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Being a DJ is one of the coolest things you can do in 2022. Iâd like to live in a world where everyone DJs during lunch break, after work, before bed. The anime series âD4DJ: First Mixâ is an idyllic example of such a place. When you meet someone new and youâre talking about music and you say âthis one hits when I spin it at the clubâ or âI have a really cool remix of that on my USBâ, your hotness increases so much. My first DJ set was in high school at Utopia Studios in St. Louis, Missouri and I played so much festival dubstep to a crowd of unknowing prep school kids. Since then itâs been much more of the same.
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No we donât need more DJs but yes, who cares â itâs fun! Ok here are some things:
⢠Get some basic gear. Some options from cheapest upwards: Hercules DJControl Starlight, Hercules DJControl Inpulse 200, Pioneer DDJ-200. Look for used if you wanna save some cash! People are constantly selling these things.
Cheap alternative: download a DJ app and just use your phone. I haven't tried any of these but I've heard they're getting better!
⢠Get some DJ software running. Most controllers come with bundled software. The Starlight and Inpulse come with (and are set up) for Serato DJ Lite (which is a free download anyway), the DDJ-200 comes with rekordbox (I will come back to this), and for a little more cash you could get an NI Traktor Kontrol S2 with Traktor Pro 4 (really good full-featured DJ software). Regardless of your controller, you can download Virtual DJ for free, so this is probably your best bet if you don't get something bundled. And at this point, it doesn't matter. They all have different features and layouts but ultimately do the same thing.
⢠Download songs! Get Soulseek and start searching!
⢠Hit some YouTube tutorials for the controller and software you have. Just going for the bare basics here: adding songs to your library, loading songs up so they're ready to play, playing/stopping, volume control. Then bpm, cue (headphone) vs. master (speakers) volume, etc. YouTube tutorials are simply amazing.
⢠That's basically it! I recommend b2b-ing at home with someone else who is learning or has a bit more experience than you because this is highly hands-on learning â you just have to be doing it, fucking up, and figuring it out as you go!
Ok but now comes the q: what do you want to do with this newfound skill? If you're getting a little more serious about wanting to play out somewhere, you'll have to decide if you wanna stick with the laptop DJ rig (controller + software of your choice) or move to the "industry standard", which is Pioneer CDJs and rekordbox. All venues that have DJs have CDJs and mixer (pictured below). Now, you can totally bring a laptop rig and set it up at these places, but most people roll up with a USB stick (loaded up via rekordbox) so they can just plug and play. Whatever you land on, I still recommend getting comfy with the Pioneer devices and systems. rekordbox has a free tier that lets you build and export your library. Now, the nice thing about literally everyone being a DJ is that you probably have some friends who actually have CDJs+mixer or another Pioneer controller that accurately emulates this setup. So go over there, bring them a bottle of wine, and spend some time on it! If that's not an option, ask if you can shadow your DJ friend at a gig (either low-stakes or early in the night) so you can see what's going on and take notes. Maybe they'll let you fuck around a bit!
Edit: forgot to mention to look out for open decks nights at cute venues! These are great opportunities for low-stakes, supportive practice on CDJs and meeting other DJs.
Now, if you book a gig (honestly pretty easy to do now â yes there are a million DJs but if you seem cool/play good music and have some idea of what you're doing you can probably get on a bill) and you still have never touched CDJs, hit up something like this tutorial (check first which models they have at the venue). Then ask the venue if you can come for a soundcheck or when they open to try some stuff out, and get in a bit of practice to at least get comfortable with the basics before the crowd comes in. Itâs not too hard to get the bare minimum down, and then you can work up to more complicated stuff later.
Also, keep in mind: if you're playing stuff they're into, crowds are usually super forgiving. That means you can fuck up and a) no one will notice, b) no one will care. So just have fun and the more you do it, the better you'll get!
Aug 4, 2024
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much love to really competent people but I just like sharing my obscure mixes and having people dance
Jan 31, 2024
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VirtualDJ is a beginner friendly app. Go out and talk to the DJs who actually make you dance. Stay in touch. YouTube University and campus/studio classes in your area.
Pirate Studios is a for profit place in NY that rents out DJ studio space. Maybe something similar in your city. Youâll probably find music communes if you talk to enough DJs that let you play with different equipment at meetups
Start making playlists with a purpose. Research your favorite song when you were 16 and remember the places you heard it.
Dec 31, 2024
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The mysterious online entity known only as âDJ Wallh4xâ released this project on Club Cringe back in 2021. Every moment scratches every fold of your brain. Although the samples on the album range from cute video game references to church hymn vibes, thereâs an undeniable evilness in every track. I listened to the whole album in the shower the other morning and had such a glorious day after. Favorite tracks âBMORA CLUBâ, âBuy Modeâ, âCrazy Handâ.
Jul 12, 2022
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Spaghett = Miller High Life with Aperol and lemon juice, perfect beverage to sip at Rebeccaâs while Christian shows us his favorite folk punk bands. I canât tell you how many soul crushing anti-folk and twee shit Iâve heard with one of these beverages in my hand. Sometimes weâll even hit the CDJs at Rebeccaâs on a Monday night fueled by Spaghetts. Iâm scheming on a full breakcore remix of the entire album âBuilding Nothing Out of Somethingâ by Modest Mouse and debuting it there.
Jul 12, 2022
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I donât play as many video games as Iâd like to these days, but I absolutely adore the deep dive gamer-documentaries that Nick Robinson makes on Youtube. He does these insane vlog meets documentary meets investigative journalism meets internet archivist videos that sometimes explore games I have no knowledge about whatsoever but theyâre so freaking high production and entertaining. He has like 3 videos dedicated to the discontinued Dominoâs Pizza app that ran in Japan and featured an augmented reality Hatsune Miku function that I adore. We met him when we were in Texas earlier this year and heâs very chill. His videos bring niche lore to the masses and leave with you a sense of contentment and resolve. The future of journalism and documentaries is in Youtubers like Nick Robinson.
Jul 12, 2022