Episode 111: 13 Things All New DJs Should Know

In Episode 111, we review 13 key points that we feel are good things for new DJs to know. While there are certainly more than 13 things that every DJ should know, these were key points we felt were especially important for newcomers to the art and craft.  We broke these points down in to 3 categories: Technical, Social, and Philosophical...because believe it, or not, there's a lot more to DJing than your technical skill!  Technical The Fundamentals Are Worth It Today's hardware and software take care of a lot of the fundamental skill out of the hands of the modern DJ. But, technology can, and inevitably will, fail. How you respond is entirely dependent upon your skill and confidence in the fundamentals. Experience Leads to Confidence While it's easy for most DJs to get used to their equipment, you may not always be able to play on your desired rig. Some gigs require you to use gear you've never seen before. Getting yourself exposed early on to different gear will make you even more versatile, as a DJ, thus increasing your confidence and flexibility to take more gigs. Pro Gear Isn’t Necessary Just because we have well known "industry standards" and most of our favorite headlining acts appear playing on NXS2, TOUR1, and PRIME setups, doesn't mean you have to have that to be a successful and skilled DJ. There are many DJs out there who have vastly different riders and many are playing on very different setups. Just because you spend the money on a pro-level setup doesn't mean you become a pro-level DJ. Get what you will use, and can afford, and master it! That's what pros do! Protect Yourself: Always Use a Contract! This is especially true for our friends in the mobile/wedding/corporate event circuits. This is often the only protection you have against a client who refuses to pay. For performance/club DJs, however, using a contract from day one might not be necessary. However, as your popularity (and your booking fee) increases, it will become more and more important, so do not skip looking in to putting this together sooner, rather than later, after you've already been burned! Social Be Versatile, but Focused It's ok to love multiple genres, but many genres have their own scenes, and each of them are filled with dedicated fans that can sniff out a laissez faire newcomer. If you spend all of your time spread too thin between multiple genres and scenes, you may find it hard to succeed or advance in any of them. And, it can be very confusing for people who see you playing techno at one show, then hip hop at another. Take the time to become proficient in a scene and develop real fans before dipping your toes in to the next one, because the fans, the music, and the scenes deserve it, and you owe it to yourself to really develop your music library, skills, and network properly. Nurture Your Network This is probably one of the most important, behind technical skill. Without the proper networking skills, you'll never leave your bedroom. You have to not only impress people as a DJ, but you have to get their attention as a person. How you establish and work within those relationships will ultimately determine what opportunities are made available to you. We’re Not JustDJs, Anymore We have to wear many hats, these days. While most of the headliners have multi-person teams of tour managers, audio engineers, booking agents, graphic designers, and marketing specialists, most of us are working on a much tighter budgets. That means we need to be able to do all of those things, or be able to network with others who can do those things for us while we barter something else, in return. You Catch More Flies with Honey than Vinegar To be blunt: Don't be a dick. There's stories upon stories of people who act unprofessionally, at best, and petulant or violent, at worst. And it's not just a few bad headliners who "made it", this is a very common attitude within local scenes, as well. Ultimately, the best thing to always do, is take t