Everything I've read on this subject stresses the importance of being an individual when it comes to your style. I'm sure that that's a valid way to go, but sometimes, I disagree (sometimes I don't!).

Another of my warnings though. I kinda forgot about this page after I first threw it up back in March 1999, and it wasn't until I got a letter saying what I wrote was bollocks that I suddenly remembered to go back to it. So some of it is self-contradicting, but it's all a valid thought process (I hope).

Look at Scott Bond, from Gatecrasher, he is being touted as the next Paul Oakenfold, along with Big Al. There's nothing wrong with that. Oakey has been making noises about quitting apparently, and there needs to be someone to fill his place. Plus, with the amount of people who like Oakey, why not copy his style, if you're as good as him, you'll definitely get a following, and make it big. All of the older DJ's like Danny Rampling can't keep going for ever, and there'll always be someone biting at their heels trying to replace them.

Ok, being different is definitely a way to go, but if every one is being different, what will YOU have to do to be more different than the last guy. Start playing Bros (bad old British group) in the middle of your set, or play naked? Personally, I don't think you are going to make it on the strength of being different anyway. It all comes down to how lucky you are and who you know (provided you're technically proficient of course)

Just go to your local club, listen to the DJ, look at all the people loving it, and think to yourself why they love it so much. It's because the DJ is seamless, playing great tunes, in a style clubbers have grown to expect, helping to create that fantastic weekend we all look for. Remember, it's not that often you look up and shout "God damn your good, that seamless mix through the break.......etc." though you maybe thinking it. But if the DJ sucks, even if it's just his style, EVERYONE knows it.

Aahhh, youth. What was I thinking when I wrote this page. I think I'd just had another knock back for a job or something, was in a bugger of a mood, and not really wanting to give a crap. Problem is, I forgot all about it - this page has been floating around on the net for about 7 months now, and it took a mail from someone called Nicotine to make me remember about it - - oops! So to all the people who've read this page and taken it to heart - oops!

Here's one of the paragraphs from the mail I got:-

"So to the end of making better music, I feel that the DJ should choose which changes are important to her (among many other things - you can imagine my reaction to your recommendations against individuality when discussing "developing a style": an argument, though limited mostly to musical selection on your pages, I passionately disagree with). This would better allow for stylistic differences to develop between DJs, instead of everyone following the same formulas which would propagate the stagnant, repetitive, copy-cat world that has sadly become contemporary dance music."

Cool huh? Wish I could write like that......

Although, to some extent, I do agree with it - just not for all applications.

Doing it this way is fine if you want to impress your mates, or maybe just work in one of the local clubs - where everyone will know this style, relate to it, and boogie; but if you're wanting to get into the Oakey, Morales level of things, then actually, individuality is the ONLY thing that will get you there. Hell, think about it, there IS only one Paul Oakenfold, one David Morales, one Roger Sanchez - yes, there are lots of people who emulate them well, but at what they do, they are the best at it. The people I mentioned before who are clawing at Oakeys heels will not surpass him if they just keep doing what he's doing, they have to add something different to their sets. What that is, I don't know - if I did, I'd be up there with them, but there has to be something that is added to set you out from the rest.

Musical taste will only take you so far - You decide you want to be a trance monster - great! Thing is, you'll only get to a certain level by just playing beautifully structured dance choons. This is why people drone on about being able to tell a story with their mixing - it's something for them to hang onto that sets them apart from the rest of the trancey wannabe's.

Give any decent trance hound the tunes that Oakey played in his last set, and they will be able to match and mix them together EXACTLY as Oakey did. Now, give them Oakeys current record collection, with all the new ones he's been offered, and see what they can do. Yes, in the course of an hour and a half, they'll play 17-18 tunes that will individually rock the joint, but it's the placement in the mix that sets these trance hounds apart from people like Oakey and Sasha. These guys know EXACTLY what tune to play, and when! 9 out of 10 trance Dj's will play the tunes because either a) "they mix nice mate!" or b) they're banging, and gonna get the crowd sweaty.

I know, that last paragraph sounds completely contradictory, why can't we just do it that way, mix tunes together that we know will rock the joint, and will sound fantastic - basically, coz there's nowhere else to go.

I'll digress here a little (to catch my own thoughts) by telling you about my squash game. My coach used to always shout at me for hitting the ball at 100% power all the time. He's reasoning behind this (which, now that I'm injured I cruelly understand) Is that although I'd be able to blow the beginners off court with this style, he minute I met an experienced player on court, who knows all about this stuff, I'm in for a beating. This is because, this way the only way to change in my game is to slow the ball down. By whacking the ball at only 70%, I have the choice of either adding more power and catching my opponent sleeping, or I could slow it down, freaking him out. ("Get on with it!" I hear you scream!!).

So, how does this apply to Dj'ing? It'd be funny if I said it didn't - that I just went to another world for a minute or two, but the truth is that there are similarities (if only in my twisted head).

See, you can go into a unknown club, play the most banging energetic tunes non-stop for two hours to people who don't know much about the specialities of dance music - and you'll do fine - you'll probably even be revered as a God! Hell, even if you tried that at somewhere like Gatecrasher, they'd probably still think you were a bit of a one on the decks. (oops, I think I'm about to hit contradiction levels again.....)

But what I mean is that to work your way through to the top, and impress the people who count (who unfortunately aren't always the people on the floor) you have to show that you're able to do more than hit the floor 100% all the time. You have to be able to show that you can be dynamic in your sets, by creating waves of power, bring them up, bring the down, bring them up, bring them down (HOMER!!!) bring them up, bring them even higher up etc. That's how you get through to the ones that have been there for a long time, play with them.