"Forgot my camera, so here's what it looks like from the outside in the day"
So, my first gig to kick this all off again. Not my first gig ever but my first gig since coming back to the UK. I'd prepared really well, sorting out all my records and painstakingly organising and burning my CDs into distinct categories such as "Bump House" and "Dirty Acid Tech". For all the advantages of using CDs for DJing, burning and organizing them is a real ball ache. I also equipped myself with a nice hangover from an excessive night previously, which, in hindsight, was an obvious stupid move.
However, off I trotted to my local bar, ironically called Bar Local. Although only a ten minute walk from my house, I quickly decided that I would use the proceeds from this gig to buy a record bag with wheels and a posh handle. Vinyl is so fucking heavy its not fair. When I arrived attempting to look all cool and DJ-esque, I was conversely portraying the image of a panting, sweaty horse.
A quick chat to the manager and a glass of water later I kicked things off. I was delighted to see that they had the same mixer as I have back home, the mighty DJM600, although mildly dismayed at the tray loaded CD decks. These only have the basic of functions such as cueing and pitch change so you cant do nifty things like looping and scratching which although isnt essential, I find it can really add an extra dimension to your mixing.
Kicked things off with the classic piano acalpella of MAW's (Masters at Work - keep up at the back!) "To Be in Love" featuring India. Realised fairly soon that I couldn't really think of anything to go after it so I followed up with a crap blend mix of Mark Farina's - Dream Machine, a track for me that will always remind me of Thailand and dancing with my girlfriend on my feet in Sydney. Aw.
I wont bore you with a 'and then I played this, and then I played that' tracklisting, but I 'll sum up some of the events.
I made two, count 'em two, classic school boy errors of taking the wrong record off the deck (i.e. the one thats fucking playing - bollocks). The first time I was genuinely perplexed why the music had suddenly stopped until I realised my catastrophic blunder. Luckily no one noticed(!) but it did make me wonder if anyone was actually listening at all.
After those errors I also soon discovered the unreliability of the equipment I was using. Aside from some of the knobs coming off the mixer, the CD decks deteriorated rapidly only playing the first 3 tracks on a lot of my CDs. On top of that, the cue didn’t work so it was pot luck when you started a mix and had to get it matched pretty quick, the display showed the wrong remaining time (a simple feature which is actually rather vital), and for some tracks they only allowed you to pitch up but not down. Very strange and highly annoying as it effectively cut out a random 70% of my record selection and made me loth to use them in case of shitting up my mixing. Luckily my choice of vinyl was high quality and plentiful so I wasn't without some top tunes. Although I was pretty miffed to not be able to play a lot of my new stuff. Shit bags.
It was also a very cramped affair with the bar staff squeezing past you every 2 minutes and I had to lay my CDs and vinyl on a table next to me which of course got drinks spilt on them. Was also interesting when you suddenly got scolded with the steam from the dishwasher opening up. That, and the fact that you were facing the wrong way so you can only see about 20% of the bars clientele, made it not quite the most desirable conditions to work in. Reminded me of DJing in Thailand where no matter what bar you DJ'd in, there would always be a dog at your feet. And yes, they did let out a yelp when I trod on them by mistake. Was kinda like having your own effects pedal though :)
But, being the professional that I am, I soldiered on despite the conditions and overall I had a wicked time and I felt it went very well. I was joined later by a percussionist on bongos which Ive never had before but really added some energy to the mix. I will also be needing to invest in some ear plugs as I was starting to tire my ears out towards the end and it became difficult to hear the whole range of the frequency in the tracks. Not good. For those of you who've seen "Its all Gone Pete Tong", that’s one way you don’t want to end up.
My highlight was my nifty blend of Skee Lo's "I wish I was a bit taller" rap over Brett Johnsons squelchy "Jiffy Pop". Went down a treat if I don’t say so myself. Although it was in high danger of going shit up due to those blasted CD decks. Also snuck in Whitney Houstens - "Love Will Save the Day" which has always been a favourite of mine even if it does have a dangerously fromage-like whiff. Got some whoops from the girlies though so I guess it did it's job. Even if it is a bugger to mix in and out!
To top it all off I had three requests for my business card (yes the one that I designed on Friday night and is still sitting on my laptop's hard drive having not printed them out yet - curses!), and an offer of a residency in a new bar being opened in January. Score! Not bad for my first night back in the saddle. Caviar and Page 3 models here I come! Well maybe not just yet. I need the cash to buy my fancy record bag to prevent a hernia next time I lug my records to the next gig!
So hoorah, got lots of people coming up saying how much they liked my tunes and requests of where Ill be playing next. Also a couple of zombies off their tree causing trouble with some of the French guys by the bar, but luckily they soon sodded off. All in, a good night. I'm back baby! Form an orderly line to touch me.
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