Ep. #004: Featuring Merchant

Want to sponsor a future edition of Guildie? Feel free to reply to this email with your idea!

Hey there! Welcome to Guildie, where you get actionable advice from first-rate DJs fueling the GTA’s flourishing electronic dance music scene. (This newsletter is sent out every Wednesday).

For the one-month milestone of Guildie, our founder, Merchant, steps up to share his early-career experiences, insights, and aspirations. Aside from running the newsletter, he’s played at multiple venues and ‘covert’ locations across Hamilton and the GTA with his signature Techno-trained sounds. Now, he’s prepping for a serious personal branding overhaul, and he’s got several more productions releasing soon.

Before we continue: Do you find this kind of information useful? Consider forwarding this email to a friend or fellow DJ who might, too! If this is your first time reading Guildie, you can sign up to receive future additions for FREE right here.

What to Expect 

• Getting into DJing by Accident

• Having the Right Gear at the Right Time

• The Importance of Set Curation

• Representation in Recent Lineups

• Hosting Events for Personal Growth

Note: Guildie is still in its early stages of development. If any changes or additions could be implemented to improve your reading experience, please message me at [email protected]. I’ll be working to refine the newsletter each week! :)

–Merchant (@ohmymerchant)

Introducing Merchant

Name: Merchant (he/him)
Place of Origin: Stoney Creek, Ontario
Genres: Techno (Hypnotic, Driving) // House (Melodic, Deep)
Affiliations: Guildie // Roundtable
——
Socials: Instagram // SoundCloud
Bookings: [email protected]

Overview

“Merchant (he/him) is a Scottish-Canadian DJ currently based out of Toronto, Ontario. He is the creator and host of ‘Roundtable’, a monthly event series dedicated to collaborative, judgment-free practice sessions for new and established selectors in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). More recently, he founded Guildie, a newsletter offering free weekly writeups about DJs and their unique stories stemming from the music we know and love. (You’re reading it!)

Merchant entered into his local Techno scene at the tail end of 2023, showcasing an addicting blend of gritty loops and groovy percussions. He continues to organize and participate in accessible events held within his neighbouring communities, creating outlets for individuals to let loose and escape ‘the real world’—even if it’s just for a short while.”

Q&A

Q: When did you begin your journey as a DJ? Why did you decide to start?

A: “I started learning how to DJ in October 2023. I got a DDJ-WeGO3 as a Christmas present in 2016 but I never got around to learning how to DJ properly, only messing around with it from time to time. The controller sat completely untouched in my basement for quite a few years, and on one random day, I decided to mess around with it one more time out of boredom. Things just seemed to click a bit more than they used to, and after downloading 10 or so songs to my computer for testing purposes, the mixing seemed to flow!

I was hooked.

Despite this accidental finding, DJing was always of interest to me, particularly due to my interest in dance music from a young age. I had always enjoyed finding new tracks to listen to and eventually recommend to people afterward. It made my heart a bit warm to see someone smile after realizing they liked my suggestion, you know!? It still does. Each time I get a similar reaction at one of my sets today, I’m reminded of why I started.”

Q: How do you go about building a set that keeps the crowd engaged? Does this differ depending on the type of gig?

A: “My mixing style is very ‘up and down’, largely playing off intense bridges and leading drops. This style has always helped to keep the crowd engaged throughout sets, particularly where my goal is to keep dancers in a ‘hypnosis’.

While my mixing style will generally stay the same regardless of the event, my track selection will shift slightly. If I’m playing an opening set, I might sit around 135BPM while strictly playing slower tribal tracks. If I’m later into the night, I’ll play upwards of 146BPM and maintain a much grittier sound with hypnotic and driving influences. It really just depends on my interpretation of how the event will go beforehand and planning my crates accordingly.”

Q: How do you manage to stay current with music trends and discover new tracks?

A: “On the topic of music trends, I think it’s crucial to be active in your surrounding dance music communities to see which kinds of music attract listeners most. From there, it’s simple to get a grasp of how you can implement new sounds or techniques into future sets, increasing the overall quality of performances drastically.

There are a few tried-and-true ways that DJs can search for music somewhat effortlessly, but for me specifically, I often look at the mixes my favourite artists create and post online. If they’ve provided a tracklist for their set, skimming through the IDs can be a great way to quickly find new music and gradually head in the direction of finding more for yourself.”

Q: What were the most significant challenges you faced early in your career? How did you overcome them?

A: “Traveling to events has always been a huge timesink for me. I rely heavily on public transit when getting to and from Toronto, and it can make attending events both tiresome and pricey. As a result, meeting DJs and community members in person became–and still is–difficult. 

Using social media like Instagram or X (Twitter) can be a great way to circumvent this issue. It’s been a solid option for me as I’ve been able to schedule meetings and events with new connections completely online instead of making the trip out to Toronto every time.”

Q: What strategies have you found effective for building a personal brand as a DJ and establishing a fan base?

A: “Creating Roundtable was the major factor in kickstarting my growth as a DJ. Being able to take 6 DJs from different circles each month and having them grow together makes for meaningful networking opportunities, leading to more events and the occasional booking. In essence, contributing to the community rewarded me in the long run. I think this is a brutally overlooked and undervalued way to get directly involved with your scene and build an organic following from the ground up.”

