My first new retirement hobby: DJing.
Yes, this is as ridiculous as it sounds. I’ve loved listening to music virtually my entire life. Over the years, I have built up a massive CD collection (~1,300) and typically add 4-6 new albums a month. Probably half of them are electronic or EDM adjacent with the rest split between rock, rap, punk, pop, and alternative. Pretty much anything outside classical, jazz, or country. Not that I have anything against those styles, just not my vibe.
I have two primary music listening habits:
- Full albums start to finish
- Online DJ sets
When I get a stack of new CDs, I’ll first rip them to FLACs and then load them onto my MP3 player. I’ll listen to them during my daily runs/walks non-stop. I’ll also have the CDs in my truck on repeat. It typically takes about a month for me to get tired of them at which point I’ll then buy another batch of albums and repeat the process.
If I’m at home, I’ll listen to DJ sets on YouTube. I have a group of DJs I enjoy and am always finding new ones to listen to. This is what originally planted the idea of learning to DJ a number of years ago. It seemed so cool, but I kept putting it off because. . . well, I have no musical ability. Or rather, I’ve spent no time learning music. I took piano lessons for 6-12 month back when I was maybe 8 and that’s been it. I don’t know anything about making or playing music so this has been one of those fantasies that you tell yourself you’ll eventually get around to.
Well, it’s time.
I’m ridiculously excited to start up this hobby. And a little daunted/fearful if I’m being honest. I’m starting from absolute zero. The exciting part is looking back on my ultra career and seeing what I can accomplish when I devote time and effort into something I’m passionate about. The daunting/fearful part is because I still remember how much frustration comes along with that journey. Progress isn’t linear. There are no shortcuts. There’s only one way for me to get where I want to go.
Time to get to work.
