We are thrilled to be connecting with Ralph Russell again. Ralph is a DJ, Producer, Band Coach & Graphic Designer and is also a content partner. Content partners help Voyage in so many ways from spreading the word about the work that we do, sponsoring our mission and collaborating with us on content like this. Check out our conversation with Ralph below.
Hi Ralph, so great to have you join us again. For folks who might have missed our earlier conversations, can you please take a minute to briefly introduce yourself?
I am a professional DJ, music producer and graphic designer. I have provided DJ services for many private events, venues and skating rinks in the metro Atlanta, including Cascade, Sparkles, Metro Lanes & Games, Cru Lounge, IceBar, & many more! I also work at Westlake High School as the marching band coach and drum major instructor.
What are the benefits of being a DJ and producer?
There are many benefits of being a DJ and producer. As a DJ, I get paid to play songs for a certain type of crowd. While I’m dj-ing, I pay attention to what songs or what specific genres of music make the audience move the most. I read the crowd for reactions to see what beats make the energy shift. When I started producing, I realized that I could create my own sound that could make people want to sing and dance. I started to study music differently and listen to the compositions of each track, seeing what parts of the instrumental fit best in the song and what didn’t. I applied these techniques to my own production and ended up improving my own type of sound. Once I began working with other artists, I started to take the songs that I created with them and began playing those songs at my events. For us DJs who produce, this is a perfect way for us to push the songs we’ve produced and give artists we work with the proper exposure to grow their fanbase. I recommend all DJs learn how to produce because it is a great skill to have as a musician.
How do you network with artists and get them on your beats?
I network with different artists mostly by refferals and direct messages on Instagram. I started out working with upcoming local artists and producers in my close circle such as Epic, Mi$take, Quez4real, Hunchovelle, Boog Laurent, EasyMoneyCaleb and many more. I released my first producer project independently in October 2020 and three more producer projects following that. They all did well on streaming services, adding up to over 200,000 streams over all platforms. In addition, I did a big social media roll out with a billboard that caught people’s attention around the metro Atlanta area. Once I released my first few songs with my friends, other artists from surrounding Atlanta cities heard what type of sound I had and began reaching out to me wanting to collaborate. Some artists paid for beats through my Beatstars page or found me on Instagram and we eventually collaborated in person. After I began to build my clientelle, I started focusing on maintaining relationships with the artists I’ve worked with in the past, while still networking on Instagram or in different studios to get my next opportunity. I recommend producers travel around their city or go out of town and network with different talents because you never know what you and that person will create.
What did you do to promote your brand to others?
First, I created a brand name and logo. I created my logo, “The DJ 23 Superman Crest”, myself on Adobe Photoshop. Once I made my logo, I ordered business cards and promotional items such as flyers to pass out to people at my events. Next, I went to social media to spread the word about my business, sending my flyers to all of my friends, family and friends of friends. I always made sure to do great business whenever I DJayed an event. This helped build my clientelle and allowed me to get refferals from clients giving great reviews on my services. After business began to pick up and become more busy. I started doing photoshoots and creating motion graphics to make my business look more professional and allow people to connect my face with the brand name. This helped people become familair with my image and I gained more bookings because of my marketing techniques and professionalism.
How do you create / construct a beat ?
I start off all of my beats with the main melody. The melody is how I can get a feel of what I want the tempo to be and how I will layout my drums. I’ll play with different pitches of the melody and tempos to see which one has the best feel. Once I add EQs to the melody and take out some of the low ends (Bass), I begin to add the drums, which include: hi-hats, claps, snares, kicks, and 808s (bass). Once I’ve laid out my drum and 808 patterns, I go back in to add 2-3 counter melodies. The counter melodies allow the beat to switch up and not be completely the same throughout. I am a big fan of percussion sounds as well, so I’ll add a few nuances in the beat to make it sound more full and not as empty. Once this is done, I add a Soft Clipper to the master channel and the 808 so the bass can punch through. There may be room for edits near the end but once the beat is complete I try not to change too much.
I compare my beats to marching band arrangements because my compositions are very melodic and have “band-like” influnced drum patterns.
What will you do more of in 2023 to take your career to the next level ?
I will create more content for social media and be consistent with posting on TikTok. I realized TikTok is the new way to become popular on social media so I want to take advantage of the opportunity while the app is still in it’s early stages. Also, I want to create more montizeable content because the market for music content is constantly growing everyday. If I am able to post more content, I feel I will grow my fanbase and reach a different demographic of audiences.
What is your favorite thing about being a DJ ?
Being able to control the crowd. I love being able to see the crowd’s reaction when I play a certain song. It’s a rush of energy watching people sing and dance to the songs that you play, just by the press of a button. In addition, I like to interact with the crowd on the mic and get feedback. I feed off of what the crowd does and how they feel during my set, so it’s my job to make sure they have a great time throughout the course of the event so that I perform to the best of my ability.
Thank you so much again for sharing all of this with us. Before we go, can you share with our readers how they can connect with you, learn more or show support?
dj23atl.com
https://www.instagram.com/dj23_live/
Contact Info:
- Website: dj23atl.com
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ralph-russell-170219171
- Twitter: @DJ23_LIVE
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/c/DJ23LIVE
Image Credits
Demarko Hooper @eyeofmarko
