Big Buddy Blog

In search of rhythm everywhere.

[bigbuddyblog-blog]

I can’t even begin to tell you about all of the time that i wasted overthinking my music choices and selections. At heart, I’m a Turntablist but truth be told before i started to spin Hip-hop music i was dropping house and dance records on the decks.

Back in the day, i spent a lot of time getting my feet wet at my then local record store Imagine Music. The shop was owned and operated by two local DJ’s Eddie Edul and Just James (Whatever happened to him?).

I remember heading over to Imagine Music and asking Eddie to hook me up with all the dopest records. Without hesitation, he would start pulling all types of wax from the shelves, most of which i had no idea what they were but I knew that if Eddie recommended it then they had to be fire. Once he was finished putting together a massive stack of wax i gladly slid him damn near half of my paycheck. Yeah, i was dropping about $200 every two weeks at the record store.  

So, by now you may be asking your self... "Who the FU*K lets another DJ pull records for them" or you might be asking, "what kind of stuff did Eddie pull?"......Well, it was a lot of House music, Breaks, some Top 40, Underground Hip-hop and a few Skratch tools. overall it was mainly stuff that would allow me to rock a party and thanks to Eddie Edul, that i did!!

You see, back when i was first starting out all i wanted to do was make people dance and have a good time. I wasn't concerned about musical taste, style, genre or anything like that, I just wanted to rock the party.

As the years went on and i gained more experience and knowledge i quickly fell in love with Turntablism. No longer did i look at DJing from the point of view of a party rocker but i looked at it from the perspective of a musician, an Artist.

As i progressed, my sets became more creative and some would even call them performance pieces. This style of DJing served me well, I released an EP titled "The Benchmark" and i rocked some pretty dope shows as well. I also entered a few DJ battles and with the aid of my crew The Sleeprockers we took 2nd in the US DMC Team division. So, i guess you can say that as a performance-based DJ i did some pretty cool stuff.

Fast forward to today...Although i still very much look at DJing as an Art form I have returned to my Party Rocker roots. Now of days my sets tend to be high energy and extremely creative. I pride myself in taking everything that made me who i am and molding it into a fresh and unique style that is all my own.

Well, i have been working on this blog post for about a day and a half and honestly, i should probably move on to other projects so I'll just wrap it up like this......

Don't get too wrapped up with labels, Don't put yourself in a box just do what comes natural, do what feels good.

at the end of the day.....Just be dope!!

[bigbuddyblog-blog]

Not today...

Today i woke up in a pretty good mood. I ate my breakfast, walked my dog and then for no apparent reason my mood took a dip and i felt stuck, i felt lost, i felt like the weight of the world was coming down on me.

I started to think about life's responsibilities, i started to think about other peoples expectations of me, i started to think about the future.

Just when i feel like all is lost i start to put together a plan. most of the time these plans are desperate and consist of me doing something that I hate just to make others happy.

Once i stop, take a breath and practice some music therapy i find my center and become inspired.

I tell my self... It’s going to be ok.

[bigbuddyblog-blog]

Lately, i have been spending a lot of time in my lab working on new projects and routines, It has opened up my eyes and made me look at DJing with a slightly new perspective. 

In the past, I would look at DJing probably in the same way that a lot of people do. You get good, get a few small gigs and then work your way up to the bars and clubs. You know how it goes, DJ 4-6 hour long sets with the main goal of moving the dance floor and keeping the bar busy. 

All of that is cool but there has to be something more.....right?!

Well, Through many hours of working in the lab and soul-searching i have come to the conclusion that in order to reach the next level of DJing i need to focus more on music production and spend time redefining my sound. 

If you ever pay attention to most of the bigger DJ’s they don’t just simply play other peoples music, they flip it and make it unique. They spin original tracks and even perform original sets. This is how you reach the next level, you develop your style, you create a sound. Let’s face it, if you play the same stuff that everyone else does then you will sound just like everyone else. what’s special about that?

With that said I have been working on stepping up my production game. I been spending a lot of time on Maschine and have picked Traktor back up. My workflow heavily revolves around the Native Instruments ecosystem so it only made sense to step back from Serato and Ableton for a bit.

