…gives us his top tips to make it into the music industry…
Round Up The Troops
“At the end of the day, dance music and club-land is a business so you have to bring something to the table (as they say). If you have an army of mates that are passionate about dance music like you are, then approach your favorite club or promoter and ask for a set on the promise that you’ll bring 20-30 people. Even if it’s early in the night in room 2, it’s important to get experience behind the decks in a live environment.”
Put On Your Own Club Night
“If you are insanely popular, then this should be easy! Chances are though, you’re probably not as in demand as you think…however, with the Internet, people are more accessible than ever through multiple social media platforms. Be warned that this will take a huge amount of graft and you need to offer something that isn’t already out there. My main tip would be to stay consistent and create a product that you truly believe in. Also, work with at least one person who you can trust to make it a success (strength in numbers), start small and grow. Oh, and don’t forget to put yourself on the line-up!”
Produce Music!
“Get yourself a good set of monitors and a digital audio workstation that you’re comfortable with. Learn and create your own sound to really increase your chances of catching the ear of potential fans. Anyone with a genuine interest in making music can do this with the amount of tutorial videos on YouTube and specialized music making blog sites.”
Shop Window…
“With SO many producers and DJs out there, how do you set yourself apart from the rest? A good place to start would be to start creating a bit of a package to make you look more professional. Get an interesting logo made, think of a good ‘artist’ name, set up a website, be incredibly active on social media, upload regular mixes, make special edits/bootlegs to give away for free. It’s really important that when you get your opportunity, you’re ready to hit the ground running as opposed to a cold start.”
Get Out And About
“It’s all well and good creating beats and mixing in your bedroom but it’s also important to get out and experience the nightlife as a raver yourself. Even if your sole ambition is to be in charge behind the deck or on stage, you need to know why you are up there in the first place and also how it feels to be on the ‘other side’! I spent years traveling up and down the UK with my best mate Danny (he also had a great name) going to watch our favorite DJs at some incredible clubs and I really learnt what was important for the DJ to deliver. It’s the first step to learning how to ‘read a crowd’…the most essential skill of a DJ!!”
***
Looking ahead to 2015, Danny’s goal to give the very best talent in UK dance music producers and DJs a platform is moving to the next level with a full 13 date Nothing Else Matters UK Tour that takes in every corner of the UK. Kicking off at the end of January and running right through to March, the tour will be taking the bassweight to sound systems in all the major cities, from Bristol, Birmingham and Leeds, to London, Liverpool and Glasgow, and everywhere in-between. There’ll be no gimmicks or festival-style production – this tour will be taking things back to basics with proceedings focused solely on the DJs, the producers and the kind of line-ups that showcase the freshest talents on the scene including Philip George, Bakermat, Disciples, Duke Dumont, Eli & Fur, Illyus & Barrientos, Mr H’s and several surprises still yet to come.
This is more than a tour – this is a statement: Nothing Else Matters…But The Music
For more information:
http://www.nothingelsematters.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/nothingelsemattersNEM
www.facebook.com/dannyhowarddj
www.twitter.com/DJDannyHoward
www.soundcloud.com/djdannyhowardR
