Sometimes, it seems like the most important aspects of DJing are the parts that really can’t be taught at all – things like the ability to build a rapport with a disparate group of people, to be able to read a crowd and translate that empathy into tune selection, to curate the mood in a room for a few hours through selection and transitions – these kind of skills really only develop through time spent DJing in front of people.
There are of course many other skills that a DJ needs – their brains should contain a database of the finest music, they should have superb technical abilities, a musical ear, confidence, charisma, all that stuff – but it is the ability to communicate with their audience that really sets the very best DJs above the rest of us.
Obviously, communication is a two-way process, whereas DJing can sometimes feel like you’re simply shouting into a room, trying to get cheers. Likewise, sometimes as an audience member, it can feel a little like the DJ is so into what they’re doing, that they’re not really paying attention to what’s going on around them. Perhaps the key is as simple as ensuring that you approach a gig prepared to play whatever the mood requires. If you’re able to respond to your crowd then you’ll be doing your job. Alternatively, you can turn up and play exactly what you worked out in your bedroom in the hope that it works and when it doesn’t carry on anyway. DJing is all about choices.
We all know that some of the top level EDM DJ performances are pre-planned so that the drops are in perfect sync with the glitter cannons – but for the rest of us, this level of pre-planning is just not going to work, and not just because you don’t own a glitter cannon. No DJ ever got good by ignoring their audience. Most of the best DJs are the ones who can react and respond to what their audience need.
Certainly, a bit of flexibility and adaptability will serve you well in your DJ career. It’s a delicate balancing act; on the one hand, you can’t just give people exactly what they think they want – otherwise what’s the point of the club employing a specialist like you? But equally, if your audience isn’t loving your endless minimal loopy techno, then maybe it’s time to deviate from the plan. Get off-road, and start to read your dancers, maybe try the old DJ trick of picking one person and playing just for them. A room full of dancers is the same as any other humans, they love a bit of attention and to be acknowledged. Listen to them and respond, and they’ll love you for it.
