Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Coming up with a DJ name... again

I've been struggling to find a DJ name. I've had about 4 incarnations and variations and I keep getting the feeling that DJ names are silly. "They are supposed to represent your style" But, I just find it silly. With my regular name, I have a wide range of styles and attitudes, which feels quite the opposite to a Dj name.

I also think about what names mean in entertainment. Most actors change their names to signify a simplicity and melting pot accessibility. DJs have used their own names, to completely abstracted names, to multiple monikers to hide behind a wall of letters. I am a big fan of MF DOOM and his approach as he takes on aliases (Viktor Vaughn, King Geedorah, etc) in juxtaposition to where the rest of Rap goes.

I also think of Techno, where it was a lonely and poor scene, so Derrick May would throw you a bunch of aliases to play up the scene... to show numbers, which feel led to the growth in attention and eventual popularity.

I like these ideas that your name is connected to the cultural context of what you are coming from. In what I do, a transnational cross-pollination of soundsystem music with a focus on that Tropical and Global boom boom... I don't know where to go. I'm a big fan of names like Geko Jones, Batida, Gato Preto, and Sabo. They are on some other place.. and you have to go to them to get it.

I've been going by "selecta" but that name seems boring. It's played out. So, here are a list of names I'm going to use... feel free to share and enjoy. My approach is that we cling too much on the name, and my moods change from a techy-sinister vibe, to Tropical, to Transnational, to Hip Hop... I'm a LatinGringo with no home... so there really shouldn't be a static name.

77s
Selecciones
Selecta
DJ Basura
Nasty Structure (probably my production name)
DJ Sucio (but I'm sure that someone in the DMV has that)
Tunkul
hijo del sol
Najera

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

im going through the same stuff, got loads of mix's to put online that people have liked, but cant think of a name, for a small period i did go by FlowDeeply but it soon lost its shine, considering djs i know have names that just compliment they're skills, one of them being Huckleberry Finn, a name u cant just copy and is almost impossible to match when having that as a place to start, iv had people help me with a name and i cant find anything i really like.

for anyone else reading, don't go with the first thing that sounds good, cos it might not sound great in 10 years time.

a good place to start is single syllable words, such as hearts, woods, crooks, goon, cards, dice, arms, blaze, raise.

find something that resembles your character or your music, or a character you like or a film title.

a good name for particular djs would be something like "alchemist" why? a dj uses formulas(mixes) to effect the audience, building them up bringing them down and keeping the consistence until the end of they're session or the party.

as u can see u can go simple and catchy or go deep with your name.

just a rough example of how titles can have an impact, think about how the title "Resident Evil" is structured.

and always run your name by at least 2 friends, 2 family, 2 people who have heard your music and more importantly, run it by at least 2 djs close to you, that way you avoid being humored.

Anonymous said...

Dear Dj ______,

I am glad to see that someone else also feels this way about DJ namez. It is something I often struggle with. It's hard because in many ways what feels truest is to have a name that can be ever evolving and ever in transition and fluid based on the time and place, and even ridiculous when we feel like it, but then it seems to be at odds with what alot of dj and promo culturez seem to desire/require in order to take things seriously. I say eff it. We should be able to mix it up. Isn't that what DJing is supposed to be bout ? ;)

Yours, Dj trash/inda nile

ps-- looking forward to mixin it up together at Tropicalia next Friday!!