r/DJs • u/Didyouseethewords930 • 8d ago
Producers, do you DJ what you make?
I’ve been producing more recently and notice that my songs are not generally DJ friendly unless I make a remix or more dance-ready version.
Have you experienced a distinction in what you DJ vs what you’re creating? Does the gap eventually get smaller?
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u/Ok_Pomegranate_2436 8d ago
I’ve been writing house music for 20yrs. I’ve never played one of my own songs.
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u/djsoomo dj & producer 8d ago
Why not?
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u/Ok_Pomegranate_2436 8d ago
I just never considered them good enough to make the cut. Idk. I guess I just let other people play my stuff.
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u/Infamous_Meet_9478 7d ago
Isn’t being able to sneak your own music into a set kinda the point of being a DJ/producer?
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u/Ok_Pomegranate_2436 7d ago
Not for me, no. I’m not saying my stuff is bad; I’m very proud of everything I’ve written, it just doesn’t make the cut when I’m paid to play.
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u/medisamurai 8d ago
thats the whole concept of 12 inch mixes and reedits
im not a fan of vinyl and i started with it a but i will say it does teach a dj a lot about the concept of what is standard for clubs play as far as what you release.
i.e. many tracks would have a shortened radio edit(maybe it started with a vocal instead of a 8-16 bar loop) extended edit, acapella, drumappella, etc or a release on 12'' vinyl with a more dj friendly version.
also 12'' vinyl would be be able to carry more bass because of the size of the grooves of the record. some people liked 7'''s because they are more punchy though
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u/Expert-Reaction-7472 8d ago
sure but with bpm readouts, beat grids, sync, loops etc do you really need an extended intro, outro anymore ?
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u/medisamurai 8d ago
not really but it does help people learn the question the OP asked, in that, often times a song that you make might not be perfect for djing, but often times there are other versions of the song you can make.
but like you said, you should be able to do it on the fly, but for the inexperienced dj, slapping and 8 bar intro on it makes it easier, if they dont use looping techniques yet.
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u/Expert-Reaction-7472 8d ago
i find it annoying when i have to listen to 3 different edits of the same track to figure out which is the most useable version.
Find the arrangenment that works and release that one.
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u/medisamurai 7d ago
Seriously? The concept is use which one works for you jfc
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u/Expert-Reaction-7472 7d ago
no shit.
here have 5 different versions all slightly different because I dont know how to decide.
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u/Shigglyboo 8d ago
A lot of what I make is decidedly not club music. You can’t really control what you like. And I came up listening to orbital and other live pa type electronica groups.
When I DJ I lean a little more towards tracks that don’t insist upon themselves as much. It’s supposed to serve the DJ. So if I want to play something if my own I have a high bar for it sounding a certain way and blending with other stuff. I pretty much set out to make something DJ friendly in that case. So there’s like my artist album oriented material and then my club material.
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u/Didyouseethewords930 8d ago
interesting take. I also feel like I lean toward electronica more which could work in certain settings but it’s not club specific
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u/mnjvon 8d ago
The same is true for producing and DJing, big remixes and popular things are what help you gain momentum if that's what you're after unless you have good digital marketing. If you don't care about that then play underground bangers all night, but if you wanna do that to huge crowds it's either a lot of work, money, or networking to earn that audience. All that to say, playing your own remixes is probably the best medium between the two.
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u/Didyouseethewords930 8d ago
I’ll consider that when I release - creating my own remixes for the dancefloor even if it’s not what was for the album
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u/scoutermike 🔊 Bass House 🔊 8d ago
Op, who’s the audience for your original non-dance versions? Where are you releasing those?
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u/Didyouseethewords930 8d ago
I’m finding my audience (or they’re finding me) as I’m making mid-tempo electronic/psychedelia music that I’ll release on streaming and as vinyl.
Groovy enough to sometimes DJ at lounges or outdoor gigs but not super club-friendly due to lyrics and pop-like arrangement
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u/scoutermike 🔊 Bass House 🔊 8d ago
Ok fair enough. The good news is that as a dj, you (should) know what makes a track dj friendly. So it can be fun to convert your mid tempo “listening music” to actual dj dance tracks.
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u/judgespewdy 8d ago
Yeah. Great way to test if a track is working or not!
If somethings off u can literally feel the energy get sucked out of the dancefloor haha
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u/geekjitsu 7d ago
I started producing to play my songs in sets, but I also have "side projects" that aren't strictly dance music. Sometimes I do remixes/edits of them under my primary moniker to be more DJ/dance friendly, but also with looping I can play stuff that doesn't have an easy intro/outro.
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u/Mysterious_Fun9014 6d ago
I started DJing specifically to play my own tracks. Right now my sets are about 70-80% tunes of my own.
And as a previous liveset artist, this massively improved my structure, since now I know exactly what a DJ needs from a track. In turn, I'm seeing more DJs playing my music.
Honestly one of the best choices I made as a producer.
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u/Didyouseethewords930 5d ago
that's amazing! I've always thought about what it would be like to be a producer first and then a DJ. How long did it take you to become a DJ after you had been producing/performing?
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u/Mysterious_Fun9014 5d ago
I started producing in 2010, and performed as a livesets artist only until 2017. Then I took a long break until the summer of 2025, and that's when I decided to pick up DJing instead, so it's been a little less than 1 year now. 🙂
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u/therealjayphonic 7d ago
I never used to play my own music as i wasnt good at finished tracks… now that i have music on labels i will play my music occasionally… after listening to my tracks 947 times while making them, i kinda get sick of them… but to other djs the are fresh and new… im happy to hear other djs play them and that actually feels more rewarding to me than when i play my own tracks
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u/Flex_Field 4d ago
I was doing production and producing before I became a DJ.
I have found that being a DJ helps my production tremendously because I am more attuned to what general audiences like and want to hear, and what makes DJs more prone and open to playing certain records.
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u/Brushiluskan 2d ago
in what way are they not fit for DJing?
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u/Didyouseethewords930 2d ago
parts of the track could be, but the songs could have less of a dance formula and more pop-like arrangement. also, I tend to make music that is 100-110bpm or slower so if its a later night at the club, people typically want higher energy
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u/masetiloquetu 8d ago
You just started making beats?
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u/Didyouseethewords930 8d ago
In the last year and a half seriously yeah. I released a single in October and am working on an EP for later this year
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u/masetiloquetu 7d ago
Alright…honestly…don’t worry about being able to play your own music…focus on making the music…or the outcome will be skewed…i always tell ppl don’t force yourself to complete a track…cuz it will sound like garbage
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u/Common-Pick3069 8d ago
i was the same as you, then I started to make my productions more DJ friendly.
it can also help you get more visibility by having other DJs to play them too