How Did You Learn DJing?

[sarasin]

I met a tall gentleman who wore funny clothes and had a slight irish accent. He promised to teach me the fine art of the dj if i scoured the earth for this particularly rare blue flower and brought it to him.

It was either TALL PAUL....or Eyeball Paul!

[djknowledge]

first learned on virtual turntables until i got my beatmatching skills perfected and then switched over to some technics. pretty much just had the natural ability to do so i heard it in my head im pretty sure u guys who started djin before it became "the cool thing to do" know what i mean.

[koffa]

I played a few parties just fading different indie rock/pop hits in and out. Liked it and thought you could probably do some awesome stuff with this software (which was virtual dj at the time).

Actually took a course at my uni called "creative DJ:ing" where I learned some basic theory and quite a bit of Ableton (teacher used it...), continued producing in Ableton and moved to Traktor for the DJ:ing...

[Lineypirate]

I got my first set of turntables (cheap mail order magazine pair) for passing my GCSE's at 16 and some vinyl out of the local HMV. Spent hours everyday practising and DJ'd my first gig soon after at a house party. Many more house parties ensued as I was the only DJ in my year at school and it just led onto bigger and bigger things! Didn't have youtube or any mags, just practised until I wasn't crap anymore.

However, controllerism...... I mostly learn't from here! Cheers

[Nicadraus]

Back when I started, I learned all the basics on my own. There was no one to teach me or guide me. Internet wasn't available yet and DJ/mobile magazines were hard to come by. After a few months of getting to know and figured out the basic essentials, I put up my small mobile rig and used whatever cheap equipment I could afford. I had a handed down mixer from a cousin which was the Weston MX900, a Kenwood turntable with out pitch control and a belt driven Technics turntable with two separate knobs for pitch control. One for 33rpm and the other knob for 45rpm. Some home Pioneer and Sony 12" speakers and Sansui and Pioneer integrated amplifiers. In 1991, I got my first set of Technics SL1200 MK3 (Japan version finished in black). I also got my first Numark mixer, DM1150 model.

A year later from the time I started, I was hired by a big mobile company as a reliever DJ. Meaning I should go to every mobile booking but can only play on either situations:
-when the one of the DJs assigned couldn't make it
-when the event requires a DJ who will play very early opening or really late closing sets

Eventually a year later, I became a regular and have been assigned to school dance events, school fairs, debuts and other events.

Fast forward to 1994, I transferred to another mobile and was promoted to head DJ six months later. It wasn't as big as the previous mobile I worked with but had almost the same good equipment only lesser in numbers. Technics SL1200s, Pioneer CDJ500, Numark DM1975, Lab Gruppen Amplifiers, JBL Speakers, Martin & Geni lights, etc.

In 1998, I stopped DJing because I started working for a corporate company. At the same time, my dad assigned me to manage one of our family businesses. So basically I didn't have time to DJ anymore. I sold my mixer but kept the 1200s. I had about 1500 records and many of them were borrowed by friends but majority of them never came back. I had about 1500 records from my 1990 -1998 vinyl collection. In mid 2000, that's when I realized that I wanted to go back to DJing. So I bought a small Numark mixer (DM950) and got my pair of 1200s from my parents house which have been kept in the storage room for nearly 2 years. In 2003, my friends and I put up a shop and sold DJ/Audio & lighting equipment here in Manila. Unfortunately, that shop only lasted for a year and six months because we had many issues with our supplier.

Back in the 90s, I used to play everything. From House to Hiphop, Techno, Trance, Retro and 70s Disco. But since I went back to DJing in 2000, I stuck to EDM. Deep/Soulful/Funky/Latin/Disco/Progressive house. Although I still play 90s stuff once in a while. In that same year, I also began doing residencies in clubs and bars. I also traveled to other places and flew to other islands in the country for gigs.

Currently I have a residency at Opus at the Resorts World (http://www.opusmanila.com/lounge.htmll) here in Manila and I also specialize in refurbishing, customizing and modifying Technics SL1200/1210 turntables, aside from that I also do professional car detailing and and diecast car craft modeller as well.

[jakeintox]

Started working as a live sound tech for a small production company, spent my time at gigs watching the djs and learning the cdj1000s. Turned out I was really good at song selection and would dig through cds for my friend while he spun. Pretty soon I would jump on the cdjs and cover for him on breaks.

Couldn't afford my own gear at the time, so I would practice at home on virtual dj and spin on my friends' cdjs. Then I discovered controllers, became the first "digital dj" in my area, and 5 years later here I am djing for a living.

[DJMM]

I learn it by practicing a lot and reading How to DJ Right. That book is the best thing you can get. It is even good for pro's its not only for beginners.

[ksandvik]

A DJ tricked me into taking over his Wed and Fri evening slots, vinyl. Had to learn to beat-match while doing the gig :-).

[csmith5888]

I am just starting and I am wingin' it! Dont have any friends that dj but i like to watch a lot of dj's in club/concert setting and love music. Dabble in a few instruments here and there so i understand the concept of music and how it comes together. I think my biggest battle is going to be learning all the aspects of my controller how it works. Once i get that down i will move on to bigger and better things like some serious cdj's or someting. One step at a time.

Really gotta get up to speed on some youtubing though....

[Steve_London]

I was in a band, we split up - I put my amp and guitar on ebay and got an e-mail from a chap in Essex saying he's swamp a pair of deck, a mixer, some speakers and vinyl.... I bought some more records and taught myself to mix.

In fact I started playing gigs before I could even beatmatch. That came later. I guess I learned half of what i know on stage...