Sure I understand it is more marketable to be a single-genre Producer and DJ. But it seems this is just at first. I see some big dj’s struggle to break free from that genre straightjacket they where put in. I myself can’t decide and when thinking about it, do not want to decide. My first and biggest love was (and is) Trance and in particular the Uplifting kind. Later on I grew to love Techno and Tech House but lately I am very inspired by Funky House. But I also enjoy a good dubstep set by Skrillex or Nero. And as a music lover I occasionaly enjoy some heavy metal or a nice classic piece.

Beyond their use in a organizational tool, such as Beatpport pro, I don’t care much for sticking to DJing one genres. It feels better to seek out music that appeals to both me and the audience I play for. The point here isn’t that genres are useless, it’s that getting obsessed with them as a DJ is pointless. Instead of “progressive house” or “psytrance”, why not think “warm”, “groovy”, “spacey”, or “uplifting” as is added in the latest version of the Beatport pro tool.  You might also think in terms of energy.  These things are more important in building your set, and thus the way the audience feels the energy coming of your set. So rather than being labeled or identified with a certain genre, just appreciate the versatility and enjoy the energy from my set or mixes.

It also has its advantages when starting out as a dj (such as myself 😉 ) here are five advantages and how the help me:

1. Listening and playing different genres expands my taste,
2. This in turn also expands my skills, although progress is slow but that’s probably more because of my age 😉
3. I hope it’ll get me to DJ at diffent settings more often which in turn also helps improving my skills,
4. Reading a crowds is key in this business. Different genre’s and styles will help improve these skills also,
5. All of this will probably improve the longevity of your DJ career – Certain scene’s die, so instead of jumping from sinking ship to new scene every now and then, it seems more logical to always be adding new music to me palette.

Are you a DJ who likes to take gigs outside of your comfort zone? What issues have you come up against when playing gigs to people who are into all different styles?

Please drop a line in the comments, I’m curious to what your experiences and thoughts are on this subject.