So you wanna be a DJ?

It’s no surprise that more and more people are trying to become DJ’s these days. I mean why not right, DJ programs are practically doing everything for you nowadays. Everyone thinks they can just plug in a laptop and magically become the next DJ AM. What those people don’t realize is, mixing two or more tracks together is only a small portion of the work a “good DJ” should be doing. I’m not here to discourage anyone from being a DJ, just gonna educate you on a few key elements that will help you better understand what separates a good DJ and a DJ that can just mix tracks with a DJ program.

Creating and building the vibe/tone.
As a DJ, its important to be aware of what time it is. Believe it or not, timing is important. Think of it as going to the gym, you’re not going to start lifting crazy weights until you stretched and warmed up a little bit. Same concept rolls over to DJing. The most common mistake of beginner DJ’s is their timing of track selection. They get all excited about DJing and start playing their best and favorite songs. Not realizing that its 11:15, and there’s no one in the club yet. It’s important to passe your set, and have it slowly develop from a “chill” mood into a “lets jump around mood”.

Here’s an example of a good opening set track.

Jay-Z – So Ambitious (feat. Pharrell)

Transitions
Transition is the term used when you move through different genres of music. This is probably the most important aspect of DJing. Ever person in a club has there own taste in music. Good DJ’s will incorporate all types of genres into their mix, hip-hop, rock, indie, old school. Basically getting a little bit of everything in there. Being able to do this with a breeze will make you a great DJ.

Be Creative
As a DJ, you want to interact with the crowd. You have to be in control of the room, simple way to do this is by being creative. Play with the phrasings in the songs, find catch ways to mix tracks that have similar topics or words.

For example: Mixing in “Michael Jackson – Rock With You (Single Version)” with “Justin Timberlake – Rock Your Body”.

Those are just a few things I can come up with of the top of my head, if you have anything else to add, please do.