Part of me isn’t sure if putting my thoughts out there is the greatest idea, but we’re all under a measure of pressure to be content creators. Normally we do it unwittingly – reflecting, giving opinions, performing. I’ve decided I don’t want to be a content creator or consumer of Meta. There’s something I really don’t like about Zuckerberg steering that ship; I get a neo-cultish vibe whenever I see an interview with one of his well-trained publicists.

Primarily, it’s about the mixes I make. But that being said, I’ve come to realise it’s difficult to really convey what it is I do, and there’s a distinct possibility I’m a ‘jack of all trades’ when it comes to genres and environments. That can feel uneasy sometimes – I might try to appeal to a certain environment that doesn’t respond well to the tunes I’d play at a wine bar or a 50th. But hey, I love it all, I really do.

Do I go deep though? Maybe… maybe when a place says, ‘yep, we want you every week’ or ‘every couple of weeks.’ When the money comes in for those gigs, I can justify digging deeper, making those purchases, and sending people down a rabbit hole for a night or even over the course of a year. Crafting a set, crafting a night, curating the guest lineup – that’s where I want to head this year. Find a little corner from which to set up Base Camp – hey, that’s a cool name. I’ll use that.

I’ve often found the chasing of gigs difficult. Some people say you need to hang out and be a familiar face, link up with people and make friends. I think I was spoilt in my early days. I wasn’t ignored – I rocked up to E:fiftyfive (now Fiftyfive), bald head and bright eyes, asked for a gig, got a try out, and then got more gigs. I ended up with a three-year residency. The contacts and friends I made were my guests. I also handed a demo to the Midget Fidgets, who had a night at Pony (now Bony) called DeepChord. They had a listen and said ‘yep, let’s get this guy on.’ Angela Maison came down to e55 to use the internet, heard me play, and got me some gigs at Onesixone and Honky Tonks. I really like the idea of merit-based hiring. That’s why I got so many wedding gigs by word of mouth in the regions. I barely ever – and I mean ever – play a track I don’t like, even at weddings. I’ve stuck to my guns with that.

I attached an image of a vocational bullseye made by the federal government – it had ‘Disc Jockey’ on all levels of competency yet didn’t require formal training. There are so many ‘jobs’ in music like this. Lived experience sums up DJing. Sure, you need to get out there and see what’s happening, get inspired. But do all good writers have to read books? I’m told yes, so maybe it’s not a great idea to lock oneself in a bedroom making demos. I’ve been loving getting out and about, riding my KTM and rocking up to venues in high-vis and a helmet. I’m on my L’s, so I don’t drink either (BAC needs to be zero). It’s good.

I went to Killing Time after a tryout at Three Monkeys, and it looks promising. I met some very kind and supportive people there – wow, not the typical reception when you rock up looking for a gig or contacts. I hope to see more of that. One thing that stood out: both of the lovely people I met referred to DJs as Artists. So nice to hear sometimes. It shifted my vision a little about how I might craft something that says something – that I agree with the notion of it being the work of an artist, sound sculptor, curator, and percussionist.