DJ Double success

‘If your willing to work hard you can be a successful DJ and make a career from it.’

Club DJ, Daniel Dunmore (DJ Double) has been successful in the competitive music industry after sticking with his life long passion of playing music.

24 year old Daniel from Nottingham started ‘Djing’ as a hobbie at the age of 14 when he recieved decks as a birthday gift.  Beginning his career as an unpaid DJ working at under 18 nights, daniel worked his way up and now loves his job.

‘It all started as a bit of fun, me and my friends used to go to the local youth centre to keep out of trouble. I’d be the DJ and the others would rap or sing.’

At the age of 15 DJ Double got his first paid job at at a club called ‘Vibe’.

‘To get anywhere in this business, and be able to work solely as a DJ for a living you have to start at the bottom, work in places you don’t want to for money you don’t want.’

Daniel spent 3 years at college studying sound engineering and music production, developing his technological skills and knowledge.

‘I would like to do some studio work professionally in the future, I do a lot of music production as a hobbie but I suppose it would be nice to get paid to do something else I love.’

Being a DJ is often viewed by people as something you would do part time or as a job on the side, but as Daniel proves if you work at it and be patient it can be a sturdy career.

‘You can’t expect to just walk into the industry and get paid good money and given the best slots. I worked in plenty of low key, rubbish places before now.’

His main DJ residencies are ‘Club Republic’ in Leicester the ‘Pent House’ in Nottingham ‘NoNo8’ in Derby and ‘Rain’ nighclub in loughborough. Daniel works both weekends and student nights during the week and has built up his cliental successfully.

‘One of the big nights I’ve been hired for recently is ‘Jucee Fruit’ a night at NoNo8 in Derby. I’ve done lots of different gigs there for couple years now, but this night has become very popular and I’m the regular DJ for it.’ 

The promotion video for the Jucee Fruit events

When asking Daniel if he’d recommend his job to anyone else he laughed, ‘If you like attention of the ladies, then yeah! They seem to like hanging near the DJ box for a bit of attention.’

If your wondering how well a job like this pays, Daniel assures us that once you’ ve built your way up and get yourself a reputation there is opportunity to earn good money.

‘You’ve got to be willing to travel around and work ridiculous hours, there is a massive difference between someone who just simply likes the idea of being a DJ and does it as a hobbie and somone who does it for a career, like me.’

Do you want to play in your favourite clubs and bars not just go to them? Get on guest lists across your town and many others as a respectable DJ? Play all your favourite tunes to people who have come out to hear you? Then ‘Djing’ maybe a career path for you. Modern technology has enabled jobs like this to become more accessible, more clubs and bars want live DJ’s not just sound systems.

‘I take my job seriously and I’ve earned respect and built up a good reputation with clubs from across the country. I love my job but if anyone is serious about getting into this business, it is’nt all girls, clubs and music, it’s hard work.’

Links to Daniel Dunmore’s (DJ Double) Club residencies websites:

NoNo8 Derby http://www.nono8bar.com/

Club Republic Leicester http://www.club-republic.com/

Rain Night Club Loughborough http://www.rainlufbra.co.uk/

Pent House Nottingham http://www.penthousenottingham.com/gallery.php

DJ Double at NoNo8 Derby

TV dance shows enhance attractiveness in dance

Dance is now becoming a popular activity for people to participate in; Britain’s Got Talent, Got To Dance, Dancing On Ice and Strictly Come Dancing have boosted people’s perception of dance and has encouraged thousands to strut their stuff.

 
The huge rise in people taking to the stage and having a go at dance has resulted in more and more schools offering students dance as a subject involving in a range of genres from hip hop to ballet to jazz. Social dance is also being participated in by women all across the country doing the latest craze called Zumba, which is a Latin inspired, calorie burner as a form of exercise.

 

 

11 year old Callum Nicholls from Chesterfield, also known as bboy monster has entered the dancing scene by being a member of Sky’s 1 Got To Dance series 2, Trinity Warriors. Callum said he got into dancing by: “local activity day in Barrowhill where a street dance crew (Neo Angelos) came to put some classes on and noticed me straight away.”

 
Trinity Warriors is a break dancing/bboying crew from Derby, it has opened many doors for Callum. He said that he has been recently touring with the Diversity Digitalized Tour but juggling school work when touring can be a struggle, he said: “I make sure I do all my school work before I dance and also take lots of breaks.”

 

Callum said that even people who think they can’t dance should give it a go, he said: “Just be yourself and look for ways to stand out and bring new stuff to the table.”

 

 

Dancing is not everybody’s cup of tea; you might be shy or embarrassed to hit the dance floor even on a night out. Here is a video of people from Sheffield’s views on dancing and their signature dance move.

