Nowadays, everybody is a DJ

Where DJ’s were once tucked away in a dark corner of a club, nowadays they are almost superstars. As the guys from Soulwax/2 Many DJ’s described it in a song; “everybody wants to be the DJ”

And sometimes it definitely seems that way. “The Netherlands have more DJ’s than unemployed people”, a colleague of mine used to say, jokingly. But he did actually have a point there. Because everybody that has ever played a few songs in a row at the birthday party of uncle Henk or aunt Truus seems to call him/herself a “DJ”. But does that make you a DJ? Believe it or not, but the actual mixing of tracks is not the only task of a good DJ. Yes, it is part of it, of course, but that’s not all…

What else does a (good) DJ do?

 Yes, the actual seamless mixing of tracks is important. Especially for dance music. But thanks to technical developments there are a lot of options to make that single “trick” much easier. The so-called “sync” function is on every serious piece of DJ gear.  But a good DJ does so much more! Mixing some tracks, great. But how about different tuning of tracks? And what if the sync function is not completely accurate? Or how about choosing the right tracks for the right moment? Building up a full DJ set? Reacting to the audience?

These are all subjects that play a very important role in DJ-ing. And all of that is not as easy as you might think.

“Real dj’s mix with vinyl”

As a DJ I started mixing with record players, then got familiar with CDJ’s and nowadays I also love using digital DJ gear (like Traktor or Ableton Live) or a combination of all of the above. And I’ve heard this statement many times. It always makes me laugh out loud. Complete nonsense. But what people that say something like that usually mean is, that a good DJ should also be able to do his/her job with very simple means. And that is something I DO agree on.

My point is this: modern DJ equipment has made it much easier to do a tight and synced mix, that is a fact! But it is quite useful to learn old fashioned “beat matching”. This means you are able to sync two tracks by listening, without help of any software. You should not learn this because it is better, but simply because it will help you to make better mixes.

Sync functions are not always fool proof. With tricky grooves or non standard rhythms they sometimes get confused. And another strange side effect is, that sync functions sometimes make your mix sound too “mechanical”. Almost too perfect. But to be able to actually hear that, “old fashioned” beat matching is a very useful thing.  Meant as an addition to your set of skills, not as a replacement.

“I already have my final playlist for tonight!”

Another remark I hear a lot. And again it makes me laugh. I’ll explain why. Don’t get me wrong; having a global selection of tracks for a dj gig is quite useful. No problems there. However, having a playlist including the complete playing order, that is a different kind of thing. I already mentioned reacting to a crowd as a dj. But what does that really mean?  Audiences are different everywhere. Hard to predict and different at every gig.

Besides that, time is also important. Playing a huge dancefloor killer during the first dj set of the night might not be a good idea, for instance. Or starting your set with a 10 minute ambient intro after the dj colleague before you played a steamy and rolling techno set. Also not always a good idea. Or how about musical choices of your dj colleagues at a certain gig? Imagine you have a great and fully prepared playlist and are ready to do your thing. The colleague playing before you is still playing a few more songs. And what does that joker do? He starts playing some of the exact same songs you have waiting in the playlist of your mix! So now what? Just keep following your prepared playlist? I know I wouldn’t….

So my main point is this: by completely preparing every little detail of a set you will never develop your best dj skills. Preparation? Fine! But please keep in mind that you will never be able to fully predict what does or does not work on a dancefloor. Just playing hit after hit will be very boring And not being able to react to colleagues, audience, vibe and play time because you already prepared every little detail is a very big risk.

Learn to be flexible! Watch the crowd before playing, listen to their reactions. Do your homework and make sure you know what kind of club hires you. Think about the appropriate music for that time and place. Bring some extra tracks to be able to change direction, if necessary.

DJ-ing is an actual profession

 Just being able to do a simple mix won’t get you there, that much is certain. Good dj-ing really is an advanced skill. Decks and fx are your instruments. You need to be flexible and professional. And don’t forget the hours and hours of finding new music, practicing, getting the right contacts, etc. Several important tasks that many people seem to forget as far as DJ-ing is concerned.

And that is why being a good DJ is a profession! There is so much more to it than just mixing and it takes so much of your time. It is an actual art, an advanced skill and a lot more than just pressing “sync”

It is basically a way of life!

And that deserves to be said once in a while.