I want to be a DJ.... how? - Part 1

Your author, playing some tunes to some of his friends. - Family Nightclub, Brisbane, Australia.

In this post I want to go through a few tips and a little bit of advice for anyone who has thought about getting into DJing. It is definitely not hard, but like anything a lot of persistence and hard work will set you apart and help out a lot.

What does it take to become a DJ?
Firstly, a love for the music that you want to play. If you are the kind of person with music playlists that go for days, often suggest new music for friends, or love searching for the newest music that connects with you and your friends, you have come to the right place.

You are going to need some equipment, but don't let this scare you. There are many free apps for computers and on smartphones that will give you the basic ideas without breaking the bank. Believe it when I say this, modern DJing is like riding a bike, once you have learned to beatmatch you will be able to pickup on nearly every piece of DJ equipment with ease. (I deliberately said 'modern DJing' as if you are keen on spinning non-DVS vinyl, your learning curve will be a little steeper, and practice and maintenance are a little more important. But hey, let's leave that tangent for another day.)

What sets a part a good DJ from a great DJ?
Only one thing, passion. Do you love what you are doing? Does it keep you up at night thinking about what music blends? Every time you hear a new song are you thinking how you could fit it into your sets? I have seen too many DJs fail over time as they lose the passion for DJing and instead opt to follow trends, drink too much, have inflated egos... etc At the end of the day, you need to love what you are doing and let it keep you on track.

What sets apart a good DJ set from others?
When you see a good DJ, they connect with the crowd. They tailor their music choices for the moment and they make sure the set is somewhat of a journey. While I won't go too far in to it, try listen to some of the legends sets. Sasha is a DJ that comes to mind that can go for hours bringing the intensity and energy up to nearly boiling point in waves that keep you on the dancefloor.

Think about this when you are next listening to a DJ set, has each track gone logically from one to the other? Is the energy going up or down? Is the key changing in a way that adds energy to the set? There are a million different ways to construct a set, and there is often different ways to do things across all genres. Listening in to DJs that inspire you by downloading their livesets is a great way to get inspiration for your own sets.

What next?
Did you like this short guide, want me to expand on it? Let me know in the comments.