March 6, 2012 | 
Author Rumor has it, Simon Cowell is going to be taking his “X-Factor” format to the DJ world (http://www.digitaldjtips.com/2012/01/simon-cowells-dj-x-factor-why-it-could-be-a-good-thing/).
I’ve wondered for years about how a show like Idol or X-Factor would work in the DJ world — mostly because the other shows give the talent a few minutes to make their “statement” and then it’s back to the judges. DJing is NOT something that can be judged in a few minutes. A truly talented DJ will be able to build a set, enticing a crowd out onto a dancefloor, keeping them there by mixing what they know with with what they don’t, and ultimately creating an energy that finally explodes, leaving the crowd dripping in sweat, basking in joy, and wanting still more.
That kind of a set is filled with pop from the radio, house that can’t be denied, progressive and electro that drives the frenzy, techno to the creshendo, and then trance to push it over the edge and bring it all home. In other words, a full journey that just cant be done in anything less than a few hours. A truly talented DJ does all that by reading the crowd, knowing when their ready for the next level, and then taking it there.
How do you fit all that into a few minutes? You can’t.
But there still needs to be a way to judge and select a “winner.” One way I can think to do it is to have a group of DJs tag-teaming, playing one song and stepping away from the decks to make room for the next person. That method would not only demonstrate how well a DJ knows the music and how to program a full set, but also how well they could read a crowd.
I’ve been DJing for over 25 years. I started on vinyl, moved to CDs and transitioned to digital. I’ve played small venues and big ones as well; short one-hour sets up to a 9-hour set. If Cowell can figure out a way to make the competition be about DJ TALENT, I’d be eager to sign up and take my chances. I just wonder how he’s going to do it…
How ’bout you? Tell me what you think.
pete
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Wow, this month is just speeding along toward June 24, when I’ll be back in the city of my birth to play Furball for a second time; this time for Pride — my first Pride in NYC!
I’ve been working on a really fun play list for the event, picking tracks both familiar and not, and hope to take the bears on a fun, frolicking and furrrrrrisky ride!
If you’re going to be in attendance, and have a song you’d like me to work in, please leave me a comment here.
Hope to see you all there!
HUGS,
pete
One of the things I want to do with the blog is talk about the podcast episodes in a little more detail, to get your feedback on them, suggestions for songs in future podcasts, and to foster a discussion. To that end, I am going to talk about Episode 45, “Escape,” and newly-posted Episode 46, “Freefall,” in this post.
A few weeks ago, I put Episode 45 up. It had been a while since I’d posted a new set — almost three months in fact — and a lot of good music had come and gone during that time. In fact, I still have the list of stuff I wanted to use in March and April, but by the time I got around to recording again, it was all out-of-date.
As surprising as that sounds, realistically the average life of a club track is perhaps six weeks at the most. That’s six weeks from the first time you may hear it until it’s “tired,” and you’re ready for something new. Don’t believe me? Ask yourself if you would really have wanted to hear these songs in a “new” podcast some May 2011:
- Katy Perry – “Teenage Dream”
- Kaskade – “Fire In Your New Shoes”
- Donna Summer – “To Paris With Love”
- Lady Gaga – “Monster”
- Selena Gomez – “Round and Round”
- Benny Benassi – “Spaceship”
- Alex Gaudino – “I’m In Love”
Unarguably, these were popular songs when they came out. They were still getting club play, and could be found in radio sets and podcasts from other DJs as well. But now? They’re old, and you’re all ready for new stuff. That’s the way it works. So I pretty much had to dump the list and start again; and it’s a good thing I did too, because the little feedback I’ve received on “Escape” has been postive.
As for “Escape,” and what went into it, well, some of that is a reflection of my state-of-mind and what’s going on in my life right now. It’s been a rough year for me; rougher perhaps than any other I’ve gone through. That’s part of the reason it took me so long to record a new podcast. As a result, I had to find a way to make things a little more fun again, for me personally, if nothing else; and the tracklist in “Escape” reflects a carefree attitude I hoped would give you a break from whatever stresses you had in your life as much as it did mine.
But, as Buckaroo Banzai once said, “No matter where you go, there you are.” So, yeah, we could get away for a little bit, put things to the side and forget about them for a short time, but eventually, like a bad penny, they just came back…
Five days after I recorded “Escape,” I recorded “Freefall.” A very good friend of mine in Oakland has told me many times over that my podcasts — by way of the songs I pick — seem to go together and often communicate something other than what I might intend. I never really got what he was saying until I really listened to this set.
Now, as a side note, I usually don’t pick a name for podcast episodes before I record them. Many times, I have to listen to them for a while before the name becomes clear. This was one of those times. Yes, there’s a lot of happy, carefree-sounding music in here, but if you pay attention to the lyrics, a lot of these songs are downright nasty and cruel.
Let’s start with Robyn’s “Call Your Girlfriend,” in which she tells her man to call his present girlfriend and tell her that he’s leaving her for someone else. Oh, and she even instructs him to tell her “the only way her heart will mend is if she learns to love again.” Such a noble sentiment from a home-wrecker, right?
