⚡ TIMESTAMPS ⚡ 0:00 Intro 0:19 You need years of practise before playing in public 1:10 DJing is all about the mixing 2:33 You need pro gear 3:59 You need a huge record collection 5:46 DJing only happens in clubs 6:51 You need to be young to be a DJ 7:55 DJing is hard Join the priority list: djtips.co/book Read the guide: www.digitaldjtips.com/7-myths-about-djing/
I'm 60 and started DJing in 1989 with vinyl, after going onto CDs and now digital I'm still going strong. Back then you needed lots of records, mic skills, some mixing skills and gear. Bank then a DJ did the whole night, not several DJs doing 1hr sets. The entry into DJing these days is so much easier than it was back then. After all these years I'm still learning as DJing evolves.
@@digitaldjtips I started digital DJing with a Denon MC3000, then a MC4000, but I still used them the same as I used vinyl and cd apart from the occasional loop and thought effects were just gimmicks. I'm now using an SC Live 4 and embracing the "gimmicks" and I can't recommend the mixing for wedding and mobile DJs highly enough.
Yeah, I agree. I started 89 as pro. I had to learn for a long time to pitch the record right. But the most important was to read the mood of the audience. Most DJs nowadays only play their planed and studied set, setting cues and only remain in their comfort zone. Two times in my career I had to spin without headphones the mixeroutput of the phones were broken. Did this with orientating in the leds of every channel. This is what modern DJs will never experience.
When I started DJing (late 90s) I was into the more psychedelic funk, and soul and ‘bmovie’ soundtracks. This stuff was organic, with no click track, so my transitions were mostly, 1234-drop in the next one, or very short. See, at that time 99% of it if me was being a musical curator-people liked my sets because I was placing incredibly obscure stuff next to slightly better known tunes. I enjoyed playing out and, as I also liked techno, started to dabble with mixing 12” singles where longer beat matched transitions were possible. The physical skills i learned very fast (if you have a musical ear beat matching four on the floor stuff is easy). Knowing my records and what would mix where was the key part. But by and large for me DJing is still 90% being a selector. There’s a lots of young guys now doing endless over-long ‘stuck record’ stuttering builds FX and cool tricks as if the track playing barely even matters.
I bought a set of DDJ 400s. Practiced at home for a bit. I then dj'd a mates party. Within 3 weeks I dj'd at a local bistro on a Friday after work with a mate while they had a BBQ outside. We played for free beer and food all night. Absolutely loved it.
Great video. I started djing on October 2023 after a life producing. I really enjoy djing in the parks around my city and recording myself doing it. I found gigs and collaborations just doing it: last Saturday I jammed with a saxophonist and a guitarist on jazzy house tracks and it was awesome!
I needed to hear #2, I admit I hyper focus on beat-matching and transitions and my biggest issue is I don’t play the right song at the right time. But, just like you said about having a huge library I’m taking the time to listen to every song and see if it’s something danceable and good
Underground Electronic Music Lounge! It all depends on what kind of dj you want to be. Underground rave promoters in general are passionate about the music and wont book djs who are sloppy at mixing. Channels like this stating that you dont have to have good dj skills to get bookings is why you see so many bad djs out right now. There are way too many djs already and the bad djs ruin it for the good djs and ruin lots of events in my opinion. But again most pop culture people have no idea what a good dj is so it only matters at underground events where people take music and djing very serious. I think that's the problem with today's Dj culture. DJ's take themselves WAY TOO SERIOUSLY.
I’m really strict with the tracks I add to my mix collection the rest stay in another folder … it really makes a huge difference when you know each track and know you took time to add only quality tracks or same genres
A younger version of me might not have gotten this video. Since I'm comfortably retired after 22 years in the life, this is serious knowledge. I can personally vouch for every one of these bullet points - you are spot on.
Great to speak with you the other day Phil and excellent advice as always. This has to be the best NO BS UA-cam video out there when it comes to all the myths out there.
4:00 pushing 40 over here. Played records fro around half of that professionally/semiprofessionally(hobby nowadays. The collection grows and grows and I really need a system to find the stuff I need in the moment. Don't have to lug about bags of vinyl, but need to stay organized. Know your music, put it in folders, playlists, whatever. Make sure you know where that track you need is. Even if you don't remember the name of the track. I used to go by "the record looks like this and I put it at the end of the bag". Know your collection. You can't have all the tunes, but you gotta know the tunes you have. :)
Oh and also. Maybe go through your colelction from time to time and get rid of thsoe tunes you never play anymore. DO you really need that tech house remix of a snoop sogg song that was the thing at the time... does it still hold up? xD And maybe listen to some of your mixes from 10 years ago. There might be a really cool track you've forgotten about and you might want to drop it at the right time nowadays still.
Absolutely spot on Phil. I did countless 80s gigs with one transition only - fade out then bosh on first downbeat, two turntables. 12" to give me time to dash out to the loo! People dancing their wotsits off. It's not difficult: right songs right now:)
#2 is spot on. When I first started I would pick the next tracks based on whether I could beatmatch into. I started to realize the only person who cared that I was beatmatching was ME. People listening, for the most part, don't even notice. Play the RIGHT song next. Every time.
You are so right Phil. I hear all of these excuses all the time. The hardest part of completing any task is STARTING it. So because of all these excuses you listed, some people never finish! Because they never started :) See it?. great video. Thank you
I’ve only been DJing since the start of the year, FLX-4, £350 laptop, Beatport and some downloaded songs. Feel I’ve mastered the basics already, yeah I’m not a pro, but not many are with less than 6 months experience! I do not use sync and stick to mostly beat matching, matching in key, or phrase matching as much as possible. I found that sticking to similar genres is fine getting started, but recent feedback based on playing old 80s stuff and more rock stuff was really positive and the stuff I was mixing was completely different in BPM / key at times, but they all loved it. It’s good to learn as much as possible so you can utilise multiple skills across a number of different environments! Great video as always, you’ve gained yourself a sub!
