Bedroom DJing

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BASSMODE: Baltimore’s Next Nerd Afterparty!

/ Avidd Minddset / 4 Comments

Alright guys. Since 1997 I’ve been a fan of all things nerdy; from anime, to video games, and even Marvel and DC Comics. All throughout middle and high school I was pretty much at the ‘Nerd’s Table’; playing UNO with my friends, and talking about the latest episode of Dragon Ball Z or what we thought about the first Captain America movie. Of course if you’re familiar with my bio, then you already know that I found my love for electronic music back in 2008 at an anime convention. From there I started doing DJ edits of my favorite songs during my senior year of high school, and freshmen year of college. From 2014-2018 I learned the fundamentals of Mixing, Mastering, and Audio Compression in Music Production. 2019 I took on the moniker of Avidd Minddset, and 2020 to present I became a full-fledged DJ.

Now that you got my brief backstory, its time for the real reason behind this post. While the world was under house arrest for two years (from 2020-2022), I was scrolling through Youtube videos trying to take my mind off of all the craziness that was going on. While looking at some anime convention highlight videos from the last con I went to (in January), I stumbled upon some party videos that were a bit different from the ones you usually see associated with nightclubs and EDM festivals. Most of everyone in them was wearing cosplay, as they were all having a good time.

I thought back to all of those cheesy college movies where the nerds never get invited to the jock’s after party, so they sneak into the frat house and try to dance with every pretty girl there; knowing they got two left feet. Imagine that; except everybody’s a nerd, and everybody’s turn’d all the way up! It was during the worst moment in human history, that I discovered that nerds throw better parties!

OWA: Otakus With Attitude

Just like the time I fell in love with anime conventions after going to one for the first time, these types of nerd/cosplay afterparties are perfect for us nerds who happen to be party animals. New York City is the only place I know that throws down with these kind of parties; with event promotions like Otakus With Attitude, Sexy Nerds, SonicBoomBox, and Senpai Project. There’s even one with base operations in Washington D.C. called Plus Ultra Entertainment. With all of this awesome stuff going on in New York and D.C., how come Baltimore doesn’t have anything like this?! We have some nerdy events and some new conventions helping to fill the void Otakon left behind in 2016, but nothing like OWA or Plus Ultra Entertainment!

So what did I do? I created my own event promotion; a promotion that highlights and promotes positivity and social engagement in Baltimore’s anime, cosplay, gaming, and music communities. The name of this brand new Baltimore-based promotion; was BASSMODE: Nerdz Nite Out!

I created this promotion July 1, 2023 via Facebook page. I got to work planning on throwing my first party, as well as going through all of the things that promoters/curators do, in order to make their event successful. My long-term plan for BASSMODE; is to throw at least 3-4 themed local events per year, and collab with anime conventions and other nerd event promotions (like OWA and Plus Ultra Entertainment) on joint afterparties. This of course isn’t the only reason why I created this promotion; I wanted to give up-and-coming ‘bedroom’ and novice DJs, an opportunity to perform their DJ set in front of a live crowd.

Baltimore may not be the otaku party mecca it once was when Otakon was around, but with the few small anime and comic conventions that it has alongside BASSMODE, nerds and party animals alike will get their fix on throwin’ down, and having fun! At the end of the day, nerds throw better parties! 😉

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Pandem DJ: The ‘New’ Bedroom DJ

/ Avidd Minddset / Leave a comment

By the time the end of 2019 rolled around, many of us were preparing ourselves for a brand new decade. The 2010s had some neat, awesome, sad, disgusting, and hopeful events that happened; especially in the music industry. Pioneer introduced the “Standalone Series” of  All-in-One DJ equipment during this decade; allowing aspiring DJs (that had the money) to follow their dreams of making it big, and hopefully opening up for some of their favorite superstars. 2019 was also the year the XDJ-XZ came out, which for many, is the de facto standalone system for DJs who want that feel of playing on real club gear. Enter 2020, the start of the next decade! What new music will we hear from our favorite EDM artists? What new DJ gear will we get to see at the next NAMM Expo? What exciting new possibilities await for us as we step into the next decade? What – oh…

2020 was also the year the biggest epidemic to ever hit the U.S. happened, and has never caused this much chaos since the Spanish Flu of 1918. Everyone knew where they were when the first case happened, and because of the level of politically charged baggage that’s associated with this particular epidemic, it has left many of us to socially distance ourselves from others whom we’ve once considered as friends and family. (Even our extended relatives.) No nightclubs, no events, and no outdoor EDM festivals could be found anywhere during this time. It was also the year that touring DJs became bedroom DJs once again, although for many of them, that’s actually how they got their start. (Myself included.)

There was one other thing I’ve also noticed during 2020; the amount of bedroom DJs I found on Spotify and Mixcloud was insane! During the latter part of the year, a lot of aspiring DJs who managed to save up and get their gear and start practicing, have started popping up all over the place through livestreams on Twitch and Youtube (if it didn’t get a copyright strike). Despite all the craziness and lack of common sense the pandemic caused, I would consider 2020 as the “Year of the Pandem DJ“. (Yes, I’m a ‘Pandem DJ‘ too.)

Nevertheless it was the year that video streaming platforms like Zoom were getting an insane amount or members (or subscribers), due to everyone from everywhere being online – cuz’ everything was shut down! While some DJs decided to try their hand at other ventures and hang up their headphones, other ‘Pandem DJs’ took to Twitch or Mixcloud and started streaming their DJ sets live; hoping to boost their presence within the community, follow their dreams, and just have fun doing it.

Honestly, the pandemic made a lot of people really question themselves as to where they will see themselves in five years. I asked myself this same question in 2018, and I never thought I would become a DJ in a pandemic. Now that there are aspiring DJs who have now become bedroom DJs during a pandemic, where do they go from here? Sure, clubs and lounges have re-opened their doors to crowds again; with promoters on the hunt for DJs to spin at said establishments, but for ‘Pandem DJs’, what other alternatives do they have if they’re not confident enough to perform in front of large crowds?

That’s right; 2020 also gave rise to Twitch DJs (which I already said before), Mixcloud Livestream DJs, and Zoom Rave DJs. With so many online platforms and marketing tools out there for bedroom DJs to build a following from, I wouldn’t be surprised if the biggest names in this new age of livestream DJing, can only be found and heard on Twitch. VR has also given bedroom DJs a place where they can DJ at their favorite music festivals, without actually being there. They even have VR Raves where users have their avatars dancing to the music the VR DJ throws on, which might be the next step in Stay-at-Home DJing. As for me, I’m not quite ready for the VR world of DJing just yet, but it’s awesome to discover so many new and upcoming DJs who came from one of the worst events in human history, are trying to make this world a better place one beat at a time.

Until next time, keep on spinnin’! 😉