Chapter 7: My first residence.

Year 1996
I remained in my purpose to dedicate myself to music, and my only income was the money that I got from tapes that I had recorded to people.
I spent months recording tapes for all the young people from my village. I was proud to walk down the street and hear my sessions in the cars that passed by people who don't even I met
Monotony and I don't were good friends. I needed to expand my horizons and move forward in my dream of becoming a professional DJ. With 15 years I frequented a disco called "MOES", on Saturday and Sunday afternoons were sessions for young people between 14 and 16 years. The disco was in front of the train station from Sant Feliu de Llobregat. At the entrance there was a locker with 3 men, and a staircase that descended directly to the discotheque.
First you could see a floor where there were a few tables and chairs to drink something quietly and from which you could view the entire dance floor and cab. Going down another floor you can find the dance floor.
I went to all sessions with my friends Marko and Kike. MOES sessions were from 6 until 10 PM, and I remember that music you could heard was a little bit commercial. I think should be pointed out one thing that musically it was fashionable: "half an hour of ballads"..
Yes… even though it may seems to you incredible, all the clubs made a stop for half an hour to play ballads, and was clearly a moment to meet girls!!! Consisted to get closer to that girl that you liked, or to that girl that you've been looking at the whole afternoon and ask her: Do you want to dance with me?
Logically, if the girl accessed.. You could consider you a lucky guy and maybe you could get something else from her! I will never forget all these moments that I shared knowing girls and dancing with them to the rhythm of: Michael Jackson "Earth song", Witney Houston, or a song that marked my life: foreigner "I want to know what love is" that years later I would do a remix (but I will explain this on next chapters)
At one of those dances was when I met my first girlfriend named Ana
She lived in Manresa, and we only could see us some weekends when I was going to see her, or when she came to MOES.
I was not a good dancer, for that reason I spent the whole sessions in some strategic point of the room where there were some group of girls and where I could see the resident Djs. One of them was called Jhonny, and during his sessions he spoke by a microphone-headset. He said funny things, and got encourage the people.
At that time, I didn't share the idea to speak by mic, because my idea was basically just to play music.
After going at so many sessions at this discotheque, some people that know me for my tapes told me:
-You should have to work here ¡!!
And there was when my light bulb turned on
- Why not?? (I told me to myself)
I decided to ask to the DJ
-Hey excuse me! What do I have to do to work here??
Jhonny answered me:
- You have to speak with Freddy, you can ask for him at the entrance door.
And that’s what I did, I asked for him at the door. Freddy was a men around 30 years more or less. He was wearing a cap and he looked like very friendly.
-Are you asking for me? He told me.
- Yes! I was wondering if you are looking for some DJ for your discotheque. (I was really nervous but I knew very well to conceal it)
-Not at this moment. But you can ask me again some time later. Thanks!” Answer me Freddy.
I suppose that he told me this trying to avoid me subtly.
But he really didn't know that this answer gave me the excuse to ask him again and again, I never gave up
Normally I asked him once monthly, and I always got the same answer. But one day the resident DJ said by mic:
-Well friends, I will be on holidays but MOES does not close!! We will see us soon!!
Before to end this new, I went to look for Freddy and told him:
- You need a DJ now, don’t you? I have heard that Jhonny will be on holidays!!
Freddy with a big small told me:
- I have a substitute for him!
I followed insisting
- But why don’t you give me an opportunity to show you how can I do it?
-I am just requesting you for 30 minutes!! Just 30 minutes!! Come on!! Lot of people know me and they could come here and this will be positive for your cash!! Don’t you think?
Freddy, tired to hear me (I suppose) told me:
- Ok, you win! Come here on next Saturday and you will have your first prove.
- Do I have to bring with me my vinyls?
- No! You don’t! You can catch one from some that we have here.
When I heard his words, I could not stay for more time at the discotheque and I went back home so fast to start to play ¡!
During that week I was playing more hours than ever before. I only stopped for something to eat, always forced by my mother
I was really happy and could not stop thinking about this moment. I imagined myself on stage, and I was anxious to show everybody the talent I had inside of me.
Arrived the expected day ... Saturday afternoon!!
I went alone, because my friends and my girlfriend could not come with me, but it was not a problem for me, because it was not the first time that I went alone to somewhere.
I was near the stage, sitting on a chair, waiting to be called
Minutes go by, and hours were eternals for me
It was 8.30 PM more or less, and suddenly DJ called me and made me a sign with his hand, trying to let me know that I had to go to stage
I thought that he was going to tell me the hour when I was going to start, or just to talk with me and meet me, but my surprise was that he told me:
- Are you the guy that has a prove today? Ok so … all yours, you can start!
On that moment I were aghast, because I did not waited for an answer like that. And neither to play in front of people!
