Announcing My NEW Logo!!

With the release of my first mixtape, “CLUB NOIZE Vol. 1,” I am also announcing the launch of my NEW Logo! It is designed in reference to two elements, 1) The retro gaming 8-Bit graphics, and 2) An Eagle with it’s wings spread in preparation to taking flight. Any time you see this logo in a flyer, or in print anywhere else, you will know that it is in complete reference to me or my appearance in a club or concert.

Please comment and let us all hear your thoughts on the new 8-bit eagle logo.

 

CLUB NOIZE Vol. 1

Hey Hey!!

This mixtape is now in print and i have a huge box full of brand spankin new copies. Come visit me at ENSO to get a copy. Search the title “CLUB NOIZE Vol. 1 Mixtape” on youtube and you’ll find my video i posted discussing what it took to make this CD. Thanks for all the support i’ve received from everyone while i was recording this.

The key thing to remember about this mixtape is that it’s a live recording. I would practice at home, and then record it as i performed it live. There were no mic’s on the audience, it was just straight mixing through the routines and recorded right back into my computer as i did it.

4 Tracks:
1.) Me & You Hello We R
2.) BOOM! G6 N Stuff
3.) Pursuit of Dirty Love
4.) Moar Thong (House Mix)

Thanks!
DJ TMAQ

NEW T-Shirt Designs!

Some upcoming concerts is where i KNOW that i will need some merch to sell. So i’m designing some t-shirts unique to the nightlife and dj culture. I won’t be selling them at ENSO on the weekend, unitl maybe the summer when i can set up a table outside. But probably not often if at all. But what’s really important is the upcoming fall college tour. I will def have  my merchandise line available for the tour.

Photographer Alex of www.digidreamgrafix.com
Models: Sara Brinson, ChaZ A

NEW YEARS 2010!! 
This year, I’ll be the Main Event of ENSO’s New Years Eve party. 9:30 – 2am and me personaly ringing in the New Year leading the countdown on the mic.

INTRODUCING: My Vlogg
I will begin video-logging my events to post on my youtube channel. I love watching bands “behind the scenes” type shows and so many people ask me about my events that don’t usually go out. SO! Now i’ll be Vlogging them to share with everyone. Like, for instance, my Mom who never goes dancing and is btw in a completely different city. Don’t hate, we all have mom’s. Now all you from Brazil and Spain can go home and watch me on YouTube. “Hey, remember when we were there? TMAQ was so nice, he played my song Yay!!”  Woohoo!! 

What is ENSO?
enso is a high-end sushi bar/asian bistro in The EpiCentre. The EpiCentre is located in the heart of Uptown Charlotte. This place is a very nice diner & lounge spot with top-notch service. On one wall they have a large wall-sized video of old martial arts japanese movies. It really adds to the atmosphere. For NEW YEARS, they have some awesome VIP packages running so go reserve yours today @  www.ensocharlotte.com

Visit my YouTube @ www.youtube.com/djtmaq
Visit me on facebook.
 

 

CLUB CULTURE

CLUB CULTURE

Artist vs DJ: If you’ve ever been in a band or was close to a band member, you’ve probably seen them talk bad about DJ’s. Why is that? Why does an artist get negative about DJ’s? Well, in the shortest answer I can give you, “It’s a weird perfect circle where one hand washes the other.” And oddly enough in this perfect circle where each hand needs the other, many times it’s little more than a case of too much arrogance or too much jealousy between the two sides.

Sometimes I come to a new club or venue and when meeting the staff for the first time, they ask me if I’m an arrogant DJ or they’ll say “You’re really nice for a DJ,” or “You’re the coolest DJ I’ve ever met,” speaking about me not being an automatic ass upon arrival.

Many DJ’s do have arrogant attitudes, and I believe it’s because they assume success. Let me explain. The first step in the music business is joining a band. Then that band works hard for months to create new material. Once the band has a full album created, they have to then record it which can be more expensive the longer it takes. Not to mention all the practice a musician puts in on their individual instrument before they ever play beyond their bedroom.

