How To Kickstart Your DJ Career (Self-Taught DJ PoV) - w/ Mayya
In this episode, featured not-expert is Mayya Perova. Originally from Moscow, Russia, Mayya recently graduated from a Masters of Arts degree from DePaul University but for the purposes of this episode - we’ll be deep-diving into how Mayya kickstarted her DJ career from scratch.
We go over the onset of Mayya’s musical pursuits, how she learnt mixing - which is the fundamental skill every DJ must learn, and how she landed her first gigs. Currently Mayya is one of the hottest DJ-ing prospects in Chicago, and we discuss how she made it to DJ-ing at some of the biggest locations in the city. We also go over music production, steps to becoming a “master” at DJ-ing and some really funny stories of stuff she’s seen at clubs.
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Resources:
Mayya's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mayyaperovaa/
Timestamps:
(00:00) Background + Introduction (02:19) What was it like growing up in Moscow? (04:01) Initial exposure to music growing up (07:04) Beginning of DJ journey (10:12) First gigs and mixing experience (playing for “people” and not just friends) (13:37) Learning from feedback on initial gigs and spotlight effect (15:34) Landing first gigs in Chicago via open decks (18:53) Playing pop crowd-favorites VS “unknown” but rewarding house music (22:40) Should a DJ care about pleasing the crowd? (24:21) “A real DJ never takes requests” - Yay or Nay (27:15) Juicy gossip of stuff that Mayya has seen at clubs (29:41) Freaky starer-s (DJs find this type of people ridiculous) (30:59) What do DJs and their friends talk about during hang-outs (32:50) How to integrate into and leverage the DJ community to break-out (35:20) The three key steps to becoming a competent DJ (38:29) Signing for record labels (40:34) The “final boss” of technical ability in terms of a DJ (43:59) How exactly does a DJ console work (46:38) Why do DJs wear headphones?! - (It’s not JUST for show) (49:44) Advice for DJs starting out right now (54:01) Jokes + Outro + Gratitude
