DJ around town and part-time painter Dan Battle shows us how he books the big shows

08:15
I’m late. Story of my life. I’ve a meeting and wanted to get up at 7:30am. Shouldn’t have thrown on that episode of “The Wire” at 3:30am. I stagger to the computer to take my morning hit of the Internet. My friend, Chile’s DMC champ DJ Sien, sent me his new mix hoping I can arrange gigs for him in China. I download it and listen over emails and breakfast. Ten minutes later I begrudgingly decide that most good hip-hop DJs have become electro-spewing robots and put on some Grant Green to calm my nerves.

09:15
Hop on my bicycle and haul booty. Fortunately I have noise-canceling headphones that drown out street sounds. I’m listening to my set opening for Grandmaster Flash and doing some self-critique. I got a lot of positive feedback from people that night, but I think the mix sounds sloppy and dull. I am the worst DJ in the world.

09:50
Finally arrive for my 9:30am meeting with my friend Sara who works for Icicle, an eco-friendly women’s clothing line based in Shanghai. I’m DJing their annual fashion show and we’re finalizing songs with Sara’s colleagues. Music selection by committee is never my favorite, but I always have fun with Sara and it’s the second year I’ve worked with Icicle, so the meeting is pleasant.

13:00
Normally right now I’d be in class trying to commit strange / useless Chinese characters like songzhong (to make arrangements for one’s funeral) to memory, but today I’m going with friends Sacco and Sophia to meet the manager of the roller disco where Sacco, Santo Chino and I are organizing “Even Better Than Roller Disco”. The founder of “Roller Disco,” Roller Mike, is bowing out of the game and selling us the rights to his party and its name; shrewd bastard ... or are we complete suckers?

"It’s been six hours without Internet and I’m getting the shakes."

14:00
There’s nothing like a Chinese roller disco meeting to remind me how surreal my life has become. Who says “When I grow up I want to be a 30-something DJ who haggles with a middle-aged Chinese roller rink manager over the availability of larger skate sizes for foreigners with big feet”? I could not have sorted out the contract details without Sophia. I probably would have mistakenly said something about arranging someone’s funeral.

15:00
After a basket of xiao long bao, I bike home. It’s been six hours without Internet and I’m getting the shakes. Riding, I listen to the last bit of my Grandmaster Flash set, decide it’s not completely terrible and give myself a half-hearted mental pat on the back.

15:30
At home, online. While I wait for kuaidi to deliver flyers for me and Kamikaze’s Bananas party on Friday, May 7, I start to piece together the Icicle mix. The flyers arrive; I’m impressed by Kami’s design, and excited to have something I’m proud to hand out.

16:30
I get organized to meet my friend, Brad Turley, at his soon-to-open restaurant to talk about doing sketches for the walls. While DJing pays the bills, my ”training” is in visual arts and Brad’s asked me to lend a creative hand. I’m excited and nervous. Although I studied painting in college and paint regularly, I’ve never collaboratively painted, where someone tells me their vision and I paint it. First though, a power nap.

18:00
Power nap runs wild. I slept through the meeting and give Brad a call. No worries, he was busy, we’ll meet tomorrow. Working with friends is tops. I go do yoga instead.

19:30
Stop doing yoga and hit the sauna with my yoga partner, Roller Mike. We talk about the Roller party and he answers a few logistical questions.

20:00
My friend Andi and I meet to commiserate over bowls of udon about the stresses of life in Shanghai, what we’re doing here and where we’re going with our lives.

21:45
Home again. I don’t have gigs so I’ll take it easy.

22:15
My friend and local up-and- coming DJ, Yen, comes over. She recently bought turntables and wants to learn about the vast mysteries of the scratch. I’m delighted to dork out and show her what I know. While Yen is transfixed with the power of “ahh” and “fresh”, I shoot off emails to Europe to convince people that I’m the world’s coolest DJ and they should book me this summer.

01:30
Yen heads home, leaving me alone with my true love... my computer.

04:20
The Internet is a drug. My name is Dan Battle and I’m an addict. Shutdown.

What We Think
Surprise, surprise, a DJ on an off day isn’t only downloading music in his underwear all day long. Dan breaks the stereotype by being out and about during daylight hours and, like the rest of us, it’s all about the meetings, meetings, meetings–you hustler you. See if he really is as terrible as he thinks: http://soundcloud.com/elnomo. Tell him what you think of his day.