Dear DJ,
I´m a house music fan (disco, deep, and tech-house) and I live in São Paulo, Brazil. As a music lover I bought two Pioneer CDJ CD players, a mixer, and a MacBook to start as an apartment DJ. It's become difficult for me to find good music to play. Where are the best resources to find music? Where I can find information about what good DJs play today?
Signed,
Camillo
Dear Camillo,
If it was 1985 (or even 1995), I would say to go find a local record store and spend a few hours every Tuesday looking through new releases. Alas, there are very few DJ record stores out there. Back then, as now, it's about building a relationship with a salesperson who knows your taste and can help you filter through releases to find what you like.
First, identify what music you like. In the dance world, music is often producer or DJ-driven when it comes to defining the sound. Look through your favorite tunes and make a list of your favorite producers and remixers. That's a good starting point to finding a store which specializes in those genres. The same goes with your favorite DJs, visit their websites and look for playlists or charts of the music they play. Look for message boards that specialize in the genre and join the community.
Second, identify the music format you want. This is as easy as vinyl, CD, or digital. Some stores specialize in one, two, or all three.
Third, find your store. There are so many out there that it will take some experimentation. Look for stores that offer online samples, so that you can better decide which tracks you will like. A great search engine enables searches by Artist, Title, Producer/Remixer, and Genre is essential. If purchasing music in a physical format (vinyl/CD), verify shipping policies and costs. If purchasing music in a digital format (mp3/wav/aiff), read the article about digital DJing for information about digital rights management and sound quality.
I would like to ask that DJs and music lovers who read this post a comment in response to the blog so that we can update the Record Stores and Digital Download links. As the guide for the site, I can relay which stores and sites in alpabetical order that I personally use to purchase music (and please note that my tastes range from progressive to commercial house, energy and trance). For CDs and vinyl, I use Import Express, Juno, Perfect Beat and Resurrection Records. For digital, I use Beatport and AudioJelly.