Newbie: I need motivation General DJ Chat Discuss Newbie: I need motivation in the DJ Forum forums; Hi all, I am in a bit of a dilemma! This is a bit of a long post but please stick with me! I have always loved dance music and ...

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Hi all,

I am in a bit of a dilemma! This is a bit of a long post but please stick with me!

I have always loved dance music and have been into it for a number of years (I am 27). However although I like it I wouldn't say I am an expert and generally only listen to chart tracks rather than the lesser known tracks. This doesn't mean I don't like that type of music, I just mean I don't get a chance to listen and/or find out about it. I have also always thought DJing was amazing and have been intrigued by it for ages.

Anyway, last June (yes almost a year ago!) I came into a bit of money so I treated myself to two Pioneer CDJ800Mk2 decks, a Numark DM2050 mixer and a Sefour X10 DJ Stand. The idea in principle was to get into DJing purely as a hobby. I have no plans on playing outside of my apartment, it is merely meant as a hobby. That was the idea anyway.

Since I bought the decks I have used them about 6 times and that was to just muck about. I have bought a DJ for Dummies book and read it but can never motivate myself to actually use the decks. So I am after some advice:

1. Storing the CDs: This bit is the main reason of putting me off. What is the best way of compiling my music onto CDs and then storing it for easy access? A mate of mine has been DJing for years, came round a few months ago to give me a hand and he stores his CDs in one of those wallets - ones like these: Buy 208 CD/DVD Wallet. at Argos.co.uk - Your Online Shop for . - which he puts his CDs into and then has a printed sleeve on the outer bit which lists the tracks. Good idea?

2. Knowing about new titles: I have got loads of chart CD singles from over the years but how do I go about knowing about new music? I have downloaded a couple of tracks from Ministry of Sound and Tracksource but I am downloading blind really. I listen to the clips to get an idea first.

3. Knowing about different types of music: I have no idea what kind of music is House, Hard House, Electronic etc. Well I have a guess but don't know it in detail! Is this important?

I am trying to see if my company at work will fund a 2 day one on one DJ crash course for me (they offer money for out of work activities as a perk) but if they don't I won't fund it myself as it is around £400!

Am I trying to do too much too soon? What would be your ideal ways of starting? I am loathed to sell on the DJ equipment (it is brand new though so would get a good price) as I bought it to use but haven't managed to do that yet!

Sorry for the slightly rambling post! All advice appreciated.

[brandon jay]

Play vinyl and you won't have that problem.


JK

But ya get yourself a external hard drive or a card of some type. I hear you can just store all your music on them and plug them into the back of a cdj.

[leon1984]

best thing is to start!!!! it seems to me that you are being daunted by the bigger picture!!!
just download say 10 tracks of the same genre (you can search genre on beatport for instance) and then start mixing!!! once you have the hang of it a bit or are bored of the songs, go buy another ten of a different genre and try with those. untill you have found what you like to play and you will be starting to get half decent too!!!

[DJ Animo]

Hey Mate,


My advice is dont give up.. if you still have a passion/interest in it!

I use Cd's too and I use a small poach to store them in.. pretty handy actually! It takes time to understand the whole concepts and genres of Music.. but if you enjoy listening to music you will not have a problem picking up the sounds...

Go to www.beatport.com and scout through the different genres and you will start to understand the differences of each..

Hope this helps mate!

Dj Animo

[dusten williams]

If you plan your playlists, you can getaway with a small binder...

But if you like to adlib/improvise a lot (which in my opinion is a big part of djing) try doing what I do:

-Use two cd binders.

One small sleeve for hot new tunes.
And another "Binder" for older songs that you still want in the "general rotation".

Since some songs get a lot of replay even 6 months after release put previously "hot new" tunes into your rotation binder once they start to lose that 'fresh' feeling!

Also Include in your rotation binder, tracks that you like to drop for fun, or classic tunes that you might end up playing toward the end of a set.

goodluck! experience is the best teacher as they say!

[D666]

dont get bogged down by all the details first and foremost have some fun and the skills will come,then later you can concentrate on getting better at the other stuff.

[nigelwright7557]

Originally Posted by D666

dont get bogged down by all the details first and foremost have some fun and the skills will come,then later you can concentrate on getting better at the other stuff.

A good place to start is to watch other DJ's in pubs and clubs.

I was lucky in that I got taken on as an apprentice DJ and had numerous other DJ's watch and see what they did and what they played.