Practice makes Better

Due to logistical problems at the school, I took bpm's DJ equipment to my home for the summer. That being said, I do not mind having quality equipment at home. Since this Saturday, I have also set up the recording system.

I can record, with either video or audio, my performances at home. This is a great thing – when mixing, one might not perfectly grasp how well transitions worked or how the story is being told. Having the possibility to listen over is amazing.

I have set a goal to record as many mixes as possible before leaving for Estonia at the start of July. Prioritising quantity means that there will be more work done, and thus I will learn (hopefully) more.

I already take pride in the songs that I manage to dig. Half of the job of the DJ is done before the performance – it is the preparation of songs. On that part, I am doing a rather good job, I try to keep my playlists up to date.

As I always have new songs in the rotation, I do not get bored. Now the idea is to simply mix. Just do it. Do the work. This is essential since I want to improve my technical skills. These skills mostly come from experience behind the decks, so there are not many ways to go about it.

There is also a bonus, as mentioned previously, I am currently counting calories and thus mostly focused on calories in and calories out. This means that I try to hit as many steps per day as I can. Mixing means that I bounce back and forth whilst standing behind a desk for an hour. I got 3,000 steps in for the mix I recorded on Saturday.

You might see some of these mixes posted at some point. Or not. It depends on whether I am happy with the mixes and where I can even post them.

This Week's Suggestions:

💡 Why most people are only giving 70%—and what happens at 100% :

Over the past week, I have gotten back into some good habits. One part of it is watching educational YouTube videos, such as this one. This does not make me more productive or better in any way, per se. Yet, it puts me in a better overall mindset.

🎧 ÜBERKIKZ | GOTEC RECORDS | 1h GROOVE SET :

This DJ is one of my current biggest inspirations. She will also be mixing in Berlin when I am there this upcoming weekend so hopefully I get in to get into the club she will be performing at. What I am impressed by is the way she manages to put 4 songs together without any dissonance. Just a heads up that this is rather monotone techno, so it might not be for everyone, yet there is a melodic rhythm to it, that is the "groove".

That's all for today!