Sup. Music please.
2 years, 6 months, 1 week, and 3 days of DJing. I've gone from purchasing my first equipment on a whim (Thanks Jase), to opening up for world known DJ's. I literally had no plans to come this far with this and I think thats exactly why I have. Every time I get to plug my headphones in and take an audience on a musical journey with me it feels like a complete privilege and it causes me to try my hardest during each and every performance. One week ago marked the 1 year anniversary of me playing at Towers Pub at MacEwan. I remember going up to the manager and telling him he had an open spot on his 'live DJ' day and saying I could DJ. Nervous as fuck, I told him I could play and that I would come in just for the fun of it, no payment needed. I played for 2 and a half months till the end of the semester and picked up my spot again 6 months ago in September. According to the manager, this is the best year they have ever had at the bar and he holds me directly accountable for the success of Friday afternoons being completely full every week, and the atmosphere from Fridays spreading throughout the rest of the week.
Holding my own weekly spot has taught me so much. Originally I would play the same style every time, but I've learnt to read a crowd and play the music that makes them move. Once the music captures the attention, energy and sound can be shifted to the style that I love to play. Sometimes the hard electro beats or emotional progressive sounds can be too much for a crowd and it has to be brought back to a style that is more fitting for the mood. Sometimes the energy can't even be brought up that high. But I feel a good DJ has to adapt to that.
There are few situations I get nervous in and DJing for a crowd I don't understand is definitely one of them. I had played piano in front of hundreds of people, been tested on it, played other instruments, spoke in front of hundreds of people, all sorts of nerve racking situations, but those were all fine because it wasn't my own passion I was showing and something I wanted to really do well in. First little house party I did, first wedding, first time I played at Towers, first staff party, first bar, first time I opened a show; every single one of these spots gave me the same nervous feeling in my gut and in my head that I don't experience often and almost don't even know how to deal with. But every single time now, my small ritual of taking a deep breath and closing my eyes, then plugging my headphones in to the mixer, puts me in to a zone that I'm completely familiar with. I know that while I'm up there playing music I'm in my world and everyone there is just visiting. Of course I take in to account that they have a good time while they are visiting but it's still my world. This is now something that I know well enough that I don't have to think when I do it. Any buttons I push or effects that come out are just a translation of what I want to hear coming in to effect through the equipment as an extension of my body.
And it is still nowhere near perfect. Hardly even very good I would say. I still have no problem picking out mistakes in everything I do, not even as a perfectionist type thing, just simple mistakes. There are a ton of techniques that I still have to learn and little tricks that will make me far better as a DJ. But I'm not worried because I have time and patience. I'm not trying to be the best right now, I'm just trying to get better. Every time I play is a time when I get to try new things and make less mistakes. That is where my confidence comes from. Maybe it is the way my brain works or just how confidence works in general, but starting from nothing and building my way up is how I am learning to just push the nerves out. Some things it happens quickly with and others slow, but my confidence comes from stability and the ability to fall without worrying I won't be able to pick myself up again.
My passion has had its results, too. 7 months ago I was making a mix for a Boodang mix competition. I was asking some well known DJ's in Edmonton to check out my mixes and tell me what they thought. Asking them for opportunities and getting nothing out of it (Ironic because I'm playing bigger spots than some of them now). The way I have gotten to where I am is by making my own opportunities. I never understood what that advice meant when I heard people say it but now I know. You have to choose what you want, obtain the skills you need, put yourself in the situation to get it, and then make it happen. Nothing will come to you. I now have people asking me to tag on my DJ slots, coming to me for advice, having to turn down gigs because I'm actually busy with other gigs, even asking me the same questions I once asked and I have only just realized the change that has occurred. To me I am still doing the same thing I have since day one. Doing my best and trying to learn at every chance I get. I'm sure there will be times when that confidence falters again and I get nervous at the worst time possible. But no matter how hard I fall, remembering the confidence that has gotten me to the point I am at, having the opportunity to get back up, and having the support from everyone I love, will forever keep me afloat.
Starting from the bottom in this industry is the only way things happen. In some parts of life you start somewhere in the middle with guidance, build your confidence through experiences, and slowly grow from there. But I feel the only way to have the strongest confidence in yourself is to hit or start right from rock bottom so you can see exactly how bad you want something. Then use that drive to reach the goals you've set. My goal is simple; not to be the best, but to constantly get better with no limit as to how far this passion can grow. As opportunities present themselves I jump on them with no regard as to who I might be stepping on to do it. In the end, some of the people around me aren't going to care what happens to me, so I have to do what is best for myself.
My next step is the Quarterfinals for the Y Afterhours Next Generation DJ Competition and they have no idea what I have in store for them.
Remain Still.
-Jermaine