I was full of faith in myself, I was succeeding with my tapes from months ago and all the people People congratulate me on the street and told me that I was very good and with a lot of talent. My pride was high, so nothing could go wrong
I start to check over the DJ’s vinyls and I get surprised when I saw the sound table:
This turntable was different like mines!! Logically were a Técnics MK 1200, (a brand that I ignored) I was trying to decode all these colors from that turntable that I had never seen before.
Could you explain me the functioning of these buttons? I asked
These are the High tones, Bass tones, Midtones, here is the pre listening, and the monitors volume
I was totally paralyzed, all the words that he was telling me were new for my ears!! Like a new language for me !!
High tones? Bass tones? Midtones? what is that? I was wondering to myself
I thought to myself
It doesn’t matter!! Just do a great mix, you have to leave everybody awestruck
I Looked at the public, I picked up the stylus, and in that moment I had my second surprise:
My hand was shaking like never before in my life!
I was unable to keep the stylus in my hands, and I couldn't put the stylus in the main point from vinyl
Yes, my friends, yes.... I was completely stuck because of my nerves
I couldn't take me off that feeling that was blocking me!!!
So I gather all my forces to put the stylus on the right site from vinyl and turn back this to arrive at the beginning from the song, but suddenly I felt that touch from these turntables were very differents at my Akiyama. Were stronger than mine.
I kept pushing off the disks by the side in order to be able to balance the mixture in time.
When DJ saw told me:
- Don’t push it by the side from turntable, you have push the vinyl directly.
This was something new for me, and I wanted to follow his advice.
When I thought that all was under control, I turned up the volume from turntable but the wolume was higher than I was listening to.
The DJ, that was alarmed came back to me to turn down the volume, while he told me:
Push the vinyl !! you will lose the track
In my desire to reach the balance from my mix, and with the shame from my trouble with the volume that I had done, I started to push the disk and inevitably my hand brushed the power button from turntable, The result??:
I turned it off ¡!!
My shame and my impotence were growing by seconds, and at that moment I only could thought: But how can be possible? I do it perfect at home
As I got the same result with the second mix like I had with first one, the resident DJ came to me and told me:
-well, that’s enough!!
I got out of stage, completely humiliated and disappointed with myself
It was a very hard kick to my pride, my moral that until then was very high, and fell completely into a tailspin.
First thing that I thought was:
Wich explination can I give to the big boss?? After so many months requesting for this opportunity … and I messed up !!
Slowly, I began to walk up the stairs toward Freddy was…every step I gave was more humiliating for me, and I still wondered why I had this disgusting moment.
When I met with Freddy, with weepy and embarrassed I told him:
Hello…I have to apologize me with you, I did it very badly. I suppose that I got nervous, because I can do it much better. Was my first time playing with people on the dance floor.
I remember that was very hard for me give this excuse at him ... even that I couldn't look at his eyes while I were talking with him
Freddy, told me with a smile on his face, his smile made me be calm.
- Don’t worry man!! I made you this little prove to check over your reaction on stage without being planned !!
- Come back tomorrow, I will make you a prove again to hear you better, and I will teach you how to work with this equipment.
I felt a Huge sigh of relief when I heard about another opportunity to show again my talent. Totally different from my first test
On next day, I took my vinyls inside that JB box from my brothers. I arrived to the club and Freddy explained to me the operation from that equipment. I was playing for a while on his presence.
And there was when he told me:
- Yesss!! Now much better!! You're very good !!
- If you want, you can start as a resident DJ on next week!!
All my anxieties, my complex, evaporated instantly, and a huge joy grabbed me through my body.
I was going to be a residen DJ from a club!!!
I was doing a step further, to reach my goal!
I remember, I told all my friends, well-known and family
They were excited, but in many of them I saw a smile like meaning
( Well... he has been lucky, but things will not go farther)
I called at this girl that I named “girlfriend?” to explain to her my great news that made me so happy, and I told her how excited I was and what it meant for me.
And her answer was:
Sigh! Urk!! ... And now when we will be together? Because if you will be working on all Saturdays and Sundays, we don't have time for us !!
I answered her:
- Well... I don’t know. We can look for other days, but this is my dream and I’m not willing to let it go this opportunity
She was very upset and angry and told me:
- Really!!!!???? Do you preffer to be playing than to be with me??
I answered her with a short and sharp:
- YES!
Before to hear my words, and the security that was transmitted, she answered me:
- OK, if you preffer this it will be better to break up our relationship
The truth is that I don't opposed no resistance to that decision, and there was when I began to understand what is meant the selfishness word in a relationship.
I also began to be aware that It wouldn't be an easy way, and maybe I should have to leave away some important things in my life.
But I remained convinced which was my higher goal in my life, to be a DJ, I couldn't miss this opportunity that was given to me, under any pretext.