Chubby Racer

So I was supposed to go out last night.  In order to pump myself up, I made a mix.  I've found that there's a level of pump above which my mixes go to shit.  I just want everything to play at 138bpm...even if the current track is 125.  Oops.  So I thought this mix was shit, and I wasn't going to post it.  Then I listened to it again this morning (currently...while I'm typing this), and it's only meh.  But the tracks are soo good imma post it. I've hit the stage in DJ progression where my ear is trained well enough to notice a slight drift.  I'm not yet johhny-on-the-spot at correcting them yet, though.  So I'm mid mix and I hear what, to me, sounds like the worlds biggest trainwreck, and I'm like "fuck, I just ruined this!"  In reality, it's only minor when you listen to the playback.  So now I just have to keep charging through until I don't have the drifting mixes anymore. Or just be lazy and hit sync... ;)

not sunday?  Yup.  It's race season which means that one weekend a month my sunday is consumed with motorcycles.  So my blag posts will be a little spastic.  Is what it is.  Because this was the first race of the season, I unassed a lot of meony, and spent a lot of time getting ready which means...no DJ'ing.  Grrrrr.  Soon, folks. soon.

week goes by were I haven't posted a mix.  My weeknight time is pretty limited.  Which is why you see my spitting out ~20 minutes mixes.  That's I'll I've got.  This week, each night I stood at the decks, I wasted the whole 20 minutes trying to figure out just how the fuck rekordbox works.  Yea, it's  that much of a pain in the dick. Pioneer advertises it does all these things, and it does, but half of them are fucking OFF by default.  "Map hotcues for each track and save them to a thumbdrive."  Oh, awesome!  Wait...why aren't they loading when I select a track.  You mean to tell me there's an option to autoload hotcues, and it's fucking OFF by default!? Anyway, I think I've figured it out, and now it's back to traktor. Cuz traktor works.  I spent the time figuring out rekordbox so if I DO get a club gig, I'm g2g to rock up with a thumbdrive.  So this week it's back to business as usual: 20 minute mixes. AND...I've got lot...

for something way out of left field. I DJ'ed a wedding. Not in my wheelhouse at all.  Not my first wedding, though.  About 6 years ago in Oklahoma I DJ'ed a wedding as Barney Groove with my friend as Fred Funk. The marriage lasted 3 months.  I was a little apprehensive I was going to bring that stigma into this affair, and I was also apprehensive about flying solo.  Turns out,  I SHOULD have been apprehensive about flying solo, but not for the reasons you might think. GOOD GOD is there a lot of gear to lug to do this properly.  Prior to purchasing some of my speakers, I rad a lot of reviews along the lines of "don't buy it's too heavy."  In my smug arrogance I figured, hey, I'm a meatball. Most DJ's are skin and bones.  I should have listened. Keg-carrying 3 50+ lb speakers, plus kettle bell carrying 3 20+ flight cases will wear your ass out...and that's just to get the gear into and out of the venue, you still gotta set it all up! ...

No new music.  I did actually play a few times over the last two weeks, but haven't really bought any new tracks that weren't specifically for the wedding...and there's no way in hell I'm posting my wedding practice. I hauled most of my "mobile" rig to Oklahoma with me (save the PA) to test the setup.  The table I bought will be adequate if a little flimsy.  There's definitely plenty of room until: I went and bought 2 CDJ2000 nexuses (nexi?) and a djm900 nexus.  And cases.  Why?  Because potato.  Now everything is going to be a tight fit on the table,  In fact, I'm not even sure HOW tight a fit just yet because I don't have the second CDJ or the cases in my hands yet.  I guess if I can't get it all figured out by friday...wedding day...I'll jsut run with the MC6000 and one CDJ (in case someone decides to show up and pull a "play this song off my phone/cd.").  Either way, new mixes should be forthcoming, even a straight house m...

My last week Of freedom before heading back to OK for Xmas.  Didn't get much playing in.  Just kinda...did other things.  Actually went out both friday and saturday night which is unusual, and means that I was worthless saturday and now sunday as I type. So here I sit, no new mixes to tracklist.  Whelp, let's make sure all the old ones are done.  They're not, and some of them I can't remember the tracks!  Chesus.  I've purchased more music in the last 3 months than probably the 5 previous years od DJ'ing combined.  This digital thing makes it easy.  Which, honestly, it has to be.  Cuz there's so much music I know longer know every track by song and artist off the top of my head. Tomorrow at least one new track comes out that I'm excited about so there WILL be mixing this week, and since I know I'm going to be trapped in OK for a whole week I won't forget the damn power cord for my controller so I can spin the following.  ...

Back to our regularly scheduled programming It's sunday, and I'm back in my starbucks writing this blog and tracklisting my mixes.  Ahhh...normality.  At least for a moment.  I'm headed back to the parental district for Xmas so there might be an interruption...OR my dumb ass could remember my goddamn power cord for my controller this time, and I can play a bunch while I'm up there. Anyway, two mixes this week.  They're both kinda meh.  Good tracks, but I'm still trying to get my ear balance back so I trainwreck momentarily once in a while.  I guess you know that I'm a real dj, then?  No beatmatching aids here! I got my new American DJ megabar 50 RGB RC .  This is pretty decent light for the price.  It's insanely light, has power outlets in and out (for daisy chaining other devices) DMX input, sound active mode, AND a little remote control for changing programs if you don't have a DMX controller.  Not bad. The light output isn'...