I haven't blogged for a while as I have been moving house, all very exciting but have just got internet today. The reason I am posting is to point you towards my live set tonight on social networking radio station, StudyVox FM.
I'm featuring on Deep Level Sessions, a show on StudyVox FM hosted by my good friend Duquan - who helped me get into DJing. I'll be talking for a bit and then get into my set, which will mainly consist of some of my favourite old dubs. The show starts at 8pm and runs until 9, and the radio station is very much in it's infancy so it'd be great if it could get as many listeners as possible.
I've been feeling so bad lately about there being a distinct lack of blog posts here on The Disc Jockey Blog.
There is a good reason however. I started my new job in the middle of January, and have been so busy that there has been little time for blogging. In my previous job, I was able to stream music while I worked, which was great for finding new things and having my finger on the pulse.
When I was made redundant in mid-September, I was able to devote a lot more time to The Disc Jockey Blog, it's one of the few things that kept me sane during that time. In fact, the experience of writing and using HTML on this blog was the main reason I was hired for my new job!
I want to make more effort to bring you the latest in dubstep tracks and mixes, and will aim to publish posts every weekend. This is just a quick update to say hey, I'm not dead, and I'm still a massive dubstepper!
It was about time I uploaded something of my own once again, and I am quite happy with how it panned out. I pretty much picked the records at random - which tracks felt right together, and which tracks I wanted to include in the mix. The mix itself went really well. I filmed the mix with my Nokia N8 that allows HD recording, and I recorded the audio with the usual Magix Audio Cleaner application on my laptop.
The problem came when I wanted to edit my video. My Windows Movie Maker has not been working very well lately so I decided to try something new - Cyberlink Power Direct. I thought this would have more capability add more quality to my video - I was wrong.
It was buggy, slow, and just didn't work very well. Processing took forever, and the output format was not recognised by my laptop, which made for a pointless video. I managed to process the video in a lower quality format that my laptop could work with, but as you can see above, the quality was severely comprimised. I must say thought to be fair, I think the age of my laptop may have had something to do with my problems.
So back to the mix, the tracklist is as follows:
Borgore - Birthday of the Black November
Trolley Snatcha - Circle K
Magnetic Man - Mad
Magnetic Man - I Need Air
Subscape - Hardcore Members
Subscape - Let Me Clear My Throat
Doctor P - Sweet Shop
Let me know what you think of the mix, and don't forget to subscribe to me on YouTube if you like any of my videos!
Back in October 2009, I was getting to grips with mixing. I'd uploaded a couple of dubstep mixes to YouTube, but I wasn't completely satisfied with them. I decided that for my next upload, I wanted a mix that was faultless, something I could really be proud of. The product of my efforts was a lot better than I could have expected, and I think I rode my luck a little bit with this mix.
The mix I am talking about is my 10 Minute Progressive Dubstep Mix. I didn't plan this, but all of the tracks used in this mix are from the Tempa record label. This is probably why the mix works, and the tracks compliment each other quite well.
One thing that attracts attention to this video is its title. I didn't set out to make progressive dubstep, I just felt that the mix itself was a progression, the way it starts slowly and gradually builds up to the fast paced, high energy Filth by Skream. It's also worth noting that one of the main reasons I named it this way was because I wanted each of my mixes to have a different name, and this mix was more progressive than any other mix on my channel.
The reason I am blogging this video today, is because it has broken 3,000 views. This is a proud moment for me, as I never expected any of my videos to get so much attention. I have uploaded mixes since and still this one gets all of the attention - it has double the hits of my second highest viewed video.
So here it is, if you haven't already seen it - The Strictlywax 10 Minute Progressive Dubstep Mix.
Tracklist:
Data - Leaves
Skream - Memories of Third Base
Skream - Rims
Benga - Buzzin'
Skream - Filth
Skream - Fick
Unfortunately, I haven't been able to even use my decks recently as the needle needs replacing, and I have more important financial commitments before I can splash out the dollar.
I do miss using my decks, so have been reminiscing over my past mixes, such as the one above. The interesting thing I've found about my 2010 mix is that it has not attracted anywhere near as much attention as my first few goes.
