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Mark EG Talks DJ's, Egos and Music. This Man Speaks His Mind (!?!)

Here's an article that appeared in a cult UK magazine (Wax Magazine) in 2001. These words still resonate now. Even more so.

Music listeners, listen. Music lovers, enjoy: DJ's – some good, some bad. Who'd have thought that ten years ago the rich fat kid with a pair of Technics in his bedroom would soon be earning more money than the average doctor? Instead of prescribing tablets to a bunch of sick people, he's now dishing out the beats to a load of Saturday night clubbers for a wad of cash. Yet the poor geezer, who battled for half his childhood to even scrape money together to buy vinyl, was left in the gutter. Yes times have changed over the last ten years and the clubbing industry is now a multi-million pound business – it’s about money not skill. It’s harder than ever to make it. You might not feel sickened as you're hands fly ten miles into the air on the dance floor but believe me, you jolly well should be.

 


If you're part of the crowd - the real ones that keep the music scene alive - then you may not have experienced or even thought about some of the egotistical nonsense that is going on behind your back. After all who's going to question what's happening on the other side of the decks if your favourite beats are hurtling towards you at 100 miles per hour? Well maybe you should - especially as you've just paid a ridiculous door tax to line the pocket of that idiot who's playing someone else’s records.


 
Now let's get one thing straight. There are some particularly notable people I've met over the years that have their heads screwed on and are in this for the right reasons - it starts with a love for playing music to people, blossoms into regular DJ bookings and now they're able to survive on a decent amount of money that enables them to make an enjoyable living out of what they’ve always wanted to do. Any extra cash is ploughed back into the creation and advancement of music, as well as the odd 24 pack of Stella every few days. Superb ;)
 


But quite often, it simply doesn’t happen like that. As I find myself booked more and more on line-ups with the 'premier league' DJs, I'm quickly realising that there is a dark side to the whole clubbing experience. Look, I haven't got a problem with a DJ that blanks you whilst they walk across the dancefloor with their record box. Perhaps they've not slept for 2 days, just come back from Australia, have excruciating piles, had to travel 6 hours in a car to get there or (which is probably the case) the box weighs 40 kg and it damn well hurts. You just don’t know. Similarly if a DJ punches you in the nose because you're tapping on his shoulder every five minutes whilst he's mixing, then it serves you right. At the end of the day, the guy behind the decks is in control of the party - one false move and he's ridiculed by everyone. Believe me, the life of a DJ is certainly not as easy as it seems from the outside. So at least a little bit of respect is in order, don’t you think? Fine, that’s that sorted.


 
The real problem I have is what sometimes happens behind the scenes. At a recent event I played abroad, one of the UK's top DJ's was handsomely rewarded with 2 Business Class return flights, a limousine from the airport, all expenses paid and the pricely sum of 20,000 pounds. All that and when he stepped up to his own special set of decks at the party, he decided he didn't like it and came off half an hour later. I can excuse the Business Class thing under the right circumstances but the rest? It’s no wonder I was leaping on the roof of his limo screaming ‘Arsehole’ whilst he was leaving. Horrible man.
 
And then there's the story I know of a famous radio jock who the other week charged a club I play at 4,000 pounds and then proceeded to tell one of the clubbers that he didn't enjoy DJing anymore and was now only in it for the money. Judge that one for yourself then.

The grim reality is that you have to search hard for people that haven't been infected with the greed virus. I've seen it when I play techno clubs, I see it when I play house clubs and I see it when I play trance. Motives start innocent enough, but once that little thing called money takes a hold - there's no escape.
 
If you're a professional DJ reading this, try to consider something. Are you worth what you charge? Do you sit back on Monday and feel the club owner could afford to give you what you got without ripping off the punters? If the answer is 'yes', I salute you. But if you abused you position to get yourself three free bottles of champagne, a five star hotel with gym (even though you only live 3 hours down the road) and almost 10,000 pounds cash when only four people came into the club, then you’ve got a problem!
 
Acid techno DJ Chris Liberator once told me 'Djing might be a job, but it’s certainly not a career'. And all this coming from one of the worlds top 50 DJs who regularly plays the free party movement until he drops. How much has this statement has rung in my ears over the last five years? Thank Christ there's still some of us out there with our feet planted firmly in the ground.
 
You just have to find us... 
 

*** MARK EG UPDATE 2013 *** 

I still feel the same! Full stop. Join me here if you do to: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mark-EG/20325273458


 
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