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The beginner’s guide to demo production
Reported by Steve Milton
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Submitted 30-01-07 00:06
With limited bookings and lots of competition, it can be a pretty daunting task for a new DJ to break into the industry and play out regularly. There are obviously many things to be taken into consideration, all vitally important and some out of your control. However, the one thing that remains a constant is the production of a demo to showcase your abilities and musical style. How you go about producing this advert for yourself has been a topic for discussion on the boards for a long time and while there’s no definitive answer, there are without doubt elements that need to be taken into consideration and acted on accordingly. What I’m going to try and do here is highlight these and offer some pointers which will help the up and coming to maybe produce something that will make a potential listener/promoter take notice. Also at this juncture I’d like to point out that the information contained in this article is the amalgamation of opinions gained from various sources throughout the industry and not just my own experience.
The introduction of software like Ableton has opened a whole new direction in which the DJ can travel and indeed, many of the principals later on will apply to those playing from a laptop as well, but for the purposes of this article we’ll stick with what the majority are undoubtedly using at the moment — decks, mixers and CDJs. First off, let’s get one thing straight: if you can’t beat match consistently for the duration of a set,then you shouldn’t be producing a demo. Go away and practice, then come back when you can. Right, now that’s over with, let’s get down to business.
Is this your dream?
OK, first things first. The music itself. With the introduction to the scene generally coming in the form of clubbing itself, it’s easy to see how the newbie DJ can get drawn into the easy mistake of playing unsuitable tunes. We all love that peak time feeling when it’s all going off and I’m sure those wanting to make a start into DJing have all dreamt of being there behind the decks with the crowd in the palm of your hand. But we need to get realistic here. That’s a long way off so what you have to do is show that you can structure a set, build it and show good progression throughout. Any old fool can bosh together 12 peak time, dance floor destroying tracks; that takes no thought or effort at all. It’ll also sound pretty dull, as a big track needs to be built by the tracks before it, so take that away and it’ll all begin to sound the same.
So what to do? Well careful selection is the order of the day. Depending on your chosen genre or style, I think it’s always best to gradually pitch up proceeding by about 5–6 bpm (using trance/hard dance as a rough guide only) over the twelve or so tracks of the mix. You should build the listener into the experience, picking tracks that complement each other well and taking them where you want them to go in the best way you can to highlight your particular style. Of course you’ll want some big tunes in there, but make them stand out. Think of them as the bride at the wedding, making that grand entrance for everyone to look at. This will of course take some doing to start with, but as you become more musically aware it’ll happen automatically. Just try to understand the music you are playing and use it accordingly.
Obviously, it’s great if you have access to the latest tracks before they get released but in reality being new this is unlikely to happen. Being upfront with brand new tunes just for the sake of it is also a potential pitfall. Just because you have those latest tracks does not mean it’ll be a good demo and can just show a lack of imagination. Getting older tracks in there if they fit the bill is fine and will often get those audio taste buds tingling. With the download market as it is, you have a vast selection of music at your fingertips for very little outlay. If you’re unsure of a track get it anyway. £1.75 isn’t much and that track could be the one that fits perfectly between two others of your mix and while in it’s own right might not grab you by the goolies and shout “RAH”, in the context of a mix it could become something much more. Remember: the demo will be viewed as a whole. The sum of its parts should add up to something bigger. Making your mix stand out from the crowd is what you are trying to achieve; careful tune selection and structure will play a major part in this.
Over to Zoology and Alumni main man Latex Zebra:
The thing that frustrates me most about demo CDs is the sheer lack of thought that goes into them. For a new DJ trying to get a set, a CD of peak time anthems will get you nowhere. If I want that kind of set I’ll book an established DJ for it. From a new DJ I want a CD of tunes that I haven’t heard four times that week, and a demo that doesn’t start and finish at the same BPM, a demo that is appropriate for the kind of time they’re likely to play at. A little bit of progression never hurts and a few different genres are always nice as well. Tailoring it to the promotion is a wise idea as well. Oh, and lastly, mix it yourself and not with a PC.
I’ll cite Elvis as the perfect story for how a decent demo can get you booked. I hated his first musically and told him so. Two days later, a new demo changing all the negative aspects arrived and he got a booking. From that booking he got a residency with us. It’s not going to be like that for everyone, but it shows it’s worth putting the effort into your demos.
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Latex Zebra
So you’ve got all your tunes sorted and you’re happy with it structure wise. Let’s have a look at how you put it all together. As I’ve said already, your beat matching shouldn’t be in question, however minor adjustments during a transition shouldn’t be worried about unless it’s a train wreck, in which case you’ll have to go back and start again. I’ve heard it mentioned before that some promoters actually like to hear that you’re able to adjust as it shows you can cope with this kind of thing without fuss and it also adds a certain human element to it — but obviously there’s more to it than that. Understanding the structure of the music itself now comes into its own. It’s all 4/4 time and fairly simple to understand, yet I’m still amazed at the mixes I hear that have the cue points wrong and are badly phrased. This can lead to all sorts of clashes between baselines and riff and regardless of how well beat matched it is, it’ll sound cluttered and absolutely horrible.
