Being Adaptable/Amenable in Life is Not a Weakness

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I've been a DJ for close to 18 years now. The number of different equipment set-ups I've had to play on is numerous; more so now that fewer people are using actual turntables as the standard in clubs or bars.

This weekend, I played in the Ozarks at a yearly event called Wet Hot Electronic Summer. It was the second time I've played there, but the seventh time the crew had thrown the party. Per usual, all the equipment issues were handled with class and everything sounded great in all three areas of music.

Now, I've taken a "I'll play on whatever you've got equipment-wise" attitude for many years. For one, connecting and disconnecting several pieces of equipment before, during, or after another DJ isn't only a pain in the ass, it's usually a distraction to the DJ playing. Personally, I find it rude (sometimes), but I also understand it's simply a part of what we do. So it's with this in mind that I tell you I don't normally bring my own equipment with me to gigs; I play on what's already there. I like simple, especially when it comes to massive tables full of equipment and wires.

But this weekend, I brought my own equipment. I'm used to my equipment, I like the way I know my way around it, and I'm able to better manipulate the music in the way that I've become accustomed to. For the last couple years, I've been playing on a Nu-Mark Mixtrack Pro II, a gift from my West Coast family a year before I left to come back to the Midwest. It's not a fancy piece of equipment, but it's allowed me to record 36 mixes of differing genres since late 2014.

But much of this personal philosophy of adaptability began at a small house party in a small town back in 2002 or 2003. The turntables had been duct taped to two ottomans; the turntables were connected to a tiny, 2-channel mixer that really wasn't worth whatever they paid for it, but which sat on a coffee table between the two ottomans. Out of the mixer was an RCA cord leading to a car tape adapter; the tape adapter was inside a boombox; the boombox was my speaker system.

I laughed when I saw the set up, because honestly...it was pretty laughable. And while it wasn't some fancy, expensive set up, the music that came through the speakers was the same and that's really all that mattered.

So I no longer look down upon a set up that doesn't immediately look like it belongs in a super fancy club. I'm constantly surprised at the way I play when I simply learn the equipment either right then, or in the days leading up to the gig. I had a gig in St. Louis two years ago where I had to learn the equipment (Traktor controllers) an hour before I got on the decks. It turned out fine.

And yet I run into so many people at so many gigs who can't seem to part with their own equipment, who can't seem to be bothered to simply be adaptable when the situation isn't perfect for them. That particular instance didn't happen this weekend, but I remember thinking (as I looked down at all the equipment on the table) how much easier it would've been for everyone had the same equipment been used for all the sets.

I digress. In many ways, this philosophy of DJing has become very much a part of my overall life philosophy. Situations won't always be perfect (if they ever are), so you're better off making the best of your moments. There's plenty of time to complain later, but allowing a small inconvenience to ruin your day or your week is simply ridiculous. And yes, there are plenty of times to fight, but not every situation requires push-back from you.

Be adaptable. Be amenable. Learn new things and show others how to do the same.