Learn to Be a DJ and Move the Crowds

Learning to be a DJ is not as easy as you may think, because it's not just about technique and learning to use the equipment. It's a wonderful job that takes many hours of practice and an expert knowledge of the music scene. Being one-step ahead of your chosen music genre is one of the most important factors and should not be understated.
When I first started out flexing the wheels of steel, I would take any job at anytime, sometimes paid and other times for free. Getting your foot in the door while gaining valuable experience is how we paid our dues in the industry. I always found Dance/House as a good place to start, because the music was produced to mix, so matching Dance rhythms is a good starting point. Don't get me twisted, you still need to understand the right way to do it, because a good House DJ is a master at whipping the crowd into a frenzy and that can be the difference between a good night or a bad night for the punters. Good House DJs are the best out there and extremely adept at reading a crowd. I always found mixing Hip-Hop and R&B the most difficult, because the tempos can be so contrasting and the beats less stripped down than in the days of old school. You have to have a real good ear to mix Rap or any other slower paced music because there are fewer margins for error. I was lucky because I found a mentor early on in my career that took me under his wing and taught me this business is all about what the people want. Some DJs stick to their guns and only play what they enjoy. This defies logic, as you are being paid to make people dance and enjoy themselves, so they must always be the number one priority, even if it means buying and playing tunes that are not your cup of tea. If you are dedicated and skilled enough, your possibilities are endless and especially with the cyber age which provides you with a larger potential audience via podcasts and MySpace. Promoting yourself is easier than ever before, and taking advantage of the new technology is the ideal way to get new gigs and get your name out there. In my time as a DJ, I travelled to many different countries, had my own radio show and naturally progressed into running my own recording studio and actually producing the tunes. The options are limitless and the industry is addictive to the point of completely consuming. I didn't become a DJ to catch women (some do), but they do fall at your feet as if you are a messiah, and let's face it, we are! My tip to you is to gain as much experience as possible, because this is the only way to learn how to read a crowd while under pressure. Always start your set with the slower tunes and build up to a crescendo, uplifting the crowd as you move along, because once you have started to drop the big tunes, there is no going back!by Alan Wass