Is becoming a DJ about your age or can you become a successful DJ when you’re already over 30 or over 40 years of age?

When are you too old to think about becoming a DJ? What are the best tips and what steps do you need to take to get there?

These are the questions that I get regularly. Often, these questions come from guys and sometimes girls who dream of DJing and of making people feel good, but are concerned that their age will mean they won’t be accepted.

There is always the worry that when you’re DJing, your crowd will be full of 18-20 year olds who will judge you on your age, your looks and the tunes you play.

This can happen. In fact, anything in the world can happen. Anywhere. At any time.

DJing Is All About The Music

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it as many times as you like. DJing is all about the music you play.

Digital DJs voice similar concern about becoming a DJ. They sometimes think (less and less now) that DJing using MP3s and a laptop with a controller will mean that people will judge them. After all, there are a number of reasons why various people dislike digital DJing.

Some forms of DJing do look cooler than others, that is the opinion of many people. But time and time again, if you cook up a great set, make people feel blissfully happy and know just how to read a dance floor then you’ll get respect from each and every party animal, clubber or bar drinker in the house.

If you’ve ever been clubbing and had a great time, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. Dancing to DJ music that just hits the spot and makes you feel incredibly good is a fantastic natural high.

If you can get people high on the music, then no one cares about your age.

Want some proof?

I know of a couple of successful DJs in Paris. One of these guys is definitely over 50 and the other is over 40. Only one of these guys had any DJing experience at all, ever before starting to DJ out just a few years ago.

Now, you may think their music is crap or you may love it. But regardless of that, these guys play in loads of great clubs in Paris, the most visited capital city in the world.

They have a following and people who turn up for their gigs adore them. Check out more of their youtube vids and try to catch a glimpse of them. They don’t look like male models and they aren’t spring chickens either.

Don’t tell me you wouldn’t love to play at the best clubs in Paris like them! Their age hasn’t stopped them from doing well at DJing and there’s no reason that it should stop you either.

Now ask yourself: if they are old and can do it, can you do it? YES! Of course you can.

Advice for older DJs

You know that some DJs (like Amercian DJ Paulie) get a strong and loyal following because they also look great. Their audience is mainly made of young, impressionable teenage girls.

Some hot girl DJs play on their great looks and they are right to do so, because they are gorgeous and make men drool. Girl DJs are sexy.

But we can’t all suddenly become sexy and get people following us around.

Most DJs need to work on other aspects of their unique sound and image to get some kind of following and some well paid, higher profile club gigs.

Create your DJ image

If you’re a bit older than the average DJ, then you’ll need to work on some way to stand out. A style that fits with the music you play will relate to the people you play to.

Often, older DJs are respected because they have a great back catalogue of tunes. They have arms that reach so deeply into their record box that no young DJ can possibly know what’s going on. This is a massive advantage when it comes to becoming a DJ and getting cool gigs.

Older guys may know their 60s and 70s tunage like the back of their hand for example. They may be an 80s music fanatic or a jazz and blues freak.

Young people love older music as loads of tunes produced nowadays are shouts to music from the past. Music trends come back every twenty years or so, just like fashion does.

So if you can dress like the style of music you play, people will love you more for it, no matter how old you are. Playing rock and indie? Dress like a rock dude. You are one after all.

Playing acid house from 1988-1989? Look the part and find your acid clothes from 1990s raves in the UK.

The beat goes on…

Create a Unique DJ Sound

In case you hadn’t guessed, the guys in the above video have a very unique DJ sound. No one copies their sound because they simply don’t know enough about it.

But these guys got successful in becoming a DJ fast because they stood out from a crowd of guys trying to play trendy tunes that trendy people liked. Becoming a DJ successfully is about far more than playing the latest cool tunes.

There are far too many guys jumping on the latest bandwagon of trendy music that is the latest fad. When people in clubs suddenly decide that they don’t like this style anymore, these guys fade into the dust again.

By creating a unique DJ sound, you’ll associate your crowd with you and improve your following.

How do you do it? You concentrate on what you know and push that sound out. You’ll have very little competition as most DJs are too busy copying each other and fighting to get the same gigs.

Don’t become a DJ who follows others. Your superior knowledge on your music niche is a massive bonus. Use it to your advantage and reach out with what you know and the music that surrounds it.

Take people on a musical adventure and they won’t care a bit about how old you are. Becoming a DJ will be a breeze and far easier than you thought at first.

Becoming a DJ and rocking the house is about far more than just your age.

Matt Challands is a British DJ living in Paris, France. He’s one half of electro duo Sao Paulo Punks or running his DJ blog

His mixes of Progressive and Psychedelic Techno has given him great recognition and allowed him to play at some of the best parties in the great white north.