Haha you’re bang on about the reason and these myths. I started crafting my first set about 2 months ago and have my first gig in a few days for May long. I now have two sets ready for events coming up! If things go good I may lock down a residency, I’m stoked to show what I got and to top it off I even get to split all ticket sales with the other DJ 🙏
The first one is definitely true! I randomly got my first gig about a month or so after getting my first DJ controller (it was a Numark Mixtrack Pro, this was back in 2014). I was hesitant to even take the gig, but everyone was hyping me up so much I just said F it and went for it. I had only practiced with Serato for only a few weeks and didn't feel ready, but regardless of all that, I put on a pretty good show. A lot of friends and coworkers had come through the local bar I played at and supported me, it was fun! I'm now 39 and still at it!
Thank you for the clarity! I am actually late 40s and want to transition to DJing daytime events, (art openings, pool parties etc) with a controller.. I only really listen to or play retro music like 1960s jazz guitar etc., vintage samba/ bossa nova etc. If I was playing dance music it would be old school disco like Giorgio Moroder, some old school chicago house, Prince, etc .
Thanks for this video Phil!!! It has me fired up and motivated. I started to learning to Dj last March, I’ve done a wedding reception, 3 holiday parties this past winter, 3 company events and a Bar grand opening. Thank you for the content that you put out…please continue to do what you do🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾
There is a whole world in dj’ing. (If that makes sense) When you are playing at a wedding or at a bar, you need to read the crowd. But when you have a name in a specific genre you can just play your tunes you have in mind. The only thing you have to care about is how you build up your set. 30 years ago I played everywhere they asked me, and I had to adjust myself to the crowd. Now I only play hypnotic or peak-time techno and that makes it more easy and way more fun for me. The crowd knows what they are going to hear and they love it.
Thanks Phil another brilliant video full of truth. Thanks for putting people straight on the age thing, Carlxox is 62, Sasha is 54, Jon digweed is 57, Laurent Garnier is 58, Richie hawtin is 53, Jeff millis is 61, norman jay is 66 etc etc so where do people get the idea you need to be young from? As far as tunes played in an hour I think it varies a lot depending on type of tracks you are playing I usually find roughly about 10 in an hour 20 would normally last 2 hours but I understand that more jacking/pumping house style cut up tracks are shorter and 20 in an hour maybe closer.
CONGRATS Phil, this is one of the best videos I've ever seen related to DJing. I actually had some of these concepts in my head 😂 and I've been DJing for 30 years now 😂 Thank you very much for this great lesson in destroying some of my biggest concepts. All the best ❤
You mentioned not using expensive gear - I use just my Intel I7 laptop w/ gaming mouse, an external USB sound card along with the onboard sound for output and headphones, 20 year old DJ software that fits what I do, an amp & speakers. Audio on phone is the backup. Works well. The only thing is that I look like I am working at the office when I am mixing.
Started doing a bit at home about a year ago. 2 x 1210s a djm 600 and some hd25s, I love it. But listening to old hardcore and break driven music, I probably couldn't pick a more difficult style to mix. Vinyl only for me, 120 odd releases. A fair but behind my cousin with 15k
Great video. I like the straight forward advice. I'm just starting to learn how to DJ after 20 years of making music. Im atartting to realise I need to put myself put there and get started in a live setting.
Phil ma brother you just motivated me with this video. Especially when you said DJ is not only for the younger Gen. also let me know when the audio version is out. Thanks
You're absolutely bang on. I've been playing for 15 years, started on vinly, bought a controller, upgraded with pro gear (in an effort to master the hardware prior to entering clubs). Your list is exactly what i tell people getting into, with the exception of "huge record collection" - i wouldnt say huge, but i think if you're really passionate, it would behoove you to at a minimum have a few genres and about 100 tracks you've collected over the years and that's still quite conservative. Holding people back - Mixing + overwhelming gear + years of practice + Djaying in clubs. Your conclusion is what people need to pay attention to and grasp (firmly). YOU ARE PLAYING MUSIC FOR PEOPLE. That's it, have fun and make yourself (and others) happy with your chosen art and music selections. You can do this in apark, u can do it in a car, you can do it anywhere your heart desires...even a church if they let ya. Have fun and stay blessed.
I agree with a lot of what you say Phil and I really love the content and have the up most respect for you and what you do for this community. Although I would say that not everyone gets into DJing to make money or to entertain other people or even because they think they can do it better than the next guy. I personally got into it as a hobby, purley for my own pleasure. I imagine it is the same for many people who play all sorts of instruments, some do it purley for their own enjoyment and sense of achievement, just to prove to themsleves that they can. The feeling I got the first time I managed to beatmatch 2 records and the first time I created a loop with the same record on both turntables was awsome, thats what drove me to learn the skills and still does to this day. Would you say that Im not really what you would call a DJ ? I wont take any offence I genuinely want to hear your take on it. Am I more a hobby turntablist rather than a DJ in your definition ? ✌️
You are 100% a DJ. We now define "success" in the fifth of our final steps to DJing like a pro is a way that is inclusive to all types of DJs, not just those who perform in public. But I think everybody should play a DJ set in front of a real crowd at least once. It's like letting your dog have puppies, just the once. It's what DJing is about and any and every DJ could learn so much from such an experience.
15 years ago i did start on a puoneer 350 controller. To be honest that crap controller did hold me back from progressing. To be honest i did never make it or understand it so i left Djing for 10 + years. And last year i did buy a XDJ-XZ and that did push me to a new level. Again i did feel that i wnated to take my Djing tp the next level so i just bought 2 x Pioneer CDJ 3000 and a DJM750mk2 mixer. Its ok to start with a DDJ400 but when you know you want to be a Dj i think its a must to upgrade to a all in one unet or better.
