When you’re learning DJing, you learn to match your music mixes with attendees’ expressions as per the event. DJing is not just matching beats, mixing or scratching over songs. This art is about being observant, empathic, reactive and relatable enough as per crowd and event. If you have a passion for music and mixing, DJing is not a hustle but being exceptional and standout in the crowd.
What are the career essential required to become a DJ?
Once you’ve decided to become a Disc Jockey (read six easy steps to follow to become a DJ), it becomes essential to know the requirements of being successful in that career. Every field or niche has its technicalities, and until and unless you get a hold of them, it is challenging to survive, forget about gaining success. So, if you are looking for how to become a successful DJ, here is a quick guide to essential DJ Career Requirements:
1. Undergo DJ Career Essential Preliminary Training
Being a Disc Jockey is a profession that needs you to perform in public. Thus, it would help if you prepare yourself well before giving your very first performance ever. A preliminary training can help you with this. Though a degree in subjects dealing with the public, like mass communication, can be of great help, it is not compulsory. What matters more is your talent to please people with your voice, to what extent can you entertain them and keep them hooked. It is one of the major requirements of becoming a DJ as if you have the skills, preliminary training can help you polish them professionally.
2. Get Familiar with the Basic
Getting familiar with the basics is another critical point one should consider to become a successful DJ. Familiarity with the Equipment, stage, environment and latest music trends can take an event to the zenith. Remember, your guests are here to dance to your tunes, literally! So, you should give them the sound mix that they cannot resist tapping their feet on.
3. DJ Career Essential Equipment
Equipment plays as important a role for a DJ as a bat for a Cricketer. You must know your Equipment and its functionality pretty well to ensure there are no surprises at the eleventh hour. If you are looking for new Equipment, then make an informed choice.
4. Practice
Even though one can learn how to make a beat or become a DJ or a music producer by going through many tutorials, becoming an expert and mastering the art is the real deal. Anyone can take up these courses and training and own a setup, but DJing takes some real effort to be the best at it. Practicing and evolving is the key. Perfection does not come in one day, it’s a process, so burn your oil and practice as much as you can. Practicing is one of the major requirements of becoming a DJ, which will help you go ahead in your career.
5. Keep track of different Events and Gigs
Keeping track of the local scene will help you look for potential opportunities for music shows and events and help you meet different distributors and promoters. Being a DJ, you always have to keep an eye on the local gigs happening around you and going out to different clubs helps you get an idea of other DJs are playing their music in different places. Understanding the place and its nuances to know the mood and feeling of the crowd and the room are the major aspects of how you will come off as a performer to your audience. This also helps in networking to land a few gigs in the near future.
6. Collect different music
As a music artist you should always be collecting and listening to different genres of music. Playing at a gig is not the same as playing in front of your family and friends. You have to curate a whole playlist to perform at an event especially when you are starting out. You can figure out your slot provided to you by your promoters on that basis you can create your whole set. For a DJ, it is crucial to play according to the situation’s time and mood; hence, they require music for different moods depending upon their allotted time. Listen to various artist’s podcasts, vinyl websites such as phonica, beatport charts, surfing SoundCloud and following bandcamp pages also helps you in making a start. Also, you should always have something in extra other than your set when performing at gigs as your time may get extended sometimes.
7. Find artists with similar interests.
Having shared interests in music can teach you a lot of things from a professional aspect. Meeting fellow DJs who could be in the same or different stages in their respective careers can prove to be helpful to you. Experienced professionals can guide you a lot about your DJ career as a DJ from their experience. Talking about music and its production can also yield great advices from you your seniors in the scene about various difficulties and glitches that DJs tend to face. Apart from guidance, just meeting people in general who like the same kind of music as you and are a regular in the same kind of events as you are can also go a long way in helping you find new artists, music, Equipment, gear and much more perhaps.
You can learn a lot from veteran DJs, from developing your own music and signature to widening your musical avenues you can gain a lot in terms of benefit. Those who have already been through the grind of becoming an artist in the music industry have many tips and advices to give you some sense of direction and motivation.
8. Regularly release your music and podcasts
You can only break out when your music is already out there online where people can regularly listen to it. Coming in notice of music artist agencies or senior musicians is also possible when you audience notices and acknowledges your music. When you record podcasts frequently and put short chunks of your upcoming tracks that you are working on, you can gain a fanbase that follows you as well as create your own vibe, that’s what makes you a good DJ. Apart from the obvious increase in fan following, you can also become an expert at mixing, selecting tracks, and quality of production.
9. Play warm-up slots
Warm-up sets are the most essential part of the main act of an event, and it sets the mood for the night in the club or at an outdoor event. These are the best way to learn how you can own the stage and control the flow of the act and modify the playlist according to the audience’s mood. Warm-up set is one of the most crucial aspects of a set and a DJs career requirement, especially when you are a budding artist. Another advantage of doing warm-up set is that you get publicized on social media when you make it next to the main act onto the bill. This helps you in getting noticed by potential promoters and show organizers.
10. Presentation
If you cannot present yourself well, even the best Equipment and training is of no good. What ultimately matters is how you offer yourself to your guests, how engaged are you able to keep them, and the level of entertainment they get by listening to your soundtracks.
To sum up, these were the essential points to keep in mind for DJs career requirements. If you are a beginner, then follow these necessary steps to become a DJ.