When he’s not mixing, he runs the netlabels Ektoplazm, Drumlore, and Omnitropic which have seen some very impressive releases and millions of downloads.

Recently I’ve had the honor of talking to DJ Basilisk about DJing, parties, his labels, Ektoplazm and more.

Let’s get to the interview shall we?

Hello, please Introduce Yourself

My name is Alexander, otherwise known as Basilisk. I have been DJing
for a decade now and I operate a free music portal and a group of
netlabels dedicated to psytrance, techno, and downtempo music.

What Made You Become a DJ?

It all started by accident. Back in my teenage years most of my
friends were swept up in the burgeoning rave moment in Toronto.

Buying turntables and learning how to DJ was a participatory aspect of this subculture. I had no real interest in it at first but my friends coaxed me into messing around with the decks at various house parties.

Soon I was accompanying them on record buying missions downtown and, once I landed my first real job, I began to amass my own record collection.

I didn’t want to become a DJ and play parties or anything–it was only when the music turned minimal around Y2K that I decided to get halfway serious about it. Even then, it was only to play some of the more colourful and melodic music that I found poorly represented at parties in those days.

Before I knew it I was DJing fairly regularly and, with every passing year, I went deeper into it.

Where Has DJing Taken You?

It has been a wild ride at times but only in the last 3 years have I
really begun to travel. I’ve made a lot of really great connections in
different parts of North America, particularly in British Columbia.

This year I expect I will be playing out even more with many festival
bookings this coming summer.

Last season most of my bookings were for smaller grassroots festivals, perhaps because I am generally aligned with free music and the Creative Commons. And this is fine by me; I really enjoy visiting new communities and seeing within them echoes of other pockets of this scene.

Tribal dance culture is more connected than it knows!

What Is Your Favorite Memory from All This?

It’s really hard to say as there are so many different experiences
that I have had.

Certainly I am quite proud of the success of my web site but this is less a memory and more a diffuse sense of general satisfaction and contentedness.

I suppose that playing Eclipse last year would qualify as a highlight.

Even though it was very early on in the festival there is nothing like playing on such a big sound system and pulling off a really good set.

And, further back, I have a very fond memory of playing a night set at an outdoor bush party under a meteor shower on the Niagara Escarpment.

Now that we’ve been taken through the life of Alexander, let’s ask those technical questions that’s been on our minds.

What Kind of Equipment Do You Use?

I’ve been playing on CD decks for five years now but hope to transition to laptop DJing soon.

CDs are very reliable (when you know how to burn them right, anyway) but creatively limiting compared to what you can now do with software and a controller.

What is Your Favorite Genre to Spin?

These days I am really into cutting edge techno on the borderlands of
psytrance, minimal, tech house, and progressive.

I’ve been playing psytrance for so many years that techno feels extremely revitalizing to me. So much psytrance is overproduced to the point where invasive mixing really detracts from the musical experience.

At that point the role of the DJ is to choose tracks and otherwise let the music speak.

It is more fun for me to spin techno–this is music you can rip apart and reassemble, moreso with the new creative tools DJs can use–but even with a regular CD or vinyl setup there is a lot of room to mess around.

I might get back into psytrance eventually, but for now… techno is what I am really into spinning.

This is reflected in my new project, Drumlore, the techno netlabel I founded alongside DJ Lexicon.

Where Do You Think DJing Is Going?

The future is looking wide open: expensive equipment is no longer a
barrier to entry, music is abundant and easily obtained, and all the
formerly obscure technical details are readily available on the
Internet.

Anyone can become a DJ but it still takes a lot of work to
be any good at it. For the pros, new software and technologies promise
to blur the boundaries between DJing and live performance.

Still, even with all this new technology it is important to remember that the point of DJing is to shape a meaningful human experience of music.

What Advice Could You Give to a DJ Just Starting Out?

Skip the physical media and jump straight into digital.

Don’t forget to learn the basics–I hear too many new DJs playing tracks out of phase or straight-up trainwrecking without even noticing it.

You can’t always rely on software to match tracks perfectly–you need to train your ears to tell the difference between a solid mix and one that is slightly (or even completely) off.

Beyond that, be original. Don’t stick to the Beatport charts; that’s boring. Dig deep into music and hear what there is to discover. Blaze your own trail.

How do you find tracks for your DJing?

It has never been easier to find great new music but it does require a significant time investment.

Think of it as doing your homework!

For techno I regularly scan Beatport and Juno to see what my favourite artists and labels are up to. This accounts for the majority of my purchases but I also like to incorporate fresh material into my sets–and that means making new connections to unfamiliar labels and artists.

