The Life Of A Techno DJ

Okay I myself do not play ALL over the world every weekend and have tons of releases coming out on labels all over the place. I am just a kid who has had this dream of playing and producing for a living.
Below I was wondering if some people of this forum can tell me if they are succeeding as a techno dj and/or producer.
I had a nice discussion about this with Henry in Toronto and would like some opinions of other people. And please if you would like to be specific and honest, do you have a real job? What do you do?
take care, and lets see where this goes....

Pauze[/b]

Be prepared to be really skint.... 8)

:lol: :lol:

unless you are beyer..

I'm not a globe trotting techno dj / producer....just someone who has been well into my techno music for quite a few years. Have been buying vinyl since early 90's and have done a bit of dj'ing over the last 5-6 years.

My mates have a rig and we've done plenty of nights and free parties etc. Used to put nights on at a student union, the occasional club,played at a little night in new cross where i live, til they turned the venue into a trendy wine bar (no more free mid week techno :( ) and done lot's of free parties in the west country, south east and did a night in France earlier this year as my mate lives down there and sorted it out. Never made any money, except a bit of pocket money from the legitimate nights.

Basically i love my techno, have done for years and am the only techno dj playing on my mates rig, rest of em play dnb / electro etc, so they are happy to have me play my music at their parties. I aint great but can mix a couple of tunes and it seems to go down alright at nights I've done.
I gotta day office job (invloves a lot of chatting on forums) that helps me and the missus pay the rent & bills and affords me some kind of life and money for vinyl etc..... job bores the hell out of me though

Have dabbled with computer software and made some sounds but nothing good or serious. Never seemed to have money to get equipment and new computer and stuff so not persued music pruduction. I find techno such a positive thing in my life that would love it to be a bigger part of it, but hey, still gives me loadsa pleasure and inspiration and as long as there's a good night out now and again i'm a happy chap :)

Sorry if I've bored the pants off you!!!!!!!

I guess I could get away just living of GiGs and Produtions... but do U really want that?? I don't want 2 have 2 follow trends 'cause I'm 36 and don't know how 2 do anything else... I could maybe get lots more gigs but also that means bending over a dropping my pants over the all promoter7 Club politics.... fu** that If I can't have fun and get there thru the value of what I do and no more then I don't want in anywayz...


Z

So from all of this, is there money in techno or does anyone really make money from techno?

Peace
Dez

U could have a resonable good monthly wage .. sometimes very good.. but then U could b skint 4 months...

Unless U get 2 the Mills, clarke, cox, Beyer and such level ...

Z

So what you are saying is that the longer you remain at it the more cash you can get. But at what point I'm wondering would you call a halt to such activities. Not that I dont think I ever will as techno is all what I know but I just wonder where do you draw a line under it and say " ok thats cool, thanx for all the memories"

Dez

I think it depends on what you are after. I personally would just like to entertain and would probably get more from people enjoying my music than I would from money , but money doesn't motivate me in the slightest. That said I wouldn't turn it down because it would be nice not to have normal worries.

I think though if you are in it with CASH in mind then you probably won't have a very prolonged career cause you will be in it for all the wrong reasons and that will become apparent very quickly.

There's no time limit on good music or good entertainment.

Yeah if you want to make money from music dont be an artist ( that said some people do...) yeah I dont think I could do it for money, I think it would be for the love and the reaction of people...

Well I've been mixing for quite some time now, and I would like to know if someday I myself can make a living doing it.
Im not hoping that a ferrari will be parked out the front of my house one day but it sure would be nice to say that I can pay my bills just putting out beats and playing all over the world.

Pauze :twisted:

Well, the #1 thing to remember is if you want to play all over the world, you have to make some phat beats. A goal like this isn't unrealistic, and not extreme (well, for some people it is). The key is to work on tracks constantly, send demos out, and not be lazy. If you can do this, I'm sure it will come with time.

I know a number of artists who I would die to have their tracks on vinyl, but they're so ****ing lazy that they'll probably never put a record out. At the same time, these people are bitching that all these "young cats" are taking away their glory and they're left scratching their heads.

this is a great thread.

techno is real small where i am from, so everytime i get a gig it makes my week. i am going to start building a studio over the next couple years, if i put this much effort into dj'ing, im sure i can put just as much if not more into producing. actually, most likely i will put more time into production because it is way more creative, and seems to be more addicting.

when u was here in brasil u was living of the techno man.
u need to come back to here man.
cheers ROD

Does anyone you know that makes and dj's techno own a Ferrari. I once read stuff on what went on during the hey day of the outdoor bashes where sackfuls and sackfuls of cash were being gathered. They made shedloads of cash....

well carl cox doesn't go short of anything (not sure about the farrari, but wouldn't suprise me!)
i think the way to make serious wedge is to 'sell out'. head for gatechrasher, head for minestry of sound. actually don't, but thats how it's done!

But recent trends show that they are slipping, numbers down etc...
like it was pointed out yesterday, its time to bring back to where it started. Without the maketed body spray or the ott magazine.

Dez

First off ROD, I AM PLANNING MY TRIP BACK TO BRAZIL IN APPROXIMATE 1 YEAR AND HALF WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! I will save ALOT of money to start thorowing parties down there.
That is what I am kind of left to do as my style of music is not big at all in Toronto. My gigs here ( IF YOU CAN CALL THEM GIGS) are in a small location called the lab, for about 20 people. The party ends at 3 am and everyone goes home. Parities are very restricted in Toronto nowadays and it really upsets me.
So now I'm looking at the possibility of no future for techno in my city, WHICH SUCKS!!!! Any suggestions???????
Sad Sad Sad. I sorta feel like I have been put here to play beats for people and looks to me like I'm gonna have to move shop once again to do it!!!

Cheers
Pauze :twisted:

Frankie your depressing me coz what u say is true about this city...

haha....

WHy don't we try and build something here?

Surely its at rock bottom now. Only way is up?

-jOHNNY