I understand what you mean when you say djing is hard. End of the day, if I said to a phenomenal guitarist "playing guitar is hard" they'd say "only if you don't practise" Same with djing, you could use the sync button but to make a transition sound huge without cluttering with fx and coming in too early without looping or eqing in the right points in time. I use to do all of that without months of practise but with practise the demand for myself playing these awesome events wouldn't of happened 😅
Yup, last year I was invited to spin at a gym here in Tokyo because the guy loved my rock sets. It blew my mind, I couldn't even begin to imagine what spinning in gym is like.
A lot of great points, but I think it's a good idea to save up for pro gear. I really don't wanna see DJ's playing on their phone. Try it and learn a few things while your saving up, but plan to move on ASAP.
I'm mainly a wedding and party DJ so need a few more tracks than club or genre djs . I have gone from 2tb of tracks down to around 1500. Would that be reasonable ?? Very rarely mix, but do fade or drop .
Damn lookit DJ Amtrack trainwreckin the vibe… even I could do better than that! But seriously I can mix ANY two tracks, any two sounds, in any key, any tempo, without a sync button, on 1200s, and do it flawlessly without worrying about it. And I take pride in that.
The club scene in Vancouver Canada is a joke! We have lost so many places where DJ’s were mixing. Let’s say that for even live music venues too! Just sad.
I’ll give you one. You don’t always have to mix in key!!!! Vinyl DJs don’t mix in key, because we don’t have anything telling us the key! So when I play digital, I don’t always mix in key either!
Watch that BAR!!! ONE BARTRESS tells ME "DON'T STOP THAT MUSIC YOU DJ!!! * (FIRE HAZARD)"; After OWNER of BAR to me to PLAY GREEK???; IM GREEK; I DREW INSIDE THE STREET with The 'PROGRESSIVE/TRANCE'(VINYL) NEW MUSIC at that TIME; I make % of BAR (LIKE STAFF) STAFF TOLD ME "DONT CHANGE MUSIC!!!" Somehow 'MUSIC I PLAY' MAKES PEOPLE WANT TO GO TO THE BAR & BUY DRINKS; I cannot play AFTER-HOURS (only PRIVATE); MY ADVICE "READ THE CROUD"; What 'BRING A CROWD'; especially "WHAT BRINGS CUSTOMERS TO BAR FOR DRINKS"; ITS NOT DEPRESSING MUSIC; JUST MUSIC PEOPLE LOVE TO LISTEN; while DRINKING 🎶 😊 🍻 🍷 ❤️
This is like saying getting people to dance is the job of the musician. A dj is just another mode of musical expression. If you want nonstop sound open a window
The thing holding me back is I only want to play music that I’m passionate about and 99.9% of gigs require you to play 80s cheese and top 40. Of the few nights you can play and unless you’re in the clique or well known in the underground is not going to happen. That’s also a very hard thing to accomplish unless you live with them in the city. Sure you could try to put your own night on and hope people will come (unlikely) but I just always wanted to be a DJ not a promoter/organiser. I think the only way to get noticed in this scene is production which is also very competitive and in itself difficult to get noticed amongst the 1000s of new tracks released every day on Beatport (if you do manage to get signed). You’re almost trying to achieve the impossible task of skipping the step of playing to 50 people at a wedding and trying to become a super club DJ. What steps are there in between if you only want to play underground techno / house music?
This is my current situation. So I made my own gig, "with Blackjack & Hooker's"! Took my mixer, laptop, a foldable table, 1 monitor speaker, and a mic. Folks love it. They come and dance, they tell me they love my style of music, they ask why I'm not in the bars, they ask why I wasn't their prom DJ because their Prom DJ was - anyway, one night turned into karaoke - phone as a modem to UA-cam the songs with text videos, and the crowd sang karaoke for an hour, then when packing up the mixer the crowd started beatboxing and rapping. Really cool folks from all walks of life have connected - guy at the big Haunt in town wants me to DJ there this Halloween, another Old Skool early 90s Raver & I & Friends of theirs we've had a couple meetings now to get something underground happening and play some 90s House/Vibe tracks, really, there is more, and I've already written so much. The social proof is nice to have, I've gotten tips, I've charged phones for folks who had 0 battery, I take requests and have heard some Really good tracks I otherwise wouldn't have been exposed to, I've done birthday skits/announcements, some birds/ladies painting the town told me my fly was down & I replied 'my eyes are up here' xD I've shown a number of folks around the controller, and two just bought their first rigs over the weekend and I guess I'm their mentor now xD Super talented cats, they are super stoked and just needed some direction. It is certainly good to get public feedback too - honest feedback, because family and friends, eh, they are often not truly honest -- come to find out folks love what I do & how I'm doing it & are excited for more! Adding me on socials & asking on socials when I play next. So my skill is not what's holding me back which is excellent to know from a business standpoint. It's only been a month, but most of all, and I think I speak for everybody at the pop-up, We've, Had, So, Much, Fun! I'm bringing one of my big tops this weekend. It has gotten the cops called before... on a single hardware gain notch, and pretty reasonable mixer level/volume; I think folks were mad at someone else who did it the weekend before, so we heard. But even the police showing up is an opportunity - if I can get a selfie or picture being shut down by the police, because the sound was too loud, I bet a picture like that will make a pretty cool statement the I have a quality sound system! I don't Want to get shut down, nor cause a disturbance, not at all, but if you end up with lemons in your lap, try to turn them into lemonade :) Also, the audience has been requesting to turn it up, so, I'm gonna try! :D If nobody will give you a show my man, put on your own!
hell yeah... compact DJ gear has allowed young up-and-coming DJs (as well as old boys like me) to bypass the gatekeepers in the club circuit and mega bucks festivals. I spin at parks full of teens too young to even enter clubs, and I make sure to play plenty of dance music made by skilled and cultured musicians. I'm influencing young people to recognize the difference in quality between retro/analog dance music and today's MIDI locked tracks. They will hear the difference when they're old enough to enter for the fist time the overpriced clubs with overpriced drinks lol. I want other OG DJs to do the same, to educate and influence the teens, and pass on the wisdom before we croak. If MIDI music is all they know, society will be full of robotic people, if it's not already.
