Any monkey can show up in a club, drop a 20 song set, and then hit the bar.
You’re not a DJ until you are 15 minutes into a set, and someone comes up and asks when the “good music” is going to start.
You’re not a mobile DJ until after your first 4am load out in the rain (really, any precipitation counts).
hahahahaha
Thanks for the responses guys, I’m at the point where I’ve started to feel proud about my mixes, song selection, and knowledge of the DJ world. I really like the point that some of you made about how one shouldn’t necessarily worry about the term itself, and just focus on the music 
. Being 16, I guess I should just focus on getting better and playing music.
Thanks for all the feedback and thoughts, pretty interesting topic.
HAHAHAHA! yeeeah, ive had someone come up to me and say that before, more than once actually… first time i just told the guy there playing david guetta and black eyed peas down the road if he aint happy. Second time it was a chick… a pretty hot one at that, so i asked what she would like to hear, and she said kesha… so i stared at her for about 15 seconds… then said “nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnoooo”, i said try again, so she gave me another song, and i said no to that, and about 2 songs after that aswel… then she told me i was mean and asked me what i wouldnt say no to… so i said “i wont say no if you try to give me your number or buy me a drink…” She walked away without saying anything, and 5 minutes later she comes back with a vodka redbull and a beer coaster with her number on it… Best pickup EVVAARRRR… ill never forget it…
when you get a nod from reputable DJs that what you’re doing is worth listening to… not your weed smoking buddies or some girl at your first gig who is into guys who do things in front of people… but props from someone you can honestly say is a dope DJ.
anybody can learn how to be a bad or mediocre “dj”, it’s a matter of sticking to it and honing the craft until you get a bit of recognition from other people who’ve paid their dues.
it’s all semantic.
titles are for people who need them.
if you’ve never gotten a nod from a “good” dj, but you are a “good” dj then you are a “dj”.
this can help too
Dood that is very, very Awsome. Nice work.
DJ imo comes with skill level, not on a monetary term or performing live. Being innovative, and most importantly having a GREAT SONG SELECTION (i mean playing them in a set, and reading a crowd). Doing mashups (or not if ur not into it), seamless blends-I would consider being a DJ. Shit if you can do some cool things using only a laptop and a mapped keyboard, juggling beats, cutting songs, etc id say that person is a DJ as well.
As a performing DJ-like i mentioned earlier is knowing what songs to play next!
u usbin?
heeeeeaaaallll yeah fool. got a party to nite i need to get some biebz from u!
some one asked me what i was doing and i said ‘usbian’ as one word, not like U S B ing and the u was soft
i don’t know.. where do you draw the line… i mean any newb who figures out the basics of traktor probably assumes they are good.
a dj is someone that plays music with vinyl, cds, mp3 and keeps the music going by beatmatching or fading one track to another. Paid or unpaid, it really doesnt matter.
It all depends dosn’t it? BIG SHOT like tiesto, or club dj.
he clearly said:
you dont need to restate what you said on the first page.
I dont look at big name acts too much, I care more about dj’s that are part of my dj circuit/world
I don’t think u have to be a big shot… a dj is someone who plays music.. disk jockey.. now if u wanna be with the big boys.. then u should start making a name for yourself with creative mixes and beat production… but that’s another story.. enjoy what u do..
Can anyone rate/provide feedback to where I am on my mixes and how I can improve? It seems all of you are waaayy more experienced and would love to get some advice on how far away I am from becoming a respected mixer.
Sure thing man!
Just post it here:
Not many discs around anymore, and jockeys’ ride horses. Don’t really WANT to be a ‘DJ’.
Hmm, if what some people are saying here is true, then i have a lot of things to add to my resume. I can surf pretty damn well, never surfed before in a competition, but i can do it well, so that must mean im a pro surfer. I can play football pretty well too, do all the neat ball guggling tricks with my feet. Never played for a league team, just with some friends down at the park, but ive scored a lot of goals, must mean im a football player… Ive replaced the starter motor in my car and changed a head gasket once aswel, damn, i guess that means im a mechanic. I fixed the toilet and the sink pipes a few weeks ago, guess that means im a plumber too… I do all my own flyers for my club nights, and there pretty damn good, guess that means im a graphic artist too. Working on my own website… Web designer? With the same mentality, i can hit a tennis ball over the net and do some pretty good power serves. Ive only played tennis for a semester in competition back when i was in high school once against other schools, but i guess that means im a Tennis player too?
What im trying to get people to understand is that there is a key difference between being able to do something… and BEING something… sure… you CAN DJ, But i dont think you should be able to call yourself one until thats what you do for a living. Sure you may consider YOURSELF a DJ… and all the more power to you… but OTHERS arent going to consider you a DJ until they actually see you up on stage or in the club booth or whatever.
In saying that, it doesnt mean you have to be like richie hawtin or deadmau5 getting paid 50,000 bucks a gig to be called a DJ. Just as long as your making some sort of income on some sort of regular occurence. Its like in football… or soccer or whatever, you have different leagues of guys, some play in reigonal, some play premier… they all get paid different amounts and play for different leagues… but they are all still football players… your not going to go call your mate with who you go down to the park and shoot a few balls around with a football player are you… yes he plays football… but he aint a football player.