With all the hard work each member has put forth to produce a single album, they then are burdened with the costly task of promoting it. And in a case like Linkin Park, they were considered an overnight success in the industry. But that was a 6 year promotion grinding process. Linkin Park climbed the charts fast, and if 6 years is fast, then it definitely takes longer for most other bands to reach the same level of first success. However, MOST bands do not last longer than 6 months. A band that last 2 years is considered a great run before circumstances break the band up.

So I’m saying all this to make the point that when a band works very hard to “Make It” and they do acquire success in popularity, a DJ then comes along and get’s the bands hit song on Thursday, plays it at the club on Friday and the crowd cheers, the DJ feels like it’s all him. Thus assuming the success of the song. And since the DJ didn’t do all the hard work for the songs he’s playing, he usually doesn’t appreciate or respect the bands efforts enough. Of course the bands don’t like that, they think the DJ is arrogant.

Now, the other side is where the DJ plays a new bands track and becomes an avenue to promote the new song toa new audience. The DJ exist because someone else created music. If it wasn’t for the bands, the DJ wouldn’t have any music to play. So the bands need the DJ to promote their music, but the DJ needs the bands to make new music. It’s “one hand washes the other” and when an artist or DJ is under-appreciated by each other, beef begins to accumulate between them.

And that’s the major elements in the CLUB CULTURE. The Artist & the DJ are unintentional teammates. Their like blood brothers.

CLUB CULTURE: What is it? It is personal expression. Dancing is what some people have naturally like being naturally athletic. When you go to a club, everyone knows that the main point is to dance. Lose yourself, escape the real world for an evening and just dance to the beat. The elements of Club Culture are *Friends, *Fashion, *Drinks, *Dance, *Music, & *Social. Everything else you can think of falls under one of these categories.

Ladies should always dress pretty and conservative for the office. But for the club it should be bright colors, flashy clothes & wild hair. Have fun expressing yourself when you go out to the club. One should never assume that what they see is what they get. We all know everyone makes quick first impression assumptions. Your boss really does think that you always wear those conservative office clothes. And the guy you met at the club really does think you always were neon green and purple stockings everywhere you go.

I want you to embrace the Club Culture because if you do it right with a few close friends, you’ll have so much more fun than just standing on the wall, watching everyone else have fun. Want to know more about club culture? Check out Got To Give It Up by Marvin Gaye.

MONTHLY NEWSLETTER

Every month I send out a Newsletter to all my fans. It’s really short with only updates on DJ TMAQ related stuff. I get many requests at my events on how to keep up with me and where I am playing next. Many cats from the Suite and Whisky River crowd are telling me I need to go there and play. Getting in those spots is very tough, but if I did get booked for those clubs, I will let you know in the NEWSLETTER.

So, SIGN UP NOW!!

WHATS IN THE NEWSLETTER?
Special Holiday rates. Unique concert events that I may be performing at, or promotions for my own events. In general, I will be keeping everyone updated monthly on whats new with DJ TMAQ.

HOW TO SIGN UP?
Visit my website, and fill out the form (COMPLETELY)  in the BOOKING section. Simply put “ADD ME TO NEWSLETTER” in the comment box and list your email, and press send.

www.djtmaq.us

 

Your information is never shared or sold in any way. 100% private. Unsubscribing is also very easy, yet I’ll be very confused as to why you would? WTF?

AS GOOD AS IT GETS

START WITH THE FINEST INGREDIENTS. AND STICK WITH ‘EM!

This is my overall strategy at growing my brand name. Pick only what I feel is Hot music, and stick with it. I like what is real and original. So you may think, “What about Remix’s?” Well, that’s like saying the Original BBQ is all there should be, but once you Remix it with some outside element like honey, then you get the Remixed Honey BBQ. I love a quality Remix. What I don’t like is when someone bites other original artist’s material, and they try to deny it. Or they Copy someone’s style, and they make out like it’s their own idea.  You’ll never see a young girl go to the prom and be happy to find one other girl wearing the exact same dress. No way, she’ll be very upset.

