No we don’t need more DJs but yes, who cares – it’s fun! Ok here are some things:
• Get some basic gear. Some options from cheapest upwards: Hercules DJControl Starlight, Hercules DJControl Inpulse 200, Pioneer DDJ-200. Look for used if you wanna save some cash! People are constantly selling these things.
Cheap alternative: download a DJ app and just use your phone. I haven't tried any of these but I've heard they're getting better!
• Get some DJ software running. Most controllers come with bundled software. The Starlight and Inpulse come with (and are set up) for Serato DJ Lite (which is a free download anyway), the DDJ-200 comes with rekordbox (I will come back to this), and for a little more cash you could get an NI Traktor Kontrol S2 with Traktor Pro 4 (really good full-featured DJ software). Regardless of your controller, you can download Virtual DJ for free, so this is probably your best bet if you don't get something bundled. And at this point, it doesn't matter. They all have different features and layouts but ultimately do the same thing.
• Download songs! Get Soulseek and start searching!
• Hit some YouTube tutorials for the controller and software you have. Just going for the bare basics here: adding songs to your library, loading songs up so they're ready to play, playing/stopping, volume control. Then bpm, cue (headphone) vs. master (speakers) volume, etc. YouTube tutorials are simply amazing.
• That's basically it! I recommend b2b-ing at home with someone else who is learning or has a bit more experience than you because this is highly hands-on learning – you just have to be doing it, fucking up, and figuring it out as you go!
Ok but now comes the q: what do you want to do with this newfound skill? If you're getting a little more serious about wanting to play out somewhere, you'll have to decide if you wanna stick with the laptop DJ rig (controller + software of your choice) or move to the "industry standard", which is Pioneer CDJs and rekordbox. All venues that have DJs have CDJs and mixer (pictured below). Now, you can totally bring a laptop rig and set it up at these places, but most people roll up with a USB stick (loaded up via rekordbox) so they can just plug and play. Whatever you land on, I still recommend getting comfy with the Pioneer devices and systems. rekordbox has a free tier that lets you build and export your library. Now, the nice thing about literally everyone being a DJ is that you probably have some friends who actually have CDJs+mixer or another Pioneer controller that accurately emulates this setup. So go over there, bring them a bottle of wine, and spend some time on it! If that's not an option, ask if you can shadow your DJ friend at a gig (either low-stakes or early in the night) so you can see what's going on and take notes. Maybe they'll let you fuck around a bit!
Edit: forgot to mention to look out for open decks nights at cute venues! These are great opportunities for low-stakes, supportive practice on CDJs and meeting other DJs.
Now, if you book a gig (honestly pretty easy to do now – yes there are a million DJs but if you seem cool/play good music and have some idea of what you're doing you can probably get on a bill) and you still have never touched CDJs, hit up something like this tutorial (check first which models they have at the venue). Then ask the venue if you can come for a soundcheck or when they open to try some stuff out, and get in a bit of practice to at least get comfortable with the basics before the crowd comes in. It’s not too hard to get the bare minimum down, and then you can work up to more complicated stuff later.
Also, keep in mind: if you're playing stuff they're into, crowds are usually super forgiving. That means you can fuck up and a) no one will notice, b) no one will care. So just have fun and the more you do it, the better you'll get!
