Rewind: This Month 5 Years Ago On Digital DJ Tips

Keeping on with our monthly throwback series that sheds a light on what was going on on Digital DJ Tips five years ago, it was interesting to see how much entry-level gear was released at the time, proof that digital DJing with laptops and controllers was really taking off. We were busy giving advice on how to choose the best DJ controller for you. We had a bunch of other pieces too, like how to keep DJ booth trespassers at bay, and how to make your own DJ drops.

In 2010…

I had just quit my job as a non-life insurance claims manager to focus on music full time – the best career choice I’ve made in my life! No longer tied to a 9 to 5 job (or 8 to 5, as it is here in Manila), I got back into DJing almost by accident: A friend told me that she was starting to promote an 80s / 90s night and needed a DJ. I agreed because I had missed DJing so much (stopped around 2005), so I took out my CD binder from the late 90s, burned some discs for the show, and played the gig.

It was pretty frustrating because the equipment at the bar was in poor form – sticky channel faders with a broken crossfader, and two CDJ-100s (remember those?) with lenses that skipped! I played the gig anyway, but thought that I’m better off bringing my own equipment. That’s when I was started checking out DJ controllers, with my first being a Behringer BCD3000 running Traktor and iTunes for sorting my library. The rest is history!

I loved that little controller, but I didn’t know about the other great budget controllers that were out in the market, specifically the ones made by Vestax and Numark. I only saw this article a few years later, and if I knew it at the time I would’ve probably gone for the Vestax Typhoon.

I got a weekly residency that lasted three years (some of the bar’s best nights in its history, according to the owners themselves!) and I’ve seen my fair share of DJ booth crashers, from folk that want to have their photos taken pretending to DJ with my gear, drunk girls (and guys) that want to chat you up for requests and spill drinks, and even one fella who wanted to take over my set! All in good fun, yes, but should these happen to you, you should definitely know how to handle such situations.

Finally, how do you spin “one last tune” for a mad-for-it crowd when the club’s about to close, the bar staff are getting cranky, and the large doorman’s looking like he’s about to kill you? Hold your gear close and don’t worry – we’ve got tips on that, too!

Re-rewind…

Click here to see all the articles from Digital DJ Tips five years ago this month.

What was 2010 like for you as a DJ? Any of the kit here get you nostalgic? Have any memories to share of what DJing was like in 2010? Let us know your thoughts in the comments…