Continuing to Hone Your Skills

 


Continue to create fresh music. This way, when you do get a job, people will be impressed and give you good referrals to potential customers. Never stop creating new playlists and remixing music for your sets.

 

 Record all your mixes. Yes, all of them. Record something every time you practice. Try to record sets, riffs, mixes, beats, or experiments.

• Even if you don’t like these recordings, they might form the basis for something else later or inspire you to try something new.
• Sometimes you will like your recordings! Then you'll have something to show potential clients, venues, and the public, including your fans. This allows you to provide tracks someone else can play when you’re not around.

 Share your recordings. In addition to sharing your mixes on social media (Twitter, Facebook, etc.), there are many places where you can share your recordings online for free.  Try SoundCloud, Mixcloud, Mixcrate, House-Mixes.com, or Mix.dj.  Sharing your mixes publicly gives you feedback, helps you network, and starts to build your fan base.


 

  Listen carefully to talented DJs. Whether "live" or online, try to listen to DJs who are above your skill level and whose music you like. Listen to their music, but also observe how they work. Look at music selection, length of mixes, volume, and how they react to crowds. Also observe whether they move quickly, bouncing between different controls, or whether they focus intently on a single monitor or two.


 

 Study music and new instruments. This is especially helpful if you don’t have much formal musical training. An understanding of rhythm and beats can help with beat matching, phrase matching, and syncing. Familiarization with unusual instruments can breathe fresh life and creativity into your sets.



 
 

Collect lots of music. Collecting and organizing your music is an ongoing process. You want to keep up with the latest popular dance tracks and songs. Follow top-40 lists, and be aware of requests for music that you don’t have at your own gigs. Look up DJ lists of common party tracks. 

 

 

Continue networking and collaborating. Honing your skills involves improving your networking as well. For better or worse, networking never really ends. Keep business cards handy, and try to attend networking events regularly. This might seem like a chore, but it's an exciting way to meet new people, so get out and socialize.