Beneath the iceberg

Comparison is usually a recipe for instant discouragement and stress, so we must become aware of it and put it in check immediately.

Whenever you see a DJ having the time of his or her life behind the decks, it’s easy to draw a direct comparison between the two of you – after all, you could do the same thing as he’s doing (beatmatching or scratching), maybe even better.

There are few things you don’t realize behind all the frenzy and fist-pumping that isn’t so obvious. What you’re witnessing is the victory lap. The end result of hard work that the DJ has put-in and spent honing his or her craft, learning how to crowd read and how things work in the music business.

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I’m not saying you haven’t done your fair share of work behind the scenes to step up your DJing and to get your name out, but what you’ve got to realize is that a DJ who’s been able to attain this level of success and play all these big shows and gigs has put in a crazy amount of time, work, and even money to get to the point where they can distill months (even years) of their life’s work into a six to eight hours gig. It’s like the ultimate payday.

This is the appeal of DJing on a grander scale. With software, it’s never been easier, cheaper and faster to get into DJing today, but the work needed to reach international or nationwide levels of fame and performance skills remain the same – you will probably work harder than you ever have in your entire life to get to it.

You can learn to beat-match manually in a few days, but going beyond the bedroom practice routines demands a different kind of dedication to both the craft and business of DJing, the bulk of which is terribly unspectacular.

Succeeding as a DJ is hard work. Don’t believe what anyone tells you, especially all the stuff that goes behind it. It’s just not the shortcut to fame and fortune that many make it out to be. Hustle is what’s hidden, and this is the most important component that keeps a DJ career afloat. If you’re struggling now, you’re just paying your dues, so keep at it.

DJ performances are like an iceberg. What you see is a very large piece of the iceberg, but underwater is an even larger denser portion of that iceberg. When you see another DJ, rocking gigs on social media or behind the decks’ set-up complete with effect units, it’s all too easy to get discouraged with your small hardware/console and call it a day. Don’t! They’ve also been through discouraging and disheartening moments like you, and probably even a whole lot more.

Beating yourself over why you haven’t achieved the same level of success will erode your confidence over time and may even turn you and before you know it you’ve started hating other DJs out of envy. Your journey is your own. Don’t feel pressured to conform to what’s popular just to get a shot at fame – be authentic, and your time will come.

You can appreciate how far others have come instead of comparing yourself to DJs who are killing it right now, maybe even take a thing or two from their playbook, but what’s important is you’ve got to train yourself to keep your head down, focus on your own goals, and live your hustle because every DJ, and every DJ career, is different from the next.

No matter how much you compare yourselves to other DJs, it essentially doesn’t hold water because we’ve all got different tastes, proficiencies and end goals. The earlier you understand and take this to heart, the more open and less judging you’ll be of other DJs. Your DJ journey is your own. Recognize the hustle and use it as fuel for your voyage.

My recommended party pace pusher for this week is Wizkid – Joro

Nigerian Tribune