Pro Mobile - The Magazine for Mobile DJs

ISSUE: 109(SEP/OCT 2021)

The September/October 2021 edition of Pro Mobile is packed with the usual mix of articles, news, views and reviews all linked to the wonderful world of mobile DJing.

You can read all of the reviews and the first part of every article by following the links below, but to read the articles in full and get the complete Pro Mobile experience you’ll need a copy of the physical magazine – click ‘Subscriptions -> Magazine’ above to get hold of one! or click here SUBSCRIBE NOW

These words for this issue are quite personal, though will resonate with many of you. When I started out on my journey to becoming a mobile DJ, I actually thought that I might be delusional but one man changed all that for me. We spent a whole afternoon together talking about equipment options, and also a lot of other things I needed to know in order to get started. Despite taking up the best part of his entire Saturday, he wouldn’t let me buy anything until I’d spent time thinking about all that I had learnt. I’ll miss him dearly, as will his family and so many in our industry.

R.I.P. Philip (Wilber) Craik. 10/06/1950 – 23/06/2021.

Rock on!

Pete Holding, Pro Mobile Editor

IN THIS ISSUE

PROFILE: DARREN PALMER (A.K.A. DJ80)

Writing a profile about yourself is bizarre. I’m not the type to question myself, I just crack on with things regardless, so this is a new experience for me.I’m going to start with hair gel. Not the posh hair products of today. I’m talking about the clear plastic pots of hair gel you bought in Superdrug 30 years ago. It was like clear craft glue and smelt like a cross between condoms and Savlon.

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Lessons from Lockdown

If the 16 months of enforced closure have taught me anything, it’s that time is precious and we really shouldn’t take anything for granted. It also served as a stark reminder that circumstances can change in an instance.

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DIALOGUE WITH... Louis Smyth (pt 2)

Louis Smyth, who featured in Pro Mobile’s Dialogue at the end of 2019, has had a busy 18 months. At the start of 2020, his career was taking off with appearances at big club nights and on bills with artists including Sweet Female Attitude and DJ Luck & MC Neat at events both in the UK and abroad. Rather than slowing down, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an acceleration of his progress. Pro Mobile’s Editor Peter Holding caught up with Louis as he embarks on a nationwide tour supporting Majestic.

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Is Your Marketing Working For You?

How do you know that your marketing is working for you? Are you getting what you want or are you just blindly advertising or posting to social media? Understanding what is working for you and what isn't is key to improving your marketing reach and getting value from your investment of both time and money. But what about all the other bits of marketing that you do? Are your business cards worth the investment? Is that ad in the local paper really pulling in any bookings?

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It Shouldn't Happen to a... Radio Presenter!

I always wanted to add Radio Presenter to my list of DJ-related jobs on my CV. My career in broadcasting started on hospital radio and progressed to in-store radio before a stint on commercial radio. I even managed a few shows on the BBC. Hardly a radio career to boast about, but I did it! I had great fun and my brief stint in radio gave me some wonderful memories and a few horror stories, some of which I was asked to share with you. So, turn on, tune in, and with a “rock-a-doodle-do my darling,” let’s rock

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SmartQuiz - Welcome to the Ultimate Pub Quiz... played on your phone!

Over the last year, one of the key phrases has been “you need to pivot.” Mainly, this refers to us finding extra streams of revenue whilst we could no longer DJ at events. The last year certainly highlighted the need to have back-up options, more tools in our box of tricks.

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RETAILER SPOTLIGHT: bopdj

Compared to some of the industry’s long established retailers – many of which have been going since the 1970s – Bop DJ is a young company that sells DJ, PA and lighting products both online and at its city centre stores across the UK. Led by a passionate team of DJs and electronic music enthusiasts, the company is all about inspiring DJs both young and old to get creative and perform at their best.

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Amy Winehouse Remembered

As a naïve 17-year-old college student in 2007, I didn’t really think much about Amy Winehouse’s skeletal figure. Nor did I connect it with alcohol dependency, eating disorders, or the use of hard drugs. Instead, I think I just imagined it was a phase that would eventually pass; a continuation of the same old rock and roll image typified by Keith Richards or Pete Doherty. But how wrong I was.

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Supercharge your life with Finance Mentoring

My last article was about planning to make your business a success. Hopefully you now have a better idea of where you want to take your business in the next 12 months and even further in the future. However, for many of us, it’s only when we start to plan that we realise we can’t do it all on our own. This is where finance mentoring comes in. With over 30 years of experience, I know it’s important for business owners to have mentoring and understand why it’s crucial for business success.

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Taking The Party Outside

The idea of having an outdoor disco isn’t new. There are several ways to create one, the most common of which starts with hiring a stage. The problem I have with stages is that they’re not really quick or simple. I work on my own and have limited space for storage at home, there certainly isn’t anywhere for a 20ft stage fully erected or even packed down. Also, by using a stage I’m not offering anything new. Recreating the wheel just isn’t my way.

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THE DJ PLAYLIST: Mainstage/Big Room

In previous articles I have explored music genres including deep house, nu disco, Balearic beats, and lounge and bar grooves.

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REVIEWED

REVIEWED: RCF ART 9 SERIES

REVIEWED: RANE ONE

REVIEWED: CHAUVET DJ OBSESSION HP

REVIEWED: KINSMAN KPA500 COMPACT TOWER PA SYSTEM

REVIEWED: ADJ LINK

CONTRIBUTORS

Andrew Broughton, Anna Goodwin, Carl Hirst, Danny Oakes, Darren Palmer, Greg Cartwright, Ian Forest, Nick Chatten, Peter Holding, Richard Corcoran, Richard Lee, Sean Smyth and Steven Honeyball.

ADVERTISERS

ADVERTISERS:
DJ Kit, Mastermix, Pioneer DJ, Alan Berg, Pro Mobile Conference, Mobile DJ Network (MDJN), Mobile Entertainment Expo & PBX, RCF, QSC, Yamaha, Tronios BV (Beamz), WestEnd DJ, Nicolaudie, Bishopsound, Lotronic, American DJ, DJ Event Planner, BPM DJ Show, CHAUVET DJ, Bop DJ, Phase OneDJ Store, Novo Pro, FBT, Headstock Distribution (H|H), JHS, CRS1, Sparkular.UK, Bose, Redtooth Quizzing, Reloop, Tony Winyard

SHOPS:
DJ Kit, Phase One DJ Store, WestEnd DJ (Central London) WestEnd DJ (North Circular), Glasgow Sound Centre,
DJ Superstore, DJ Dealer, DJ Supplies Sound and Light,
DY Pro Audio LTD, Inspiration Sound & Light, RSD Music, Cumbria Sound & Lighting, Terralec, Discotechnology
Bop DJ (Leeds), Bop DJ (Manchester), Bop DJ (Bristol),
Simply Sound & Lighting