The enemy within: Ego

DJs are the centre of attention at a party, whether we like it or not. We are entertainers and as such, there’s a healthy amount of ego to maintain, after all, confidence is an important part of performing at your best. However, it’s all too easy for things to go to your head, especially if you’ve experienced some form of success and, perhaps, even power. It can be addictive to have that amount of influence over a small number of people, and as the audiences grow and the achievements roll in, managing that chip on your shoulder can start to become more challenging.

Here are five signs to watch out for as your success grows as a DJ. If you find yourself starting to behave in this way, check yourself while you still can and remember the saying – be nice to people on your way up because you will encounter them on your way down.

1. Being self-centred

You are busy and you have got a schedule to keep? It’s not a good look on you when you start screaming because you don’t get to go on at exactly midnight, or that your set extends a half-hour because the other DJ just arrived following an emergency, and needs a few minutes to get ready. Gig schedules and line-ups, like other plans, often have to change at the last minute. It’s a fact of life, no matter how organised event planners try to be, adjust your expectations and be realistic.

2. Desire to show-off

When another DJ plays a track that you have been identified with, don’t feel robbed. After all, the truth is other DJs almost certainly have played those songs at some point in time (albeit not at the same venue), and you have no ownership over them. You’re only associated with them because you’ve played them before, not because you made them, even though you may have been the first to break them to your audiences.

3. Requesting preferential treatments

If you lash out because you don’t get the VIP treatment and get irritable because others DJs don’t roll out the figurative red carpet when you get to a club or an event venue, then you have built some expectations about how people should treat you just because you think you are a star. You could very well be the best, but you don’t have to be cocky about it. This is unhealthy because you expect to be treated differently, instead of fairly. Telling other DJs to tone down their sets because you are the star of the show and you are the only one who gets to play the big tunes? That’s another expectation you have about yourself.

4. Unnecessarily jealous

When I was a lot younger, I’d get pissed when another DJ would make a crowd go nuts instead of me. It would ruin my mood for the rest of the evening, and if I was about to go on it would make me feel like crap while I mixed. Not a good thing. More importantly, DJs in the line-up aren’t competitors for some imaginary trophy.

5. Playing the blame game

If you catch yourself sounding defeated, that’s a sure sign that you’re becoming an aging sceptic. Constantly reminding people of how DJing was better back in your day makes you look pompous and self-absorbed. If anything, you should feel inspired to pull yourself out and run alongside those who are enjoying success at the moment. Another thing to do is to simply enjoy the fact that we are in an industry that’s constantly changing and evolving because we have deep ties with technology.

My recommended party pace pusher for this week is Mayorkun – Geng.