My 10 Minute Progressive Mix is my most successful, attracting over 2,000 hits. I'm not only proud of the hits - but it's also my smoothest, cleanest mix to date. Very happy with that one.
But why has my 2010 Mix not had the hits?
There can be several reasons as to why this one hasn't done so well, hopefully embedding it on this blog will increase the exposure:
It's Not as Good as the Others
This could be the issue, and I would put it down to that had not been for the fact that I'm pretty happy with it. I didn't want to upload something that wasn't clean, as I had set the standard with my Progressive Mix. All the feedback I have received on this 2010 Mix has been positive, and it's clean.
The Tracks Used Aren't Popular
A lot of the traffic directed to my videos comes from people searching for the tracks that are listed in my mix. If people aren't searching for those tracks, they are less likely to see my mix. All the tracks I used however were contemporary, and popular at the time of uploading. I still enjoy listening to them now.
It Didn't get the Exposure
My other videos had been embedded on dubstepforum, in a thread I had started called Post Your 10 Min Minimixes. I hadn't posted the 2010 Mix as by that time the thread had run out of steam, and I'm not one to dig up an old thread! However, the 2010 Mix was featured on Russian blog Viteker.ru and been recommended on Facebook. I think it's had equal exposure to my other mixes, but people feel less need to share this one.
It Wasn't Interesting for People to Share
My Progressive Mix was very conversational. I'd named it "progressive" because of the way the mix evolved from beginning to end. Some of the viewers on YouTube took it to mean that I was using "progressive dubstep" tracks, of which there are no such thing! This sparked debate on the video, and will have caused people to share the mix more. This is not the case for my 2010 Mix - this was a run of the mill mix, not doing anyone any harm, and not causing anyone to talk.
I think my last point is the most likely reason that the 2010 Mix has not done so well. I also think that the exposure is a factor and it's one of the points I'm trying to solve in embedding it on this blog.
The tracklisting is: Example - Kickstarts (Bar9 Remix)
Trolley Snatcha - We Rock the Forest
Subscape - Midnight
Nero - Innocence
Subscape - Let Me Clear my Throat
Doctor P - Sweet Shop
Essentially, I am trying to build a brand here, the brand of Strictlywax.
Without social media, I wouldn't even have that name, no one would have heard of it, I wouldn't have an audience. Social media is about reaching people quickly, and speaking to them on their level. It has allowed the public insights to celebrities lives, and made it easier to engage with them.
How Did I Get into Social Media?
I was straight out of school, having studied business to A-Level. I had excelled in the marketing module, and felt it would be a good idea to start work in that area. Step in 1000heads!
I had used Facebook and YouTube before, as well as being a member on the Birmingham City fan's forum, but 1000heads really introduced me to what social media was about. I began to find the whole concept fascinating, realising the potential of it. It continues to grow now, which is why I see a huge career in the sector. I was introduced to a host of new venues, places where people could share interesting articles, or even write their own. It was at this point that I decided that I wanted to be active across these venues.
I have been DJing since I was 16, and I started to record mixes to put on CD and give to my friends. I even put them on my phone and started using bluetooth spread them around. Thanks to social media those days are gone. Enter YouTube.
YouTube is a real game changer for me, and one of my favourite venues. Not only does it mean you can watch your favourite videos on demand, but it means that you can share your own.
I already had a YouTube account, in order to post comments and make favourites, but I decided to make a new account for my aspiring DJ career here.
My first real mix video. I had seen a lot of "10 Minute" mixes on YouTube, and knew I had something to offer the crowd. This managed to get over 1,000 views, and reached more people than I ever could by giving out CDs.
This was a defining moment for me in social media as it was the first time I was getting feedback from subjective people about my mixes. It has received 10 comments, some of which were very constructive, and helped me to progress.
So what did I do with the feedback? I took it, and improved!
My second go at a recorded mix. This was my masterpiece, there are no mistakes in this set, and it has attracted over 2,000 views. It has generated a good amount of debate too, as I had titled it a "progressive" mix. The viewers of my video were debating what "progressive dubstep" is, and if it exists. The point I was trying to make was that the mix was progressive, not any of the individual tracks.
