Tag Archives: DJ

Surviving a Marathon DJ Gig

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Ever struggled to keep a DJ set tight for six hours? It’s a DJ gig hell-ride, to be sure…but there are a few things you can do to survive a very long set, whether you’re spinning in a club, doing on-air DJ work or playing a party or wedding. I’ve done extended sets in just about every one of these situations–on the air, parties, you name it.

Naturally the setting you’re doing your DJ work in dictates a lot about how you manage a very long night, but there are a few specifics I’ve found apply no matter what. This ain’t a guide to how to make your DJ segues flow or how to keep the club jumping, this is more about keeping your body feeling as close to top form as you can get in hour number four, five and beyond.

Blood Sugar is a huge factor. When you load up with a lot of carbs, sugar or alcohol, the crash is coming, believe it. Your DJ set will be much better if you’ve packed a protein bar or two and keep some kind of carb control snack on hand that’s formulated to level out your blood sugar. You WILL feela difference. The second your energy starts flagging, don’t go for the Red Bull, try eating a small carb control snack or a few bites of a protein bar. Don’t eat the whole thing, try 1/4 of a bar at first and see how you feel.

Foot Fatigue isn’t always a factor in a club or a radio station, but if you’re DJing a wedding, chances are you’re standing on concrete or flimsy tile in those rec halls and reception centers. When I’m on the decks for an extended period, I make sure to pack a small area rug in my DJ equipment box. You can laugh if you want, but it delays the onset of foot fatigue and makes your entire gig much more comfortable.

Hearing Protection seems like a no-brainer to me, but I am shocked by the number of DJs who don’t wear hearing protection during their gigs. If you play longer than two hours you need this more than ever–prolonged exposure to high SPLs is a major occupational hazard for DJs and no club DJ or party spinner should ever play long sets without safeguarding the ears. It saves you in so many ways, but for me personally, a DJ set with hearing protection is much less stressful overall–I find extended high volumes physically draining without the earplugs.

Christian Marclay and Unwanted Sound

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by Joe Wallace

My first exposure to Christian Marclay was though my bandmates in Crevice. In 1999, some of the Crevice crew hooked up with Marclay to do an art show in San Antonio, Texas at the Art Pace gallery. The show, according to Uncle Buzz Records (the label home of Crevice, Pink Filth, Paisley Babylon, and others) to be an “audio/visual event using hundreds of Christmas records (Marclay) collected while in town.

Interesting enough to combine DJing with art galleries; moreso that the idea was to create new music from a collection of thousands of Christmas records. Ever since then I’ve been intrigued by Christian Marclay and his body of work. I don’t think DJ culture has been the same since Marclay, in the same way that tape manipulation art hasn’t been the same since John Oswald.


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Marclay has been described as a “Dadaist DJ.” He may be a DJ but is far from a club kid knob twiddler.
For starters, he studied sculpture at the Massachusetts College of Art in Boston Marclay has been involved in a number of collaborations with high-profile names in music. The term DJ or turntablist is really inadequate for Marclay–he’s gone far beyond club DJing and studio recording. His concepts involve the physical manipulation of the recorded music on vinyl as well as the aural manipulation of it.

Christian Marclay has worked with John Zorn, Sonic Youth, Otomo Yoshihide and Fred Frith. His work has been shown at the Whitney Museum of American Art New York among other important galleries around the world. It’s obvious that he’s a name in the business of sound, in the same manner as Eno, John Cage, Harold Budd and other experimenters/pioneers.

Check this clip about Christian Marclay and his desire for “unwanted sound”. It’s a fascinating little glimpse into the world he inhabits. “When we play a record we don’t want to hear the surface noise,” said Marclay,”But those are the sounds I’m interested in. I’m interested in the sounds I can get out of this vinyl record.”


Zombie Disco June 20 Chicago’s Viaduct Theatre

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Here are the gory details I promised earlier about the Chicago Horror Society birthday bash, Zombie Disco. I’ll be DJing this on Saturday June 20th at the Viaduct Theatre. Admission is a mere ten bucks for all the undead fun you could ever want, plus Italian horror movie soundtrack sounds mega-mixed with disco and other craziness. Expect to hear Goblin mashed up with Daft Punk, Lipps Inc, the Cramps, Morricone mashed up with Aphex Twin, James Brown and Paisley Babylon.

Check the flyer for all the deets and don’t forget to wear your zombie makeup!

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Zombie Disco!

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FINALLY, the long-awaited update on the Turntabling front…it has been far too long I know, but the madness round here has been both profitable and amusing. On that note, I’ll be DJing the Chicago Horror Society’s one-year anniversary party and Zombie Disco on June 20th at Chicago’s famous Viaduct Theater. Stay tuned for more details.

Yes, it’s been a little while since the last update–things have gone crazy in the Turntabling camp! Rest assured, the updates begin in earnest now that the smoke has cleared. Here are some of the developments I’ve been working on since the last update here–lots of DJ gigs lining up, some photo shoots forthcoming, and plenty of freelance blogging and editing. It’s been a busy few weeks. Fortunately there’s been plenty of interest in Turntabling.net, and we are pleased to report the Russ Meyer bio is almost sold out. THANK YOU to everyone who purchased copies. Your support of Turntabling is greatly appreciated.

I’ll be adding some exciting new things for sale soon. Stay tuned.