DJ's...Your First Gig

[Vinyl Deficit]

How'd it go?

How long had you been playing at the house before your first gig?

[DJ George Bates]

6 months at home.... first gig was my baby brothers wedding....

I played house and classics... they wanted radio music( RnB).... LOL...

They looked at me like I was from Mars ...

[Armento]

When are you coming down?

My first one was great. But I rule in general. Basement party back East with great people.

[Vinyl Deficit]

When are you coming down?

My first one was great. But I rule in general. Basement party back East with great people.

August 10th is the big night...BEEE THEEEEEERE!!!!

[Armento]

August 10th is the big night...BEEE THEEEEEERE!!!!

Beware of the boo birds

[Vinyl Deficit]

boo birds

Elaborate please.

[Armento]

Elaborate please.

fuck up and I will boo your ass

[Vinyl Deficit]

fuck up and I will boo your ass

I'll have you removed

[The White Shadow]

Nice topic! My first was in 3rd. grade at elementary school in 1978 and was a party for 3rd. graders only. I played using one beltdrive turntable with a built-in amp and two ten watt speakers, and a lot of Disco records of course. Had played for about a year at home before that.

[DJ_Francesca]

MY First Gig was in 1999 at twirl on 23rd st. for a party called kerfew....
It was the most surreal thing I ever experienced....
I played for the kind of crowd I hung with,, so they loved what I played and everyone danced.... then when I was done..they paid me...
WHAT...
before that I never thought to be a "dj" but that first time i got paid to do what I did at home just about everyday for free I dont know that was just such a great feeling....
and I was like I want to do this again.... :0)

I had had my turntables for about 4 years before That....
Took me a while till I thought I was good enough to play infront of anyone...

[JMJ]

How'd it go?

How long had you been playing at the house before your first gig?

It went well.

Didin't play at the house beforehand - I think I took a nap instead.

Thanks for asking.......JMJ

[djLesCole]

It actually went perfectly. I got a call from my cousin telling me his boys were throwing a huge party in Elizabeth, NJ the following night and their scheduled DJ wasn't going to be able to make it. So I (10th or 11th grade?) got to play for a college crowd....and ROCKED EM'! I was getting looks of amazement all night 'cause I was playing all the new joints plus the classics.
BTW - I had been a bedroom DJ for about 4 or 5 years prior to that.

[NakedAge]

Man ... My first gig right.. I didn't even know what Dj's did.
My brother had equipment right and so, he'd never let me use it... But I did... I was a sneaky shit... But like I didn't know it was for setts etc, I'd never been to a dance party before and shit and so I'd use it to play 2 songs over one another to make a new song... Literally... Not MIX, as in song into song into song into song, but like, Bootleg, I used it more as recording equipment.

Anyways.. I was like i think 16, or 15? My mate had a birthday, and its funny. His brother was a Dj aswell, and funnily enough he went to school and was same class as MY brother... So Both our older bro's were Djs and it was like "yeah lets just fucken scunge their shit for your birthday, (equipment) and like, I'll play the songs for you n shit"

So we did, and like, I didn't know what the fuck I was doing, I was just fucken around as if no one was watching.. And like some guy hit some girl or some shit, and the birthday boy started having a cry and runs up to the stage and he's like PARTYS OVER PARTYS OVER TURN IT OFF TURN IT OFF.

I'm like "derrr Okay" ... His pappa calmed him down and shit, I'm just fucken standing there. All these people start chanting "Dee Jay Dee Jay Dee Jay Dee Jay" I was like. 'Farkkkkkkkkkk'

Anyway, so the kid walks up he's like "hey, that was pretty fucken sick, like I got lights, you got music, lets fucken do the town all shades of shit"

So we did, like we started getting heaps of gigs, birthdays and shit. And then eventually finally I went to my first dance club and was like "Noiiiceee noiiiiceee" and I almost grabbed the hottest fucken honey with this fucken ass man like MMMMMMMMPH! (never forget that) but then yeah, the bloke I was djing with started cheating me out of work and this one club gave him a trial one gig then me another, and, I must of slaughtered the fuck cos they been asking me back ever since, and I started a Dj business and everything.

So for my first gig, I just fucken, did it... I almost feel like I was born to do it because even at school... We went on school camp in 96 and they gave everyone these joke awards... like "smelliest shoes" award and shit.. I got 'walking walkman' award cos apparently I carred the thing where ever I went, and TADAAAAAAAAAAAAAA what you see before you today is the result :D

[Woody Rosen]

My first was at this dirty ass warehouse in East Texas. Everyone was wacked out on drugs.

[Martin Red]

6 months at home.... first gig was my baby brothers wedding....

My first gig was a freinds engagement, 1987.

[blackwax]

my first was in a bar/club (called ronnies) i was a glass collector at the time DJ didnt show so i covered

wasn't a house gig played all sorts madonna, jellybean the real thing, pop hits, soul, not much mixing a lot of mic usage. Belt drive turntables the type with a built in mixer.
It actually led onto a residency there on a monday night. It became the busiest night of the week! Place was mad did themes nights like Hawaii etc.
We did a jelly wrestling night it was crazy filling kids pools with jelly they broke half way through, took weeks to clean it all up. I have some old photo's somewhere will try to find them as i move house soon.

Never did DJ at home and didn't for years never had a set of decks at home until very recently (last 3 years!)

[D J 1 3 8]

never had a set of decks at home until very recently (last 3 years!)

that's crazy

[blackwax]

that's crazy

yeah i guess it is
I was never interested in DJing at home what was the point i loved crowd reaction. If i listened to music at home it was with one turntable (my parents) or tape. Besides never had the money for decks etc guess i could have hustled but it wasn't that big a deal at the time. DJ at home what was the point of that. It took a lot longer for mixing culture to break out over here.

[jojaujae3]

I don't recall that far back.

[richard thomas]

The first time I played out I think was at a church. I really can't remember which one was first. I played a bunch of gospel and forgive me....some trance, breaks, and other stuff. About a month later another church group out in New Mexico flew me out to play. That was a blast.

[Ernest Fountain]

good thread. bringing back lotsa happy, fun memories

i was in the 11th grade (circa 88, 89) chesapeake, va, house party for this girl one grade behind me. hip hop, reggae, go-go, and yes, HOUSE!!! (i had just moved from nj a couple years beforehand, so i was a lil' familiar with the music )

it went very well, had lotsa fun and laughs. the highlight was when homegirl's mom put the party on pause for a minute and screamed on one of my dj partners for dancing ontop of one of his speakers, 'cause she thought he was dancing on a piece of furniture. it was hilarious. end of the night, got paid a whole $60 or $70, to split between 3 of us!!! i was geeked!!!

i had been bedroom spinning for about a year before that first party.

[Armento]

you're gonna do fine, Deficit. You know your records well, you also have the vestax decks at home... and we'll be the ones handling the complainers

[Vinyl Deficit]

and we'll be the ones handling the complainers

Haha...Not even sweatin' it. Just gonna do it.