DJing, its not as simple or as cheap to do, as it seems.

The wisdom here within is written from the "Moblie DJ" perspective but the much of the wisdom of the "Mobile DJ" is also applicable to the "Club DJ".

When you see a DJ at work have a look around somewhere in the often darkened room you will see self-proclaimed experts discussing how the DJ should be doing thing differently, don’t make the mistake of mocking these critics, a number of DJ’s have started this way, instead arm yourselves with the facts and join the debate.

Lets start at the very beginning

Firstly, a DJ is there to entertain by playing music that will be enjoyed. Invariably the music they play will not be exactly the same as they enjoy in their own time, therefore simply having a large music collection or being a record collector does not make you a DJ, although as has been said before a number of DJ’s have started this way.

Secondly a DJ is more that his equipment, although it is important the equipment that they have is appropriate (you would not expect a guitarist to turn up to a concert with a guitar with a missing string)it is not the only factor, to follow on with the guitar analogy Jimi Hendrix was more than a man with a nice guitar and therefore to hire a DJ simply based on their equipment is rather a slap round the face to them and their art

How to decide what to play

This is the key skill with being a DJ, you start usually ahead of "the gig" thinking about what kind of music you think will work this time, what has worked in the past and what extra pieces of music need to be purchased (based on whats currently in vogue and whats need for the specific "gig").

The key thing is too "feel" the music and to keep in mind is, "if I was in the audiance, what would I love to hear next?" based on the answer the DJ picks their next record

How to go from one record to another

This is a less important skill than picking records , heres an overview

Beat mixing, this common technique has a very simple basis.

1. The next your record you choose should have roughly the same tempo and musical structure at the point you wish to join it with the current piece of music
   
2. Start it playing just through your headphones
   
3. Use the sped control of your player to match the BPM (Beats Per Minute/Tempo) to match the music playing
   
4. Bring the beats and structures of the two peices of music into syncronisation by nudging the second piece ahead or behind the currently playing peice of music by either (in the case of record) by physically touching the record itself or by making quick changes back and forth with the speed control (there may be a button that does the same job as moving the speed control called "pitch bend" buttons)
5. When you've matched the peices of music so you can hardly hear the difference between the two use the controls on your mixer to reduce fade out the first piece of music whilst bring the second piece of music to the fore
   

A trick that makes beat mixing work even better is too use short easily identify-able segments of the previous and next records over the top the current record, this further blurs the seam between the records and builds anticipation of the next record to come. The downside to this is that takes time away from choosing and cueing the next record.

DJ, Hip Hop Style

Although DJing started as a way to blend records together in the early disco days, hip-hop is where it developed and turned into the art form it is today. Hip-hop turned the two record players from being a means to play music, to being a means of making music. Disc jockeys became capable of taking two records and making a completely new tune by looping, cutting and scratching the vinyl. Soon they teamed up with vocalists who performed their lyrics to the new beat- rap. This is how hip-hop began.

Following is a brief explanation of the techniques that DJ's use to perform. Normally used in conjunction with each other, these techniques combine to form a new music, not just what is pressed into the grooves.

2. Looping, beat-juggling, or double-decking.
As with cutting, only one record is usually played at the same time. However, two copies of the same record are used to create the aural illusion of a flowing, continuous track. First a section of the first record is played, say a single bar, and then the cross fader is switched to play the first bar on the other deck. Whilst this is playing, the jockey rewinds the first deck to the start of the first bar, and cuts back. Changing the length of section played from one ber to several, half or just part changes the effect. Also tempo alteration, direction of play and volume can be utilised.

3. Scratching.
Hip-hops greatest weapon, is without doubt the scratch. Here only a small section of the record is played, normally over the top of an already playing record. This small snatch of sound can then be replayed by moving the cross fader back to the side that is playing the tune, rewinding quickly and repeating. This however is only the tip of the ice-berg. Obviously the sound can be played both backwards and forwards, or at different time intervals, i.e once a bar, once every half bar or even every beat! The trill is another method used, this is where the record is made to vibrate very quickly back and forth by the DJ making his hand tremble. Methods of cutting the scratch in are also varied, with punch and transform buttons allowing the sample to come through at a decided volume at the touch of a button. Similarly, "crabbing" is used to punch a sample in and out very quickly. This involves pushing the cross fader in with one of the three middle fingers and returning it with the thumb, and then repeating with the next finger, in a motion similar to a crab walking. This creates a very fast stutter effect.

Although these techniques may sound impressive when used on their own, when combined with each other, the sound is amazing and often completely different to the original records used. Turntablism is a new catch-all phrase used to describe the combination of theses effects. Many years of practise is required however to perfect theses techniques, just as with any instrument, but the range of material available means the sky is the limit. Enough with the talking, now I'm off to practise my three finger crab/trill combo!

Tips

Heat is good, why is not very clear, but people are far more likely to get up and dance if the room is hot

Before the gig, make friends with the people locking up the venue afterwards and other key staff, you may find what the time the organiser has told you they want to finish and what the staff are going to insist on is two different things

Carry spares! make sure that there is nothing that will stop you working

As a precaution, get paid eary in the evening so the organiser can have a drink if they so wish without having to worry about handling money later