seeric

DJ AIREK OFFICIALLY RETIRED FROM DJing.........but not dead in the musical sense.

It's time.

Today, Saturday, August 11th, 2007 will be the last time I even use the name DJ Airek. I'm dropping all the terms DJ from all my websites and everything so the engines stop indexing DJ AIREK pages. I'll be focusing on production now instead of djing and performing.

In 1995 I attended a professional recording and producing school in San Francisco called California Recording Institute. Throughout the course I learned many things. I learned how to engineer and mix live sound, produce, mixdown, and master music, and record live musicians.

I completed this course with the intention of moving into the recording arts field. Needless to say I got sidetracked by 12+ years of Djing and Nightclub promoting in San Diego and other spots in California, Mexico, and in general anything to do with the online business.

Recently, I'm not feeling the DJ thing anymore. When I was into it, I was partying heavily, a lot younger, and a lot more wild and adventuorus. Lately, I've been going through some personal decision making periods and I've decided to leave the DJ thing behind all together to pursue full time music production. I have been musically involved and entertaining since age six; It's been a great run. Part of my journey now into producing again is to learn how to play the piano, which I partially already do. Since I play by ear, I have to focus all my creative energy into that before I can fully throw myself in the production world. Of course its not necessary to play piano to produce, however I will be composing my own original music and it will definitely make my life easier.

It won't be long till you're dancing to something that your good buddy Airek produced. 12 years of contacts in the So Cal club scene pretty much guarantees you that I've got contact with the guys on the turntables in the hottest spots around Cali, Vegas, Arizona and Miami to name a few spots. I could never leave music altogether, but I'm passing the headphones to the younger guys coming up that have that passion for staying up with whats going on in the DJ world and giving it to people every week.

Allowing myself to let go of the thing that most ties me to partying and excess will free up energy to focus on producing music for things that will actually pay me considerable money and give me the reward of creating again. I feel brand new.


Thanks for supporting DJ AIREK


12 years - 2 decks - 1 mixer - Infinite Memories

What a ride.

baddog

so I can't hire you to do my kid's wedding?

Pornwolf

Good for you. Good luck.

The production and promotion side is much much harder. Your DJ friends stop being your Bros when you need them to play something new and unproven.

I'm sure you will figure it out and do well though.

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mattz

good luck on the new venture, sounds like it will work out well

Jace

didn't you retire a few years back, then again last year hehe

wish you luck man, I always have wanted to learn the piano, just never had the time to make the commitment

Deej

Congrats, and a shame Im missing your last set

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Varius

Well it does sound like the natural progression. Good luck!

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seeric

those were all idle threats. this time i mean it for real. i understand what pornwolf is saying too. i've already experienced that with a few tracks. but, bottom line i guess is if your stuff rocks they'll play it. if not, i can give a shit really. the production angle and why i'm really doing it is for me. i'm finally taking some time to do things for me. it makes me happy, and even if i don't make a nickle i will be happy doing it.

i've thrown around getting in a jazz band once i know piano for a few years.

fuck that makes me sound old.

Jace

see, I am the dxact opposite...I LOVE new music from unknown artists, I scour the dj forums looking for new tracks and I often play out first tme music makers tracks

most dj's won't though, they wanna play the "hits" and shit

seeric

yah, if somethin rocks i want it and i dont want anyone else finding it. haha.

i don't intend to get into dance music and go for being a big producer. i'm more interested in the money.

seeing how i have some great connections with kenneth cole and guess and CK i'm going for fashion show angles. dance music production is almost as bad as djing because you have to be out there in the community at clubs. thats the part i'm really chilling on. tired of the club race. i'll send people records of dance stuff i make, if they like it cool, play it, if not put it in the oven and make a bowl out of it. i'm done with the club game.

MaDalton

i stopped when i got sick of playing the same shit every weekend just because people wanted to hear that and left the dancefloor when i put something new on. good luck in your new ventures

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seeric

that too.

Mutt

aren't you in your late 30's? you're lucky, what year was that pic taken? you look about 16 or 17 - at most 20.

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Kram

Good luck with your new ventures ...

mikeyddddd

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Jace

speaking of djing, I just bought this -



it has a hard drive in it....songs can be loaded in, and that platter is record size, so it is dead on just like a turntable

seeric

i'm 30 in that pic. that was the Y2K party for the big millennium celebration in san diego.

its funny people thought that all the sound system and hotel stuff was gonna shut off at midnight for the Y2K bug. of course most of us knew it was bs.

thanks for the compliment. hehe. i turned 37 on august 5th this year. must be my american indian genes.

seeric

thats another reason i am done. i refuse to evolve and carry around a fucking laptop and CDs. djing is about vinyl to me. period. i refuse to download mp3s and play shitty sounding (quality wise) digital versions of tracks that analog producers intended to be analog. a trained ear can hear the difference in the sound. the frequency response is terrible on some of the crap i hear these laptop djs playing. i don't even like going to clubs anymore. a lot of things built me up to this.

having that thing you got is pretty cool though if you don't like carrying around 3 flight cases of records. i have to admit carrying that vinyl around as small as i am is a chore, but its a labot of love. going to the stores every week, riffling through bins, looking for tracks, buying vinyl, being in the community, its all changing. i'm not hip to it anymore.

i remember taking a track to get pressed on acetate a year back or so and the guy asked me why i just didnt burn it to cd and play it.

i just like the feel of vinyl, and seeing the grooves and reading the track that way.

i'm stubborn. i refuse to conform.

TexasDreams

seeric

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Jace

the biggest issue I have is the decrease in vinyl production, at least 5 out of 10 tracks I got this week CAN NOT be bought on vinyl, period

seeric

yah, i forgot to put that in there too. another frustration. vinyl is so much more expensive to manufacture.



good point.