Naturally, I wanted to give these videos as much exposure as possible. In the hope that some day a big name in the music business would snap me up and offer me a big contract, of course.
So I set up "The Disc Jockey Blog" - I set this up for two reasons;
1. To share my mixes with the blogger community
2. To post reviews on DJ equipment
I also joined the Dubstepforum, to target my videos, and share debates with like minded people. I started the thread Post Your 10 Min Minimixes to share my videos, and to encourage others to make them.
At school, I always enjoyed writing in English lessons, and composing short stories. Blogging allowed me to creatively write my thoughts down, and share them with the world.
My thoughts that got a particularly large amount of attention, were those on Spotify Vs Grooveshark.
I had been using Spotify to stream music, and a friend of mine had recommended Grooveshark, so I checked that out too. I had been using these for a while when I thought, "has anyone compared the two?". At that time, nobody had so I thought, "why don't I do it?".
I found it very easy to write extensively about the two services, and included pictures to demonstrate the points I was making. I wrote the post in July 2009, but it only started generating hits in June of this year. At the time of writing this it has had 3000 hits since then, and the blog itself generates 50-150 hits a day.
I was astounded when I looked at the Blogger stats and saw how much of a hit it had started to become, so I drew my attention to maintaining the blog more often. I took steps to improve the design, and signed up for Google Adsense in order to make money, and for the Blog to have a more professional, sponsored look.
Now, the blog is used for sharing the latest music I find online, and voicing my opinions on it. It still remains the hub for all the online content I generate myself, and I continue to post reviews on products and services where I see fit.
Why do I Want to Work in Social Media?
First of all, I have a huge passion here, both personally and professionally. I have seen the effect it has on brands, advocates, and even detractors. Detractors tweet their disgruntlement all the time, which can be a big problem for brands. However, if the social media strategy is right, that brand can engage, help the detractor, and over time that detractor can change their opinions, and even become an advocate.
Where Have I Seen Examples of This?
Professionally, I have worked in social media for Three Mobile, Nokia, and Microsoft. The best example I can think of was when a key advocate for Three was having signal problems in Westminster. Disgruntled as I'm sure you can imagine, he wrote a blog post, threatening to leave Three Mobile. So while I was monitoring online conversations concerning Three Mobile, this blog post appeared in my search.
This was a crisis situation. The advocate in question had a large following and was a key influencer, a lot of people took what he said very seriously. When I came across this blog post, I not only alerted it to Three, but I also emailed the advocate to let him know we were on the case. Thankfully, Three were able to fix the problem quickly, and the advocate remains a customer today.
Another reason I want to work in social media, is effect I have seen it can have. It's an opportunity for brands to reach people instantly, and the ripple effect is incredible. At 1000heads, we had an event for the launch of MiFi2, and the response was fantastic.
You can see from the reactions towards the end of the video that the advocates we had engaged were so impressed that Three had listened and made the appropriate improvements.
It was my job to track all the response to MiFi2, and it was a pleasure as it was all positive conversation! The real key thing to take from this was that Three had listened to consumer feedback from blogs, and social updates. At 1000heads we had given them the chance to do that, in this was a fantastic example of how social media can bring brands and consumers together.
I really don't think the MiFi2 launch would have got anywhere near as much coverage had it not been for social media. The most important thing here was that the coverage was targeted, and the news was reaching people that it would directly affect. This was not a television advert, where people leave the room and make a cup of tea, this was an advert specifically aimed at you and was something you would genuinely be interested in.
This is able to happen through the method of profiling. With people constantly making updates about their lives, talking about things that influence them, it makes it very easy for brands to build a consumer profile.
You could profile me at Strictlywax for example. I am active on the following venues: Twitter - Tweets about electronic music, Birmingham City, and the gym. The Disc Jockey Blog - Blogs electronic music, product/service reviews (music related) YouTube - Uploads mixes and tracks Soundcloud - Uploads mixes and tracks for download
Now that's only four of the venues I'm on, but you can already see a consumer profile building. If a brand spotted me talking about them, they may want to know what my interests are, so that they can help me, and build a relationship with me. A brand can't make those sorts of assumptions about me purely from what I've bought from them.