Moving forward I still plan on holding down my residencies and such but I'm going to focus more on showcases and guest sets that will allow me to really express my self. 

I’m really excited to start this new journey, who knows, by this time next year you just might catch me on a few big stages.

I can’t wait to share my vision with you.

#NocLovesYou

[tristypoo52-blog]

MF 

[bigbuddyblog-blog]

DOOOOOM!

[gangueiro]

[bigbuddyblog-blog]

All praise to lord Quas!!

[bigbuddyblog-blog]

Identity crisis

These days the world of DJing and party goers have changed quite a bit. Yeah, before you read any further I guess you can call this my old man blog post or rant but honestly I do believe that what I’m about to tell you is key especially if you are a DJ. Hey, it might even help some fans too?.

Lately, it seems like everywhere I go I tend to hear the same tracks being spun the same style and fashion. Now I’m not going as far as Mayer Hawthorne by saying something insane like “No more 93 Til infinity please. and I mean ever” but I do believe that there needs to be some level of risk taken when DJing. 

DJing is arguably a career choice that hovers somewhere between art and service work, hear me out. Some DJs spin for themselves and focus on the culture while others are simply set out to please the crowd. That is all good and well but if you as a DJ ever wants to reach the next level you have to be ready to take some risk.

 Now, I've had this conversation more times than I seen the movie Independence Day but I do believe that this topic is extremely important so I'll go over it again. Just because you are good at something doesn’t mean that you will get where you want to be. Ok, that kinda sounded stupid so let me break it down. 

Say you have 5 DJ's booked to play an event. Let’s say that all the DJ are talented, skilled and very good at what they do. Yeah, that can all get a crowd going, they all have good energy and know the right tracks to play that will get people going. Now, There is one problem here, check it out.

 If all 5 DJ’s all play the same tracks the same way, mixing the same style, nothing is special about any of them. Dj after DJ just blends into the last and that makes them not memorable. Sure they rocked the place, did a good job and all that stuff but in reality, nobody in the crowd is going to know your name or care to find out, you are just another DJ who blended in with the rest lineup and more or less provided the soundtrack to someones drunken and drug-fueled night.

A good friend of mine, someone who I look up to for support and inspiration once said. “Be the opposite, be the difference”. If 5 DJ’s are all playing 90′s Hip-hop take a risk and play some electro funk, play some breaks, play some drum and bass, hell, play some trip-hop. No matter what you do be the guy who stood out and had his own style. That person was Yoga Frog. 

Now, I can not stress this enough. If you look at all of the legendary DJ’s, If you look at any of the iconic DJ’s they all have unique and original styles. Sometimes that consist of original production, mash-ups, flips, routines or a really crazy deep selection of music. This is what makes them legends. When you go out and DJ you should never just blend in, you should be the guy or gal who people ask about, who people remember, who people come out to see because you are special and not just somebody who played the same old party tunes while drunk Hipsters grind on each other.

To my fellow DJ's I urge you, break records, play shit that nobody else has, dig deeper, produce your own edits, remixes, and original tracks. think outside the box and flip people on their heads. 

Believe it or not, there is a huge scene of music lovers who are waiting for something fresh and new. Will you be the one who satisfies their craving or will you just serve up the same old stuff?

#NocLovesYou

[bigbuddyblog-blog]

Often DJ’s and artist put up a front on social media. They filter through tons of content and only post what they believe is to be the very best representation of themselves. Now that doesn’t sound bad right? I mean in some cases that approach is probably best but I personally feel that it can detach you from your audience by making you unrelatable. 

As creatives, we have to understand that not everyone walks to the beat of our drum. in other words, life is not always studio sessions, parties, and shows. it’s also about the creative struggle, life lessons, and personal growth.

With that said, I have decided to create this blog to share a more personal side of my life and really give folks an insight on what it is to be a full-time DJ and creative. I welcome you all to subscribe, follow, like or whatever it is that you have to do and join me on my journey through life as a self-made DJ.