I can't believe what I just heard ... "You don't learn DJing behind closed doors, you don't learn it at home"... Pure Rubbish! Every good DJ spends lots of time perfecting the foundation DJ techniques, organising their music at home & (with UA-cam) analysing other DJs performances - this is the platform of every good DJ & Musician - no DJ, Musician e.g. guitarist should ever crossover to a public performance without lots of time at home honing their craft ... The main thing you learn in public is reading and working a dancefloor and song selection! Grimes is a perfect example of why you would want to learn DJing properly out of the public's eye before crossing over to the public domain. If she'd learnt to mix by ear - that would've gotten her outta trouble regardless of what the software was doing!
@@digitaldjtips Congratulations on figuring that out but still does not negate the fact that no DJ or Musician should get out into the public without learning the basics
Hold on a second. So if i go rob a bank and i manage to steal enough money that i don't have enough time alive to spend it all...Then I don't meaningfully own it, because I don't have those many hours to spend that kind of money? You know to listen to all the music? Time equals money doesn't it?
it's cool to encourage novices and beginners but you lose me when you imply they could do better than those already djing. firstly better is completely subjective in this case. secondly the DJs that work on a regular basis are constantly subjected to dismissive attitudes from patrons and this sort of narrative only feeds in to it.
I have seen plenty of abject awful DJs and spoken to many students (we are a school) to know that seeing a plain terrible DJ is often the catalyst for music lovers to take the leap into this game. I stand by those words 100%. Agree DJs take stick from the public, but so does anyone working in public - the pros know they are good enough!
@@digitaldjtips Says someone who doesn't care about money and 40000 students paying him to lie to them. You're uncool and cheesy. You care about money. You're happy to turn everything into a commercial transaction. The vast majority of punters are low iq drunkards/drug addicts, playing popular tunes that drunk idiots want to warble over makes one a cheesy commercial hack and has pushed all club music to the bottom of the barrel . But you do you, reminds me of that poem, all men kill the things they love. You can point me to one of your amazing sets, cheese mac hack hack.
@@digitaldjtips Someone who doesn't care about money, clubs, alcohol barons, drug dealers, drunk moronic punters and cheesy labels pushing low iq garbage or lying to 40000 students for money. Your energy is creepy.
Do modern DJs even need tutoring? Doesn't the mixer just pretty much do everything for the DJ nowadays. DJing is NOTHING like it was back in the mid-90s when I leaarned how to beatmatch vinyl. The good old days ARE GONE FOREVER. Anybody can be a DJ now nobody needs 2,000 hours of practice before they would even be considered to perform in front of a live crowd. This whole topic just pisses me off.
Nobody needs tutoring in anything. Everybody can learn anything they want on their own. But if you would like to do it quicker, learn more, have more fun learning, feel part of a community, give back as you progress (teaching is one of the best forms of learning) etc. etc., then learning with others is the way to go. And if you honestly think there is no skill in DJing any more, then why torture yourself? Go watch some gardening videos or something! We'll continue to help bring the timeless skills of our amazing tutors to those who see the art and craft in modern DJing.
⚡ TIMESTAMPS ⚡
0:00 Intro
0:19 You need years of practise before playing in public
1:10 DJing is all about the mixing
2:33 You need pro gear
3:59 You need a huge record collection
5:46 DJing only happens in clubs
6:51 You need to be young to be a DJ
7:55 DJing is hard
Join the priority list: djtips.co/book
Read the guide: www.digitaldjtips.com/7-myths-about-djing/
I'm 60 and started DJing in 1989 with vinyl, after going onto CDs and now digital I'm still going strong. Back then you needed lots of records, mic skills, some mixing skills and gear. Bank then a DJ did the whole night, not several DJs doing 1hr sets. The entry into DJing these days is so much easier than it was back then. After all these years I'm still learning as DJing evolves.
Always something to learn Tony
@@digitaldjtips I started digital DJing with a Denon MC3000, then a MC4000, but I still used them the same as I used vinyl and cd apart from the occasional loop and thought effects were just gimmicks. I'm now using an SC Live 4 and embracing the "gimmicks" and I can't recommend the mixing for wedding and mobile DJs highly enough.
Yeah, I agree. I started 89 as pro. I had to learn for a long time to pitch the record right. But the most important was to read the mood of the audience. Most DJs nowadays only play their planed and studied set, setting cues and only remain in their comfort zone. Two times in my career I had to spin without headphones the mixeroutput of the phones were broken. Did this with orientating in the leds of every channel. This is what modern DJs will never experience.
Indeed
When I started DJing (late 90s) I was into the more psychedelic funk, and soul and ‘bmovie’ soundtracks. This stuff was organic, with no click track, so my transitions were mostly, 1234-drop in the next one, or very short. See, at that time 99% of it if me was being a musical curator-people liked my sets because I was placing incredibly obscure stuff next to slightly better known tunes.
I enjoyed playing out and, as I also liked techno, started to dabble with mixing 12” singles where longer beat matched transitions were possible. The physical skills i learned very fast (if you have a musical ear beat matching four on the floor stuff is easy). Knowing my records and what would mix where was the key part.
But by and large for me DJing is still 90% being a selector. There’s a lots of young guys now doing endless over-long ‘stuck record’ stuttering builds FX and cool tricks as if the track playing barely even matters.