Q: Can you share a memorable gig experience where something unexpected happened? How did you handle it?

A: “My first ‘official’ gig was at Supermarket as part of a weekly event, Community x Supermarket. Up until this point, I had only played in settings where a smaller sound system was in use, like computer speakers, as opposed to a higher-end one. 

Basically, I had gotten very used to practicing at home without headphones and became overly confident that I could do the same at a gig. Unfortunately for me, the venue didn’t have any kind of booth monitors, making it pretty difficult to hear the sound over the strong bass being blasted. This really tripped me up and led to an underwhelming set. I went out and bought a cheaper pair of IEMs (in-ear monitors) that same week…”

Q: What do you love most about the current scene? Is there anything you hope to see improve over the next few years?

A: “I think there’s a lot of ‘young blood’ right now in Toronto, and that’s exciting! We’re beginning to see a lot of new faces in the scene surface quickly, leading to a much-needed variety of productions and events across the GTA. It’s refreshing.

In saying that, it’s clear that there’s a need for more diverse lineups at virtually all kinds of events: festivals, clubs, underground raves, and the like. (I’m looking at you, VELD). It’s getting exhausting to see lineup after lineup stacked with ‘just dudes’. When the poster for an event is 90% male with over 50+ names, alarms should sound, so to speak. Injecting future events with more artists under the FLINTA* umbrella will lead to better productions, better representation, and a better range of music for dancers to enjoy together.”

Q: What role has mentorship played in your journey as a DJ? How can new DJs find mentors or guidance in the industry?

A: “‘Ask and you shall receive’ immediately comes to mind here. I genuinely believe that most DJs you come across will enthusiastically provide advice or direct support for your own journey, given that you can establish a line of communication with them. Once again, social media can be a great way to do so; however, it might prove to be the hard part. If the artist you’re seeking guidance from has a smaller social media following, or even if they’re holding coaching sessions of sorts, you may have a greater shot at gaining their attention and starting a productive relationship.

Just don’t spam them. Nobody likes spam. 😅”

Insights

Preparation is Everything. Having the proper gear to DJ effectively is a must-have in any scenario: headphones, a USB/laptop, backups, you name it! These things can make or break your performance at a gig. You never know what could happen.

Experimenting May Lead to Your Next Big Break. While experimenting can certainly be scary, it’s key to creating the most successful of breakthroughs. Unless you want to be a carbon copy of someone else, you need to be experimenting often to find your sound and identity as an artist.

Hosting Events is Good For Your Community—and Yourself. You’ll need to invest lots of time, effort, and sometimes, money to begin hosting events. That being said, it’s worth it. People appreciate good events and your efforts to create them. In turn, this can be a great way to build connections and create a fanbase of your own.

“Find Ways to Preserve Your Energy”. DJing can become quite taxing. It’s a fun role but it comes with long nights, endless travel, and many headaches. Find tools and tactics to preserve your time and energy to book gigs, meet new people, and create useful content for your fanbase.

If You Want Help, Ask For It! The community we have here in the GTA for electronic dance music is generally welcoming, and there’s always going to be someone out there willing to help. Reach out to those with experience, when reasonable, and you might find yourself with a new supporter.

Mixes & Productions

Bad Faith (the Seer) // Recently released, Bad Faith bolsters driving Techno beats for a brief bout of excitement.

Phantasm (the Mesmer) // A 1-hour mix filled with raw, hypnotic techno featuring producers such as Truncate, Ben Reymann, and Symbolism. This one will have you up on your feet and ready to dance.

Recommendations

Recently Played

Procombo - Hey You! // Released June 28th, 2024.
Alberto Tolo - Holy Gear // Released November 27th, 2019.
Uväll - Witchcraft // Released March 8th, 2024.
Stephen Disario - Sixth Sense (Ketch Remix) // Released October 6th, 2023.
Phil Berg - Dispatched // Released January 27th, 2023.
Truncate - Room Mode (Nemoral Remix) // Released June 27th, 2024.

Favourite Artists

Franco Rossi // For catchy, blood-pumping grooves.
BLANKA // For exceptional hypnotic productions.
Julieta Kopp // For unique and enticing sound design.
Red Rooms // For bouncy, dark beats.

Top Organizations

HATE // For consistently bangin’ techno tunes and a stellar podcast.
BCCO // For a masterclass on all things ‘groove’.

Learning Materials

Beatmatching Without Headphones // Video by DJ Phil Harris.
In Defense of Sync // Video by DJ Carlo.
On Music Selection and Set Curation // Blog by Desert Island Cloud.
First Steps to Becoming a DJ // Blog by Ditto Music Distribution.
Engaging With a Crowd // Blog by Stickerlight.

A final note from Merchant: “Thanks to everyone who’s supported the launch of this newsletter—it means a ton. As Guildie continues to grow, I’ll be refocusing my efforts on the Merchant project by getting some updated photos, dropping new mixes, and playing more shows. I’m really excited about what I’ve got planned…”

Here’s to many more months of Guildie! As a reminder, if any improvements could be made to the newsletter, let me know about them at [email protected]. I greatly value your time and readership.