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Want to learn to DJ? Here's some tips on how to DJ.
© Mathilde Agius / Red Bull Content Pool
Music
20 tips on how to get your DJ career started
How do you learn to DJ? Find the right tracks to play? And build a career you can be proud of? Here's some expert advice from the DJs who've done it.
By Red Bull
14 min readUpdated on
It's one thing learning how to beat match. It's another entirely getting your DJ career off the ground. How do you book gigs? Network in the industry? And make the right choices once you're in?
To steer you in the right direction, we asked five esteemed Australian DJs for their advice. Kieran Crowe, who helms the decks each year at the Red Bull Dance Your Style finals in Sydney, offered some sage advice about the art of song selection and the virtue of patience. DJ Tawana Basutu AKA CaucasianOpportunities recommended harnessing the power of community radio. Brooke Powers told us to count in eights, YO!MAFIA reminded us that practice makes perfect, and Kish Lal explained why you need to be your own biggest fan.
Read on for their wise words -- and get ready to take your DJ career into the stratosphere.

DJ Kieran Crowe

#1. Show up

Personally, I’ve landed DJ gigs by networking at events and making connections. Reaching out to club promoters via email or direct message may or may not yield results. I’ve received messages like “Hey Kez, let me know if you need a DJ!” But those individuals rarely (if ever) attend my events or show genuine interest in my work. Do you think I got them on board? Hahaha.
It’s more effective to show up at events you aspire to DJ at, demonstrating your support and passion. This approach conveys your genuine care for that event, which club promoters and industry professionals appreciate.
Over time, as you develop relationships, you could maybe casually mention that you’re a DJ, and offer to be a reliable last-minute option. But personally, I never force opportunities; instead, I focus on nurturing organic relationships. What tends to happen the most for me, is after making a genuine connection, people follow me on Instagram, they see I’m a DJ, explore my work, and often reach out to me.

#2. Your character matters as much as your craft

I’ve been fortunate to have mentors at the pinnacle of various fields, and they all emphasise the significance of networking. While talent is crucial, being a good person holds ever greater importance! It may seem trivial, but it’s truly essential. If you’re difficult, unreliable, or arrogant, your DJing skills won’t be enough to secure gigs, especially when starting out. Your character matters just as much as your craft. Possibly even more. Being easy to work with, dependable, and humble will open doors and help you build a successful career as a DJ.

#3. Take song selection seriously

While technical skills and seamless transitions may impress fellows DJs, the average crowd doesn’t share the same level of appreciation. What truly matters to them is the song selection. That’s why you’re there as a DJ, to play good music!
Whether I’m recording a mix or performing at a gig, I honestly dedicate countless hours to curating my playlists. No exaggeration - HOURS on curating playlists. It’s a delicate balance between understanding the audience’s preferences while staying true to my own taste and what resonates with me personally. Above all else, I prioritise song selection because it’s the key to captivating and engaging the crowd (and the people hiring you).

#4. Be patient and persevere

The life of a DJ can be unpredictable, with fluctuating opportunities. While most are aware of the necessary steps to take (create mixes, have an online presence, network), patience is often overlooked. In an industry saturated with DJs, longevity comes to those who persevere. Resilience is key, avoiding shortcuts and unreasonable demands. Recognising that building a reputation and honing talent takes time is crucial! I recently heard the following saying - “impatient with actions, patient with results.” To me, it encapsulates the essence of staying focused, resilient, and understanding that success as a DJ unfolds gradually.

Tawana Basutu AKA CaucasianOpportunities

#5. Reach out to community radio

There are a number of community radio stations -- Hope Street , Area 3000 and SkyLab among them in Melbourne. Usually, there will be a call out from the station directly, requesting for new shows or guests. However, these can be infrequent and hard to spot as they are randomised.
What I would suggest is tuning into your local community radio, and developing a taste for a specific show or presenter -- often it's the presenters themselves who are making the call outs, so you can then DM or email them. I would suggest including a pre-recorded mix, so that the presenter can get an idea of your sound. Community radio is an amazing avenue to start out, and you're often sharing a room with DJs, promoters, producers and sound techs, all of whom will be able to support you in some form as you develop.

