It’s your gig. You organized it. You attracted your followers to the venue. You aligned the stars. Now it’s time to be good. To give them what they want, and some of what you want too. Each event you play should make you a little better than the last. But only if you’re taking it all in and learning to DJ while you do. Here are a few ways to get better at DJing faster.
Mix like a pro
Many first-time DJs import a bunch of summer hits into their software and just start mixing without really knowing what’s coming next. You need to know the tracks you play. Where are the builds and drops? What’s the overall flavor? Is it universally mixable, or is it a little different? Analyze your songs. Filter out the ones you don’t really care for, and find more to fill their place. When you know them really well, you’ll notice your mixing get better fast.
Connect with the crowd
People need a flow. To get into a track or a set, they need to place their trust in the DJ and their track choice and skills. It’s a process that gets built up over the night. So watch their movement. If feet are tapping, and people are moving more, you’re doing something right. Make eye contact, smile, talk to people and get into the groove yourself. All basic advice, but often overlooked by DJs who focus too much on the technical side.
Learn from your mistakes
Each gig is different. Even holding a residency will place different demands on you on different nights. Conditions at outdoor events can wreak havoc while DJing. Touring takes this to the next level. Sound rigs can be unpredictable, management and venue owners can be jerks, crowds can be boring. Think of the whole journey as adding entries to a database of knowledge that only you have. You want that book to be fuller every time. Remember what goes right (and wrong) and learn from each new DJ event you play.
A million DJs, a million ways to get the job done. But everyone is subject to the same game. You want the crowd to get going. You want to be recognized for all your organizing and your taste. You want to have fun for real. Get better faster by signing up for a course with DJ Courses Online today.
John Bartmann is a music producer and DJ.