How To Start DJing

Quite often people ask me for tips on how to get started in DJing. I'd recommend anyone have a go, maybe start by asking your
local club for a half hour slot early on and some training on the decks, a lot of people have clubs that maybe don't play goth,
perhaps they'll let you do a small set to see how it goes? If the bug bites after that, you'll know it!

I've also put together the rough guide below to provide a few tips on taking it further.

Partnerships:
If you are planning a night from scratch then you might want find someone to compliment what you want to do, maybe you're in a
smaller town where a pure 'goth' night won't work, in which case work with someone else that can cover styles that you may not be so
familiar with that people will want to hear. Remember if you don't want to play certain 'style' then don't do it because you think
you have to, for that way lies madness and frustration, let someone else who knows what they are doing cover stuff you can't.
The night will benefit from having people who are passionate about what they are playing, and not just going through
the motions. You have to enjoy it, there is no point trying to please everyone if you prefer one 'style', stick to what you're good at.

The Crowd:
Among the hardest parts of actual DJing to learn is reading the crowd. Reading the crowd is something you get used to over time,
looking not just at those dancing and aiming to keep them on the floor but working out what you can play for those not dancing,
if people are sitting around tapping their feet and looking happy then great, but if not then maybe you can gauge what they might
want to hear. Take requests, but don't feel obliged to play all of them. Remain in control of the night, but be prepared to switch direction
at any moment if something does not work!

Knowing your material:
It sounds crazy but it's important to know the starts and endings of the tracks you're going to play, there's no need to beat match
everything, but having a good idea of which tracks flow nicely together will help everything run smoothly. Nobody wants to hear a long
intro if it's not danceable, likewise some tracks have long fade outs and some stop dead, know what to expect and learn when to hit play
for the next one to keep the flow going. Listen to the intro/outro of songs, you'll be surprised how quickly you start to spot tracks that
will flow well, or hear a new song and know exactly how you'll fit it in to a set.

The Kit:
Even the most basic piece of equipment will need to be mastered, it's not a matter of just putting tracks on one after another,
over time you'll develop your own techniques. For example I prefer to not use the cross fader and work with the sliders to individually
tailor each 'fade' depending on what's playing, others will use it all the time. I watch the tracks using 'elapsed time' since I know
the lengths of the intro's and the track itself, and calculate the precise moment to bring in the next track, hitting 'play' to bring a
track in over the one playing so that it sounds right. Others will monitor the time remaining and play it by ear.

You'll will learn which tracks are quieter than others, and those that come in loud and need bringing in carefully. You will know
which ones may need a small bass boost, or some other change. And all the time you are doing this, you'll have to watch the crowd,
listen to the levels, chat to people asking for requests or wanting to know what track is playing, and plan ahead.

Look after any kit you buy, or it WILL let you down, and always when you don't want it to!

Planning your sets:
I tend to not plan everything I do, but whether you wish to is personal choice. Try to work your sets in 'waves', if you start slow
and the set builds up speed then always have a way (a few tracks) to help slow it down again if it gets too fast. Try to think a few
tracks ahead, to help you change 'direction' if you need to. If you're following an EBM DJ and want to play psychobilly, then you
need to plan how to get from one style to another effortlessly, so that the flow between the two styles feels natural. Too much of a jolt and
you can lose a dancefloor in one go. Always be nice to the person following you, leave them with a track they can follow if their style is
different to yours. They'll repay you for it next time you have to follow them!

Sometimes for guest slots I'll make a few ideas of tracks to fall back on, stuff that I can slip on if the dancefloor starts to drift
away as it's a strange crowd and I don't how they'll react, Half the time I never refer to it, but treat it as a safety net. Never worry if
you lose half a dancefloor trying something new, getting people back is the easy bit (it's why we DJ's all still carry the Sisters).
Slipping a 'new' artists material in is easy if you time it right and you find a known track that it'll follow
easily, if in doubt, play them early and work them slowly later back in to your sets over time.

The Venue:
Find the right venue, with decent staff that understand what's going to happen, good doorman (especially if you're going to have
a dress code), and if you need to decorate it in anyway, check they don't mind. Quite often people don't know what to expect
and it might take the first night for them to realise that goths drink a lot and then go home without fighting! Once they get used to
that fact they'll love you for it, and work with you. No two venues are the same, when you find a good one, look after it.
A good venue owner is a good friend to have.

Advertising:
Above all, advertising the event is the most important thing you can do. You can never do too much, hit local shops with flyers
and posters, places that your intended crowd will hang out, and then post on forums, networking groups, yahoo groups, everywhere
you possibly can to let people know what's happening. and keep it up. The most successful promoters and those that work the hardest,
this part of the 'job' will take up a lot of your time, but its worth every second.

Make a note of your playlist, publishing this after the event lets people know what they may have missed, and gives those not there a
rough idea of what the night may bring, the wording on the flyers is just a rough guide, but the actual music played speaks volumes
and can really help sell the night.

A Word about Piracy:
Don't. Just Dont. That's about it really.
If you want to be a DJ then do it to help the scene. The bands that you intend to play work hard to make music, please support
them and buy it. Lots of bands will happily send you promo material if you ask for it and will give them feedback on it, there is no
justification in downloading MP3's illegallly. If you're not willing to put in the effort that others in the scene do then
maybe being a DJ is not right for you. Downloading really is killing the goth scene, the arguement about providing
promotion for artists works right up to the point where that artist can no longer afford to be able to rehearse and record.
And then what...?

Finally:
Good luck. Anyone can do it, there's no magic tricks, just the passion and belief in what you are playing and doing, and a skill to
learn that you'll get a lot of fun from. The best DJ's and promoters I know are among the hardest working people I've ever met,
and quite often broke. There's very rarely any money to be made in the goth scene so never enter into DJing for fame and fortune, but there
are a lot of people that are passionate about it, if you aim to join this small gang, then we welcome you with open arms.

Go for it!


Feel free to ask me anything you want to know that I may not have covered here,
but I hope that the above makes sense and serves to help get you started.
Dive in and give it a go, the scene needs people that will keep it going.