#6. Set your boundaries

DJing is socially, culturally, emotionally and mentally taxing. Honestly. It's a good idea to ask yourself the following questions before you really involve yourself:
What does my ideal line-up look like? (Is it diverse? Is there an equal representation of gender, sex, race etc? Does my music selection/sound fit?) I think it's important to have these conversations for yourself, as the line-ups you lock-in early may serve to define the line-ups you will lock-in further in your career. Also, it will define you as an artist, it will literally steer the type of offers you receive and the music communities will be a member of.
What type of crowds/events do I want to play for? Having some foresight or basic knowledge of the current climate will ultimately help you answer this question. In Australia, there are genres of music where there isn't a lot of representation for those who are POC, queer or gender diverse. Of course, there are spaces where both of these exist, but they can be hard to find. I would suggest trawling through socials and creating a wishlist or moodboard of the parties that already exist that fit your needs and sounds, you can actively work at securing a set at one of these parties or ultimately you can use this as a meta-reference for yourself.
How can I manage my time so I can make my professional and personal commitments? DJing is a social commitment. You'll find yourself at some point or stage unable to make a friendship commitment, or a family commitment, especially on weekends. Playing every weekend a month is fun and games until you realise you haven't seen your friend outside of the club for six weeks. It can place stress on your friendships and yourself and ultimately you can become resentful. It wouldn't be a bad idea to try to set aside at least one weekend per month (if you're getting back to back offers) to relax and take yourself out of that space.

#7. Record your mixes and join some DJ groups

I began DJing by creating a mix for Le Fag, which ultimately got me my first gig (Thank you David!). I uploaded it on SoundCloud and shared it on my IG. Record everything, share it onto your SoundCloud, even if you make it a private link. Doing this creates an archive for yourself but also for promoters, it's a great resource for people to understand what your sound is like and it gives promoters an idea of what type of music you can play. Treat it like a resume.
Want to know how to DJ? CaucasianOpportunities has some tips on learning to DJ.
CaucasianOpportunities in the mix.© Supplied

Brooke Powers

#8. Do it for the music

The only way you'll get anywhere as a DJ is to make sure your entire practice is about the music you want to share with others. If you wanna do it to impress people or look cool, you won't get far. If you're really interested in the music you're collecting and how to make people feel it, thats what's gonna make you stand out and make an impression on the dancefloor.

#9. Go toward what you're drawn to

When collecting music, go towards what turns you on. Find out what sounds your soul is drawn to and follow that. Don't worry about what you think other people want to hear, there is so much space for a diversity of sounds in the dance music world. If you're only vibing late '80s hip-house, go deep into that and make a name for yourself. Or if you wanna just slam down screwed up electro, well, a lot people are into that right now, go for it! There is an endless amount of great music to discover, follow your own rabbit holes, and truly love the music you play.

#10. Try not to get hung up on mistakes

The other night I was DJing with a faulty booth monitor, and an Allen and Heath mixer, which I could scarcely work my long fingernails around. I thought I was doing terribly until just over halfway through my set DJ Kiti sidles up next to me to tell me how great my tracks were and how seamless my mixing was. I was surprised because I thought I was making some really obvious mistakes.
Often when you think you've made some really obvious errors, either no one notices or no one cares. It's good to set a high standard for yourself, but a lot of DJs, especially when beginning, are really hard on themselves for no reason. Even I agonised for months after my Golden Plains set about the two mistakes I made (although listening back to the recording, I doubt anyone but me would be able to pick them). Try not to take it too seriously and enjoy yourself.

#11. Count to 8

Because I grew up doing singing and dance lessons, it was really natural for me to count in eights while queuing up my next track. But when I started to teach some people how to DJ I realised that's not an innate human skill. Most dance tracks you play will be in counts of eight, in phrases of four. When bringing in your next track, most of the time you want its first beat to hit the first count of a phrase of the track that's already playing. For seamless sounding mixing, it matters what beat that new track comes in on, you can't just bring it in wherever. Speak to a friend who's a muso or a dancer if this is hard to understand, it's easy to learn and is very helpful.

YO! MAFIA

#12. Be obsessed

Have an undying (and somewhat unhealthy) obsession with music. In any form. Soak in as many genres as possible, learn to develop an ear for beat structure and timings. This will make it a lot easier when it comes time to learning to blend and mix your madness into one big party jam!

