Came across this good read late last night before bed, and I thought this would be good for you guys. Maybe you have been feeling like you’re stuck in a rut, or trying to reenvent yourself. Well take a look at these tips and see if these can help your DJ Life.

First things first: I’m a fuckboi. Yeah. People think I have this fucking blog that people read and that I’m cool or something and I play great gigs. Or maybe they don’t. Maybe they know I’m a fuckboi. Anyway, I play fucking unremarkable gigs every fucking week at small bars and clubs. I’m a sad working DJ. Well actually I love DJing, but it can be a grind sometimes. If you’re not famous or a producer, you mostly play unglamorous gigs. That’s the reality no matter how much you try to portray to everyone on Facebook that you’re living the dream.

Playing multiple gigs a week in places where the crowd mostly doesn’t care who the fuck you are means that you have to make an effort to appeal to them or else they won’t buy drinks and stay and you make less money and get fired.

But you know that already.

You also probably end up playing the same shit all the time too. It is inevitable when you have to always pander even just a little bit. You also just fall into habits. You come up with a clever mix of tracks that sounds good and elicits surprise every time you do it so you do it every time you spin.

The result? You get bored. DJing, a thing that you loved, becomes like a job. A regular job. How do you break the cycle of boredom and habit? Here are a few tips that have worked for me.

1. TRY A NEW MEDIUM OR METHOD

I find nothing refreshes the experience of DJing more than trying out a new medium. Use a controller all the time? Try the decks if the club/bar has them or the CDJs. Whatever, switch it up.

This is probably best done during a midweek gig, earlier in the night when the crowd (or lack thereof) will be more forgiving of mixing sins. You’ll find the fact that you’re on your toes will make the night more exciting and pass by more quickly. It’ll also make you DJ differently. You might, for example, be forced to bring a next track in later than you thought because you’re not as quick but, this could teach you patience. You might be more apt to use effects or other tricks (or less apt). It’s a great way to find new ways to think about mixing and thus add variety to your wheelhouse.

2. PRACTICE DJING AT HOME AGAIN LIKE YOU USED TO

Remember when you first started to DJ and it felt like an adventure and you would do it at every free moment? Maybe you would spark a blunt and get lost in it for hours. It would be so fun to try all the different possibilities of music combinations. You probably had only a few or no gigs at the time and so your outlet could only be on your own time.

Now you DJ multiple times per week so you don’t really bother to do it at home. Fuck that. Go back to DJing at home. Go back to having at least even one time per week when you can play for yourself instead of only for the unclean masses. It gives you a chance to take risks again without anyone getting angry. It gives you a chance to get familiar with tracks in your crates that you’ve probably had for years and you listened to once when you downloaded them and then you’ve never played them again. The fact that you kept them probably means you thought they were good. Maybe you need to remind yourself why you felt that way.

It also means that you won’t be DJing the same shit every time you DJ. If you got pigeonholed as a hip hop DJ (as I have in Toronto) then try playing some house at home, or grime or club or drum & bass or whatever. No one is gonna get angry at you except maybe your neighbours but you can always practice DJing with headphones on (no one will hear any mistakes that arise from not being able to cue properly).

3. DJ SOMEWHERE NEW

You play all the time through your residencies. It’s awesome shit money wise but some of them might be sucking the life out of you. I have them, you have them, we all have those gigs that pay the bills but they are such a fucking drag. They make DJing as fun as working in telemarketing. It might be the crowd or the expectations of the owners or something but it just sucks ass. As a result you mix like a semi hard penis. You’re technically paying attention but you’re not 100% in it. How do you overcome that?

You leave. Yeah. “But what about my money?” you ask and that’s fair. Let me tell you why you shouldn’t be too worried. Firstly, you’ve hustled before, you can do it again. Secondly, were you really expecting to DJ there your whole life? Three, you would probably happily quit a normal job you fucking hate (if you have no kids and shit). Finally, now you can DJ somewhere better and, more importantly, different.

I find I am no more liberated in this work than when I DJ somewhere for the first time. You have a general idea of what you can play but you haven’t figured out the formula yet. You know what I mean by formula if you’re a competent DJ. It’s the exact mixture of music that will make a place pop off. You therefore take risks the first time you play somewhere to feel the place out. You try new and different music than the usual.

Or maybe the place is a chill out spot instead of a turnup spot. Maybe the music is more about vibes than about being in your face. That can give you the chance to work on playing music with a certain feeling. You take a more holistic view of your set and your night rather than thinking about tracks individually.

DJing a new spot is like having a new lover. You can feel alive again.

Anyway hope these tips help.