 

 

According to the Royal Academy of Dance, 1 in 5 British adults are now hitting the dance floor, and 21% of people have become more interested in dance as a result of TV dance shows. Why not give it a go by joining your local dancing crew and enjoy having fun, meeting new people and keeping fit.

 

Relevant Links

Callum Nicholl’s Twitter: @bboytwmonster

 
Trinity Warriors Twitter: @TrinityWarriors

Diversity Twitter: @Diversity_Tweet

Neo Angelos

Directory of dance schools in the UK: UK Dance School Directory

Musicians with a passion for fashion.

Following on from my earlier blog about how important looks and fashion have become in the music industry, I am now looking at why so many musicians are starting up or running their own clothing lines.

Music and fashion have for a long time been associated with each other, with every new music genre there was a fashion trend that came along with it. Mods and rockers of the 60’s, disco in the 70’s and rave culture in the 90’s.

In most genres of music you will find someone who is obsessed with fashion as they are with music and some artists have started up their own labels or designed a collection for high street/designer stores. From the world of pop, there has been Lily Allen, Pixie Lott and Girls Aloud all creating their own lines for different stores and now Lily Allen has quit music and runs her own vintage store, Lucy In Disguise in London.

In rock/alternative music alone there are plenty of bands in the UK and US, who has a member or members running their own clothing lines bringing fashion that they like to their fans. It all started for the alternative scene back in 2001 when Mark Hoppus and Tom DeLonge of blink-182 started up their clothing company Atticus and their footwear company Macbeth and since then plenty of bands have followed suit.

So why are so many musicians trying to make a name for themselves in the world of fashion? Is it a genuine interest? Have they always wanted to do it? Or is it simply because being in a band doesn’t pay the bills anymore so they need something else to make a bit extra money?

Last year Sheffield’s Exposed magazine went to take a tour of Drop Dead Clothing’s warehouse prior to the launch of their winter collection. Drop Dead Clothing was set up in 2005 by Bring Me The Horizon frontman Oli Sykes and it has fast become one of the most popular clothing lines around. Oli’s mum, Carol Sykes, talks about where the inspiration comes from; “To quote Oli, the inspiration comes from everywhere with travelling around he sees things that he likes and imagines,”

In 7 years, the brand has gone from small to shipping worldwide from their online store, opening a store in London and has collaborated with a number of designers. But where does Drop Dead go from here? Julia Beaumont, head of PR at Drop Dead told Exposed about future plans; “We had hoped this year we would open a shop in L.A., it’s definitely something that we would like to do… Apart from that we never have any goals, we always strive to do what we’re doing as good as we can.”

The fact that music and fashion crossover so naturally is a great thing for music fans as it means they can express themselves and their interests through clothing as well as the bands they listen to. But, I wanted to know what you guys thought about musicians owning their own brands, did you think it was just to make money or do you believe it is a good idea? I went on the streets of Sheffield to find out:

“I think it is a really good idea for band members to have their own clothing lines. Their interests usually represent the fans interests so it seems like a natural step and most brands out there are really good.” – Tom Murphy, 22, student from Sheffield.

“Band members having a clothing line is a good thing as long as they are talented enough at designing/drawing. Nobody wants to wear terribly designed clothes and there are a lot of brands popping up that aren’t brilliant and in that case I’d say they were just doing it to make money.” – Carla Adler, 28, shop assistant from Leeds.

“Bands should concentrate on being bands, not designing clothes. That is what the high street is for.” – Spencer Gregson, 21, student from Liverpool.

“Musicians are creative people and if they have an interest in designing clothes and they are good at it then let them do it. There are some brilliant brands around at the moment, some though are not so good.” – Jodie Owens, 18, college student from Doncaster.

So there we have it, music and fashion will forever go hand in hand with one another. Whether it is right for musicians to be designing our clothes for us seems to be an issue that has split people. Let us know your opinions.

Related Links: http://www.exposedmagazine.co.uk/fashion/fashion-features/drop-dead-gorgeous/

Pick and Mix Podcast 3

Check out this weeks podcast, we are discussing Tulisa’s sex tape, the S Club 7 reunion, the hot weather and our Easter plans.

“I’m not going to sit here and be violated” said Tulisa after her sex tape leaked online

Day’s after the sex tape emerged N-Dubz singer, 23, Tulisa denied rumours that it was her performing a sex act on somebody. The tape got on to the internet on 19^th March, charging viewers £3.90 to download it. The tape was suspended just hours later.

However, she was forced to come clean after the sex tape circulated the internet and released a confession and apology to her fans via YouTube two days later. The video was linked to her Twitter account, during the video she holds up two photographs of her and the other person in the video. The X Factor judge said that she feels ‘ extremely betrayed’.

