Learning how to DJ properly is about a lot of things. This is why these DJ tips can help you to learn about playing gigs and help you to get the balance right before a set.
Mastering your gear, learning how to mix like a club DJ, knowing your music inside out and the desire to spread the love are just some of the qualities and skills you'll need.
But even when you've prepared perfectly well, when you feel relaxed with your tunes and you feel like your gear has become an extension of your body, things can still go wrong.
DJ intuition plays a big part in this. It's hard to find much information explaining how to develop better intuition and making people dance. Most good DJs don't even know why they're good at selecting the right tunes. They just feel instinctively what people want to dance to.
They think like DJs all day, every day. How can you develop that kind of intuition? Part of knowing how to DJ is also about being in the right state of mind. In fact, many pro DJs would even say this is more important than anything else.
How is it that you can sometimes "not be feeling it"? We've all been there, nights where it seems almost impossible to make anyone dance. Nights where people just don't even react to the tunes you've played before that would usually make people dance on top of tables.
Good DJs have also had nights where everything seemed to go perfectly; when they mixed well, their tune selection was bang on and people smiled at them and hugged them.
On the other hand, they've also had nights where people were miserable, grumpy and seemed to like nothing that was played.
Prepare For Your Set
Now relax, I'm not bringing out that old cliché you read absolutely everywhere when learning to play gigs. I'm not going to tell you to practice till your ears and hands are raw. We all know that practice makes perfect. Or does it?
What I am going to tell you should lead to you spending less time preparing your and still DJing like a pro on the night.
1. Don't practice much on the day of your gig
Stupid as it may seem, you should plan to avoid practicing too much on the day of your important gig. Plan to give yourself enough time to avoid cramming any desperate mixing practice 2 hours before you leave to the club.
Your performance comes from somewhere deeper than what you've just learnt that day. It's the icing on the cake of your years of hard work, thinking like a DJ, imagining yourself playing a set, collecting music and observing how people react in clubs.
You can't learn that kind of intuitive skill by cramming in a hardcore "study course" tutorial the same day. Check through your new tunes and by all means, have another listen to them, but do this in a relaxed way. Don't be listening to them when you're in a hurry or stressed.
You learn while you sleep
Your brain is programmed in such a way that you learn and absorb information while you sleep. Have you ever woken up in the night with a solution to a problem? Ever get so involved in what you do that you dream about it all night and assemble all the information?
The same applies for DJing. Most DJs dream about their work, whether they're pros or amateur. It means you're absorbing what you've learnt on a deeper level. Leaving any preparation till the last day will not only stress you out, but it means your set, while it may have its moments, may well be thin in substance.
Chill out on the day of your set. You'll need to be on the same wavelength as the clubbers and party animals. Your hardcore preparation should be done days beforehand.
2. Deep breathing a couple of hours before a set
You may get some nerves and tension in the hours leading up to your set on the day. Make sure you see yourself as performing well, relaxed and being positive that you'll play a great set tonight. Take 20 minutes on your own, with your eyes shut in a room where no one can disturb you.
Empty your mind
Empty your mind of thoughts and concentrate only on your breathing. This is very hard at first but also very beneficial. Breathe slowly and deeply. This technique will free you from obsessive thinking which can become a problem for some of us. Thinking too hard and over-analysing situations just causes more tension. Calm your mind down and you'll develop better intuition and consciousness. Try it and see how you do.
3. Laugh and make jokes before a set
Telling you to laugh around before a set may sound bizarre at first. But compare that to you arriving at a venue all tense and pent-up - which one would you rather be doing?
I've arrived at a venue very tense before. I ended up playing only tunes I'd thought of just beforehand. I couldn't deviate from my selection because I was afraid to. Don't let this happen! Looking back, I should have played different tunes that night, and it took me about 40 minutes to relax and start being myself.
When you play out, speak to bar staff, promoters, anyone at all before and during your set. Release the pressure on yourself, try to crack a few silly jokes, laugh a bit. You'll be a much better state of mind.
Many more other DJ tips, reviews, advice and a free guide to getting DJ gigs can be found at Learn To DJ.
