it's always hard to predict how people will react, but at least you had the
chance to really play for the people, wait until you're playing a bar or
club, and the manager starts trying to tell what to play and what not to
play, and these jerks all think they're experts on what "people" want to
hear... I wish I had more house parties like that to play at .
----- Original Message -----
From: "Velanche Stewart" <vstewart@calpoly.edu>
To: <acid-jazz@ucsd.edu>; <list@amtrakdjs.org>
Sent: Saturday, August 25, 2001 2:55 AM
Subject: My First Hosue Party
>
> Hello:
>
> I've just returned home from my first DJ gig at a house party. I've
> purchased a DJ CD set over eBay earlier this month. I have played with
> them for about a week and a half, spending about three hours/day
> practicing beat matching, transitions, and the like.
>
> The hip=hop DJ was spinning, and I was asked by one of the party hosts
> to take the stage (I was already at the party for 3 hours at that
> point). About two songs after I've started, the floor cleared. So after
> another song or two where the floor was either empty or have a couple
> doing its thing, I had the hip-hop guy take over once again.
>
> I had to leave to get some air, and took a walk. I've found a dark spot
> next to a parking lot of an office complex, and sat there for awhile. I
> would have kept my butt there, were it not for an SUV pulling up next to
> me. I then picked myself up and left.
>
> I've returned to the party, determined that I was going to play with my
> toys, spin good music, and do the best I was able to do. I've found out
> at that point that while I was away, the cops gave the housemates a
> warning regarding noise violation (music being too loud).
>
> After a few songs, two people turned into four...four into eight...and
> so on and so forth. In the end, there were at least two dozen folks
> dancing. As I was cueing another song to play, one of the partygoers
> (who perhaps was someone living at the place) came to me and said that
> the music had to go off...
>
> Once again, the cops made their presence known. This time, the house was
> cited for $300 for a noise violation (me, apparently. :)).
>
> But all in all, I was relieved that the tide started to turn. People
> were staying with me, and believed in feeling the musical vibes. I was
> very proud of the fact that I walked back in and was willing and ready
> to take care of business without losing my principles. Yes, I had
> several people trying to make requests and wanted to give me different
> kinds of music that they thought would be good...according to them.
>
> My thought on that one was that you were either going to be into it or
> not. If I have started to play other's music (suggestions by some of the
> dancers on the floor), I would stop having fun at that stage. So in the
> end, I did have fun...and they have fun....and clearly, they were
> disappointed when I had to suddenly shut off the mixer. :)
>
> So I suppose the moral of this story is that perservance, as in all
> things in life that are worth the time and effort, can make good
> beginnings of something close to one's being. Not everyone will feel the
> vibes, much less be into the same sort of music one is playing. All the
> better to weed out everything, and make sure that you can face yourself
> in the mirror knowing that what you feel inside of you is the right
> direction to go.
>
> Make your moves...and believe.
>
> V.
> --
> Velanche Stewart
> vstewart@calpoly.edu
> Linux, baby!
>
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Mon Aug 27 2001 - 00:18:07 CEST