Next up, Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep.” Musically, a very beautiful song, for sure; but catch some of these lyrics: “Go ahead and sell me out and I’ll lay your ship bare…,” or “The scars of
your love remind me of us/(You’re gonna wish you had never met me)/They keep me thinking that we almost had it all,/(Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep)” Girl has been hurt and she’s gonna get her pound of flesh somehow…
Then there’s Lady Gaga’s “Judas.” If the name of the song isn’t enough to telegraph it’s intentions, let’s look at just one verse (’cause that’ll be enough):
“When he comes to me, I am ready/I’ll wash his feet with my hair if he needs/Forgive him when his tongue lies through his brain/Even after three times, he betrays me.”
Glutton for punishment much, there Gaga?
Rather than take up more time, I’ll just leave you with the track list and let you look ’em up if you’re curious enough:
- Kylie Minogue – Put Your Hands Up
- Robyn – Call Your Girlfriend
- Adele – Rolling In the Deep
- Lady Gaga – Judas
- Britney Spears – Till the World Ends
- Wez Clarke, Eddie Kid, Charles E. Salter, Max’C – Without You
- Late Night Alumni – Empty Streets
- Innerpartysystem – Not Getting Any Better
- MYNT ft. Kim Sozzi – How Did You Know
- Alex Gaudino ft. Kelly Rowland – What A Feeling
- Housemade – Move Your Ass
- Shapeshifters – She Freaks
- Paul Morrell – Give Me Love
- Tiesto & Mark Knight ft. Dino – Beautiful World
Whereas “Escape” had a light, happy feeling, “Freefall” felt like falling without a parachute into a world out of control, with no way to change things other than closing your eyes and hoping for the best. Would it be enough?
Episode 47 should give you an idea of my personal experience.
Welcome everyone to the new blog. I’m hoping this will be a fun way for us all to keep in touch, and to share our thoughts on music, clubbing, and other related topics.
The title of this blog, “Confessions of a Circut DJ,” is a little tongue-in-cheek. I’ve been called a “Circuit DJ” for about six years now, and while I’ve been fortunate enough to play some major parties, only one of them has been an event the average party-goer normally associates with the “Circuit;” that being GayDays in Orlando, FL, in the summer of 2007.
I do have the privilege, however, of knowing several real “Circut DJs.” These guys all work hard to qualify for that label, and while you may not think it’s a big deal, it does lend a DJ some clout when going for bookings, or commanding higher booking fees. It may not be something every DJ aspires to, but if you think about some of the “big name DJs” who immediately come to mind — guys like Carl Cox, Fatboy Slim, Paul Van Dyk, Tiesto, Sasha, Gareth Emery, Deadmau5, Paul Oakenfold, Junior Sanchez — they are, in fact, “Circuit DJs.”
There are many differrent “circuits” as well. In the heterosexual world, it means headlining for sold-out crowds in cities like London, Sydney, Tokyo, Shanghai, Miami, New York City, Los Angeles, the playa at Burning Man, and of course, the ultimate DJ destination, summertime in Ibiza.
In the gay club scene, there are many different circuits with a different list of top DJs, some names you may even recognize: Paulo, Abel, Wayne G, David Knapp, Brett Henrichsen, Roland Belmares, Manny Lehman, Randy Bettis, Peter Rauhofer, etc. Each different type of circuit has it’s own list of top DJs as well, with some of them crossing from one category to another.
The Bear Circuit includes Bear Week in P-town; Bear Pride in Chicago; Blowoff; Big Bear Adventure in Big Bear, CA; Lazy Bear in Guerneville; Spring Thaw in Seattle; Bear Bust in Orlando; and the now-defunct International Bear Rendezvous (IBR) in San Francisco, CA, etc.
The Leather Circuit includes IML in Chicago; Mid-Atlantic Leather (MAL) Weekend in Washington, DC; any of the Folsom Street events held in various locations around the world, etc.
Then there’s the Circuit circuit: the White Party; the Black Party; GayDays in Orlando; Allegria, etc. These are the events you usually think of when someone talks about a “circuit party.”
The point is, I suppose, it’s an exclusive club, and it’s pretty hard to break into that fraternity.
I’ve been very fortunate to work with a few of these guys, either opening or closing for them. They’ve been incredibly fun parties, filled with guys who are there to have fun and dance with their friends. I’ve played a major Leather Circuit event — REAL BAD — in San Francisco; several major Bear Circuit events (IBR, Bear Week, BBA and Lazy Bear); and even a minor Circuit party, “Winter Pride” in Vancouver, BC .
But I am by no means a true “Circuit DJ;” more a wannabe Circuit DJ. :) And yet, some folks still refer to me as a “Circuit DJ.”
So, tounge-in-cheek aside, let’s kick this off with a discussion of what you think makes a DJ a “Circuit DJ.”
Once again, welcome to the blog.
pete