Over To You: How Do I Connect With Other Local DJs?

Digital DJ Tips member Toby asks: “I just moved to a new city and I’d like to meet more local DJs who I can hang out with and talk shop. Do you have any tips on how to contact other DJs in my area to collaborate?”

Digital DJ Tips Says:

Since the demise of record stores, one of the primary ways for like-minded DJs to meet has been ripped out of nearly every town and city. DJing is, counter-intuitively quite a lonely profession – but there are still ways for you to meet fellow “brothers in arms”, both for fun and business purposes.

So in your case Toby, it depends on what kind of collaborating you’re interested in, but here are three ideas to get you started:

When you’re out and about, drop by the DJ box and say hello to who’s working behind the decks – buy them a drink, swap cards… basically make conversation without bothering or distracting them from their work. You can use it as an opener for a much longer conversation after the set with a pint or two. Also, most DJs will happily meet for a coffee to chat about DJing if you contact them afterwards.

Another thing you could do is make a shortlist of up to 10 local DJs you admire and want to connect with. Do a quick Google search on them and find out what their Facebook Page and Instagram accounts are, and follow them on these platforms. Reply to, like, and retweet their tweets on Twitter – these are all ways to get attention of folk online.

It’s not being a “stalker”, it’s just the way things are in today’s social media-driven world. Doing these things increases the chances of you being noticed by these DJs online, which could lead to more engagements both online and off.

Finally, try creating a list of all working local DJs (again utilising your Google sleuthmanship), and then cherry-pick the top three DJs you’d want to collaborate with. Once you’ve got them, hand them your double bookings or gigs that you don’t want to play – it seems counter-intuitive at first (it looks like you’re giving away gigs, after all), but doing this creates goodwill and makes quite a big impression, especially if it’s someone who you haven’t even formally met. Use this as an opportunity to kickoff that relationship on a positive note.

So, over to you: How do you meet and link up with DJs in your area? Any tips you’d like to share with our reader? Do so in the comments below.