Your 5 Proven Steps To DJing Like a Pro, Part 4: Performing [Summer School Podcast]

So you want to be able to DJ like a pro, but it’s hard to know where to start, it’s hard to know what to practise, and it’s hard to know if you’re getting better.

This proven five-step formula, first popularised in our book Rock The Dancefloor! (which has now reached its second edition and is a global bestseller), is your answer.

Here we’re going to look at step four, which is performing, before moving on to look at the final step, success. We’ve already covered gear, music, and mixing (steps one to three) in previous articles.

You’ll find a YouTube video where I give you extra thoughts, and a podcast version as well, which you can subscribe to – do this now, so you don’t miss any of them.

You’ll learn plenty from the articles and accompanying video/audio to make solid improvements in your DJing, but if you want to learn more, we’ll direct you to a free online version of the book, and I’ll also explain what extra material is available in our course based on the book, The Complete DJ Course.

Step 4: Performing

Nowadays, we define performing in a very broad way. What we’re talking about here is delivering the finished product of DJing. In other words, creating something that others can enjoy. It’s one thing to have mastered one or two transitions that you do over and over again in private, but that’s not really DJing – they’re just tricks. Delivering the finished product is what makes you a DJ.

You know you need to work on this step when:

• You understand the importance of performing a DJ set, but you keep putting it off
• You suffer from imposter syndrome, and feel scared people will make fun of you
• You’re worried about how you’ll deal with the crowd – everything from “reading the crowd”, to keeping the dancefloor happy, even to dealing with requests

Our biggest tip

It’s important to understand that performing is not about being perfect. Perfection is both unattainable and too easy.

Why is it unattainable? Because no DJ is ever 100% happy with any set they play. Just trust me on that. But too easy? Ask any DJ who’s played on rickety old turntables with a basic mixer and vinyl, and they’ll tell you that today’s DJ gear makes getting the basics right child’s play. And this means it’s very simple to play a DJ set which, judged by that narrow technical criterion, is – in one way – perfect.

Read this next: 10 Tips For Smashing Your First DJ Gig

But guess what? That kind of perfection is boring. People actually like to know their DJs are doing something. And so having a misguided idea of what it means to play a perfect DJ set can actually work against you, and stop you doing it. This is a mistake.

Another way to look at it is this – performing is all about getting something that you’ve planned done so you can move on to the next thing. The next DJ set, the next project. Performing is the only place you really learn about DJing. So while there’s a whole range of activities that qualify here (as we’re going to find out in the next step), you really do have to do it. It’s not optional.

Audio version

Here’s what’s covered…

• 0:00 Intro
• 0:14 Episode overview
• 2:44 Idea #1 – Livestreaming
• 4:31 Idea #2 -Mixtapes
• 6:32 Idea #3 – Just for fun
• 9:49 Next steps..

Find Out More

The fourth section of our Rock The Dancefloor! book deals with this step, with chapters on why it’s important to perform, how to pack the perfect DJ set, things to take with you, how to set up in public venues, how to behave as a DJ, dealing with nerves and confidence, how to programme a DJ set, and how to play bar, club, and mobile gigs. Go here to access the book for free.

Ready to take the next step? With 12 video lessons dedicated to this area, you can join me as I teach you all of this and more inside our all-new Complete DJ Course.