I bought a set of DDJ 400s. Practiced at home for a bit. I then dj'd a mates party. Within 3 weeks I dj'd at a local bistro on a Friday after work with a mate while they had a BBQ outside. We played for free beer and food all night. Absolutely loved it.
Great to hear!
Great video. I started djing on October 2023 after a life producing. I really enjoy djing in the parks around my city and recording myself doing it. I found gigs and collaborations just doing it: last Saturday I jammed with a saxophonist and a guitarist on jazzy house tracks and it was awesome!
So great to hear Antonio!
I needed to hear #2, I admit I hyper focus on beat-matching and transitions and my biggest issue is I don’t play the right song at the right time. But, just like you said about having a huge library I’m taking the time to listen to every song and see if it’s something danceable and good
Yup, #2 is solid advice. If you truly love the tunes you chose, you will find a way to put them together like a puzzle.
Glad to help
Underground Electronic Music Lounge!
It all depends on what kind of dj you want to be. Underground rave promoters in general are passionate about the music and wont book djs who are sloppy at mixing. Channels like this stating that you dont have to have good dj skills to get bookings is why you see so many bad djs out right now. There are way too many djs already and the bad djs ruin it for the good djs and ruin lots of events in my opinion. But again most pop culture people have no idea what a good dj is so it only matters at underground events where people take music and djing very serious.
I think that's the problem with today's Dj culture. DJ's take themselves WAY TOO SERIOUSLY.
I’m really strict with the tracks I add to my mix collection the rest stay in another folder … it really makes a huge difference when you know each track and know you took time to add only quality tracks or same genres
You're incredibly inspiring! Thanks for being so generous in sharing your knowledge and passion.
I appreciate that!
Spot on...I started playing at friends parties because I loved music and it started from there...
you and MANY others!
A younger version of me might not have gotten this video. Since I'm comfortably retired after 22 years in the life, this is serious knowledge. I can personally vouch for every one of these bullet points - you are spot on.
Thanks Steve!
Great to speak with you the other day Phil and excellent advice as always. This has to be the best NO BS UA-cam video out there when it comes to all the myths out there.
Glad you enjoyed it Steve
This is what i needed so much right now.
You are such a great inspiration and motivation to keep up the love for playing music in my 40‘s
Glad to help 👍
4:00 pushing 40 over here. Played records fro around half of that professionally/semiprofessionally(hobby nowadays. The collection grows and grows and I really need a system to find the stuff I need in the moment. Don't have to lug about bags of vinyl, but need to stay organized. Know your music, put it in folders, playlists, whatever. Make sure you know where that track you need is. Even if you don't remember the name of the track. I used to go by "the record looks like this and I put it at the end of the bag". Know your collection. You can't have all the tunes, but you gotta know the tunes you have. :)
Oh and also. Maybe go through your colelction from time to time and get rid of thsoe tunes you never play anymore. DO you really need that tech house remix of a snoop sogg song that was the thing at the time... does it still hold up? xD
And maybe listen to some of your mixes from 10 years ago. There might be a really cool track you've forgotten about and you might want to drop it at the right time nowadays still.
Both good pieces of advice.
Spot on! I’m 58 and sell my set lists and mixes from local restaurants and bars as my hobby and make a tidy sum every month.
Good stuff!
Absolutely spot on Phil. I did countless 80s gigs with one transition only - fade out then bosh on first downbeat, two turntables. 12" to give me time to dash out to the loo! People dancing their wotsits off. It's not difficult: right songs right now:)
Exactly!
#2 is spot on. When I first started I would pick the next tracks based on whether I could beatmatch into. I started to realize the only person who cared that I was beatmatching was ME. People listening, for the most part, don't even notice. Play the RIGHT song next. Every time.
100%
You are so right Phil. I hear all of these excuses all the time. The hardest part of completing any task is STARTING it. So because of all these excuses you listed, some people never finish! Because they never started :) See it?. great video. Thank you
Absolutely!
I’ve only been DJing since the start of the year, FLX-4, £350 laptop, Beatport and some downloaded songs.
Feel I’ve mastered the basics already, yeah I’m not a pro, but not many are with less than 6 months experience! I do not use sync and stick to mostly beat matching, matching in key, or phrase matching as much as possible.
I found that sticking to similar genres is fine getting started, but recent feedback based on playing old 80s stuff and more rock stuff was really positive and the stuff I was mixing was completely different in BPM / key at times, but they all loved it.
It’s good to learn as much as possible so you can utilise multiple skills across a number of different environments!
Great video as always, you’ve gained yourself a sub!
Glad your DJing is going well
Haha you’re bang on about the reason and these myths. I started crafting my first set about 2 months ago and have my first gig in a few days for May long. I now have two sets ready for events coming up! If things go good I may lock down a residency, I’m stoked to show what I got and to top it off I even get to split all ticket sales with the other DJ 🙏
You're welcome
32 yr dj, started in Feb...needed this
Glad to help!
Glad to help!
The first one is definitely true! I randomly got my first gig about a month or so after getting my first DJ controller (it was a Numark Mixtrack Pro, this was back in 2014). I was hesitant to even take the gig, but everyone was hyping me up so much I just said F it and went for it. I had only practiced with Serato for only a few weeks and didn't feel ready, but regardless of all that, I put on a pretty good show. A lot of friends and coworkers had come through the local bar I played at and supported me, it was fun! I'm now 39 and still at it!
Great to hear and thanks for sharing
Thank you for the clarity! I am actually late 40s and want to transition to DJing daytime events, (art openings, pool parties etc) with a controller.. I only really listen to or play retro music like 1960s jazz guitar etc., vintage samba/ bossa nova etc. If I was playing dance music it would be old school disco like Giorgio Moroder, some old school chicago house, Prince, etc .
Sounds great, I'd come!
Thanks for this video Phil!!! It has me fired up and motivated. I started to learning to Dj last March, I’ve done a wedding reception, 3 holiday parties this past winter, 3 company events and a Bar grand opening.
