If you want to be in charge of the dance floor you will need to do a bit of research before you begin, because it’s not necessarily all about the music you enjoy but rather about the musical tastes of your guests or clientele.
In addition, you may even need to supply your own equipment, so where do you begin?
To find out more I visited the site www.passionatedj.com which states that it provides information for ‘Passionate DJs only’… this extract is from ‘How to become a DJ: The Ultimate Guide’.
Getting started
Before you embark on your career and spend unnecessary hard-earned money you need to decide on the type of DJ you wish to be:
• Club/ bar DJ (resident) – This will mean that you will have to keep an uninterrupted flow of music which relates directly to the type of club it is as well as the age of the patrons. ‘Ideally, this DJ knows how to ramp the energy up and down to balance between an active floor and a busy bar,’ states Passionate DJ.
• Performer/ guest DJ – This will mean that you have already built your reputation and people are coming along specifically to see and hear you in action. ‘The more ‘exhibitionist’ DJs also fit here, such as turntablists (people good at cutting, scratching and other turntable tricks).’
• The mobile/wedding DJ – ‘This type of DJ often needs to be comfortable with taking requests (and sometimes even entire playlists), speaking into a microphone… and investing in your own sound equipment.’
• Radio DJ – Now, this is an entirely different kettle of fish as you have no visible audience… and, if you have no interaction with your listeners, you may not even know if there’s anyone out there at all.
In addition, you have very little control over your playlist, this is normally chosen by your programme producer/ team… instead your role becomes one of providing the banter as the link between the music.
Here, I must state, you have to be very aware of every word which you utter as you could easily say something which could be deemed offensive by any one of the people tuned into the station.
Your role has morphed, no longer is it the music which becomes key to the success of your programme, but rather the magic you weave as you link the songs and ensure that there are no ‘dead’ spaces on air.
A colleague of mine says: ‘You have to be just a little bit bonkers to be a Radio DJ as you have to be comfortable holding a conversation with yourself.’
The upside, however, is that the invitations start flowing in and you soon become the ‘invited guest DJ’ where you can, as mentioned above, play the music of your choice … and get paid to do so!
On air
I must admit I was pretty terrified the first time I was invited to talk on air.
As most of the Zululand Observer readers may know I am passionate about movies – I can eat, breathe, write and talk about movies with people I know, but going on air and not knowing how people are going to react or even if they’re interested in what you have to say, that’s an entirely different matter.
And this brings me to my next point, namely, that the role of the DJ as well as the radio format have evolved over the years.
Traditional radio transmitted on FM or AM needs some really serious equipment as well as a production team, however, anyone can start a radio station of their own online with the right computer, software and means of streaming content… and, if the content isn’t offensive, the regulations are minimal: you can play what you like, when you like, providing you have the correct SAMRO licences.
If this article has inspired you to investigate further, PassionateDJ.com hosts a weekly talk show: The Passionate DJ Podcast with hints, tips and advice… ‘it’s the first (and only) show of its kind,’ they state.
‘We would love for you to join us in our journey to become better DJs through passion and purpose.’
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