Ableton Forum

Help me someone.....anyone.

I am just starting out djing and producing dance music, but I am finding it really difficult to pick and choose a certain style to adopt.

I guess all dj's and producers are linked to a specific genre like House, Breaks, Hip Hop, trance etc etc, but I am having REAL trouble deciding.

Its the musical version of writers block.

I've spent hours scrolling through sites like Beatport and Juno trying to find the one song that will sort it for me. Maybe I don't even like dance music anymore. However, I know millions do - and as someone who wants to play out, perhaps its more about music for the people rather than music for myself.

So I am, as a last resort, turning to this forum (and I do love this forum), for some inspiration.

Is anyone out there at the turning point of switching tastes and interests, and how did you decide to adopt a specific style to follow?

I know its a bit general - but I think I need a bit of advise from some of the talented people in here who really know what they want to do.

Much love, as always.

JUPES

this is not something you decide. it just happens, whether you want it to or not. it did happen to me. for some 4 years i was into heavy, dark neurofunk/techstep dnb, until fall of 2005 when i just felt no pleasure out of listening to that dark creepy shit anymore. before i knew it new music started growing on me. currently i'm into stoff from underground-glitchy-experimental hip hop, to downtempo/broken-beat and classic jazz and anything in between.

my point is, that you just have to wait it out and try listening to music you don't know. a good place to start is the link your music section of this forum, or just go to em411.com and click on radio. i found quite few gems.

i think you should do a bit of Country Acid...

i would shy away from creating 'music for the people' only. If you don't like it that much, but you're just playing it for them, it'll show, and they won't enjoy it as much either. Stick with something you like, and your energy will help you move the crowd..

start practicing an acoustic instrument

if your not getting kicks from the music your playing / writing its very unlikely nobody else will.

so take a break..... then when your gumptions back up you can go full throtle at something you love.

I'm gonna try REALLY hard not to sound nasty here - so please don't take everything I say to heart...

<<<DEEP BREATH>>>

If you need to ask for advice on what music to play, there's NO WAY you can ever be a DJ. DJ'ing is about expressing what you feel through the music you play. The skill in DJ'ing is making (trying to make!) people feel something from the music you play. If you're not feeling it, how can you expect to make other people feel it?

There is absolutely no reason to pick one genre of music and stick to it. Why on earth wouldn't you want to drop some Marvin Gaye over some Drum n' Bass? Why not blend County and Western with Breaks?

If you don't know what music you enjoy, maybe you don't actually enjoy music?

My suggestion to you, is to check out as many obscure Dj's as you can. DJ Yoda/DJ Shadow/Cut Chemist/Dan Greenpeace are all examples of DJ's that mix anything and everything. Also check out our very own The Phat Conductor (His latest ableton offering = http://www.thephatconductor.com/ThePhat ... uly-06.mp3)

I hope you do find some music that moves you - I moved into breaks from Hip-Hop after hearing "Elastic Breaks" by the Plump DJs years ago.

Although I do call myself a breaks DJ, it's the movie/cartoon samples and TV theme songs and all types of other obscure shit that makes me able to convey what I feel in a mix set...

Seriously - good luck.

Just play the music that you like dancing all night to. If you haven't been dancing all night to something then perhaps that is where you need to start.

if you have gone off dance music, which happened to me after working clubs for ten years

I make music for times where I feel like there's no music for it.


like ....
driving in my car long distance in the rain in an English winter, I wore all my favourite music out . I wanted something I could listen to that wasn't really wearing, wasn't really boring, was evocative, wasn't overly variable with loud annoying crescendos which would make me crash.

So I wrote some music for that and a few people that heard it really liked it too. There are common situations which we all find ourselves in that need music that suits them. Not just being in a club, theres loads of music for that!

A few years back some friends and me did a CD called "tasteful coitus" which was a cd to put on when you got a girl round after a club and you needed something that wasn't obviously "fucking music" to put on in the background.

Jupes wrote:Help me someone.....anyone.

Its the musical version of writers block.

i have to say i am in the same boat. a good 3 weeks now its been since ive gone near writing a tune - ive lost all inspiration and motivation to do it, cant even sit down at the computer to do one, the thought makes me feel sick. dont know how to resolve... maybe best to just keep away from it for another few weeks and see what happens, guess you cant force it.

As someone said above - ive been djing for almost 10 years, running nightclubs, listening to dance music every day, writing it - maybe ive had too much....

try jazz

or acid country as someone else suggested

electronic music---->not necessary dance music

I will stick with what someone else started with -- do what feels good . . . TO YOU. If you don't, you're gonna go crazy. I can tell you straight up. Try starting by just doing something -- anything -- and then let the ideas flow from simply doing it. You never know, as you may create a new style altogether. Just trust your instincts on it, and set your musical expression free. Good luck.

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