"It's not an easy thing to meet your maker"
- Roy Batty (Blade Runner)

I've been DJ'ing for more than a decade now. I might even go as far as saying that I'm fairly decent too. At least the thousands of listeners from 80+ countries that subscribe my podcast regularly and all the record labels that have invited me to their VIP promo-pools seem to think so. However, no matter how good one is in his chosen craft, it's always a good idea to pop outside and see how others do it. The secret of self-improvement and -discovery is outside perspective.

There are three DJ's that I consider to be my role models and inspiration; Derrick Carter, Erick Morillo and Carl Cox. I've set myself an objective to see all of them perform live and so far it's going pretty good. Last year I witnessed Derrick Carter drop a mind-blowing set and last Saturday I saw Erick Morillo perform.

Despite the fact that Morillos set wasn't anywhere near the best sets I've heard from him, his performance was still a humbling experience and made me realize few profound facts about myself as a DJ – and DJ'ing in general.

I realized that I'm somewhat an underachiever DJ. It's clear that I don't utilize the full potential of my skills or even the capabilities of my gear. DJ'ing can be so much more than just linearly mixing one track after another. When observing a veteran DJ with my trained eye and ear, I could spot majority of the tricks Erick Morillo has in his arsenal. Rather than being awe struck, I was feeling guilty and questioning myself: Why am I not doing that too? Actually, on a general level I've had people accusing me for not living up to my full potential my whole youth.

One other important lesson I learned about (live) DJ'ing is that at the end of the day it's just posing. This might seem like a harsh thing to say, but it's not meant to undermine Erick Morillo or anyone else for that matter. Sure, technical skills are important as is the ability to read the crowd and pick an inspiring track list. Still, it all comes down to personal charisma and the ability to connect with the crowd emotionally. A cynic might say it's all about your ability to fake you're creating the music instead of just playing other peoples records.