The best way to accomplish this is to check out tunes listed in top tens or featured on mixes from names you already follow.

Besides DJing, Basilisk also runs a variety of netlables. The one in particular we are going to cover is Ektoplazm, a netlabel which releases free psytrance and other psychedelic music. Let’s get some questions in…

What is Ektoplazm and Why Did You Start It?

Ektoplazm is a free music portal and netlabel family incorporating
psytrance, techno, and downtempo channels.

I started it up to provide artists with a professional alternative to the commercial music industry. It isn’t meant to replace the existing distribution system–I just wanted to give artists a choice.

Over the years I have known far too many exceptional artists who have struggled to release their music simply because it did not have a particular bass line or BPM.

The psytrance marketplace operates with such tight profit margins that most commercial labels have to be fairly risk-averse to survive–they develop a specific formula and stick to it over the years.

End result: many artists making non-standard or unconventional music are shut out, and that isn’t right. I developed Ektoplazm to give these artists a voice.

Of course, the site has grown to encompass a wide variety of artists–some of whom have genuine commercial potential–who feel that giving their music away for free is the way of the future.

What Sort of Response Have You Received From Ektoplazm?

It has been nothing short of fantastic, growing more each and every
year. People really respond to the concept and it shows: Ektoplazm has
become one of the top 10 psytrance sites in the world.

My mission is to continue improving the quality of the offerings on the site–to raise the standard of free music and really demonstrate what is
possible with this different mode of thinking.

What is the Future of Ektoplazm?

The release schedule is already looking very busy for 2010 with
several albums, EPs, and even a new compilation on the go.

I also have some ambitious new features planned but this will have to wait.

After all, I am a full-time university student and Ektoplazm is just what I
do in my spare time!

Now that we’ve had a tour of Ektoplazm, we have one last question to ask Alexander:

Where Can We Find You?

Come visit Ektoplazm at http://www.ektoplazm.com, become a fan on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ektoplazm, and follow me on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/Ektoplazm.

Bonus! DJ Basilisk Set

There is a great set posted on YouTube by DJ Basilisk, be sure to give it a listen. This video is 1/9 so be sure to check out the others!

Big thanks to Alexander!

There you have it folks, a round of questions with DJ Basilisk.

I hope you found this interview as entertaining and helpful as I have. There is over a decade of knowledge you can learn from Alexander.

I want to take this opportunity to thank Alexander for such a great and inspiring interview. Whenever you are visiting Canada or want to chat to a great guy, be sure to leave him a message on Facebook/Twitter and be sure to check out his netlabels!

Did you find this interview interesting or helpful? Tell us what you thought in the comments below!

For any beginner DJ that wants to know about the insider life of DJing, learn some tips on how to better your craft and to know just what is at stake with the Next Generation DJ contest, you can’t afford to miss this.

DJ Psyence is from Toronto, Canada and has a monthly Deep House mix show titled Lab Sessions that receives regular rotation on internet radio stations around the globe. He is also part of the MASSO DJs collective that can be found at MASSOdjs.com.

Hello, please introduce yourself

Hey, I’m DJ Psyence (Matt Soriano), born and raised in Toronto, Canada to parents of Chilean and Polish descent. I’ve been lucky enough to visit both of these great countries and experience the cultures, having family in both places. I like to think it has made me more appreciative of the global community we can all share from electronic dance music, too, beyond the language barriers.

I also currently have a monthly pre-recorded Deep House “mix show” called Lab Sessions that has streamed on internet radio stations around the world (Deepvibes Radio – UK, Ibiza Global Radio – Spain, OHM Radio – Spain, Dogglounge Radio – USA). While it’s only a start, it’s something that keeps me motivated to push forward, including all the great feedback that I’ve picked up over time.

That’s simply fantastic! It’s so great that the DJ world can have so many people from all over the globe bringing others together through music, reaching as far as you have through your mixes.

So, what got you started into DJing?

I bought my first set of CD DJ decks in 2004 with a lot of the money I saved up from a grocery store job while I was entering College. I made the decision after playing around with computer mixing software and being inspired by friends that also had a general interest in DJing (DJ B Like Bert for one), including some DJ tutorage on vinyl turntables from local Hip-Hop deejay, DJ Nana. Over 5 years later, experimenting with different music genres at gigs around the city, and some time spent away from the decks, I believe I’ve made ground on what I like to play.

Ha, such simple beginnings, it seems like many of us slave away at the 9 – 5 working towards buying our first decks. You’re quite lucky to have so many DJ friends from the get-go, they sure seemed to have a major influence on you.

