Working as a mobile disk jockey (DJ) presents a whole load of challenges that a resident club DJ simply doesn’t have.One of the main issues is the need to carry all of that essential DJ equipment to each and every gig, wherever it is.
I’ve worked in clubs as both a guest and residential DJ, on cruise liners, as a radio DJ and these days I make my living as a moble DJ. Every week I meet new people with diverse musical tastes in all sorts of locations. I’ve gigged in stately homes, onboard ships and yachts, on a private jet and even one night in a well known London museum. It’s this variety that I most enjoy about my work, but back to the challenges.
One of the biggest problems that us working mobile DJs must deal with is lugging enormous amounts of equipment to every gig. The club DJ only has to turn up with his selection of records and CDs whereas I need a medium sized van to carry all of my DJ gear.
These days I have an assistant who is a great help in setting up and breaking down my PA and lighting rig at each gig. But back in the old days, before I was commanding a decent fee, I had to do it all myself. The important factor to consider when selecting DJ equipment for mobile use is compactness. It must be small and ideally lightweight.
The DJ speakers that I use are the powered variety. This means that I don’t need power amplifiers and my system setup is much simpler. Less leads and less to go wrong. I’ve been using an excellent pair of JBL active PA speakers for the past two years and they have been fantastic.
Another key consideration is lighting. Club DJs don’t usually need to concern themselves with club lighting systems as these are generally already in place, often with their own dedicated operators. Working as a mobile DJ means we’ve got to do it all ourselves. But luckily these days there are some compact DJ lights that use LEDs making them relatively lightweight, low power and cool.
But I think the most important piece of DJ gear is the music. This is music media, not equipment, I hear you say and you’d be right. But I’m actually referring to the medium which can be vinyl records, CDs, DVDs and these days MP3 files. This means I need to carry turntables, CD players, a DVD player and some sort of MP3 player. I tend to stick to just one CD player, a pair of Technics decks and my laptop computer. I route all of these through my excellent DJ mixer and I’m just about ready for any requests, from Mantovani to the Wombles.