what does it take to be an amazing dj?

the resource centre at dinnington are runnimg a free course on dj ing.might be worth giving them a bell hope that helps

A nice set of mittens and a indoor techno scarf!

Now now Paul, just think where you would have been if it wasn't for those Fisher Price decks.

A lesson:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=gc2mbfilFFs

Well lets see, its like most things I guess - you have to want to do it, you have to have a passion for it, you have to be a little techy and if you want to do your own mixing then you will need a little knowledge of music too!
There are many places you can learn the basics and MOD runs training courses in London if you can afford them if not there are places here in Sheffield that can help you on the road.
What kind of music do like to listen to/play?
What kind of DJ would you like to be apart from amazing?
Do you live in Sheffield?
Do you have any experience?
Do you have any equipment?
Do you have a music collection - MP3,CD or records?

:thumbsup:

All the real good DJ's have the birdy song....

Every record ever made, or else someone somewhere will tell you you're shi t. It's true though, if you want to get the ladies, you need an indoor techno scarf. And an All Saints "Jesus Rocks" belt.

Also maybe a nice jingle! The bestest one ive heard in the recent years goes like this


"Peaaaakkk 107 fmmmmm"

Every record ever made, or else someone somewhere will tell you you're shi t. It's true though, if you want to get the ladies, you need an indoor techno scarf. And an All Saints "Jesus Rocks" belt.

Don't worry about learning to mix. None of the current big names can mix for toffee.

God, it's warm in here with this scarf on :D

Don't bother with courses. Learn yourself. If you need there are a load of tutorials on youtube. So called 'DJ schools' are a rip off.

All the real good DJ's have the birdy song....

MASHUP :gag::loopy::rant::gag::rant::gag::suspect::gag:

what does it take to be an amazing dj?

Just call yourself one....I do:)

Lions Lair is holding i beat the DJ competition tomorrow Sat 17th Jan at 9 pm 2 pioneer 400 cdj and mixer provided. Hr or half hr slots available 9pm till 12am. Winner receives a paid after party guest dj slot in a few weeks ! Pm me asap if interested. (Generally uplifting house or electro is favoured)

Don't bother with courses. Learn yourself. If you need there are a load of tutorials on youtube. So called 'DJ schools' are a rip off.

true, only way is to practice and not stop!! Listen to other dj's mixes also helps.

Why dont you take part in Search for a Dj 2009 at Westways??? Winner recieves a dj contract with Gosh Management and paid work across South Yorkshire.

All you need to do is show off your skills in a 20 minute set infront of a panel of experienced judges, there is NO music policy so feel free to play whatever you want!

If your interested drop me an email at clairejones@goshmanagement.com

:thumbsup::thumbsup:

Just call yourself one....I do:)

haha love that comment..but you are!!:thumbsup:

what does it take to be an amazing dj?Do you want a serious and honest answer or a bitter and sarcastic one?

Do you want a serious and honest answer or a bitter and sarcastic one?

whats the difference :hihi:


to the op, why do you want to be a dj ? answer honestly please if the answer involves any of the following words, Fame/glory/birds/money etc etc dont go spending a lot on equipment ;)

Confidence, experience, ability and charisma.

sorry djing is full. try learning guitar or something... (thats a peep show reference of sorts...) ;)

Oh and I deff recommend the lions lair thing...I won the beat the dj comp there a couple of months back and the after party was good fun to play at!

I would have thought good communiction skills and ability to adapt your music/style to the people you are playing too would be fairly high up

What sort of DJ though? If it's a radio one DJ, it's a bit of trades descriptions act as Chris Moyles talks more than he plays records?

My favourite DJ in town is Keef Tango (Old House) as he plays good music in the main and will always play me a request! :D I'm also impressed with the guys on a Saturday in the Bowery at the moment and someone in Bungalows really impressed me the other week who worked on the staff by playing three not so obvious choices to the point the music geeks I was out with (me included) stopped talking and started bopping around. :hihi:

My all time DJ though is Annie Nightingale. That woman is an Icon.

just play good music that people like

I would have thought good communiction skills and ability to adapt your music/style to the people you are playing too would be fairly high up

TOTALLY!!! Without those skills you may as well become a Bank Telephone Help Desk Operator!!!!:hihi:
( I recently talked with a total numbskull who had the customer service skills of an 'Old Skool' Door Supervisor, and who played me 'dodgy' music on hold too!)

to the op, why do you want to be a dj ? answer honestly please if the answer involves any of the following words, Fame/glory/birds/money etc etc dont go spending a lot on equipment ;)

like it :hihi: :hihi: :hihi:

Just play music that keeps people dancing throughout your set. As long as you can mix reasonably well that's all that really matters. All the fancy tricks in the world can't hide a rubbish tune selection!!

If you are asking what you need in terms of equipment, I would buy the cheapest setup you can. If you can sound good on that then you'll sound good on anything plus you are not wasting hundreds/thousands of pounds if you can't get on with it.

thanks musicisking you hit the nail on the head.i play mostly requests made by the people who come into the venue where i work,at the end of the day they pay my wage so i try to be fair and give them what they ask for, trouble is that nowdays if i don't play (britney) circus,womanizer,if you seek amy or (lady gaga) just dance or poker face they leave the dancefloor.then i take it upon myself to play jump around by house of pain, (they don't know this song) as they were still in nappies at the the time of it's release they go bananas. my conclusion to this is i will never be an amazing dj (never wanted to be) i just play music and get paid for it. apparently if you wear make up and orange self tan you will go far (not for me)!!!!

thanks musicisking you hit the nail on the head.i play mostly requests made by the people who come into the venue where i work,at the end of the day they pay my wage so i try to be fair and give them what they ask for, trouble is that nowdays if i don't play (britney) circus,womanizer,if you seek amy or (lady gaga) just dance or poker face they leave the dancefloor.then i take it upon myself to play jump around by house of pain, (they don't know this song) as they were still in nappies at the the time of it's release they go bananas. my conclusion to this is i will never be an amazing dj (never wanted to be) i just play music and get paid for it. apparently if you wear make up and orange self tan you will go far (not for me)!!!!Which venue is this :loopy:

Venue....