What type of music do you play?

It’s basically House music, but I like to play in what is most known as the Deep House sub-genre. My style also encompasses elements of Tech, Soul, Funk, Latin and more. It can sometimes get pretty eclectic in terms of reaching through the different sounds of House.

It’s nice to see a DJ that is mixing it up with genres instead of sticking to one type, big ups on your musical selection. The House genre seems like it’s never lacking of various sub genres.

What gear do you use for mixing?

I’m a CD DJ at heart, no laptop or anything but poorly hand-labeled CDs unattractively stuffed in CD booklets – I’m trying to better organize this! That’s what you get for buying most of your music online. Lately I’ve been warming up to using a midi controller and mixing software to record “studio mixes”. It does change the flow of DJing a bit compared to CD decks, but I like to deliver a more refined product for my mix shows. However live, it’s CDs all the way for now. I’m sure I will incorporate other gear for live performance eventually.

I can’t blame you, with the amount of music selection you can find online, it’s a no-brainer that you’d choose CDs. DJing is really expanding with the inclusion of midi controllers and software, it’s great that you’re incorporating them into your mixes.

With all that gear, do you ever plan start producing music of your own?

A definite goal for the future, but I’m not in a rush to put something out if it’s going to lack experience/substance for the sake of being called a producer. I’m hoping that building as a DJ first is going to get me more focused on the kind of sound I want to bring and push further when I do take on production.

That’s an excellent strategy, don’t overdo it and let other areas of your skills slack from not being able to focus. Hopefully we can hear some of your own stuff in the future!

Where can we find your mixes and other info?

Everything is up on MASSOdjs.com in the ‘DJ Psyence’ menu link, or click here. MASSO (Music And Sound Seduction Organization) is a DJ collective I started with DJ B Like Bert at the end of 2009. Its main purpose at the moment is to serve up our mix-set downloads. You can also add our MASSO DJs Facebook Group here and find me on Twitter, Myspace, and SoundCloud.

Excellent, you really are all over the place online, that’s a lot of communities to keep up with but you’re really holding it down.

Don’t think we let DJ Psyence off the hook just yet, you knew we had to ask him a few questions about DJing and see if he could give us some tips.

What is the most important skill that a beginner DJ could learn?

Take time to not just listen, but study songs of your chosen genre and focus on the different layers of sounds, how they work with each other and build up, and how they influence the energy of the song.

When you understand the dynamics of songs in your genre, along with knowing the individual songs well that you’re planning to play, it makes a big difference in your mixes. This is also why different genres may have popular aspects of mixing used by many DJs in that scene, because the songs are structured on a template to that genre.

Hip-Hop can work well with roughly 30 sec blends (when you start mixing in the next song), but try a 2 min blend and you’ve pretty much made a mashup (blending two songs over each other for the full time amount), since the whole Hip-Hop song itself may only be 3 mins long.

As for House music, a 2 min blend may work perfectly and keep the energy of the mix consistent without a dip into intro/outro sequences (usually less energy here). However you would want to blend/mix according to the energy you want to maintain, and what is working best for the given songs.

So, paying attention to the little things and how the songs are structured can make you a better DJ. There are many books and free articles online that can explain different mixing techniques and more. I’m sure BeginnerDJ.com can hook you up with the resources! Don’t forget that in the end you can be a great technical DJ, but if people aren’t feeling your song selection and how they all flow together, it won’t save the mix-set.

Pure wisdom. You can’t beat insight like this, this should help any beginner DJ. Hey, thanks for the shout out haha!

What tips could you give with promoting your mixes and landing a gig?

You have many mediums to get the word out on your mixes and that you’ve started to DJ, from setting up a simple website/blog, podcast, social media pages (myspace, facebook fan page or group), handing out physical mix CDs with your contacts on it, submitting mixes to radio stations online and offline, and also getting involved in your local scene.

Whatever you can do to build a local listening base is good, too. Don’t be ashamed to put yourself out there for fear of how it might look. Let the haters hate! Just keep your head on, respect the artform, and check yo’self on the promo pics or you might end up on djfameorshame.com! (but all press is good press right?)

The internet really has changed up the games of promotion. Just think, before you generally had to know someone already at a residency to land a gig, now you can show off your talents, tell your friends and do your own promotion online. Let’s all hope you don’t end up in the “shame” section haha.

What advice could you give to beginner DJs about choosing gear?

While many DJs are moving into or incorporating digital forms – either through laptops or CD decks – you also want to consider what you’ll be doing with the DJ decks.

While there isn’t much divide between dance genres and it comes down to personal preference, there is something to say about scratch DJs. Vinyl turntables are still valued over the digital forms of playing, and the DMC World DJ Championships are a testament to this.

