Discovering Your Strengths in the DJ Community
January 12, 2017
You’ve entered DJ competitions. Maybe you’ve even placed. When your friends need a wedding DJ, they know to keep you on a very short list to call. Your skill level makes you pretty confident that you could successfully pull off even the most obscure of events. While that’s definitely something to be proud of, there’s always room for both wisdom and improvement. DJ’s have the luxury of being extraordinarily versatile, but make no mistake–there should always be a central idea and focus when it comes to where you excel. After all, being a jack of all trades means little if you’ve failed to master one! How do you determine which market is more suited for your strengths as you find your place in the DJ community? Find out which traits will be necessary for various roles in the music community.
Wedding DJs
As a wedding DJ, your role is to be the memorable, remarkable entertainment for the VIP couple of the day. You must have a diverse listening and music collection, as you’ll be playing for various ages, cultures and demographics – all at once. Certain qualities will become invaluable such as being extremely personable and friendly, and adaptable to last-minute changes of any sort, especially with music requests and crowd pleasing. Time management must be a strong suit, as your clients will place faith in your ability to be both reliable and punctual for events. Most importantly, you must have great listening skills–both for music and for people. As the wedding DJ, you will be hired by a couple who will need you to pay attention to every element important for their special day; there is no time or place for ego or showboating. Good wedding DJs are supportive and empathetic, and that will go a long way in enhancing what will likely be one of the most memorable moments of your clients’ lives.
Corporate DJs
Corporate events often hold an unfair reputation for being boring and lacking amusement. Even attendees sometimes dread their company parties or benefits, but that’s where you come in!
If you are attentive, have an extremely professional personality and a keen understanding of how music sets moods, being a corporate DJ may be where you land among DJs. As a DJ for corporate events, you must understand how to choose appropriate music selections for general crowd selections, as well as know how to read the energy of an environment. If the hors d’oeuvres hour requires accompanying background music, you must know how to choose tracks which will be pleasing to the ear without creating a snoozefest. A preliminary conversation with your client may dictate moments of liveliness and dancing with an ever-present need for elegance and sophistication. Balancing the two is a skill. The power music wields is undeniably impactful, and your selections must be both deliberate and delightful.
Club DJs
Energetic, confident and great at reading a crowd? Club DJing may be your sweet spot! Successful club DJs make great money and typically get great residencies in larger cities. To shine as a club DJ, you’ll need to keep your pulse on the latest music charts, videos and sales, because that’s what your sets will consist of. What’s more, you can generally work within one or two specific genres, as most clubs stick to a particular niche sound. Club DJing comes with a prerequisite of having an almost intuitive sense for beat and key matching; this will dictate overall crowd attendance and enjoyment. Ultimately, being flexible and always prepared will be key in your development as an amazing club maestro.
Competition DJs
Are you more technically inclined when it comes to music manipulating? Being a competition DJ, or turntablist, would be a great place to get rooted in the DJ community. Patience is the virtue you’ll need as a competition DJ, since practice will be a daily requirement to stay sharp and ahead of the pack. Turntablists are precise and have acute eye-ear-hand coordination. You need to be innately creative and innovative, as competition DJs usually are. You will find your spotlight personality and infectious energy to be priceless when it comes to what you bring to events.
Though it would be great to think that you could master all things music as a DJ, it may be more advantageous to focus on what traits you possess and allow them to help sway you in a particular direction within the DJ community. Focus on who you are inherently, and cultivate your strengths with your mixing skills. The end result will be a more dedicated and enjoyable DJ career.