Thank you for the content that you put out…please continue to do what you do🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾
That’s great news, well done on those gigs!
There is a whole world in dj’ing. (If that makes sense) When you are playing at a wedding or at a bar, you need to read the crowd. But when you have a name in a specific genre you can just play your tunes you have in mind. The only thing you have to care about is how you build up your set. 30 years ago I played everywhere they asked me, and I had to adjust myself to the crowd. Now I only play hypnotic or peak-time techno and that makes it more easy and way more fun for me. The crowd knows what they are going to hear and they love it.
Glad you found your niche!
Thanks Phil another brilliant video full of truth. Thanks for putting people straight on the age thing, Carlxox is 62, Sasha is 54, Jon digweed is 57, Laurent Garnier is 58, Richie hawtin is 53, Jeff millis is 61, norman jay is 66 etc etc so where do people get the idea you need to be young from? As far as tunes played in an hour I think it varies a lot depending on type of tracks you are playing I usually find roughly about 10 in an hour 20 would normally last 2 hours but I understand that more jacking/pumping house style cut up tracks are shorter and 20 in an hour maybe closer.
Yeah tunes length can vary hugely of course!
Thanks Phil
CONGRATS Phil, this is one of the best videos I've ever seen related to DJing. I actually had some of these concepts in my head 😂 and I've been DJing for 30 years now 😂
Thank you very much for this great lesson in destroying some of my biggest concepts.
All the best ❤
Glad it was helpful!
You mentioned not using expensive gear - I use just my Intel I7 laptop w/ gaming mouse, an external USB sound card along with the onboard sound for output and headphones, 20 year old DJ software that fits what I do, an amp & speakers. Audio on phone is the backup. Works well. The only thing is that I look like I am working at the office when I am mixing.
Yup, you and MANY others. It's not for everyone, but you've proven that it works.
Thank so much for those words
You are so welcome
i started djing in my parents front yard just to see if i could do it and to see if it was to be my passion. been doing it ever since
Awesome!
This is was really inspiring....Thanks for sharing.
You are so welcome!
Started doing a bit at home about a year ago. 2 x 1210s a djm 600 and some hd25s, I love it. But listening to old hardcore and break driven music, I probably couldn't pick a more difficult style to mix. Vinyl only for me, 120 odd releases. A fair but behind my cousin with 15k
It's all the same, as long as you can count the beats and bars you're good! (And I am sure you can...) 👍
Great video. I like the straight forward advice. I'm just starting to learn how to DJ after 20 years of making music.
Im atartting to realise I need to put myself put there and get started in a live setting.
Definitely
Hello which speakers are best for bass when DJing, I would need a pair. Thank you in advance
Aw I love this! Agree with everything said and definately never too old 🫶🏽
True!
telling it like it is. Thank you
thanks
Most important thing a pro DJ told me once was not every song needs be mixed droo the song the floor needs.
Exactly!
You are 1 of the best dj hosts all time!
Thanks my friend
@@digitaldjtips - I look forward to the content! Keep going dj!
Been practicing alone in the dark for 10 years. Planning to be ready in fall 2026 🤞🏾 😂
Be ready for fall 2024!
Phil ma brother you just motivated me with this video. Especially when you said DJ is not only for the younger Gen. also let me know when the audio version is out. Thanks
After the summer some time, if you're on our list we'll let you know.
You're absolutely bang on. I've been playing for 15 years, started on vinly, bought a controller, upgraded with pro gear (in an effort to master the hardware prior to entering clubs). Your list is exactly what i tell people getting into, with the exception of "huge record collection" - i wouldnt say huge, but i think if you're really passionate, it would behoove you to at a minimum have a few genres and about 100 tracks you've collected over the years and that's still quite conservative.
Holding people back - Mixing + overwhelming gear + years of practice + Djaying in clubs. Your conclusion is what people need to pay attention to and grasp (firmly). YOU ARE PLAYING MUSIC FOR PEOPLE. That's it, have fun and make yourself (and others) happy with your chosen art and music selections. You can do this in apark, u can do it in a car, you can do it anywhere your heart desires...even a church if they let ya. Have fun and stay blessed.
All true words!
You're awesome!
Thanks!
I agree with a lot of what you say Phil and I really love the content and have the up most respect for you and what you do for this community. Although I would say that not everyone gets into DJing to make money or to entertain other people or even because they think they can do it better than the next guy. I personally got into it as a hobby, purley for my own pleasure. I imagine it is the same for many people who play all sorts of instruments, some do it purley for their own enjoyment and sense of achievement, just to prove to themsleves that they can. The feeling I got the first time I managed to beatmatch 2 records and the first time I created a loop with the same record on both turntables was awsome, thats what drove me to learn the skills and still does to this day. Would you say that Im not really what you would call a DJ ? I wont take any offence I genuinely want to hear your take on it. Am I more a hobby turntablist rather than a DJ in your definition ? ✌️
You are 100% a DJ. We now define "success" in the fifth of our final steps to DJing like a pro is a way that is inclusive to all types of DJs, not just those who perform in public. But I think everybody should play a DJ set in front of a real crowd at least once. It's like letting your dog have puppies, just the once. It's what DJing is about and any and every DJ could learn so much from such an experience.
Being a DJ is being an entertainer… taking a crowd on a journey
That is definitely part of it, for sure!
15 years ago i did start on a puoneer 350 controller. To be honest that crap controller did hold me back from progressing. To be honest i did never make it or understand it so i left Djing for 10 + years. And last year i did buy a XDJ-XZ and that did push me to a new level. Again i did feel that i wnated to take my Djing tp the next level so i just bought 2 x Pioneer CDJ 3000 and a DJM750mk2 mixer.
Its ok to start with a DDJ400 but when you know you want to be a Dj i think its a must to upgrade to a all in one unet or better.
