In the world of parties, the DJ controls the crowd. But a person who learns how to DJ by technique alone is missing the point. You may be a DJ, but you may yet have to learn how to DJ; and to truly is not the same thing as being a DJ.  

Granted, to learning  how to DJ involves working up the crowd. It involves satisfying them, making them go home wanting more and vowing to go back. They might want to bring more friends next time because their experience was that good.  

But the truth is, to really learn how to DJ, you must recognize that your job goes beyond making people scream and dance. It’s also about them staying longer so the club gets more sales. After all, that’s why clubs hire you – to attract customers. To learn how to DJ involves accepting this reality. 

First and foremost, when learning how to DJ by thinking about this very simple thing – timing. How is timing important to learn how to DJ? Example, playing your own top 40 mixes right away might not be a good idea. You want the crowd to dance yes, but you don’t want them leaving too early because of exhaustion. Remember, the more customers there are, the more sales the club gets, and the more the club wants you back. The better you understand this the better you’ll learn how to DJ. 

Also learn how to DJ by practicing control. Assess the crowd, try to get a feel of what they want but also give them some variety. By giving them variety, you create batches by allowing some of them time to rest. When your party goers don’t feel tired, they wouldn’t want to leave yet – something that will make the club manager happy. 

To really learn how to DJ, practice the art of observation. Find out what type of audience you’re going to have. You may find information about this based on the target market of the club you’re working in and some keen observation during the night of the party.  

Putting your knowledge of music to good use is part of learning how to DJ. After all you can’t learn how to DJ if you don’t have a love for music in the first place. If needed, choose music that won’t get the crowd all too pumped up that they might want to have a brawl – a skill necessary if you feel the crowd is starting to get out of hand. But don’t wait for this to happen – I’m sure you’ve heard that prevention is better than cure. 

In a nutshell, to learn how to DJ involves thinking out of the box. By thinking out of the box, you promote yourself – because ultimately it’s how the crowd reacts to you as opposed to how you want the crowd to perceive you that’s going to make you land another gig.

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