Obviously the way you create a transition is very much down to the style of the music you play and your own personal style of DJing. There is no right or wrong way of doing things but the outcome should be consistent and easy on the ear. I’ve played with and watched hundreds of different DJs and I’m always amazed at how differently they all do things, yet ultimately the outcome is the same. Practice and do what you feel comfortable with, but always take the chance to watch and listen to others. Picking up tips from those more advanced than you can be priceless. Learning to use the EQ’s and levels properly is paramount and once you’re comfortable with it and you’ve developed your own style you’re half way there.
This brings me nicely on to the next point. How should you play on a demo? Having lots of tricks up your sleeve is all well and good for when you’re playing in a club and if done well will usually go down a storm, but a demo isn’t in a club and quite often transferring that on to a CD will not work. Even if performed well, the lack of atmosphere and crowd response means tricks usually go unappreciated. Remember what the point of a demo is: it’s your musical CV, and just like on a real CV all that gloss is no good if you have no substance.
OK you’ve done the mix and its all sounding nice . . . or is it? Here we cover modifying and mastering the mix. Nearly all the opinions voiced to me have agreed that structural modifications and error deletions are clearly frowned upon. If you have to make adjustments to the mix on the computer you really should think about starting from scratch and doing it again, as anything you hand out now won’t be a true reflection of yourself and as such is worthless.
However, a bit of mastering is a different matter. If you have reasonable equipment to record your demo on, it’ll more than likely be fine to go as it is, yet if you have access to someone who’ll master it properly then the final outcome will definitely be worth it. The clarity and overall clean feel of the sound will definitely make it stand out, but without actually changing anything you’ve done. It’s certainly not critical you get it mastered, but would be silly not to if you have the opportunity.
Feedback. Now this is important. Without feedback you’ll go nowhere. All feedback is good feedback, regardless of whether it is positive or negative. Handing out CDs to all your friends isn’t a bad thing, but what you really need to get is unbiased and honest opinion. It’s nice to have everyone say what a fabbo demo it is, but ultimately you’ll learn nothing from this. What you need is constructive criticism. Test running a demo before release is always a sensible idea, so find some trusted people who know more than you and are able to articulate their points clearly and offer instruction as to the ways you may have done things differently. There’s no such thing as the perfect demo, but getting something as good as you possibly can will go a long way.
Now all you have to do is get it out there. Targeting specific promotions that will suit your style will help enormously and it’s always good to have that personal touch. Speak to the promoter and introduce yourself so they know whom they’re talking to. If you can (although not critical) make the CD stand out with a nice cover or some artwork, make sure you have a complete track listing and let’s not forget the most important thing, your name and a contact address, telephone or email. You may laugh but quite frankly the number of CDs that are sent out without any of those bits of information on is astounding: if you can’t remember that then you really don’t deserve a booking.
Paul with fiancé and co-partner Jo
Party Proactive promoter Paul Jack highlights these points:
One of the perks of the job is getting demos and as with many things, as the profile of the event grows so does the number of demos. I used to listen to every demo that I received, but I have to say I just don’t have the time, due to either being really busy and a dad at the same time. A demo has to have something about it now that makes it stand up and say LISTEN TO ME.
I like to see people that make an effort and that to me either comes through:
1. The personal touch of making the effort to support the event and to get a real feel for what we do. I always find it quite an odd thing to say, “oh I would love to play at your event” but on asking if they have actually ever been, the answer comes back as “NO.” How can you want something when you don’t even know if you would like it in the first place; after all I like Party Proactive but then again I am sure it’s not everybody’s cup of tea.
2. The other way is to get in touch via email/have a chat via msn and then make a real effort with presentation etc. A large part of running events is marketing/selling and that can be seen in flyers and banners etc. If it looks shit it most probably is, as I feel attention to detail is essential. Demos that look good will always stand out more and I can think of a few that I have received via HarderFaster that looked really sweet and sounded good too.
A demo for an up and coming DJ is a CV and far more important than the few parties they have played at before.
I’ve obviously only covered the most important points in this article but hopefully it’ll help those completely new to this DJing lark. There is no substitute for experience so practice hard, look, learn and be humble. If you’re a bit different and you’ve got what it takes sooner or later your chance will come, so make the most of it. And finally, something you can’t teach that is always handy to have on your side, a bit of lady luck.
See you on the dance floor.
Credits: Dave Mac for the original idea and editorial input for this article. Latex Zebra and Paul Jack for providing the promoters’ point of view.
Photographs by Paul Jack, Steve Milton and Latex Zebra. Not to be reproduced without permission.
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Other Features By Steve Milton:
The Final Zoo
The Death of Clubland?
Trousers, Caps and Trance Anthems - It's Dave Pearce!
Boom Box, Bulldog Breaks and V1 - It's Time to Reload with DJ-X(lab4)
Clubbers Guide to Photography: Part Two
The views and opinions expressed in this review are strictly those of the author only for which HarderFaster will not be held responsible or liable.
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