So I look long and hard for orginal work, that is awesome. Great style and great music go hand in hand. Take U2 for example. Their style is uniqe and it works well with their style of music they produce. But they take it one step further and design their stage format with originality as well. 

 
What makes my sets original? Yes I do play popular songs from the radio, like all the other dj’s. But what makes me more original they many other dj’s is how I rock a party. I don’t care that I’m in a club when I pull out “Shout”  and play it in my set. Many dj’s stick to top 40 because they don’t know how to read a crowd or set up a crowd. And many dj’s stick to rap only because they don’t how to properly incorperate classic rock, into punk and then house music. They just get lost when they cross major genre’s. What makes my set’s original is that I like to use music with an original sound or message. The crowd listen’s and notices. Your reputation is always on the line. So be careful when you sink into the attitude of playing anything for anybody at anytime. It will put you out of control and you will lose your crowd. They won’t pay any attention to you because you no longer strike them as unique. Instead, you are just playing music.

Original Artist, for Original Content. Take Madonna. She’s made so much music in her career, you just can’t effectively use it all. And she flips styles like a chameleon. But flipping appears to BE her style. But how original do you think she really is? Does she write anything? Now Timbaland is a solid student of past hits. And he’s loud and proud of his knowledge of old sounds and samples. He brings the samples up to a new level that the orginal artist he copied, would be proud of it’s finished sound. But soooo many artist sound the same these days. So that’s why it’s so important for me to switch genre’s, and maintain only the BEST songs from the BEST artist.

 

Classics just can’t be denied. All these cats playing the Top 40 all the time are trying to maintain the cool factor by only playing whats new and hot at the moment. And while that’s important to a degree, you’d be hurting your set if you stayed away from the classics. For example, when a great pair of legs walks into the room, everyone notices. And that’s a classic. Great looking legs have been capturing everyone’s attention since the day adam saw eve for the first time. And the legs haven’t changed or been remixed or been updated with new software. They are simply a classic. And this idea can be applied all across the board. Classic style, classic sounds, classic attitude, classic music. And when an old classic song is played, it instantly covers the room and everyone in it with the style, credibility, and emotion that it was created with. Top 40 is great. But let’s just drop the “40″ and stick with the “TOP.” 

With all the songs that are considered Hits, what makes a Smashing Hit? Just notice the next major Hit. It may take a few months for it to come around but when it does, you just can’t deny it because of it’s originality and unique style of the band or artist. That’s what made Michael Jackson so unique, his music was indeed original and his style was too. Who ever would wear a white glittery glove? Michael made it work amazingly. Just take a look around, find ways to be original. And watch for the next smashing hit and notice how original the artist is. But also notice how they are grounded in the classic elements at the same time.

WEDDINGS: DJ/Photographer Package

The ART of the DJ (part 1)

 

Many people often ask me if I will teach them how to dj. They see me do it, and I make it look easy. But the truth is that it isn’t easy, but it is easy to ruin any event. I don’t take on new students unless they are willing to invest. If you want me to teach you how to dj, then I will tell you exactly what I tell every one else who asks. “I will teach you on your own turntables, not mine.” Why do I say this? Because if you are serious, you will put your money where your mouth is. And I will teach you for free, just not on my equipment. Let’s go ahead and take a moment to admit a bit of truth about the subject. If you did not invest in your own equipment, then how serious can you be? And also, if you didn’t invest in your own equipment, then how I can expect that you’ll be careful enough to not break or damage mine? And furthermore, if you DO break or damage my equipment, we all know you won’t pay to repair it. I will end up with you saying, “Oops, My Bad! Sorry dude.” and then I’m stuck with the cost of repair. So I always say “I will teach you on your own turntables, not mine.”

