---------------CLICK HERE FOR CONTEST DETAILS---------------
Have you ever:
- Stood in the back of a club in the wee hours, watching the crowd sway back and forth to a muffled bassline and wondered, “Who the f--- booked this guy?”
- Or walked down the street listening to the hum of the city and thought, “I could make this a track.”
- Or witnessed the trainwreck of lopsided beats, metal snares tumbling over tripped high hats and handclaps and said to yourself, “Damn. Maybe I should be a DJ.”
Maybe?
Steps away from Union Square and the Meatpacking District, the new DubSpot school is bringing bedroom DJs, aspiring producers and everyday music lovers closer to their dreams. And now, for one Filipino girl from Honolulu, Hawaii, that fantasy is about to burst into reality…
I’m not a DJ. I’ve never produced a song. Occasionally, I’ve snuck behind my friends’ turntables and feigned the wicka-wicka-wicka motion when they’re too stoned to stand up and stop me. But actually touch said tables? Oh hell no. To me, DJing is an art. A holy life force bestowed only upon the blessed, the talented and the trust-funded. But after speaking with the folks at DubSpot, maybe I’ve been selling myself short all this time.
DubSpot grew out of founder Dan Giove's and crobar's JP Solis’ long-held wish to open a music production studio. From there, a curriculum and idea was born. “I’ve always been intrigued about getting into the industry,” Dan says. “And we saw a great opportunity in music education.”
Unlike other music academies, DubSpot is equal parts DJ and production school. “Here, the lines are blurred,” Dan explains. “All DJs that have ever wanted to produce, and all producers who have ever wanted sharpen their skills are welcome.” With top-notch instructors plucked right out of the music industry, the Academy teaches everything from DJing using digi-files with vinyl, using a mixer, scratching, to mastering state-of-the-art programs and equipment like Logic, Reason, Ableton and Protools.
But now Dan and JP have another challenge ahead of them: teaching this editor how to man the tables like a pro. Starting this Saturday, I’ll be crashing JP’s 4-week beginner DJ course to see if I got the chops to stand behind the decks. No mock wicka-wickaing this time.
I’ll be cataloguing my harrowing experience here—every beat mismatched, every scratch scratched, every tear cried—and at the final week, I will be knighted as an official DJ for all the world to see.
Contest Details
What’s in it for you? Not only will you have front-row passes to my earth-shattering experience, you will have a chance to win a chance at your own DJ or music producer dreams.
All you have to do is come up with a the perfect DJ name for me and email it to namethatDJ@clubplanet.com. The winner will receive:
(a) a 4-week beginner DJ course ($400 value), or
(b) a 4-week course in Logic, Ableton, MPC, Reason or Protools ($400 value)
(c) the honor of naming the f---ing hottest DJ ever to have walked the earth (me).
Alright, folks. Get those wheels turning. A chance like this only comes once in a lifetime. Unless, of course, you're hording a world-renowned DJ and/or producer in your basement.
And here are some key clues for those who want to jumpstart the contest:
- I love all things house, except the"progressive" variety.
- I love electro music, but hate Converse shoes.
- I LOVE cheese.
- Give me a good system or give me death.
- I’m quite short, and have been told I resemble a Thai prostitute. (But I'm Filipino).
Stay tuned for more character clues next week.
But for those you can’t wait to jump on board with DubSpot, spring classes are starting to kick off. Check out www.dubspot.com for more info, and register to receive emails about free lectures, new classes, instructors and company news.
