A disc jockey (abbreviated DJ, D.J. or deejay) is a
person who mixes recorded music in real time.
Originally, the “disc” in “disc jockey” referred
to gramophone records, but now “DJ” is used as an
all-encompassing term to describe someone who
mixes music from any sources. DJs often perform for
a live or broadcast audience, but DJs also create
mixes that are recorded for later distribution and
playback. To be a successful DJ, here are some tips;
1) Get Some Experience: Want to be a DJ? Then get
out there! Create a relationship with other
experienced DJs. Offer to help set up the gear, or a
club night’s decor. Offer to collect email addresses
for a local DJ when he or she plays. Offer to do a half-
hour warm-up before the club opens. Be inventive.
The consistent exposure to the DJ field the faster the
learning process.
2) Be A Strong Music Fan : Good DJs aren’t born,
they’re made. Behind every great DJ is a wealth of
clubbing, crate-digging, mix-swapping and general
music loving. Develop your taste for music as you
develop your DJ skills. Enjoy the music. Learn
everything you can about music. You don’t become a
music expert overnight, so enjoy the learning curve.
It will help you much when you finally get behind
those decks.
3) Focus Hard On Your Music Collection: Individual
gigs, club residencies, even whole scenes come and
go, but the best DJs have music collections they
spend a lifetime slowly, slowly building up. This
“behind the scenes” work isn’t glamorous, but great
music is the foundations of your career. When you
finally surface as a polished, professional DJ with a
crate full of magic, only you will know how you
collected those tunes over the years and nobody will
be able to reverse engineer your path. You’ll be
unique. You’ll have earned it
4) Work Hard And Remember Nobody Is
Indispensable: Putting the hours in is of the utmost
importance. Nobody is so gifted that they can just
“wing it”, and if you don’t commit to this and work
hard, trust me somebody else will and they’ll nab
your spot every time. People who work hard and
make a big effort to go the extra mile do stand out at
any stage in their career. It’s always a good thing to
remind yourself that you can’t take anything you have
for granted, that no one is indispensable, not even
you.
5) Be Reliable, Presentable And Always Ready To
Take Charge: If you turn up late and scruffy, the
impression you give is “don’t give a damn”. It’s
important to be both reliable and well turned out. By
looking and acting like “somebody”, (and I don’t mean
being cocky and diva-like, I just mean well dressed,
washed, alert and with a sparkle in your eye!) you
say: “I’m the person in charge of this party, I’m
someone to lead tonight’s fun, trust me – and let’s
go!” It’s partly how you dress/appear, but also partly
your professionalism. Be the pro. People remember
and prefer to work with pros
6) Disregard Your Age (Young or Old): You’re never
too young to “make it” (at least, early 20s is old
enough); it’s to an extent a young person’s game.
What’s more important than how old you are is how
relevant you are. If you can’t connect with your
audience, you can’t expect them to connect with you.
If you decided to shut yourself off from the music
they love years ago, well they’re not going to give
much time to the music YOU love when you play a
tired DJ set in front of them. Stay in touch, stay
enthusiastic, and age is – to quote the cliche – simply
a number
7) Always Take Time To Relax And Recharge: You’re
in this for the long run, so don’t burn out. Sure you’re
passionate, sure you’ve got to put the work in – but if
you put so much work in that you lose perspective on
the bigger picture (family, rest, rejuvenation, stuff
outside of DJing), in the end, you lose. Whether it’s a
month a year completely off, every Monday and
Tuesday relaxing after a hard weekend working, or
just a sacrosanct barbecue every Sunday with the
family – pick your relaxation, and enjoy it.
Remember, a lot of creative thinking gets done when
we take time to kick back
8) Find A Way To Unwind After Gigs: Getting home
at 4am or whatever having just played an electric DJ
set can leave you wired and far from ready for sleep!
It’s an adrenalin thing and it goes with the territory,
but you need tactics for relaxing and unwinding. One
good “balancer” for me has always been exercise –
just running four or five times a week seems to leave
me properly ready for sleep at night even if I’ve been
DJing or whatever. If I don’t do it I seem to get
lethargic and restless at the same time. Do what
works for you – but remember that finding a way to
unwind is important in this game
9) Control Your Nerves: All DJs get nervous. If you
don’t, you’re doing it wrong. The trick is to be
professional enough to hide it. Sure, stuff can go
wrong, but your job as a DJ is to hide that side of
things form the audience as much as you can. They
don’t care, it’s not their problem! Good DJs realise
that and fix stuff unobtrusively and deftly. Of course,
experience gets you better at this, but remember that
having nerves is fine. It keeps you on your toes, and
that’s actually a good thing
10) Have Confidence In Yourself And Your
Abilities: Again it’s a cliche, but often the only thing
holding you back is you. Dare to dream. Have a vision
for where you want to be. Sure, you might not be the
polished, finished article, but it’s in our nature to put
our own efforts down and elevate those of others. Be
aware of this and compensate for it. Chance are you
HAVE “got it”, you ARE “good enough”. A bit more self
belief can be all it takes to accelerate your career.
Being a bit easier on yourself will make your journey
more fun. Ask for the advice and opinion of those
who you respect, enjoy the ride, and trust in yourself.
STAY UPDATED!
Follow @Yung_ZEELEE_MD
Add Yung Zeelee MD Zillz On Facebook
Join Our Facebook Fanpage For More Music, Video, Entertainment Gist, News and Lots More.
Holla!
Pin: 2205B4B1
YUNG ZEELEE MD BLOG 