That is how we get to the ART of the DJ. The ART of the DJ begins with that person who is serious enough to invest in their own equipment. It’s that attitude of personal investment and ownership that allows them to develop their art.

Let me also warn you about those dj’s I call “Tools”. It’s a term used to describe a person who will invest to make the appearance of being a dj, yet they have no artistic input into what they do. They are over compensating with their “cool” equipment. Give a true dj the very basic in equipment and he’ll rock a party 100x’s better than that tool who purchased all that off grade, yet more of it, equipment and is still lost as to what to do.

The ART of the DJ is all in the attitude. You have to have a keen sense of what songs are truely great works of art, and which ones are just this weeks favorite that will be nothing two months down the road. Knowing how to read your crowd and respond is also a key element in the art.

There are two types of songs. 1) Original Works and 2) OW’s remixed with strong dance beats in them for the club atmosphere. A “Tool” uses only club remixed songs because they sound cooler and are easier to mix, IF indeed he can actually mix. A tool would more likely use software to mix the music for him, thus helping him to front like he actually has the skill when he surely doesn’t.

The true ART of the dj is evident in his live performance. A true dj is concerned most with getting the dancefloor full of happy people. I know a dj who uses CD players, and never mixes. And is no tool, because his attitude is right and he can rock a party extremely well. This guy a keen ability on reading a crowd better than anyone else I know. He knows how to get you on the floor, and the moment the floor clears, he know which songs to play and what to say on the mic to get the floor packed again. And the best thing about it is that he is not arrogant about it at all. He’s only of the nicest guys I know, but his skills as a dj certainly give him room to brag. He makes about $100,000 a year dj’ing as well. So yes, he’s got and he knows how to use it. A tool he is not.

Let me summarize my thoughts for you. The ART of the DJ, is all about knowing *What Songs To Play, *When To Play Them, *How To Use Your Equipment To It’s Fullest, *How To Read Your Crowd, and *Being Professional In Your Attitude At All Times. Arrogance in any form is never professional.

Special Thanks to Alex of www.DigiDreamGrafix.com

What is PJ’s Lounge in The EpiCentre?

“PJ’s Coffee & Lounge is Uptown Charlotte’s new premier gathering destination located in The EpiCentre.

PJ’s offers a warm and casual ‘urban-chic’ atmosphere where you can surround yourself with sophisticated clientele throughout the day, evening, and night.” www.pjscharlotte.com

Most days of the week, PJ’s comes more alive in the evenings. And though they don’t post their events on their website too frequently, you can count on finding something happening when you get there. I am there every friday. I arrive before 5pm, and hang out with the staff, eat there and get some coffee. I take my laptop and casually update my music for the night and make last minute setlist additions. By 7pm i am starting to unload my gear which takes 3 solid trips to my car in the garage. We are not charging at the door. Just make sure you don’t come into uptown charlotte without and cash for parking. If you do park in The EpiCentre garage, it will be $10 after 5pm. It’s usually $6 or $8 in other garages nearby.

What PJ’s is mostly known for are the Hookah’s. Many people come in to chill in a booth and enjoy a Hookah which could take upto 45minutes or an hour to finish. And as soon as one group finishes and leaves a booth, a new group jumps in to get the booth before it can be cleared off. So get there by 10pm if you want a good spot in the lounge.

FRIDAYS are MY DAYS! Even though PJ’s is a Lounge by design, i usually get it hyped and energized when i’m there. I play every Friday 9pm til 2am. I play Electro, Rock, Hip-Hop, Pop, some country if it fast and fun, and dance music. I mix music very well, and scratch in and through every song. It makes for a very live feel. You know I’m not just pressing play on a CD player. I play real old-school turntables with serato mp3 software.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All photos in this blog are provided by Alex @ www.digidreamgrafix.com You can also view his work on flickr @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/digidreamgrafix/