A Change in Perspective

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

Mix 25: The Lesson

Here we go again!

The Y Afterhours is holding a mix contest for a new Resident DJ. Here's my entry. High energy from top to bottom, a mix of different genres, some different tempos, while still trying to hold my opinion of connecting emotion to energy.

This music has been a lesson to me and has taught me so much. Hope it rocks their socks haha.

Enjoy.




Download it!

-Jermaine

The Journey

When I first started this hobby it was purely for fun and it wasn't even a thought in my mind that it would have come this far. It was something I had a crush on and an interest in for longer than I could remember. I wasn't playing for anyone but myself, I would show a couple friends some fun little things that I did with songs or whatever but the bottom line is that it is something that caught my eye. I remember one time I called Tyler and put him on speakerphone to let him listen to something I had just created.

Some of the tutorials or pro tips or whatever say to record everything you do so you can listen to it and pick out mistakes to improve upon but I wasn't even doing that. Just sitting in the basement every day for a couple hours messing around with beats and acapellas and honestly it all sounded terrible but it was fun and I was learning. I stuck it out because I was in love with what I was doing.

I had, and still have, a constant craving to be playing music.

My uncle asked me to make a warm-up mix for the hockey team he was coaching about 4 months after I had gotten in to it. I downloaded a couple programs, bought some cables, figured it out, and wham bam thank you ma'am my first mix was done. After that it's been 2 years that have flown by with almost a mix a month since then. I've now played weddings, parties, school dances, clubs, even a 12 hour dance marathon in which I refused to let myself repeat a song.

Recently being brought on by Connected Entertainment has been a great experience. Getting to work with experienced DJ's and being a person to know for these events is fun. Meeting some of these world known DJ's and being part of these massive events is amazing. But at the same time it is frustrating. I have developed a need to have my hands on the turntables and play music for people. I love to be playing music for people and see it move from their ears to their muscles as they itch to get up and dance. The frustration comes from the tease of these events. Finding something I love being passionate about but can't show is like being starving with a plate of food in front of you and being told if you touch it that it will disappear.

As a newcomer to Connected and just the industry in general there is so much patience that is demanded. Pretending to be a big shot when no ones knows your name is exactly that, pretending. Working on the events in general doing simple things like facebook promotions or just appearing at all the events whether I have an actual set time or not is fun but taxing. The work is going in and the results aren't happening nearly as fast as I want them to. Playing for a nearly empty room or having a set time that gets screwed up and playing for no one is disappointing and it's so hard to remind myself that it is all part of the process. I know I have the ability to rock a huge crowd and take people on a mini musical journey with me but I have to work for it and I'm so thankful for the potential opportunity to do so. I want it more than anything I've ever wanted. 

I understand now that for this to be as real I want to to be with results I want. It has to be about everything. It has to be about me starting from nothing and building something that will give me the strength and foundation to be as good and as passionate as I need to be so that when it happens it isn't cheap and worthless. I know it will be frustrating, and there will be times that it doesn't go as far as I'm dying for it to go. But in the end the wait and struggle will be worth it and I will own something that I've worked hard for and that will last forever. 

-Jermaine Still

Mix 24: Jump In

A new year and a new name.

Wow it's been a crazy month or so for me. Life is hella busy but everything seems to be going well. For some reason my heart wasn't 100% in to the things I wanted it to be and it took a good friend to repeatedly ask my "why not?" until I was out of shitty excuses to realize that I'm doing things that I love and close to people that I want to be, so why hold back.

Everyone has been asking me why I changed my name so I should clear it up. Being hired by Connected Entertainment was a big deal and already since then I have had the chance to play at soundwave(though there were some issues with the security not letting people in on time), rocking the "upper heaven" at the Y last Friday, and this Saturday will be opening up for Dirty South at the Encore Grand Opening at West Edmonton Mall. Big or small it doesn't matter the venue or whatever I'm just glad some more people are getting to hear me play. If people are hearing me I want to give them a name that isn't hard to pronounce or something that is weird to look at. Fwylo might have had more character than this one but I'm jumping in to something brand new and doing it with a new face on makes it that much easier.

I'm Jermaine Still, and I dare you to Remain Still.




Download it!

-Jermaine

Mix 23: Don't Wait for Me

Well helloooo.

I didn't realize how much time I spend on these things until I counted it up for this one. I spent some random amount time picking songs over the course of a couple weeks, then an hour recording it last week but it was just a test run to see how I felt the songs should fit together. After listening to that a few times (an hour each time), I move songs around and figure out the transition points then record it and listen to it a few times again. So then yesterday, I recorded it 3 separate times, listened to it probably 5, then listened to the almost finished one all day today taking notes on little things to change. Finally I came home tonight and recorded it one more time, then listened one more time. In total thats around 15 hours...

When you're waiting for something you know is important, it doesn't really matter how long it takes.

Enjoy.




Download it!

-fwylo

Roller-coaster Ride

If I ever own an amusement park I'm going to have a ride called Life. It'll go something like this. The attendee takes the next person in line and straps them in where he pleases, you don't get to choose if you want the front or back or middle because fuck that, this is life. Once the ride has some people (sometimes full and sometimes not it's up to the dude working, not you) the ride starts. It'll have spots that are slow and boring to the point where you want to get off and go try a different ride, and spots that flip and turn and are exciting and so awesome that you want to stay on the ride forever. But then it'll slow down again while you wait for the next spurt of excitement. But the next one won't be good excitement, it'll be scary how fast it goes and you'll feel terrible and hate the ride. Sometimes it'll be awesome and you'll love life, others you have to just close your eyes, be strong, and get through it.

Slow times are slow and excitement will come randomly. Don't get bored and sidetracked about the goals you have in mind for the future. It's hard to be confident in the things you are doing when there aren't immediate results but work hard and it will come.

I was really happy with my last mix for multiple reasons. Solid transitions, good song choices, and great energy flow. I've gotten some criticism on it from a couple people who know what they're talking about and am excited to work on that in the next one. I started mentally piecing together a new one and am slowly putting it together. Aiming for higher energy throughout the whole thing while still hitting that emotional energy connection I wanted in the last one.

Here's a few songs that I'll probably be using:

Awesome.

-fwylo

Lets get official.

Alright so progress has inevitably come through with the work I've been putting in. But the work doesn't feel like work because it's fun. Either way... like my fan page on Facebook.

Lets get me out there.

http://www.facebook.com/DjFwylo