MaDalton

i started with vinyl, but somehow i always considered CDs more convenient. plus i was not a "real" DJ - i played songs, not mixing tracks.

and another downside of vinyl (besides of being a pain in the ass to carry around): i had a colleague who sometimes was so drunk that he leaned over the deck to find the startpoint with a candle in the hand - and ruined a good bunch of LPs that way

but if i still need to use vinyl it has to be the one and only player: Technics SL1210 MKII

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seeric

back when i was a crazy cigarette smoker i accidentally ruined a couple records lighting cigarettes in clubs with a candle.

its embarassing too.

Casa Nova

Congrats on evolving man, I wish you the best of luck& can't wait to see what comes of your new ventures.

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TexasDreams

My pie is spinning!

seeric

Jace

I was at an ourdoor rave way back in the day in the desert....we had to move the dj booth eventually because every time someone would go to put a record on, by the time it played the whole thing it would be warped...it was THAT hot out

HouseHead

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Pornwolf

A1R3K, you are an old school purist.

I started DJ'ng in 88. I carried crates, real UPS old school crates, when I was coming up as a teen for folks like Lil Louis and other legends.

The reason I stopped DJ'ng in the early 90's was for 2 reasons... 1. I hated carrying the fucking records and equipment everywhere. 2. I Knew there was more money on the label side.

Everything made in the past 10 years has been digital. Even the 2" tape is gone. So honestly, vinyl is no longer the native format. CD's & high quality MP3's is where it's at. If this was the case back in the 90's, where you could carry your whole collection on a hard drive, I never would have stopped being a DJ.

Stop bitching about digital vs. vinyl gramps. Vinyl lost the battle. ;)

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seeric

nice serrato setup.

seeric

yeah, i'm an old dinosaur. vinyl died a aggravating death. thats why i succumbed. well, one of the reasons.

i am making digital music and the keyboard i am buying(korg triton pro x) is digital. i'm not against it. i think what pisses me off is now instead of real djs who actually had to invest more in the music and 12 bucks a record for years, you have some asshole promoter or friend of the club owner that sucks ass as a dj taking that spot cuz he jacks mp3s from the web and bought himself a final scratch. its really bad in san diego. even in l.a. i saw some djs that couldn't mix two songs together if someone else did it for them. as bad as the whole dancefloor stopping and looking at him a couple times like WTF?


LOL.

i ain't all that mad really that vinyl isn't around anymore, but more at the fact that everyone thinks their a DJ now.

oh well, not my repsonsibility anymore.

Pornwolf

Yeah, the meaning of a DJ has changed in the US. It's still means something overseas where all the money for dance is anyway.

Let me add that in Dance music, the money is on the DJ side not in the production. If you have a hot record and you are still a DJ you get the $20k plus a night.

If you are just a producer you only get the international licensing fees which average about $2,500 per major territory. Some remix work comes but the money for dance remixes has dropped dramatically since 2000.

$20k plus a night or scraps per territory. That's a huge difference.


Bottom line: Do production, but don't stop being a DJ unless you plan on doing pop or hip hop production where the money is in the producer's favor.

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Pornwolf

Yeah, you are right about that. Just like everybody thinks they are a producer, or a rapper now too. Technology just made it easier for clowns to make fools of themselves.

But, the thing about dance Dj's is that in the states you can get away with the bullshit. Overseas where people care about good Dj's you can't. In Miami during the Winter Music Conference fake Dj's get no love.

Overseas is the only market that matters. Be a DJ. A good one and get the love. I'm sure if you started booking prime international gigs your love for it would come back.

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seeric

yah, i'm not doing it for money in all truthfulness. its the environment. my body ahs recently told me to chill on partying so with djing so closely linked to that with me, and with me tired of the clubs and stuff, it all led to this finally.

i do agree with you that club/dance music is not lucrative like what the dj/producers make.

i really want to just make stuff for myself. weird genres that dont make sense to anyone. some fashion show stuff. we'll see. ultimately i just want to create.

seeric

thanks for the words. when i toured in brasil with the brasilian djs and over in asia you can see the passion for the music. in the u.s. its about the party, not the music. in other countries that mentality is reversed. the brasilians were so in love with the music and so passionate. it was insane.

europe is on a map of its own. you don't go to europe and fuck around. period. they take the dj thing serious as a heartattack.

Rui

"DJ" should be broke down in allot different terms...

I like the fact most so called DJ's cant even cook something them selfs (using somebody's else samples, not even talking about creating them), let alone know how to play any instrument.......

Nowadays, most DJ's are seen as complete clowns by real musicians and people that really know something...It was never perfect (far from it) but now ahhh ohh boy!

corvette

airek, a few people from around here and myself will be in PB labor day weekend, are you going to be around?

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seeric

agreed 100%.

seeric

could be. haven't any plans yet unless i decide to go to burning man. since i wont have a dj gig might be a good year to go. never been able to go before because i always have dj gigs on labor day weekend.

whats happening in pb?

ultimatebbwdotcom

I've not had a set up for about 3 years now but I was looking at the picture of yours and had to ask the question: what's that box on the back right with "scratch" on it?
I'm kinda hoping its not some box of chips that simulates scratch patterns, I guess only because i spent ages learning how to do it.

seeric

thats the usb interface for serrato.

its what you hook to the turntables. kinda like a analog to digital converter.

seeric

actually, here is a diagram of the setup.

cashbot

Awesome post

seeric

i probably wont be coming to the boards with my new stuff. it's more for me and my own satisfaction. who knows, maybe i'll post some stuff. or i can icq it to ya.