There are many aspects to being a competent deejay, especially now when the profession is filled with many DJ’s all fighting to be at the top, here is a list of the top 10 things that every DJ should know and will help you towards achieving being a good DJ, that stands out from the many.
- Know the music that you are mixing/selecting. This is vital, it allows smooth, faultless mixing of music from song to song, which gives the listener an ear pleasing experience and they will never forget your performance.
- Learn how to beat mix. A very important part of being a deejay is knowing how to beat mix. The listener has a better experience when music is mixed seamlessly without any gaps of silence or beat clashing.
- Make sure you know how to read a crowd. This is essential as keeping the dance floor busy and making people dance will get you more bookings.
- Get to know your equipment. Know everything about your tools, if you are ever faced with an equipment problem while performing, you may be able to fix it or manage your performance with the issue.
- Practice, practice, practice and ohh yes practice. It’s so important that you practice before performing. Just the same as singers and bands practice, all deejays should too.
- Keep up to date with new music that is being released. This keeps you one step ahead and knowing fresh music and presenting it to your crowd is an important part of a deejays job.
- Be careful of being near speakers for a long period of time that have loud music playing, especially just before you perform as this can damage your hearing which is one of your most important tools as a deejay.
- Keep your music in order. Organisation is the key, the last thing you need to be doing in between mixes is to be scrabbling to find the next song you want to play.
- Put energy into your work. When performing to a crowd this can make or break you. You are transmitting an energy from you to the crowd via the music, so always keep this in mind as they feel your vibes.
- Enjoy yourself, love what you do as a deejay and try your best every time.
One thing you must always remember is, just because you have downloaded some songs online and had a go at mixing the songs on a computer does not automatically make you a DJ, it takes practice and dedication. Back in the days when vinyl was the only DJ’s tool, real DJ’s where true to the cause and it took time to get to a competent level, so do not feel put off with practicing and becoming the best that you are able to be. Nothing worth having is ever easy and every great things takes time to build and establish.