WHO IS A DJ?
"Our job as producers is to make the music sound as good as possible".
David Guetta
NAME
A disc jockey (Deejey) more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays continuous mix of recorded music via turntables, CDJs, or software at
parties, clubs, bars, concert venues, raves, and music festivals. Most
popular DJs also write and produce their own tracks.
Originally, the "disc" in "disc jockey" referred to shellac and later vinyl records, but nowadays DJ is used as an all-encompassing term to also describe persons who mix music from other recording media such as cassettes, CDs or digital audio files on a CDJ, controller, or even a laptop. DJs may adopt the title "DJ" in front of their real names, adopted pseudonyms, or stage names.
HISTORY
The term "disc jockey" was ostensibly coined by radio gossip commentator Walter Winchell in 1935, and the phrase first appeared in print in a 1941 Variety magazine, used to describe radio personalities who introduced phonograph records on the air. Playing recorded music for dancing and parties rose with the mass marketing of home phonographs in the late 19th century.
British radio disc jockey Jimmy Savile
hosted his first live dance party in 1943 using a single turntable and a
makeshift sound system. Four years later, Savile began using two
turntables welded together to form a single DJ console. In 1947, the Whiskey A Go-Go opened in Paris as the first discotheque.
"Being a DJ Is Hard Work, Not A Glamorous Life"
Ben Gold
JOB AND TECHNIQUES
A DJ plays a continuous mix of music via turntables, CDJs, or software at parties, clubs, bars, concert venues, raves, and music festivals. Most popular DJs also write and produce their own tracks.
They operate across many genres, although most commonly in the Dance and Hip-Hop fields, but key to the profession is the selection of tracks that please the crowds and the ability to 'mix' - which is to play two tracks seamlessly into one another to provide gapless music.
This skill is very much earned through hard graft and the tricks of
the trade involve a variety of skills with music. A DJ must constantly work to refine their craft and to produce new music
under their own names if they want to stay competitive.
An in-depth knowledge and love of their chosen genre is vital, as is being able to vary your style for
different audiences
in order to keep the
crowd on the dance floor.
The life of a DJ is one which many envy, but there are a lot of people trying to make it and a lot of people to please, so to hit the heights you need passion, determination and a work-ethic that is second to none.
TYPES
CLUB DJ
Club DJs, play music at musical events and partiss at music venues or bars, music festivals, corporate and private events
MOBILE DJ
Mobile DJs - DJs with their own portable audio sound systems.
RADIO DJ
Radio DJs or radio personalities play music broadcast on AM, FM, digital or Internet radio stations.
HIP HOP DJ
There are four key stylistic elements: MCing or rapping, DJing or scratching with turntables, break dancing, and graffiti writing.
PRODUCER DJ
DJs who create remixes of popular club hits, completely original tracks.
FEMALE DJ
TURNTABLIST DJ
Turntablists, called battle DJs, use turntables and DJ mixer to play recorded sounds to produce new music.
DJANES DJ
Female DJs used to employ grammatical gender in their language.
BEDROOM DJ
Bedroom DJs performing at home, usually recording their sets and posting them online.
REGGAE DJ
In Jamaican music, a deejay is a reggae or dancehall musician who sings and "toasts" (raps) to an instrumental riddim.
CELEBRITY DJ
Celebrity DJs are idely known celebrities performing as DJ.
RESIDENT DJ
A resident DJ performs at a venue on a regular basis or permanent.
How To Become A DJ: A Beginner's Guide:
Step 1: Learning What DJs Do.
Step 2: Determining Your Goals.
Step 3: Exploring DJ Software.
Step 4: Learning Basic DJ Skills.
Step 5: Getting DJ Hardware.
Step 6: Recording a Mix.
Step 7: Building a Following.
Step 8: Getting Your First DJ Gigs.