This year I started learning to DJ. In March I toured IO Music Academy in San Francisco, and in April I signed up for their DJ program, starting with Spin Class.
The first workshop was with Starfari. The first thing I wrote down was “Everyone is a DJ.” The second: go early, and feel the energy of the crowd.
Then the tools: a Pioneer controller, rekordbox on my laptop, and a lot of practice. Finding music turned out to be its own skill, and Shazam really is your best friend. Every transition comes down to three things: the tempo, the energy of the next song, and the timing.
- Retro Remix One0:00 / –:––
- Bollywood One0:00 / –:––
In September I played the class finals at Temple Nightclub: a short set on two CDJ-3000s and a Pioneer A9 mixer, through a real club sound system. It was a showcase, not a party, and that was the point: getting comfortable on professional gear.
Afterwards my instructor called the finals “the first of many,” and sent notes. Do your job, and have fun; everything else is a bonus. Make your transitions within 8 to 16 bars of something big happening in the new song. And respect the set time: let the next DJ start, shake their hand, and get off the stage.
This month I signed up for another round of Spin Class, and I’m taking private lessons. This Diwali I’m playing house parties for friends.