Mike Check

I occasionally keep notes. I also find myself consistently reading forums & watching Youtube tutorials which I lump into the same category of reference materials. No shame in any of them.

Don’t mess w/ paying for a promotion service! If you research how any band or producer is getting discovered or popular these days you never hear that it was because they used one of these promotional services.

Same as D-Jam said, upload your music anywhere and everywhere. Also let people download it for free… you should be more interested in exposure than profit in the beginning.

Read any superstar DJ bio & you’ll see that nowadays producing is how you get your big break. Being a DJ playing other people’s music is similar to being in cover band …you can only go so far and gain a certain level of popularity typically at a local level.

I think you might start to see more & more producers that learn to DJ after the fact as a necessity because they gain enough popularity from productions that a demand for live performance is created.

I see a lot of EDM music where it’s great technical production but musically it’s amateur. I usually chalk this up to the producer not understanding theory, song composition, etc.

Not understanding theory will be a career limiting move as a producer. If you have a great ear for music, which isn’t as common as you may think, you might be able to stumble your way through creating a song but it’ll require a ton of trial & error. Also you might find yourself in the trap of writing songs that sound the same because you are basing your musical knowledge on experience and not the ability to envision something that sounds great. The other thing with EDM is that at a certain point most producers want to work with vocalists. Vocalists are musicians and theory is the language of music & needed so that you can effectively communicate.

If you’re just getting into production I’d dedicate equal time to technical proficiency & musical theory. Probably the best way to pick up theory is w/ an instrument & keys is a good choice (plus you have a MIDI keyboard already).

IMO the list is really a Top Producer List …..and in that case in 2012 I could see Fatboy Slim being #135.

If you’re looking to keep the gig it’s probably best to cater to the owner 1st. At the same time I think there’s definitely a way to suggest to the owner that you get a sense the crowd is looking for _____ type music. He’ll either be receptive or shoot it down and you’ll know your boundaries w/ song selection.

Good luck.

5. Network of Vocalists. Most EDM producers know it’s nice to have vocals on some of your tracks. A good consideration is whether the label can help with that. Maybe they have singers on their roster or they have a good network that can help get you guest vocals. This all relates back to your bullet 2 & 4 with regard to networks, promoting, etc.

As many have said it’s about playing the right song & getting people to dance. I’d be hesitant to call them fake DJ’s because they don’t mix similar to how I wouldn’t call someone a fake guitarist because they aren’t highly technical or play guitar solos. I definitely respect learning to mix well but at the same time I think it’s a skill DJ’s put too much value on.