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My
name is Daniel Berman and I have been working at The Meadows Community
Centre at Green Street since last September.
I teach
DJ skills, music business and music technology on a course called
Creating Music Through Technology (CMTT).
I also
run evening DJ skills classes which have become quite a feature
among the local youth.
CMTT
is a course aimed at up and coming DJs and producers and is firmly
targetted at the dance music side of things; we cover basic sequencing,
record label structure, running your own club night, composition
theory, marketing a musical product... loads of stuff really.
So
far this year our students have had guest lectures from top flight
music managers, major label signed chart acts and the most successful
local promoter who is behind the massive drum and bass night, Detonate.
They
have also ran their own club nights, appeared at a CMTT showcase
event and performed on Brox FM - the Broxtowe radio station.
Access to music
Anyone interested in the course for 2003/4 should pop into see either
myself or course leader Mike Wynne at the Meadows Centre, Green
Street. Alternatively you can visit
and get an application form sent out to your home address.
I hadn't
spent much time in the Meadows before I started teaching there;
I've been really enjoying meeting the young DJs and MCs and hopefully
I've been putting something into the area.
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| Two
of CMTT's students |
My
back ground is fairly typical for a DJ - several years on benefit
where I honed my skills!
I am
originally from Scotland but moved to Bristol in '97 literally "for
the drum and bass".
My
mates ran the biggest club night there and I was fortunate to DJ
with all of the big names in drum and bass at the age of 20.
Since then I have lived in Liverpool where I worked as a television
editor and got involved in hip hop/drum and bass there and I ended
up in Nottingham in '99 and I have managed to keep progressing here.
Riot
records
I started my own drum and bass label 'Riot Records' in 2000 and
my first, and only, release was incredibly successful - it was awarded
a place in the drum and bass arena top five (worlds biggest website)
and I sold every copy with no promotion.
I
look back on that period as really rewarding but at the same time
I have no desire to put more tunes out as it's a lot of hard, mundane
work.
Since
then I have managed to earn a living (but not much more) through
a combination of DJ work in bars and clubs, photography, freelance
music journalism and more recently, teaching.
Teaching
in the Meadows offers me the opportunity to advise the local youth
on areas such as Dj-ing, putting out records and general self management
issues.
Unless
you are really successful, most DJs/record label have to manage
themselves and this is a key area for anyone who wants to advance
in the industry.
You
have to be methodical when you go about things and also think about
how other people perceive you. A lot of people think you have to
be pushy to make it as a DJ and in certain respects that's true.
I
have found it frustrating when they bring their friends in who
play no part in the class, except in a disruptive role
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| Danny
Berman |
But,
if you do people's heads in or do loads of inappropriate scratching
at your first gig, you're not going to get anywhere. I have been
running DJ skills classes for a number of months now and although
it hasn't been easy, I have seen the same bunch of lads consistently
every Thursday night for months and months.
They're
all talented DJs and MCs. I have been really impressed by their
skills and I would love to see them make it in a field in which
they so obviously enjoy themselves.
Frustrations
However, when I've tried to make the class 'more serious' and push
people in a management direction - make mix CDs, write press releases,
try and form a proper reliable unit etc. - my task became difficult,
as most 19/20 year olds are a law unto themselves and you can't
make people do things which they can't see the immediate value in.
I have
found it frustrating when they bring their friends in who play no
part in the class, except in a disruptive role. But I have to see
it as a long term thin; people aren't always ready to push themselves
in areas which require a certain amount of self-motivation and development.
There
have been plenty of positive outcomes: seeing a group of mates have
somewhere nice to come in and practice their DJ and MC skills has
been a real plus point for me. I would've loved to have somewhere
like that when I was developing as an artist.
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I
have also always kept quiet about the party side of DJ-ing,
although there is one |
| Danny
Berman |
I have
also enjoyed passing on my experiences - both good and bad - to
my class. There's a lot of pitfalls out there and also a lot of
grey areas, so I have tried to pass on as much good information
about how to get gigs, how to keep them etc.
I also
keep quiet about the party side of DJ-ing although there is one!
I don't think that this should be the main motivator for people
looking for a career in something which is essentially being a modern
day travelling minstrel!
Top
DJs
When I hear major DJs moaning about all the travel I think - "you're
being paid to be in that country, and your flights have been paid
for", if you work out the hourly rate of a DJ even with travel,
it's still about 拢50 an hour, which is a damn sight more than most
people get in this world.
Music technology is an area of teaching which is constantly developing
and it's still in its infancy at the Meadows Centre - I am starting
to see things in a more long term fashion and hopefully the Meadows
Centre will grow into a place which offers the Meadows youth somewhere
where they can pick up relevant skills, not just technically, but
also in a practical, managerial sense.
This
is an area I am keen to push, as it doesn't matter how good you
are at Dj-ing, if you can't get gigs and no one knows who you are!
After
the summer we are going to be starting a DJ management course which
will look practical ways to get gigs - promotional packs, presentation
etc.
The
CMTT day course will begin again in September so get in touch if
you are interested in doing a course in you area.
The DJ skills class will begin again too and information on all
of these courses is available in the Broxtowe 2003/4 A to Z, which
is a course directory and should be available soon in the reception
at Green Street.
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