Now the absolute main reason I want to work in social media is that I want to learn more about it!
There's so much I want to learn, inevitably new venues will come into play. Foursquare is becoming more and more popular, and would have sounded ridiculous a couple of years ago. I've learnt so much over the two years I have spent in social media, it's been such a fast process that I know there will be a lot more to learn in years to come, I don't want to miss out on that.
I have shown in the past two years that I can adapt in this profession. When I originally started, the role involved a lot of data entry, but it evolved from that. I became a lot more involved with the creative side of the team, and had a lot more interaction with clients. At 21, I can offer a wealth of experience in social media, particularly for someone of my age. I have such a strong passion for this area of marketing that I will strive to succeed in it. I am an outgoing person that likes to get involved with everything.
I enjoy variety in my life, and variety in my work, but I have also proved in my time at 1000heads that I can stick to one task and do it well for a long time.
What Makes me Special?
I think the initiative I have shown, to create and maintain my own blog says something about me. Working at 1000heads, I was not encouraged to write my own blog, I just felt it would aid my work. I also had personal motives for starting my blog, and have developed the passion I now have for it.
My whole move into social media has been so organic and a natural move for me, that I can't see myself wanting to leave it. The fact that I have been able to link my passions outside of work to social media has made it a lot easier to fall in love with.
It's worth noting that when you Google the words "Spotify" and "Grooveshark together, my Blog is the top result, this is also the case for a Bing search.
My job at 1000heads was to identify trends, deliver insights and give recommendations where possible. Whereas with my blogging and social activity, I have shown that I can equally generate buzz around topics and stimulate conversation myself. This shows that I actually have quite broad experience within social media and would be a versatile, and valuable member to any social media team.
My mixes have reached Russia, where I have developed a fan base here. I have managed to spread the brand of Strictlywax fairly globally, and I'm not even selling anything. If I can do that then surely there's potential for me to help brands that are.
What Makes me, me?
The only time I am away from social media, is sport, and face to face social gatherings. I keep in touch with the social space on the move through my Nokia N86, and the Gravity app. I find this great when I'm watching a television show, I can run a quick search as to what people are saying about it. This is particularly interesting to follow while watching "The Apprentice" or even "The X Factor".
The only times I am away from social media is when I'm away from my phone. I don't take my phone to the gym, I go to the gym to work out and exercise, not to check my online presences. When I am with people, I have them to talk to, so there is less need for social media.
In sport, I am an athlete and have competed at county level for Oxfordshire in cross-country. I was lucky enough to run in the national championships, which was televised on Sky Sports 3!
In football I am a mad Birmingham City fan, and you will see that from my tweets @_Tmo_, constantly complaining (and sometimes praising) how they are playing.
As I have mentioned extensively above, I am a keen DJ and play local house parties with friends, it's great because it requires a great deal of concentration, and can take my mind off anything that may be bugging me at the time. I love to get in the zone and just mix for hours, only concentrating on the beat matching and the blends of different sounds.
If you are still reading this, then I must have done something right. Don't hesitate to leave a comment as I always appreciate the feedback. I am living in Oxford, and am currently looking there as well as in London.
You know how it is, when your friends aren't DJ's, but they like their music.. you want to make something to impress them.
One particular mate is really into his liquid drum and bass, but also likes Burial, so I thought I'd combine the two.
I chose Monotonik by Makoto, purely because it's your standard drum and bass beat pattern, and has little that would get in the way of Archangel, the Burial track I chose.
I had to speed it up a hell of a lot, and it doesn't quite work in places, but to the ear of a non-DJ, apparently, it sounds really good. (Which baffles me because it's absolutely cringeworthy in parts for me)
Anyway, due to the popularity I decided to upload it to Youtube, as I'm really keen to boost the amount of videos I have up there. So here it is...
As always, any feedback, positive or negative, would be greatly appreciated. :)
