How to Become a DJ: 10 Tips to Start DJing in 2025
The world of DJing has evolved far beyond simply spinning dance records at night clubs. It's now a vibrant global community for independent artists to express themselves, create unique musical experiences, and become the next big name in the electronic scene.
How to become a DJ for beginners
Before diving headfirst into the deep and diverse world of DJing, it's crucial to immerse yourself in various genres of music. Explore everything from electronica to hip-hop, techno, house, and beyond. Your unique musical taste is what's going to set you apart from everyone else and help you craft out your niche as a DJ - not to mention provide that much-needed inspiration to get you started.
How to start DJing in 2025
1. Learn the basics of DJing
Got your eye on the latest speakers or headphones? Hold your horse. It's probably better to get a decent grasp of the fundamentals of DJing before forking out on a fancy new home studio setup. Some key topics you might wanna initially brush up on include:
Beatmatching
This is all about syncing the beats of two (or more) different tracks, ensuring a smooth transition between each song.
Mixing
Mixing is the part where you'll blend these tracks seamlessly - adjusting your volume, EQ, and adding any effects.
Phrasing
Phrasing will help you recognise different song structures and create cohesive mixes.
Scratching & effects
Once you've played about with the other stuff, you can start experimenting with advanced techniques like scratching and applying extra effects. This'll help you boost your live sets.
There are loads of online courses, tutorials, and production schools that offer in-depth training on these all of these topics, so it's worth dedicating some time to practice regularly and fine-tune your skills.
2. Invest in the right equipment
Basics ticked off. Now you need to pick out the right equipment.
While professional setups can be expensive, there are loads of budget-friendly options for beginners. Consider purchasing a DJ controller, headphones, and a laptop loaded with DJ software. It might be pricey, but quality equipment is essential for honing your skills and creating top-notch mixes.
But this doesn't necessarily mean splashing out on the most expensive options. Northern Irish Producer & DJ, The Cyclist, has these tips for starting out and developing your skills:
“Start experimenting and learning the tools. There are so many free versions of everything to get started. Try searching for ‘free VSTs’ and go from there.”
3. Build your music library
Your DJ career ultimately hinges on the quality of music you play and how well it goes down with your crowd. To cover your own back during potentially tricky sets, you’ll want to build up a diverse and extensive music library. This will include a mix of tracks that resonate with your style and also the preferences of your target audience.
Explore electronic music platforms like Beatport, buy sample packs from stores like Splice, and consider subscribing to DJ record pools for access to a wide selection of music.
4. Define your sound
Just as bands and solo artists need to nurture their own specific sound, DJs need to carve out their particular style and decide on the sound that they're going to build their career around.
Use other artists you're a fan of as reference and start playing about with certain sounds or samples that you like. This is the start of your journey so be experimental!
“Writing loops/beats/riffs is great fun and a place to start, but you need to finish tracks. Work on arranging these into a full track format - use other tracks as reference and for ideas on improving your production and arrangement.” - The Cyclist
5. Create your brand and identity
As an independent DJ, your brand is everything. Develop a unique name, logo, and visual style that reflects your personality and musical style. Your music branding should be consistent across all your promotional materials, from social media profiles to event flyers.
Once you’ve established your brand, you’ll be able to get a better understanding of your following and lean further into producing the sounds you're becoming associated with.
Take Fred Again.. as an example. His brand of honest and personal social media marketing lead to him selling out global tours as well as headlining Glastonbury and Coachella in 2023. A lot of the hype built up around Fred's came from his branding, a simple '..' - which was used across his merch and discography as well as used to tease appearances online and get more people chatting about him.
A large-scale example, but good branding strategy which you can apply to your own music.
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