If you have dreams of becoming a successful DJ and wish to spend your career playing sold out shows all over the globe or producing some amazing hits then you are probably wondering about what process you need to go through in order to get there. The wildly successful DJ Rama knows only too well what this process looks like and for him the journey to success involves plenty of hard work, a little bit of luck and of course talent on the wheels of steel.
DJ Rama has been kind enough to share some of his tips on how beginners can invest their time so that they may put themselves on the path to success as a DJ.
The Craft
The first thing which Rama spoke about was the level of patience that someone will require in order to make it big as a DJ. During the early years the main focus should be on the craft of DJing, understanding what kind of music you wish to play and how to compile a set, how to beat match, how to create something memorable and enjoyable for those who are listening. Dj Rama spoke about the thousands of hours which he spent in his room, on his own, mastering the craft, and this is what he believes has paid dividends throughout his career.
Music
When it comes to what music to play you have to do you, playing music which people like or with is topical is all well and good, and there is nothing wrong with dabbling, but ultimately you have to play what you enjoy. There are multiple reasons for this, the first is that you need to have deep knowledge about the music you love and this will give you a chance to do that, secondly if you go topical then sooner or later the fad will pass and you’ll have to switch things up and finally you need to create an identity and you can’t do that if you flip-flop between styles at this stage. When you become a success you can play everything, right now focus on what you enjoy.
Set Management
Beyond all of the technique, the skills and the tricks, the most important thing when you wish to do a DJ set is to have a proper set put together, and that is not as easy as you may think. Managing a set is tricky and you need to map it out with emotions in mind, you need to consider how the songs make you feel and how to play more songs which capture or move that emotion. Make sets on tapes or through recordings and listen to them back so that you can get a real feel for the music which you are playing and whether or not it works, practice this in order to become a truly great DJ.
Finally the key is to get yourself out there, play as many parties and functions as possible, do all that you can to get the experience of playing to people. This is how to build a foundation for DJ success.