How did you guys get started performing gigs?

[ThrowAway]

Wish I could meet some local house/electro/trance/minnimal DJs in my area that do it for a living...

Who do you want to meet specifically?

[shai]

well you just decide that you're doing it. you have your laptop anyway.. it's not hard to find an occasion to play music. somebody's birthday party is a good starting point. plug your laptop to the stereo set.. try it out .. make your mistakes (while your buddies are all dead drunk anyway) then go to the nearest bar and leave a demo cd, or just a note "i play polka" . thats what i did. (and thats as far as i can tell because i havent yet broke through that stage) but i guess it's just the sort of thing that just happen when you want. and then you do it.. etc...
i think the next thing happening to me (and my partners in crime) is a live gig of original material. working on it. . . .

[ThrowAway]

Open mics at coffees shops are good...always cool to bag an artsy punk chick. Plus you can build your myspace/soundcloud/whatever-the-kids-are-using-atm base up.

[Steve Wade]

Wish I could meet some local house/electro/trance/minnimal DJs in my area that do it for a living...

Where are you at? Maybe I know someone in your area. Do you mix as well as produce?

[MetalCube]

Wish I could meet some local house/electro/trance/minnimal DJs in my area that do it for a living...

Where are you at? Maybe I know someone in your area. Do you mix as well as produce?

No sorry. All Ive been doing is Producing at home. But soon... Ill hit up the mixing scene (Still waiting on the laptop and the novation nocturn) And Ill mix all my own stuff. Remixes and Original stuff.

[speak_onion]

What kind of gigs/parties do you go to? Do you know who puts them on? Get to know those people. Make sure they see your face when you're out.

I got EXTREMELY lucky for my first show. I was really early to see Velapene Screen one night and I was sitting at the bar talking to a dude before the party and he asked me if I do music and I said yes and gave him a disc and it turned out he was the promoter of the regular breakcore night in town and the next month I was playing with Edgey and Enduser. Done.

Since then I've just been reaching out to everyone around town and trading shows, setting some up myself and promoting and playing whenever asked. People want to go out and hear music, so you just have to make sure the people want to hear your music and that they know when/where.

[Tarekith]

I actually started right away with doing live sets, before I DJ'd or even wrote full on tracks. Initially it was just playing house parties that my friends and I would put on, and I was doing it more or less every weekend for a couple years. Usually got more gigs from people at the parties, they'd ask me to come play their parties, and even some bar gigs. Eventually my friends and I formed a production company and started hosting larger club night on our own, usually at bars and restaurants that had stages (our first one had 400+ people, we got lucky). We'd do something twice a month and trade gigs with other local production crews. That led to hooking up with a group throwing raves in the Chicago area, so we merged with them and started doing a lot of underground parties and outdoor festivals (Further, Rave 'em and Bailey). Exposure from those gigs started getting me larger club gigs in Chicago, though a lot of that was networking with the promoters too. Still liked house parties the best though, more laid back and fun for me.

Eventually I was doing both live sets and DJ sets. I got sick of bringing a car full of hardware to an underground party, spending one hour setting up, and then having the cops bust it halfway through my set. Then having to stand around dealing with cops while trying to break everything down while my friends with records would just grab their bag and go

My advice would be to try and start your own night, twice a month. That seems to be the best way I've seen throughout the years of getting consistant gigs, both at your events and by trading slots with other DJs. Drink specials are key to getting people to keep coming too, you can't rely on your friends to always show up week in and week out. They WILL get sick of it eventually. We always did something like $1 beer the first hour, once they're there and buzzed, they are more likely to stick around.

[MetalCube]

Well... Now I have to throw a party.

[aqua_tek]

When I lived in PR, and I had just gotten into college, I made friends with some guys who threw weekly parties. At first, I just hung out at their parties loyally, then picked up DJing. Eventually I got them to give me a test run. Little 30 minute set starting the night. Very early. Was a TRAINWRECK of a set. Even though it was still early and there weren't a lot of people, I was so nervous, I just messed up on every single mix.

Still, they were cool. Understood I was just getting started, and gave me some more time to get practice, a few more opener sets, then eventually I got decent at it and landed a regular gig with them.