That last point is exactly why we started with a colleague. It was a truly horrible DJ at that Xmas party!
Exactly!
I understand what you mean when you say djing is hard.
End of the day, if I said to a phenomenal guitarist "playing guitar is hard" they'd say "only if you don't practise"
Same with djing, you could use the sync button but to make a transition sound huge without cluttering with fx and coming in too early without looping or eqing in the right points in time.
I use to do all of that without months of practise but with practise the demand for myself playing these awesome events wouldn't of happened 😅
Like any creative skill it is hard to be GREAT at it
This is awesome thank you for this
Glad you like it!
Great info! Cheers🎉
Glad it was helpful!
Dj today in my local shopping centre at the make up counter Phil 😀👍👍💪💪
No way!
I noticed in liverpool street, london, they now have DJ booth in the gym :D
Yup, last year I was invited to spin at a gym here in Tokyo because the guy loved my rock sets. It blew my mind, I couldn't even begin to imagine what spinning in gym is like.
It's very common
A lot of great points, but I think it's a good idea to save up for pro gear. I really don't wanna see DJ's playing on their phone. Try it and learn a few things while your saving up, but plan to move on ASAP.
It is a process, and yes, you should aspire to the best gear if you want to be a top DJ - agreed.
I'm mainly a wedding and party DJ so need a few more tracks than club or genre djs .
I have gone from 2tb of tracks down to around 1500.
Would that be reasonable ??
Very rarely mix, but do fade or drop .
Sounds great!
Where Phil Can I share mixes without infringement of copyright..?
Mixcloud
Nice words bro💚💚
Thank you so much
No 7, point 2 😂😂 is why I did DJing
Cool!
Damn lookit DJ Amtrack trainwreckin the vibe… even I could do better than that!
But seriously I can mix ANY two tracks, any two sounds, in any key, any tempo, without a sync button, on 1200s, and do it flawlessly without worrying about it.
And I take pride in that.
Good on you
DJ'ing is about playing the right music in front of a particular crowd - you can't develop that skill/knowledge in your bedroom
Reflecting almost word for word our own definition of DJing - we agree!
Practice practice practice.
True
No. 4
. Oh my music is just about a thousand plus songs .. but i know all of them and can probably sing or rap them lol
Perfect!
I disagree. I do not believe clubs are on the way out.
They won't disappear, but the number here in the UK has halved in the last 10 years, sadly.
The club scene in Vancouver Canada is a joke! We have lost so many places where DJ’s were mixing. Let’s say that for even live music venues too! Just sad.
I’ll give you one. You don’t always have to mix in key!!!! Vinyl DJs don’t mix in key, because we don’t have anything telling us the key! So when I play digital, I don’t always mix in key either!
It's a tool, not a rule.
Watch that BAR!!!
ONE BARTRESS tells ME "DON'T STOP THAT MUSIC YOU DJ!!!
* (FIRE HAZARD)"; After OWNER of BAR to me to PLAY GREEK???;
IM GREEK; I DREW INSIDE THE STREET with The 'PROGRESSIVE/TRANCE'(VINYL) NEW MUSIC at that TIME;
I make % of BAR (LIKE STAFF)
STAFF TOLD ME "DONT CHANGE MUSIC!!!"
Somehow 'MUSIC I PLAY' MAKES PEOPLE WANT TO GO TO THE BAR & BUY DRINKS;
I cannot play AFTER-HOURS (only PRIVATE);
MY ADVICE
"READ THE CROUD"; What 'BRING A CROWD'; especially "WHAT BRINGS CUSTOMERS TO BAR FOR DRINKS";
ITS NOT DEPRESSING MUSIC; JUST MUSIC PEOPLE LOVE TO LISTEN; while DRINKING
🎶 😊 🍻 🍷 ❤️
This is like saying getting people to dance is the job of the musician. A dj is just another mode of musical expression. If you want nonstop sound open a window
What part of the video are you referring to?
The thing holding me back is I only want to play music that I’m passionate about and 99.9% of gigs require you to play 80s cheese and top 40. Of the few nights you can play and unless you’re in the clique or well known in the underground is not going to happen. That’s also a very hard thing to accomplish unless you live with them in the city. Sure you could try to put your own night on and hope people will come (unlikely) but I just always wanted to be a DJ not a promoter/organiser. I think the only way to get noticed in this scene is production which is also very competitive and in itself difficult to get noticed amongst the 1000s of new tracks released every day on Beatport (if you do manage to get signed). You’re almost trying to achieve the impossible task of skipping the step of playing to 50 people at a wedding and trying to become a super club DJ. What steps are there in between if you only want to play underground techno / house music?
This is exactly my predicament as well, even down to the same genres.
Live-streaming globally may be for you or move to a huge city. How much do you want it?
This is my current situation. So I made my own gig, "with Blackjack & Hooker's"!
Took my mixer, laptop, a foldable table, 1 monitor speaker, and a mic. Folks love it. They come and dance, they tell me they love my style of music, they ask why I'm not in the bars, they ask why I wasn't their prom DJ because their Prom DJ was - anyway, one night turned into karaoke - phone as a modem to UA-cam the songs with text videos, and the crowd sang karaoke for an hour, then when packing up the mixer the crowd started beatboxing and rapping. Really cool folks from all walks of life have connected - guy at the big Haunt in town wants me to DJ there this Halloween, another Old Skool early 90s Raver & I & Friends of theirs we've had a couple meetings now to get something underground happening and play some 90s House/Vibe tracks, really, there is more, and I've already written so much. The social proof is nice to have, I've gotten tips, I've charged phones for folks who had 0 battery, I take requests and have heard some Really good tracks I otherwise wouldn't have been exposed to, I've done birthday skits/announcements, some birds/ladies painting the town told me my fly was down & I replied 'my eyes are up here' xD I've shown a number of folks around the controller, and two just bought their first rigs over the weekend and I guess I'm their mentor now xD Super talented cats, they are super stoked and just needed some direction. It is certainly good to get public feedback too - honest feedback, because family and friends, eh, they are often not truly honest -- come to find out folks love what I do & how I'm doing it & are excited for more! Adding me on socials & asking on socials when I play next. So my skill is not what's holding me back which is excellent to know from a business standpoint. It's only been a month, but most of all, and I think I speak for everybody at the pop-up,
We've, Had, So, Much, Fun!