The apology consists of Tulisa publically identifying the man in the video as her ex boyfriend Justin Edwards AKA MC Ultra. She says: “This isn’t unexpected for me; I got a call from a lot of mutual friends, people that know me that know him saying that apparently he has this footage of me that he’s been threatening to bring out for whatever reason to make money or to ruin my career”.

 

MC Ultra used his Twitter account @officialultra to deny her claims. He tweeted: “It’s nothing to do with me. #backtowork.”

The whole sex tape saga got even messier when Tulisa wanted payback by suing her ex boyfriend for breach of privacy and confidence at the High Court. DJ Ultra appeared in court on 26^th March with Tulisa demanding £100,000 for the leaking of the sex tape, he strongly denies the claims. He also released a written statement saying: “Tulisa persuaded me that we should film ourselves”, and was implying that the footage was taken on his mobile phone.

The Pick and Mix crew discussed the leaking of the footage:

Meanwhile Tulisa has released a new song days after called “Young”.

The CD’s Death? And the Vinyl Revival.

With CD sales dropping, is this the end of the music CD? And since when did vinyl become so popular again?

Throughout the years, the way in which we buy our music has changed starting out with vinyl records, onto tapes, then CD’s and now an electronic file on your computer also known as an MP3 file. The CD has been the prominent option for many years now but it is in trouble with sales falling, are we about to see the death of the CD?

CD’s first hit the music industry in back in 1982 with the release of Billy Joel’s ‘52^nd Street’ in Japan. Since then it has grown and grown overtaking previous formats and making them obsolete. In 1997, music downloading first became popular when Napster was released. Downloading music off of the internet has become popular fast because of its speed, ease and in some cases because you can get it for free by downloading it illegally.

When I was a teenager going to HMV to buy a CD was a big thing for discovering music and our parents all talk about the first record they ever bought and being able to remember it as some special event. The artwork and reading the booklet from cover to cover is definitely something I miss about a file downloaded onto my computer.

Even though the internet has opened our eyes to more music that we may never have heard of and a quicker, cheaper way of getting hold of music, has it ruined the connection that you get from buying a CD?

I spoke to Dave [@jmyorks], a journalist from Leeds about whether the internet is destined to wipe out CD’s; “the mainstream market I think will be almost exclusively served by the net in coming months never mind years. A whole generation has grown up without having a physical release to queue up for and hold.”

“I think this is purely and simply because of the culture we live in, we want it all, we want it now. Its immediate availability, hear the record, click the link, a minute later it’s on your iPod, android whatever…The fact that with albums now you can pick and choose what tracks you want.”

However, it is a good time if you are a fan of vinyl at the moment as it is making a return to popularity years after going out of fashion. More and more people are buying record players and 12’ singles/albums are making a return to shops. A lot of bands put out limited edition vinyl over the past few years to get people buying actual physical copies of music again but now it is becoming the popular way to buy music again.

I spoke to Dave about the recent revival of vinyl; “Certainly some dj’s are going back to vinyl… for some people they are becoming merely something to own and display, others it’s something to show off and collect as they usually come in limited numbers. I am tempted to think it is more about the collection and sound aspect as many vinyl releases are of albums previously released so it’s not being bought for content – maybe the sound but not the content.”

But is this just a short lived fashion statement by a culture of youngsters obsessed with reliving the past or can vinyl really make a comeback and have a place in the music market like it once did?

Again, I asked Dave his opinion; “I think it will last yes because all of the reasons above will remain and more people will discover what it’s like to hold a vinyl album and look at the sleeve notes, its old school and retro and there is a love for that.”

“if you look at the releases that are coming on National Record Store Day they are for want of a better phrase, established credible artists. Other vinyl releases tend to be artists, I would imagine, appeal more to dj’s – for example the new Ting Tings album.”

“I think once you get into vinyl you will always love it, it’s not this generations fault they never had the pleasure.”

Let us know your opinions about CD’s and vinyl.

Two vinyl records

DJ’s using vinyl

How obsessed with looks has our music industry become?

Is the music industry too over concerned with looks and appearance rather than talent and ability?

From fashion magazines and blogs to the social media like Twitter, everyone is out to pass opinion on every area of a famous person’s life and career. Musicians are not exempt from this and even though fashion and music have gone hand in hand for decades now, has it got to the point where we focus too much on the way a band/musician looks rather than their music?

I took to the streets of Sheffield to find out what you guys thought of this:

• “I do agree that the music industry has become too looks orientated now, it seems more like it’s acceptable for people to like and band or artist because they are attractive rather than whether they have any talent or not.” – Sally James, 23.
• “I don’t really think it is any different to how it has been in the past, music and fashion has always been linked.” – Robert Crookes, 34.
• “I think there is an emphasis on looks as there is in every industry but I think for most people looks don’t detract from whether they think they are a good musician or not.” – Darren Salling, 25.
• “I’d rather have someone good looking to look at so I think it is important but that won’t stop me from liking a band just because I don’t find any of the members attractive.” – Louise Fletcher, 21.

