I haven’t had much inclination to write here (or anywhere else) of late, but I think that’s starting to change, at least for the forseeable future. Recently I have been waking up very early for some unknown reason, with thoughts running through my head relating to music old and new, about dim nightclubs and distant holidays, and about DJing. Hopefully I can channel some of that into a more regular stream of blog posts.
I made a retun to DJing in public recently after a gap of around 20 years, and it felt absolutely fantastic to be playing records again. I suppose I should provide some context: I put on a handful of nights with a mate of mine in the early 2000s at a few different venues in London, and helped out a couple of friends by playing at their respective weddings, but that was about the extent of it; I’m hardly a grizzled old pro hitting the circuit one last time before sailing off into the sunset. I was very much an enthusiastic amateur then, and remain so today.
For some reason I decided to sell my decks and my basic, two-channel mixer around 2010. I think I made the decision in order to save space in the flat that I was living in at the time, although that seems odd to me now, as the equipment hardly took up loads of room. I guess I just fell out of the habit of using the decks at home, and hadn’t played records in public for a few years, so it kind of made sense. I kept the vinyl and a separate turntable though, obviously.
I regretted the sale a few times during the next decade, but after moving house a couple of years ago I bought a new set of decks and a new mixer, and got back into creating my own DJ sets for pleasure. I’ve been posting these to Mixcloud for the past 18 months or so, to barely any interest of course, and more recently sharing them here as well. I set myself a little challenge, which was to upload at least two new mixes a month until I had made 50 that I was happy with (mostly vinyl, but a few are digital). They vary in quality, but by and large I think they’re OK. It has been a great way of getting to know new records really well and reacquainting myself with some older ones. I’m listening to more than ever.
Actually playing in public felt like a big step beyond that, though; I managed to convince myself that the simple act of putting one record on after another was going to be far more difficult and nerve-wracking than it actually turned out to be. And, just for clarity, it was at an open decks afternoon in a local cafe, not some club with a packed-out room! Still, the idea of doing this on someone else’s (different) equipment had me quaking in my trainers beforehand.
I needn’t have worried. I met a few other people, including the organisers, all of whom were extremely friendly. The event itself was great… lots of different styles of music played; I turned up early to check out and support a few of the other DJs, and I heard The Orb, the Pet Shop Boys, Orbital and a few old soul classics, among others. Some were passionate amateurs like me, others had simply popped up into the attic to grab a load of old 45s beforehand, but it was all very relaxed and open-minded. 25-30 minutes each, anything goes. I’ll definitely try and get to another one if I can, as it seems like a good thing to support.
I would like to branch out and start playing for longer at a few local venues (pubs, bars, taprooms and the like), but this was a good way to ease back in, and it feels like I’ve managed to get over a hurdle of sorts.
Lonesome Tonight 