Hell by the sounds of it!

Venue....


Hell by the sounds of it!

I'd like to bet it's somewhere up West St......

I'd like to bet it's somewhere up West St......Hey, I work on West st...cheeky :hihi:

what does it take to be an amazing dj?

I am a bit confused as you have two questions here

My question firstly to you is why do you want to be a dj?

there are a lot of aspects that make you an AMAZING dj. Unfortunately in this generation of djs there are not as many AMAZING djs as there were in the past. I personally blame downloading and digital generation. For me these 2 aspects have killed music and the whole art of djing is now suffering.

I personally blame downloading and digital generation. For me these 2 aspects have killed music and the whole art of djing is now suffering.

I disagree - I played wax for a good 10 years before eventually going digital (after much resistance). I've never looked back though as I've now got access to the most amazing tunes, acapellas, samples etc that'd I'd never have gotten if I relied on what I could get from record shops. It's really helped me step up my game.

That said, I only tend to use it for house music, I could never dream of playing hip-hop tunes on CD or MP3, it's just not right!

Why dont you take part in Search for a Dj 2009 at Westways??? Winner recieves a dj contract with Gosh Management and paid work across South Yorkshire.

All you need to do is show off your skills in a 20 minute set infront of a panel of experienced judges, there is NO music policy so feel free to play whatever you want!

If your interested drop me an email at clairejones@goshmanagement.com

:thumbsup::thumbsup:


As the 2007 winner of this and judge at last years final i can recommend this competition greatly as i've worked some great venues as a result of it.

You never answered any of my questions friend. My final suggestion would be contact www.sheffieldlive.com:thumbsup:
DJ's do it to music!

Well lets see, its like most things I guess - you have to want to do it, you have to have a passion for it, you have to be a little techy and if you want to do your own mixing then you will need a little knowledge of music too!
There are many places you can learn the basics and MOD runs training courses in London if you can afford them if not there are places here in Sheffield that can help you on the road.
What kind of music do like to listen to/play?
What kind of DJ would you like to be apart from amazing?
Do you live in Sheffield?
Do you have any experience?
Do you have any equipment?
Do you have a music collection - MP3,CD or records?

:thumbsup:



I have found that the best way to get into practice DJ-ing is to have a real PASSION for the music you like and to build up a playlist based on what you really like to listen to yourself.

I have an amazing variety of favourite tracks which I have played at the odd opportunities I get in DJ competitions and guest slots, ranging from:
Classical (Yes, CLASSICAL Music, Mozart, Wagner, Handel and al the gang)
60's and 70's Rock & Roll, for example:

Neil Young, After the Goldrush
Manfred Mann, Davy's On The Road Again
3 Degrees, When Will I See You Again
The Shadows, Classical Gas
T Rex, 20th Century Boy
Sparks, This Town Aint big Enough For The Both Of Us
Tim Blake, New Jerusalem
Hawkwind, Silver Machine
Kate Bush, Wuthering Heights
Lena Lovich, Lucky Number

80's and 90's:
Classix Nouveaux, Guilty,
Andy Bown, Another Shipwreck
The Planets, Iron For The Iron
Pet Shop Boys, Domino Dancing,
New Order, Blue Monday,
Depeche Mode, Behind The Wheel
Psychic TV, Ov Power
Blancmange, Living on The Ceiling
Teardrop Explodes, Reward


...I can go on and on, not to mention the literally hundreds of tracks over the last 10 years I have collected....

Learn to LOVE your music, play it regularly, get tips from friends who are DJ's as to how to keep an eye on the beat and to know your way around the decks, and DON'T be afraid to ask the sound man at venues.
Whatever you do, unless you are flushed with cash, don't risk getting ripped off by paying over the odds for 'DJ courses' unless you have checked them out thoroughly, as a lot of what you might learn, you can pick up from friends for free if you have any who are DJ's.

Finally, from my own experience, many venues are now DJ-ing entirely off MP and CD or even MP3 ONLY, so do check about transferring any music on vinyl to MP3, you will need a write to MP3 vinyl deck (CD's you can transfer on any computer); there are also things such as formatting memory sticks correctly for using on MP3 decks, but there's a wealth of help available on the web for this.:D

learn how to use ableton

learn how to use ableton

Heretic ;)

How old are you? Can't believe nobody has asked.
EXPERIENCES. Good and bad.Learn from them.Take as many jobs as you can.Djing without a mic (Mixing)Takes practice.With mic takes confidence.Both, takes practice and confidence.Don't be afraid of criticism.You can only get better.If they don't like it,there is plenty of other places they can go.
HAVE YOU GOT RYTHM THOUGH? OR ARE YOU JUST A HUMAN JUKEBOX?

Heretic ;)He's right though

Watch KEVIN AND PERRY GO LARGE......LEARN!!!!