While the likes of Lady Gaga, Madonna and Rihanna are spending their time changing their looks to stay in the news, artists in other genres of music are finding ways of putting their music out there while staying anonymous to the world. Dance artist SBTRKT is fast making a name for himself in the music industry after his successful slot supporting Friendly Fires on their UK tour in November last year.

The man behind SBTRKT, Aaron Jerome, wears masks onstage in order to shield his face from the crowd whilst playing his set. In an interview with A Hidden Place, the anonymous designer and visual arts director they spoke about the masks he designs for him and the privacy that comes with wearing them. “The fact of wanting the focus to fall on the music and trying to avoid all the kind of tabloid style music blogging.”

So, while some artists are trying to flaunt their looks, others are trying to hide them. Is this really an issue, should musicians just be musicians and nothing more or is it inevitable that they will always be judged on fashion and looks by the media and the public?

Let us know your opinions!

Related links:

To read the full interview with A Hidden Place click here.

Is this the end of rock bands?

There has been a lot of talk about the state of rock music recently and apparently it is dead. All these articles hold no truth for me personally because I look at the rock/alternative music scene and right now especially in the UK it’s probably the best it has been in a long while and it’s set to get even better over this year.

The singles charts are full of indie, dance and r’n’b but there are bands making a name for themselves in mainstream music. Over the past couple of years, Bring Me The Horizon released their third studio album and received amazing praise from critics and fans, entering charts all over the world and getting a number one album in Australia. You Me At Six released their third album and scored a number 3 album in the UK album chart which is no mean feat for a rock band these days in a music industry saturated by pop acts. Architects released their fourth album, The Blackout and Kids In Glass Houses released their third albums and together all these bands have put the British alternative scene back on the map. Even American bands such as All Time Low and Foo Fighters put out two of the best albums of last year. So far in 2012, St Albans’ Enter Shikari and High Wycombe’s Young Guns have put out two groundbreaking albums and scored a top 5 and top 20 album respectively. Enter Shikari especially have been dubbed the voice of young people today with their lyrics which focus on society and politics, something real that you can relate to.

Magazines such as Rocksound and Kerrang! are heavily promoting the Best of British too, with both magazines putting out special issues dedicated to British rock bands of today, surely this wouldn’t be possible if rock music was ‘dead’. It seems like there has never been a better time for the alternative scene in the UK. Speaking in Rocksound magazine a couple of years ago, Josh Franceschi, lead singer of You Me At Six, spoke about why British bands are doing so well at the moment; “I think British bands have stepped up recently. There are only so many times that the same-sounding US music can come in and take over.”

If you look at festival line up’s from last year with its heavy presence of rock bands from the UK or US. Also, on daytime Radio One you will hear songs from Bring Me The Horizon and Architects, if you are not familiar with these bands their music contains screaming vocals and heavy guitar riffs, music you wouldn’t expect to hear on this station apart from on The Radio One Rock Show but to hear it in the day surely shows that rock music is making a mark that can’t be ignored.

In terms of the alternative scene it is amazingly strong and full of talent whether established like Bring Me The Horizon or up and coming like My Passion and Young Guns. But in terms of big, stadium rock bands it is not really a brilliant time for them. The UK has about 2 or 3 really big bands such as Muse and Kasabian and the US is not that much better with Green Day, Foo Fighters and Metallica. If this is what they are referring to by saying rock music is dead then I guess they are sort of right. A messed up music industry is never going to help these bands and more time and money needs to be put into finding these new artists and giving them a chance on records labels instead of dropping them straight away if record sales are bad.

But all that doesn’t mean that one of this new wave of British rock bands can’t become the next big stadium filling band to sell plenty of albums and have success worldwide as well as on these shores. It is inevitable that it will happen at some point, it is just a matter of when and who.

But don’t just take my word for it, I hit the streets to find out what other people thought about the current state of the rock music scene in the UK and in general and here is what they had to say:

• Ben Jones, 22, student from Norwich says “I think rock music is in the best place it has been in years especially in the UK. There have been so many brilliant albums and tours over the past couple of years, that if anything we are spoilt for choice.”
• Sian Halfpenny, 20, student from Sheffield says “I don’t think that rock music is having a particularly brilliant time right now, it’s not in the charts at all really. I don’t listen to rock music anyway but I think it needs to do something in order to be more popular.”
• Adam Barnes, 23, retail assistant from Leeds says “I really think the rock music is having a bit of a revival right now, being updated for the 21^st Century. There are so many amazing bands around right now which is brilliant for me as I love rock and metal music.”