Well, this isn’t how I did it, but I would just pick up turntables or CD J’s and a mixer and practice in your living room. That’s like the easiest solution. For me, I didn’t really intend on becoming a professional DJ. I just threw parties and I would be the one playing records at those parties. So naturally, I learned how to DJ.
I think that one of the more important questions is, how do you get started DJing in front of people?
Today, the rise in the amount of DJs over the past five or 10 years is exponential. So, how does one person that just started get picked to play a show or open for a big DJ? How do you get there? My approach (and thought process) has always been, “Well, I’m not going to worry about someone choosing me. I’m going to throw my own party and invite my friends and let everything else happen naturally.” That’s how it started for me. I threw Dim Mak parties surrounding label and I would invite my friends to come DJ, who were all actually in bands. So, then the theme of these parties became bands. People in bands that DJ’ed were at Dim Mak parties like Interpol or the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s. Essentially whatever bands were coming into town would come DJ. Then, these parties became more of a social gathering of like-minded people from that world. Through these parties, I was learning how to DJ and learning the philosophy of DJing. Teaming up with band DJs and just being in that club world will ultimately teach you all the different aspects of what it is to be a DJ.
If you’re going to do a live show, there has to be a balance of having fun, enjoying yourself, but also being prepared. If you’re too prepared and too stressed about your preparation, all of a sudden you’ll be too focused on your worries and then you looked stressed ono stage and the crowd just won’t, and can’t, have fun. You’re a reflection and/or representation of what the party should be. So, the music is a real connection with the crowd and you are the ambassador of that music. If you look like you’re just not in a great place mentally, then the crowd probably can’t vibe with you. They look at you as the conductor, so you better be on point. Stay balanced and don’t overthink it.
