Chloé's Top DJ Tips
Introducing - Chloé Fontaine
Chloé started out as an actress and radio presenter hosting the successful breakfast show, Drive Time on Radio 1. She’s also a firm favourite djing on London’s pirate radio stations – Unknown-FM and Passion-FM, where she built a strong following with her brilliant presenting skills and strong musical repertoire of house, ranging from Jacking, Tech, Minimal, Deep and Tribal Grooves.
Chloé benefits by being surrounded by a musical family and many of the greatest DJs in the industry. She is sister to house legend ‘Seb Fontaine’ and has rubbed shoulders with massive headline acts while travelling and working as an international tour manager for Defected Records. She has also studied at the three biggest DJ and Production schools in London including London Sound Academy.
Her first track ‘Comburo’ came out on Deep Water Recordings followed by a ‘Stars EP’ with influences of Spanish Tribal rolling Tech then a remix on Spanish label LAD records . Following that her next release on Deep Water Recordings ‘Twisted Love’ brings a combination of Deep Tech and dirty baselines followed by ‘Damned’ and ‘Obdurate’. You will find her productions on four other labels including Motion, Downbeat Recordings and Touch Records.
Listen to Chloé's mixes here on Soundcloud
Support Chloé's tracks on Beatport
Her wealth of industry knowledge and experience is like gold dust for any DJ who wants to make their hobby into a career so read on for Chloé’s top tips for aspiring DJs.
Chloé‘s Top Tips For Aspiring DJs
1. Get used to wearing earplugs!
Seriously, this is one of the important parts of the job and the easiest one to overlook, especially at the beginning of your career. Hearing damage has a habit of creeping up on you, if you don’t take steps now to prevent hearing damage you could get incurable and untreatable tinnitus (ringing in the ears) and hearing loss. Protect your ears now and visit ACS and get custom made ear plugs. Do it!
2. Don't download free music, instead support fellow DJ/Producers.
There is no point just playing the same tracks as everyone else from the same charts, why not curate a playlist which is truly original with tracks from upcoming artists within your own community. This way you’ll have a set that stands out and supports your friends at the same time. Downloading free music is also never a good idea, it’s normally low quality and not suitable for large sound systems. Pay back into the industry by buying your music.
3. Don't be afraid to ask for a warm-up slot or DJ gigs in general.
When I’m not DJing I act, I have to apply for many auditions and inevitably you will get rejected for many parts, but that is part of the game. Toughen up, learn how to take the knocks and get back on your feet again. Believe in yourself and don’t shy away from asking for gigs. My best advice is get to know the promoters, support the nights and then chat to them in person, ask for the warm-up set to start with. Ask everyone, as many people as you can, keep pushing!
4. Keep up to date with technology it moves as quickly as the music.
If you don’t keep refreshing your skills you’ll fall behind, the music industry is cut-throat and you need to be on your A-game. Make sure you’re the first to adopt and utilise new technology, use it to your advantage.
5. Learn to be a business as well as an artist.
It’s called the music business for a reason! Every artists needs to pay the bills, and the studio fees too! Make sure you are thinking like a business and making plans and goals and then executing them. Make sure you act like a business too, maintain your professionalism at all times, especially as you are now in the public eye. The more professional you act the more people will respect you and treat you like an established artist in return.
6. Help each other, teamwork goes along way.
Build a community of people to work with including other DJs, producers, promoters, designers, photographers etc. If you organise your own projects you can help promote each other and have the best time doing it! It’s easier to create a buzz around something as a crew so make sure you all have a common goal and work together!
7. We might work in a party environment but learn to as be professional as you would in an office job.
Be punctual, show up on time, look fresh and behave how you want to be treated in return. Make sure you rise above the rest and set an example. The more professional you act the more professionally people will act towards you. You don’t want to be that DJ who gets pulled off mid-set for being drunk, and you don’t want to wake up to hundreds of videos of you wasted behind the decks.
8. Have tracks ready to save a dance floor just incase they aren't feeling your set!
Don’t take it personally, not everyone will like your style of music. Make sure you learn how to take that in your stride but keep the party going, have some floor fillers as back up and be a party angel! Remember, the party is about the crowd, not the DJ, put them first and they will love you in return.
Want to get in-depth personalised advice to help kick start your DJ career the right way?
At London Sound Academy we offer one-to-one tuition, this means you'll get the best possible learning experience and mentorship from your chosen tutor(s). We don't just teach you how to DJ but we also teach you all about how to act as DJ and how to get ahead in the DJ industry. If you'd like more information about how we can help you just use the contact form.
