Recently Simon Cowell and Will Smith put together an idea for a DJ X Factor... In short here's what I think about it.

Without typing forever & ever I say this can be very good or very bad for the whole bunch. DJing is DJing but when you bring it to the masses like you would an average talent show I believe things have to be done a bit different than that of the regular X Factor or American Idol because you're not doing cover songs or bringing raw talent to a stage. DJ's play music that's already hot (The original songs) so the judges, the format and the DJ's that actually get selected have to be a special group of individuals but I do believe it could be a great opportunity to at least bring the "Life of the party", the f*ckin DJ more into the spotlight than we already are. This situation is tricky and I like it but whether you're New School or Old School, let's see what these DJ's bring to the table... Ha! To the tables that is... Pop Music 20 The Remixes II coming later this week. To the Dj booth.
Slice

What's happenin wit it? This wil be short because I have a lot to get to tonight! First off Pop Music 19 The Remixes is ready for FREE download as of right now...Hot remixes from great DJ's and Producers from all over so go get it... Keep em' dancing means simply play the hits when you're doing your gig... Don't get too caught up  with breaking new music because people come to dance to all of their favorite songs so give it to em'. Go through your computer and delete all of the music you never play, your laptop should be filled with HITS and only HITS.. That's gonna make your job so much easier. That's all folks- Gotta go get it in. Thanks for all the love, i'll see ya soon. To the DJ booth!

Slice

DJ's... What's happenin? First off there is nothing like getting paid to do what you love to do and DJing enables you to play good music, party with others, make new contacts etc. all while getting paid for it. It's a bit difficult to jump start a career as a DJ but like everything else it pays off in the end after tons of effort and know how. When someone ask you how much you charge for your DJ services tell them what your rates are with a straight face and with confidence because before hand you will have considered what it takes to do your gigs to the very best of your ability to please the customer while at the same time putting the correct amount of money in your bank account without feeling like you've sold yourself short (P.S. Most people have good money to spend but they're always looking for the "Dollar Deal"), keep this in mind while you're performing your Jedi mind tricks on em': What's a club or party without a GOOD DJ? Not much of a party at all is it? 
To the DJ booth!

$lice

What's happenin wit it? I've been asked which software to use for beginner DJ's... First look at what type of DJ you are and your software answers will be there because all DJ's are not the same. Look at what features you need and what features you want because you may want some things but you may not need them, like being able to connect 4 inputs/ outputs or having a huge selection of effects or even being able to customize your decks. If you DJ small events where you just play music for people you may not need to have recording options but if you do lots of gigs with other DJ's and you all like to do your sets as a team or something the 4 input/output options may be ideal for you. Go online and see what the compuuter requirements are for each type of software and start there because you can't use any ole' software with just any ole' computer, than look at what LE versions have upgrades because it's good to start off with the basic version and upgrade to Pro. I hope this helps DJ's??? To the DJ booth!

 

Slice

What's happening wit it DJ's? When do we play Remixes? First look at what your setting is and that will help you determine which route to go with Remixes. If you're playing to a crowd of people who do mostly Top 40 you may not want to play that Remix no matter how great it sounds if you don't normally hear that song on the radio because with that particular group a Remix may throw them for a loop, they may listen to it and recognize it but it's possible you may not get the response on the dance floor simply because they may not have heard that Remix on the radio. Play it safe and stick to music people normally hear unless you spin at a place where you can get a bit more creative with your musical selection. To the DJ booth.

 Slice 

What's happenin wit it? I was out one day early in the week at a Sports Bar having a few drinks and enjoying the music the DJ was playing when all of a sudden I heard this loud voice, I mean this guy was talking so fast and loud I didn't hear anything he was saying and it blew my vibe. DJ's have to talk on the mic because we need to remind people of what promotions the club has going, or somebody left their lights on or when it's last call, but we have to make sure we don't scare people. I always make sure I speak loud and clear but not so direct, so use a mixer with at least a 3 band EQ on the mic input to clean up your voice and test the volume before you speak into it because you want to get everyone's attention without killing the entire vibe. I hope this helps... Pop Music 19 coming next week!!! To the DJ booth..
Slice

When you're doing your set what type of DJ are you? Do you throw the music in from one song to another, or do you actually mix the songs together? Answer that question and then ask yourself why you do it that way... Dance DJ's actually mix records together so that their entire set sounds like one long extended song and most Hip Hop DJ's sort of throw the songs in one after another but there isn't any real comparison because these are two different audience's that expect different things from the DJ. I'm not trying to tell you there's any textbook method to DJ (If so I never read it) but there is a method to how you play your music and I need you all to know what that method is, why you do it and how effective is it? That's just DJ slice's version of Luke's Jedi Mind Trick. Use the force... Take that to the DJ booth!

 

Slice 

What's happenin wit it? We as DJ's need to understand that it is our job to keep this industry moving forward by introducing new music to whomever we play for because if we don't we're not helping pave the way for new artist. In most venue's I've played people like to hear a little bit of everything (Hip Hop/ R&B/ Top 40/ Pop/ Old School Etc.) and it's wise to DJ in sets in order to keep your crowd whether we like to play it or not because It's not about US... It's about our audience so play for THEM. I can honestly say that I don't like a lot of the music that hits the streets and that goes for music past and present but that's just the way it is and always will be but I suppport these artist and their music unless it's just total trash. U don't have to like it but you have to play it if it keeps everyone dancing or nodding their heads, so have a few shots and spin that music. Let's help promote growth in the music industry by playing the new stuff as well because we'll get nowhere dwelling on the past. To the DJ booth!

Slice

New DJ's, keep your set ecxciting for your audience because you don't want to put em' to sleep. While you DJ keep the music coming back to back because most people in the Club or at a party get bored pretty quick, take into consideration for the 18+ crowd most of the people there are intoxicated and really want to have a good time so keep the hits coming without doing the ole' Speed Mix. People don't want to hear the entire song but they for sure don't want you to cut their favorite song down to 40 seconds either, try and do at least 2 verses if you can and then begin mixing in the other song to keep somewhat of an even flow from song to song. Speed Mixing makes you work harder but just playing a song makes you a lame ass DJ, and if people just wanted to hear music fade in and out from one song to the next they would have plugged in their ipod or something. Keep it exciting. To the Dj booth!

Slice

DJ's!!! A quick reminder... Never forget that your marketing (90%) must outweigh your performances (10%) because sometimes it's easy to get work but hard to keep it. Being that there are so many other DJ's who will do work for FREE just to get your position please make sure and wake up early each day (If you DJ full time) and get the business end of your career taken care of. A performance is easy because you love to do it but a lot of us have no business sense... Fix that if you plan on having a long lucrative career in the music business, make everything you do YOUR business and not someone elses. It's easy to let new opportunity slip away because you were focused way too much on how well you scratch or what snapback you look good in.. HA! Take a look around you because most of these good DJ's are great businessmen. I hope this helps... Back to the lab I go...
Slice