#13. Practice makes perfect

Practice, practice, practice. Don’t expect to be Spinderella right out the gate. I took a good five years of solid practicing before I even thought about seeking a club gig. These days a lot of DJs will jump straight onto the stage without any skills to pay the bills, so one sure way to stand out is to hone your craft as much as possible before you debut your killer set.

#14. Mix it up

Make mixtapes. As many as you can. Just press record and drop a solid 30min mix with no editing – just you, a mixer and two turntables. Get some invaluable feedback from your mates and peers – always make sure you ask for constructive criticism - bloody hard these days thanks to all dem TROLLS!

#15. Be reliable, professional and accountable

No one likes a DJ that is underprepared or rocks up to a gig late (or doesn’t rock up at all). Make sure you’re at every gig at least 10 minutes early – gauge the vibe of the crowd, and also support the DJ playing before you by being ready to takeover with no dramas. Be thankful for the amazing job you’ve been given – you’ll rarely see any of the high profile DJs complain on social media about the crap gig they had or the annoying person requesting songs. They are too busy creating a business and a career to seek false validation from a bunch of people they rarely know online. Bottom line, don’t air any grievances online. Keep your shit tight and professional.

Kish Lal

#16. Find some inspiration

Before you get started, find some DJs you like. Whether they are international or local, it doesn’t really matter. Find their mixes and listen to them. Figure out what you like, from mixing style to transitions, it’s a great way to know what you want to do, what you don’t want to do as a DJ and more importantly see what works. I find inspiration from a lot of my favourite DJs and I do this regularly, especially when I consider changing up my style. I always listen to mixes from Wahe, Venus X and Asmara because they’re not only my favourite DJs to listen to but also who I aspire to be more like. Look up to your idols and learn from them.

#17. It's okay to ask for help

It’s scary to ask people for help on how the hell to get started DJing. In my experience even finding decks to practice can be a task but there are always people around who are willing to help. Just know it's okay to ask for help. It’s okay to ask a friend who knows a DJ if they’re willing to let you borrow their decks for an hour of practice. If you dig deep into Facebook there are groups (beyond bad meme groups) like SISTER designed to help and support DJs. If you can’t find them, ask Twitter, ask Instagram, even try asking Tumblr because someone out there knows the answer and is going to help you out. It’s scary asking but after the first time it gets a little easier.

#18. Be your own stan

Be your own biggest fan. If you make a mix, put it up on Soundcloud and don’t share the link, nobody is going to know it’s there. Femmes, non-binary and people of colour are often conditioned to be small and quiet, but that’s utter bullshit. Even if you don’t believe it, go big — “Check out this amazing hour long mix I made that will absolutely change your dreary, boring ass life for the better.” Share that shit. Make it your profile picture. Hand out business cards with links to your mix. It’s okay to promote yourself, because you know what? Promoting yourself gets you noticed and getting noticed gets you shows. It's simple math.

#19. Networking is a good thing

I’ve always been suspicious of ‘networking’. It’s always reeked of pseudo friendships and insincerity to me, until one day it clicked — it doesn’t have to be. Let’s just call it supporting people you like and those people supporting you because they like you too, because that’s all networking really needs to or has to be.
Find people on SoundCloud in your city who DJ, approach people at the club who just played an amazing set, and follow people on Twitter whose music you like. It doesn’t have to be a circle jerk of fake compliments and retweets, it can really just be finding like-minded people doing things you like who can help you out. I’ve met a lot of the DJs who have helped me learn, booked me for shows and given me advice from the internet. I’ve met even more in person just by introducing myself to them. It doesn’t always work out and sometimes nothing will come of it, but building a support group of people who are nice, have experience and want to help you out will help you in the long run. And I can be that person for you if you just hit me up.

#20. Learn to say no

It’s exciting when the gigs start rolling in to say yes to everything, but learning how to say no is something I strongly recommend. When you have a support network, running low rates, bad conditions and suspicious promoters by them is always helpful and when you need to say no to something because your gut says “run”, just do it. There is no shortage of stories of women, non-binary, queer and people of colour being treated like garbage as DJs. If you happen to find yourself in a situation you don’t like, say no. Clout, money and loose connections to well-known promoters come and go but never sacrifice taking care of yourself and your well being for a DJ set.
The Red Bull Dance Your Style Australia national final hits Sydney on July 15. It's free to attend -- you can just rock up. Grab all the details here.
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