hello

I was wondering how you (past) member's started up your a mobile disco.

I'm not asking what made you get into the Djing world, just how you started up your mobile show when you first began, ie did you take out a loan and buy the gear in a whole lump or buy it bit by bit.

How did you manage to get to your parties you was DJing at and store it etc.

As I know many of you started around the 13-18 age, how did you over come the problems of becoming a mobile DJ?

I started DJ'ing for a agency who supplied DJ's with everything they needed except records. A trailer, a driver (oh, with car - that helps), lighting, sound ... everything.

Over the 5 years or so that I was with the agency, I slowly started buying my own gear... A mixer (Citronic SM-450 black/yellow), pair of Technics (on credit), an £600 effects unit (on credit), a flightcase for all the above, a shure SM58 (cash), a £1200 motorised lighting effect (slooowly on cash) and records, records, records. (and wigs, and props, and all that sorta stuff).

Storing the gear was easy, the agency had about 17 trailers, hidden in rented garages around the town. The trailers were cunningly numbered randomly between 11 and 50 - to worry the competition. The numbers were re-painted every few weeks (eg: changed completely) so that no on-lookers would know that a particular sound system "lived" in a particular trailer.

As I got more and more of my own gear, I was paying the agency less and less hire.

borrowed a kit from me mates brother.. then spoke nicely to ma and pa who lent me the money for my first rig.... then I spent, and spent and spent and spent!

My parents, being amazing and believing that working at McDonalds would be a total waste of my time, have actually funded every inch of my DJing efforts to date. Much love to them!

Roadie'd for a mate and 'hired' some of his kit when he had 2 gigs on the same night, then decided rather than pay him, and get nothing I would rather get a loan and pay the bank, then at least I had my gear to show for it, spent a bit of that on advertising, and within 12 months I had the other DJ working for me most weekends.

My Parents bought me my first set up for my 15th Birthday. After almost 18 months training with a local D.J they finally realised that my interest was not just a passing teenage fad, and decided to invest in the idea!.

The set up was entirely 2nd hand consisting of Fal Decks with built in Amp (50 Watts) Fal Speakers, Fal Light Columns, Rope Light and strobe. I built a couple of light boxes (at my schools expense as part of my technology project).

I then put aside the money I made from doing my first years worth of bookings and started building up the roadshow. As new lighting effects came onto the market and the technology improved then I would save up for it and add it to my show. For the first 3 years or so, the profits from the business where split between advertising and new equipment. My first major sound upgrade was a Cloud Balmoral Console, Cloud DA 250 Amplifier and a 2nd hand pair of Richard Allan Speakers in 1990!.

I remember the first intelligent lighting effect I bought in 1991, it was from a new company whom nobody said would do well (The company was called Abstract Design to Light ) and the effect was called the "Synchro scat" which was basically a scanning mirror which projected 20 white moonflower beams!.

Arrrrrrr Happy Days

Ahhh Chris happy days!! Do you wanna buy two synchro scats??? I still have two!!!

Spin

Hi Guys
We started of at a small Youth Club that our family started off, equipment was a twin Cd player and speaker package from mail order which was bought from the youth club funds. Adam was asked to fill in for a Dj who had let down our local primary school, he was then hooked.
Since then we have slowly built up our equipment with the fees we have been earning, as it's still a bit of a sideline for both of us all our earnings have been ploughed back into equipment.
We are now up to about 800 watts and about 10 lighting effects, this is small compared to most of you guys reading some of the posts but at the moment we are limited to what will fit in the back of my estate car and into the room under our stairs ! (sore point with her indoors) when Adam has learnt to drive he will probably end up with a van instead of a car.
We are getting most of our bookings by way of word of mouth we don't advertise apart from leaving cards at various notice boards etc. we tend to do a lot of kids parties which most of the local Dj's round don't seem interested in doing. Due to this we then get the parents bookings also.
This year we have got our first New Years Eve for about 250 punters ( on the back of doing teen parties at same venue).
We are both hooked and enjoying it immensly
Ps. we have learnt more from DJU than anywhere else.
Mike & Adam

i used to work for the portsmouth guildhall as a stage tech and i was looking roungd in one of the back rooms and found a old duel deck with built in amp and a couple of old speakers the stage manager gave them to me.
Then 1 of my mates asked me if i would dj for his girlfriend which i did i borrowed some lights from 1 of my mates dads who used to dj it went well and word got round my college and i ended up doing nearlly everybodys 18th birthdays. i then invested my money back in to my setup which i don't think ill ever stop doing.

You better make a drink.......

I saw my first 'mobile' disco in 1979 - The Pink Elephant Roadshow, but only until recently would I have given it any form of credit as inspiration to to gigs!!!

Started doing parties for the family get-togethers and for friends (which always seemed frequent as a youngster).

Living in Basildon in the late 80's - managed to get myself a few spots at different venues which had the gear, but it was only part-time, late hours and erratic - all over the place, here and there.
Ended up teaching fellow DJ's to mix more than the work I was getting, and got fed up with clubs. In fact, I used to get very tired doing 20 hour days on a Thursday and Friday, would catch-up with sleep during the day on a weekend, work Saturday night, back to the day job on a Monday...plus I had a relationship, a mortgage and a small drink problem - there was never time to drink!
Split with the then love of my life, gained £2000 of debts, and moved to Kent - where I was introduced to the Mobile DJ again in 1989. Used to drive a DJ around (and all his gear) Gravesend, Rochester, then onto venues in East, North and West London.
It was as hectic as before, but I had a good insight in setting up gear, listening to different styles of music and even had a spin myself (but not that much at first).
By 1991, after 'cover-DJ'ing' at a Pub in SE London for a few months, I was encouraged by regulars to buy my own gear, and not rent off the DJ I was covering for.
So I purchased Technics 1210's, a Crown Amp and 300W speakers, a stucco covered 'coffin' for the decks and a million cheap Tandy mixers!