After about a year or two, I took some time off DJing and focused 100% on production. After a while my music started getting good attention on local message boards and a few non-local ones. This helped propel me to a pretty decent spot on PR's DJ food chain. It was somewhat of a slow process, but totally worth it. Those couple of years were a lot of fun, when I think back to it.

Then I moved to NYC almost two years ago. Back to square one. It's been rough out here. I have to admit that my first year I wasn't really that focused on getting gigs yet. Throughout my second year I've been trying a little harder. At the same time there's a level of cockiness in me that I need to tone down. At times I found that I wasn't even trying hard because I couldn't justify it. If I was well known elsewhere, why am i not getting noticed here? Why grovel for gigs, when I was handed gigs on a silver platter down in PR (and I still do, regularly)?

And the truth is... NYC is such a big place, you need to realize that once you move here without knowing anyone, you start over as a nobody. That's my conclusion. It's humbling and discouraging at the same time. But you just have to keep on hustling until you find your footing. I'm guessing it will take me at least another year before I start to get things really rolling here. I'm determined.

Of course, it should be less difficult in other, less busy cities as NYC, but it sort of applies universally. Very dependent on who you know. Try all sorts of methods. leisuremuffin put it very clearly:

look for events that are playing the kind of stuff you're interested in and make friends.
play house parties
have house parties

If you're doing something worth hearing, or good at making friends, you'll find places to play.

And don't forget the "internetS".

Nowadays another useful tool to get noticed and get things going. Message boards, networking sites (myspace/FB/Soundcloud), etc.

Of course it's a double edged blade. It's so accessible that people have to sift through a lot of garbage (or at least stuff they're not interested in. One man's trash is another man's treasure) to find musicians/performers that may suit them. So, just having a few tracks on a networking sites won't get you gigs. You also have to get your e-hustle on, and message/spam a few key people every now and then.

[aisling]

Nowadays another useful tool to get noticed and get things going. Message boards, networking sites (myspace/FB/Soundcloud), etc.

.

Funny with my space, I honestly think most people don't listen to the tracks.......
I took 2 years off from music all together (except playing some guitar and programming skeletons for new tracks)
to focus on family and children responsibilities.....Now having gotten back into it, it is like I "fell of the map". I must scour my space and craigslist for opportunities and networking like no tomorrow and the yield is disappointing. Of course I don't live in a big city.

[ewistrand]

I was playing in a jam band at a party in the early- mid '70s. There was a booking agent there who liked what he heard. It's been downhill ever since.

ew

[MetalCube]

FYI last week I got my first "Gig"

I wasnt payed but it was intermission at battle of the bands at my high school (only 3 weeks till graduation)

[aqua_tek]

Nowadays another useful tool to get noticed and get things going. Message boards, networking sites (myspace/FB/Soundcloud), etc.

.

Funny with my space, I honestly think most people don't listen to the tracks.......

I wouldn't go as far as saying people just flat out don't listen, but it's true that they don't do it as often as they used to before. It's gotten over-saturated. Which is why I wrote

Of course it's a double edged blade. It's so accessible that people have to sift through a lot of garbage (or at least stuff they're not interested in ... just having a few tracks on a networking sites won't get you gigs.

Anyways the whole music scene is over-saturated as it is. Can be discouraging many times. Just gotta stick to it. Congrats on landing a gig!

[MetalCube]

Nowadays another useful tool to get noticed and get things going. Message boards, networking sites (myspace/FB/Soundcloud), etc.

.

Funny with my space, I honestly think most people don't listen to the tracks.......

I wouldn't go as far as saying people just flat out don't listen, but it's true that they don't do it as often as they used to before. It's gotten over-saturated. Which is why I wrote

Of course it's a double edged blade. It's so accessible that people have to sift through a lot of garbage (or at least stuff they're not interested in ... just having a few tracks on a networking sites won't get you gigs.

Anyways the whole music scene is over-saturated as it is. Can be discouraging many times. Just gotta stick to it. Congrats on landing a gig!

Thanks man. Ya it was really more of a demo gig (Not an actual club concert or anything)

It was a good demo and it showed what I need to work on. (transitioning mostly)

[Jekblad]

that's awesome dude! learn learn learn.

booking has been very frustrating for me, and it NEVER stops. you ALWAYS have to be chasing something down.

In a way i know once i'm a year or two in that will change and it will be easy but right now, it's hell.