJing world already has it’s fair share of self-important arrogant pricks and I really don’t think it should be fuelled this way with any more.
I was approached to DJ for a big brand last week - one which also approached me a couple of years ago in fact - and the first question I asked before anything else was “Do you want me to sell tickets”? They said no, but the deal was that I would be given a concessions guest list and for every person that came through the door on my discounted list I would be paid a couple of quid. There was a bonus payment if I hit a certain number of punters through the door. I don’t know about you but that sounds suspiciously like selling tickets to me. The promoter was stupid for thinking they could fool me and they were lazy for trying to get me to do their work for them.
Hey, by all means if you are just starting out and this really is your only way to get into what is, let’s face it, a very tough industry then by all means dive in and bring all your mates down, just make sure you do it with your eyes wide open and make sure you use their name and their brand to the same extent as they use you.
Have you ever been approached by a big name brand in this way before? How did you react? Maybe you are still trying to decide about a recent offer. Are you one of these shady “promoters”? Would you like to try and defend yourself? Please add your thoughts in the comments below.
Flawless return this year with an immense line up to be held over at Pacha in London on Friday the 21st January 2011. After establishing a name for itself as one of the coolest up and coming party brands last year including smashing a huge New Years Eve event, the Flawless party at the end of this month is set to be another spectacular night.
The established Flawless resident DJs will be playing alongside up and coming talent that you should definitly keep an ear out for, plus the stunning DNA dancers who you should definitely keep an eye out for!
The brand new mix for this year is available to get hold of right now from the mixes page. Theres so much dirty funky house music in there I’ve had to use a crowbar to get it all in. So step well back when you take the lid off this baby!
Over an hour of pure dancefloor jetfuel to get you fired up as we approach that dreaded time when many of us have to go back to the reality of a full-time job. I hope everyone had a good holiday over the Christmas period, I know I certainly did.
Keep it locked for some very special exciting news to be announced very, very soon and enjoy the mix!
As a special treat to those that regularly download my mixes, I thought it would be a nice gesture to put together a special extra mix this month to get you in the Cristmas mood.
There’s no mention of Santa, no reindeer, no elves and no bloody mince pies. But there is over an hour of solid, thumping funky house for you to destroy your eardrums with.
Grab the special festive Funky House Mix from my mixes page right now.
Yep, I’m back once again and I thought I’d write a quick blog post just to let you know what’s been happening since a few months ago when I decided to jack it all in.
Without getting too personal, I’ve been on a bit of a downer for the past six months or so and at one point things got so bad I just wanted to stop doing everything and just go sit in a big dark hole. The DJing wasn’t really going in the direction I wanted it to go in and I had been toying with the idea of knocking it on the head for a while. A few months ago I decided to do just that.
However, almost as soon as I announced I was leaving the scene, I was overwhelmed with people sending me in emails and comments and tweets and messages saying how much they liked my sets and how much I would be missed. I was really touched that people take time out of their day just to drop me a message no matter how long or short that message was.
A few personal things have happened to me over the last few weeks and it has made me realise that music is one of the biggest passions in my life and perhaps the reason I had been a bit low is because I had let other things get in the way of me enjoying making and mixing music. After reading each positive email that had come in and with the support of my friends I’ve decided to make a comeback to DJing and to do the one thing in life that makes me truly happy… spinning huge, piano-led, wobbly basslined, dancefloor destroyers!!!!
And with that in mind I have put together what I feel is my favourite Funky House Mix of all time. It’s a real blinder of a mix with some ‘roight proppa nawty’ edges. A real mix of classics brought bang up to date as well as some fresh-out-the-oven HOT promos. Head on over to the Funky House Mixes page to download the December 2010 mix right now!
Today might be your lucky day - I’m giving away a pair of tickets to see the Cut Up Boys live at Sakura in Reading on Friday 29th October 2010.
The Cut Up Boys are probably most well known for their Mash-Up Mix series and are definitely not to be missed!
All you have to do is drop me an email to dj@paulvelocity.co.uk before 26th October and I’ll sort it out for you. If I get more than one email then I’ll pick one winner at random.
I’ll only be contacting you if you are chosen. There are no physical tickets - your name will be added on the door. I will not be there on the night, I am basically giving up my guest list spot so someone else can go. You will receive two free entries to the club - you plus one. I cannot guarantee you entry to the club - you must observe their dress code and club rules. ROAR. Please don’t be daft and get thrown out or something equally stupid.
Twitter DJ is the latest brainwave from Richie Hawtin, that allows for real time broadcasting of all tracks played during a DJ set. Developed in-house by Bryan McDade at Hawtin’s Minus label, it works as a conduit between Traktor and the online messaging utility Twitter. Minus and Native Instruments worked closely together to optimize the Traktor software for this special use.
The Twitter DJ application utilizes feeds from an updated version of Traktor’s standard broadcasting technology to send 60 second updates during Hawtin’s set of what’s currently playing to a designated Twitter account, allowing anyone following the Twitter group to obtain a unique insight into how a DJ builds the atmosphere and dynamics of a set, track by track, and in real time. The track information is freely accessible from any Twitter configured personal mobile devices (even from the dance floor) and archived online on the Twitter page. This concept is also a significant step towards helping smaller independent record companies and artists to gain further recognition and free promotion when their releases are played as digital files.
However, the real potential comes to light when considering the benefits for performing rights societies: “By providing the necessary information to track what is really being played in clubs, the Twitter DJ application would not only drag the likes of GEMA, PRS and SOCAN kicking and screaming into the 21st century, but make sure the real artists get paid instead of performance payments simply being carved up between the Madonnas and U2s of the world.
The Twitter DJ application can be downloaded from Minus via twitter-dj.com together with the installation guide and instructional video.
Mixes and audio available from this site are intended for home review only. If you like the music, please support the artists and purchase the music legally from the links provided.
So I hear there’s talk of a UK Garage comeback? Those that remember the great producers of MJ Cole and Artful Dodger.
Its been a while since I’ve had a good old rant but something has got to me lately that has really pissed me off. In fact it was over a year ago I decided to write 
Flawless return this year with an immense line up to be held over at Pacha in London on Friday the 21st January 2011. After establishing a name for itself as one of the coolest up and coming party brands last year including smashing a huge New Years Eve event, the Flawless party at the end of this month is set to be another spectacular night.
The brand new mix for this year is available to get hold of 
As a special treat to those that regularly download my mixes, I thought it would be a nice gesture to put together a special extra mix this month to get you in the Cristmas mood. 