My Nephew used to help me gig at weekends - he lived in Chelmsford, I lived in Belvedere (about 45 miles apart). He was calm, reserved and good looking, where as me, was cocky, arrogant and not so good looking - but the whole 'package' worked.
Pubs, CiU clubs and football gigs were popular, but I hadn't done many Weddings then. The £2000 was cleared and paid back, in full. (Actually - I was a prat for paying it all back and could have gone for early settlements!)

We won a local LVA South East competition in the April of '91 for best disco, didn't get much work from the LVA, but we were proud, and celebrated.
But after only a few short months, my Nephew was killed in a car accident in November 1991. He'd declined from working on a particular night for a booked disco. I was going to pick him up but he said he wanted to stay in.
I wish he had.
The 'accident' made local news, and a later, bitter court case followed. Roadpeace, the media and newspapers followed the story. It seemed to drag on forever.
I couldn't face DJ'ing - I was broken.
I drew strength to carry on entertaining months later when the family, and mainly my sister, encouraged me to carry on either DJing or 'performing'.

Somehow, in my 'then' state of mind, I ended up joining a MOR circuit band as a guest vocalist - then left. Joined another rival band - then left. Formed my own band - and it lasted 2 years. We all went our different ways due to other commitments and minor arguments, but it was a really good laugh.
I found it hard to focus on what I really wanted to do and what direction to go.

I knew I wanted to somehow help others. But DJ'ing for the odd pub or charity organisations was one thing, but it didn't cover bills. I applied for a day job as an educational tutor in helping special-needs teenagers at a college, and found music as a valuable asset in gaining results in the students development. It lead to small gigs, then bigger gigs, and then I had a premature idea of what direction to take...
So I made the bad decision and gave up the day job! (I must enjoy being a prat!)
Why do I do these self inflicted things??!!

I had really fallen into a 'rut' with life - but 're-discovered' music and DJ entertainment at another DJ's regular gig!
There I was, sitting at a table in a restaurant, eating a chicken wing I think, when I heard the most brilliant mixing in years.
I couldn't believe my ears. So I got up to have a look to see who was spinning - and introduced myself to Tony aka 'SPINDOCTOR', around 1994. He gave me a card and told me where he got some of his material. Excellent really - I didn't speak to him again until 9 years later - to thank him - all down to this forum.
(Tony - I still don't know why I never rang you!)

With no money coming in, I ended up moving back home with the parents (I'd later split up with another woman. Court case again. I managed to gain more debt, to the sum of £28,000 - Dan is now confirmed an extremely silly prat)

DJ'd at all sorts of places - some unmentionable! The debt demands and threats got more heavy, and without any advice, I sold the car, all my disco gear, but kept the records and CD collections. I was an ultimate prat.

The Prince's Trust was the farthest thing on my mind at the time, but it was suggested, as I was getting older, that I might be considered for a grant to start a proper professional business in DJing, as long as I worked hard to demonstrait I could work figures and understand a business plan bible and its requirements.
Now don't laugh, but I was going to present to The Prince's Trust my plan, with all sorts of projections and ideas, with cap in hand, and oh, by the way, I'm in debt to the sum of £28,000!!!!!!!!!!!!

Business plan, objectives and strengths/weaknesses analysis later, I was awarded £2500 loan from the then called Prince's Youth Business Trust, and £2500 from Natwest.
(The Total debt bwt fwd to £33,000!!!!!).

The Trust said the 'plan' was very good and that I shouldn't require a grant, but appreciated the required injection to get things going.
Part of the deal was also a business mentor - but alas, unbeknown to me, all the mentors were busy. So I had virtually 99% no help or advice. (Except a little advice from a business man who played in a band - about the best choice available at the time - apparently?!)

I had taken a very big gamble.
I worked hard. I took all I could. Weddings, Corporate, Agency supplied work - the lot. That was in 1997. Since then, I've struggled, eventually paying off the Natwest, The PYBT and ALL my debts, and I've literally just gone in for a mortgage again with the new love of my life.

One thing I've learnt over the years is that you can't walk away from everything.
I know going in for a mortgage is like a massive 'noose around your neck' debt, but the former debts around my neck made it so hard to accomplish things - I even wanted to give up at one point.

But, as a DJ mate of mine once said, if you can see past your own snot at the end of your nose, lifes not so bad - there are always going to be others that are worse off than your-self.

Over half of the financial mess I got into was my fault. But I can hold my head up a little higher now than before, because like a gig - you get out what you put in.

I now realise that a Pink Elephant Disco from Ipswich, Suffolk, was generally the main reason I wanted to be a DJ.

And that's my long winded, round the houses and coal to Newcastle epic!

Dan it was an excellent read...........(especially the bit about the excellent mixing (( The cheques in the post!)) Respect mate)

It was just............ really interesting thanks!

Spin

yeah ... nice reading mate.

i read that you were working with people with special needs?

thats real cool.

to be honest, it is what i hope to do as my daytime job, and am studying towrds it at college.

i have learning difficultys myself, and the help people give is much needed.

there is a local youth club here called friendship house, which hold discos from time to time.

my brother used to do volantary work.

i am tempted to offer my services to them when we have the buisness up and running.

thouroghly enjoyed reading that.

take care for now mate