In the end I would try to get a feel of all forms of DJing from turntables to midi controllers, because maybe you’ll want to mix it up instead of just stick with one form of DJing.

Also if you’re on a budget there are many pro-quality beginner setups you could buy. My belief is that if you’re going to go on budget, get something that you don’t mind tossing or giving away after a few years (resale value may be close to nothing) if you decide to upgrade to the industry standard gear. Otherwise just get the good stuff from the start, after really considering if this is the right thing for you.

Spoken like a true DJ. Recently Richie Hawtin got rid of all of his vinyl, now if that doesn’t say something about DJing I don’t know what does. It’s all about flexibility these days.

Scratch DJs will most likely stick to vinyl for a very long time but for many DJs, whatever lets them play their tunes, as long as the crowd is having a great time, it doesn’t matter as much.

What insider tips and tricks could you give about DJing?

I believe you should always be on the lookout for music trends and niches that can be filled.

Electro House is a highly saturated DJ market, but what about another sub-genre that you may really feel but notice there isn’t much of a scene around? You may have a unique opportunity.

Even if there is a good international scene but locally it lacks, what about trying to organize events and become known for that style of music. Regardless you want to explore different genres of music if you’re undecided on what to play, instead of only following what other DJs are doing.

Play music that will move people either on the dancefloor or emotionally, but most importantly music you like to play, or you may become pretty bitter about it after a while. Though, adapt your style to suit different venues, crowds and locations when playing out.

Your mix CDs should be your top choice of music, or geared toward getting a gig at a certain venue/event. Have a listen to other DJs mixes because you may pick up techniques from them better than reading about it, and listen to your own mixes even more so you can see where you’d like to improve. And shit, don’t forget to have fun.

So this means my career as an Italo Disco DJ may come true, hell yeah!

Where do you think DJing will be in the future and what could beginners do now?

I think with all the digital tools available the DJ has even more options when controlling the music.

Even if you’re still a believer that a well produced track played out with minimal effects and overall programming for the night will win the crowd over (I’m with ya), it’s worth knowing what your other options are.

The use of midi controllers, using your DJ decks to control mixing software on laptops and similar tools don’t appear to be a fad. It’s all about the music in the end, though, so wherever the state of technology is, you will always need a human ear to deliver a great experience.

I’ve also tried harmonic key detection software that tells you what tracks will blend nicely together, but there are still a lot of other elements underneath that need to be considered.

My point being is that there is nothing wrong with embracing new technology and adapting, because a “real” DJ will find creative ways to put them all toward good use.

The Next Generation DJ contest is in full swing and you can bet your ass that DJ Psyence is working hard at it, check this out…

Please tell us about the Next Generation DJ contest

Pioneer, Beatport, DJ Magazine and Let’s Mix have come together to host a DJ mix competition that is mainly driven by online promotion.

The contest progresses through a qualifying stage where one uploads their mix and has a goal to reach 200 votes to get thrown in the qualifying pool.

From there 100 finalists are chosen based on the quality of rating, and tasked to create a mix around a specific theme, which is then judged by staff. First prize is basically a dream come true for most DJs in terms of opportunity to show their skills to the world, to say the least.

You guys wrote a great overview of The Next Generation DJ Contest as well.

This contest literally is the next “big thing” in terms of what’s going on currently with DJing. You can afford to miss an opportunity like this.

Have you entered the contest and if so, where can we find your page?

Yes, you can vote for my mix Lab Sessions Vol 2 at this page or by clicking the banner below. Rating is done by clicking the stars at the top. You can also play the mix at these links.

Do you think you have what it takes to win the Next Generation DJ contest?

I would like to think so. Even though it’s been over 5 years since I bought my first pair of decks, I still have a lot I’d like to experience, and DJing is something I’m passionate about and enjoy. I also do all of my online promotion and graphic design, along with maintain MASSOdjs.com. So if this doesn’t pan out for me, I’m still pushing forward.

The competition looks really fierce but regardless of how it goes, it’s such a great opportunity to get out there and show off your skills.

If you did win, where do you think it would take you?

I’d hope it would give me a good opportunity to showcase what I can bring with my DJing. If this comes true, we’ll see what happens from there!

Thanks for the interview BDJ!

Best of luck with the contest and thank you so much for giving us the opportunity to pick at your brain.

We hope everyone has as much fun reading this interview as we had doing it. You can get some really great information about DJing including some tips and tricks so be sure to take note.

Don’t forget to give Lab Session Vol 2 a listen and vote for it in the Next Generation DJ contest!