I'm bringing one of my big tops this weekend. It has gotten the cops called before... on a single hardware gain notch, and pretty reasonable mixer level/volume; I think folks were mad at someone else who did it the weekend before, so we heard. But even the police showing up is an opportunity - if I can get a selfie or picture being shut down by the police, because the sound was too loud, I bet a picture like that will make a pretty cool statement the I have a quality sound system! I don't Want to get shut down, nor cause a disturbance, not at all, but if you end up with lemons in your lap, try to turn them into lemonade :) Also, the audience has been requesting to turn it up, so, I'm gonna try! :D
If nobody will give you a show my man, put on your own!
Plenty of internet radio stations looking for DJ's!
I do mixes for an internet radio station. As long as it's mostly old school hip-hop and R&B, I can play want I want.
hell yeah... compact DJ gear has allowed young up-and-coming DJs (as well as old boys like me) to bypass the gatekeepers in the club circuit and mega bucks festivals. I spin at parks full of teens too young to even enter clubs, and I make sure to play plenty of dance music made by skilled and cultured musicians. I'm influencing young people to recognize the difference in quality between retro/analog dance music and today's MIDI locked tracks. They will hear the difference when they're old enough to enter for the fist time the overpriced clubs with overpriced drinks lol. I want other OG DJs to do the same, to educate and influence the teens, and pass on the wisdom before we croak. If MIDI music is all they know, society will be full of robotic people, if it's not already.
you sound like a saint Jack. 👍
@@digitaldjtips Darryl Pandy said it best, "I love MUSIC" 👍
Tell me the most unusual place you ever DJ'ed (or seen someone else doing it) and if it made sense or not
Out of the boot of a car, motorway service station, 4am, near Stoke, England. 1991. Oh it made sense!
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Should we send this to Grimes or we let her figure it out? 🤔🤔🤔😅
I fucking love you
Erm, thanks Jason!
I can't believe what I just heard ... "You don't learn DJing behind closed doors, you don't learn it at home"... Pure Rubbish! Every good DJ spends lots of time perfecting the foundation DJ techniques, organising their music at home & (with UA-cam) analysing other DJs performances - this is the platform of every good DJ & Musician - no DJ, Musician e.g. guitarist should ever crossover to a public performance without lots of time at home honing their craft ... The main thing you learn in public is reading and working a dancefloor and song selection!
Grimes is a perfect example of why you would want to learn DJing properly out of the public's eye before crossing over to the public domain. If she'd learnt to mix by ear - that would've gotten her outta trouble regardless of what the software was doing!
Cutting out the gaps between records is not the same as playing the guitar.
@@digitaldjtips Congratulations on figuring that out but still does not negate the fact that no DJ or Musician should get out into the public without learning the basics
Hold on a second. So if i go rob a bank and i manage to steal enough money that i don't have enough time alive to spend it all...Then I don't meaningfully own it, because I don't have those many hours to spend that kind of money? You know to listen to all the music? Time equals money doesn't it?
Not a particularly useful comparison, in my view.
it's cool to encourage novices and beginners but you lose me when you imply they could do better than those already djing. firstly better is completely subjective in this case. secondly the DJs that work on a regular basis are constantly subjected to dismissive attitudes from patrons and this sort of narrative only feeds in to it.
I have seen plenty of abject awful DJs and spoken to many students (we are a school) to know that seeing a plain terrible DJ is often the catalyst for music lovers to take the leap into this game. I stand by those words 100%. Agree DJs take stick from the public, but so does anyone working in public - the pros know they are good enough!
That's garbage, hackneyed advice from a cheese merchant, gross.
Says who?
@@digitaldjtips Says someone who doesn't care about money and 40000 students paying him to lie to them. You're uncool and cheesy. You care about money. You're happy to turn everything into a commercial transaction. The vast majority of punters are low iq drunkards/drug addicts, playing popular tunes that drunk idiots want to warble over makes one a cheesy commercial hack and has pushed all club music to the bottom of the barrel . But you do you, reminds me of that poem, all men kill the things they love. You can point me to one of your amazing sets, cheese mac hack hack.
@@digitaldjtips Someone who doesn't care about money, clubs, alcohol barons, drug dealers, drunk moronic punters and cheesy labels pushing low iq garbage or lying to 40000 students for money. Your energy is creepy.
@@digitaldjtips UA-cam deleted 2 of my comments so I can't answer your obnoxious question.
Do modern DJs even need tutoring? Doesn't the mixer just pretty much do everything for the DJ nowadays. DJing is NOTHING like it was back in the mid-90s when I leaarned how to beatmatch vinyl. The good old days ARE GONE FOREVER. Anybody can be a DJ now nobody needs 2,000 hours of practice before they would even be considered to perform in front of a live crowd. This whole topic just pisses me off.
Nobody needs tutoring in anything. Everybody can learn anything they want on their own. But if you would like to do it quicker, learn more, have more fun learning, feel part of a community, give back as you progress (teaching is one of the best forms of learning) etc. etc., then learning with others is the way to go. And if you honestly think there is no skill in DJing any more, then why torture yourself? Go watch some gardening videos or something! We'll continue to help bring the timeless skills of our amazing tutors to those who see the art and craft in modern DJing.
Sorry dude but I totally disagree with what u are saying
What a cry baby😂
The future is now old man.