There are countless cliché views of what a DJ does when performing – ranging from hitting play then that’s it, right through to a view that they are creating an entirely new song on the fly. Hey, both of these extremes can be true in some cases (a big up to those that can do the latter!). But it’s often hard to see what they are actually “doing” and the crowd might assume that the button-twiddling is just for show.
So what do us DJs actually do?
“They just plug in a USB and hit play.”
Probably the most culturally popular cliché (and maybe the most frustrating for a DJ) assumes that there’s no skill, no timing, no live control of the music involved. Some DJs are visibly in the moment, dancing and grooving with the beats, dancing even… They can’t be DJing, right? But a good DJ can still move to the music and know when to get on the decks, turn the filter, hit the cue and trigger the effects.
“It’s a pre-recorded set – they’re not even mixing live!”
For a limited few, bigger events with lights and (in particular) video choreographed to the music need some level of predictability, so some DJs have admitted that there’s minimal input from themselves to avoid too much variation in the flow and the timing. Crafty transitions, mashups and FX are pre-recorded to ensure continuitiy at an event that needs to be “just so”.
But for the most part, your DJ is likely doing a whole heap of dial turns, track cueing, level-trimming, BPM mental-arithmatic, time-planning and employing decades of music knowledge to make sure what you hear is exactly how they want the vibe to go!
“They’re just button pushers.”
What on earth are all those presses and tweaks for, right? I mean, anyone could learn to press some buttons with no real impact on the sounds? But each press does something… Hitting the cue button with the levels turned down means that no-one can hear that, but the DJ is lining up a track, planning when to drop it, checking the BPM, the key and the suitability of the next song.
Some dial turns might just be a subtle change, (almost) imperceivable. But the DJ is getting the sound right, trying to make sure there’s not too much hi-hat, vocal or percussion to drown out the other song(s).
A typical transition from song 1 to song 2 would involve dropping the low, bassy levels on the existing track, whilst bringing up the low for the new track; dial 1 down, dial 2 up. This is avoiding excessive bass when they two songs overlap and to allow a smooth, near-imperceivable transition. Some high-pass filter may be applied at the same time (the dial below the “low”), to add effect and bring up the sound when the low and the filter returns to the normal position. And maybe – similarly to the lows – some tweaks to mids and highs to dumb-down the original song as the new one lands.
“Anyone can do it with a laptop and Spotify.”
It’s undeniable that tech has made DJing more accessible to the masses, kickstarting the famous memes “Everyone’s a DJ until you put this in front of them“. But tech now offers so much more to learn. Yeah, anyone can press play on a predefined playlist, but that doesn’t mean that the crowd will magically respond to the Spotify sequence of songs. And of course, when the song fades into the next with no apparent attempt to beatmatch, voices clash, beats and rhythm mangle… Or worst of all, there’s 5 seconds of silence. NO-ONE wants that!
The view that anyone can be a DJ ignores years of music knowledge, crowd-reading skill, and mixing techniques. When you’ve just finished your planned 2 hour set and the promoter (or whoever’s paying) comes over and asks for another 2 hours, you’ve godda have that knowledge to keep the d-floor moving until the end of the night. That requires an understanding of the mindset of the dancers, and finding genre and vibe-connecting tracks that it goin’ til daybreak! Good luck with that, Spotify…
“They’re just there to party and get drunk.”
Hey, I’d be lying if I said I haven’t enjoyed the lifestyle that comes with DJing over the years. But you eventually (hopefully?) figure out that first and foremost the music is the driver, the liberator during the night, not the booze, not anything else… And if you’re messy when it comes to your set, you’re gonna sound pretty average at best.
“It’s not real music – they’re just playing other people’s tracks.”
Most DJs are indeed playing other people’s tunes. But that overlooks the creativity in their selection, remixing / mashing, transitions, layering, looping, effects, and live energy control. I’ve found inspiration in the heat of the moment to create “new” tracks on the fly from 3, 4 maybe 5 others, with effects and more. Of course, those are the sets you forget to – and wish you had – recorded! Seeing the crowd reaction when they hear melody A, expect vocal A and get anthem B’s vocal instead. It just works, and for the DJ it’s a rush to see their reaction, the cheer, the hands in the air. Beautiful!
But now, again through the advancements and availability of home-studio tech such as sequencers, DAWs, effects plugins and even just through a DJ controller, you can produce your own music. High fidelity tracks can be created, uploaded and published or streamed in the blink of an eye, thanks to tech such as OBS, Ableton Live, Novation, Native Instruments and Universal Audio Apollo.
“All DJs play the same thing – EDM bangers or Top 40.”
Let’s give this context; where is the music being played? Private parties, nightclubs, bars or corporate events? Who’s in the house? What genre do we want? DJs can work in – from deep house to funk, drum & bass, disco, hip hop, ambient. Does the crowd want to hear the old-school party anthems of yesteryear, or are they vibing off something new, the diversity that a DJ’s knowledge of specially selected songs can bring? Some sounds from then, a few from now and a coulpe of the future sounds that are about to drop!
“They’re all flashy egos and no substance.”
Haha, yeah – right! The more DJs I meet, the more I hear stories of how it’s given them a channel to communicate with people from their tightly wrapped, anxious, introvert or austistic self. The decks are a great barrier or comfort blanket that works as a universal translator between them and the crowd, allowing them to express their persona, their emotion and love of the music. Encyclopedic music brains can spew out their know-how through this finely tuned craft.
“You just press sync and it does it all for you.”
I’ve saved the best ’til last. The DJ controller assesses the BPM of the songs on each deck and allows you to align them at the same speed through a couple of clicks. Sounds easy, right? And sometimes it is. The big arguement against the sync button is that people with minimal experience or knowledge of music rock up, grab a track of 110 BPM (let’s say Grandmaster Flash for example) and a DnB banger at 165 BPM (Chase & Status), press sync on both and can play from A to B with zero skill. And by chance it might sound ok. But probably not!
You still need to know the music, the rhythm, the drums, the key… Will it fit with the next track? There’s a risk that sync just bypasses those skills.
Me? I bloody love the sync button. I play hard and fast; I might only play 30 seconds of one song, 10 seconds of another, 90 seconds of the next. I want to keep the dancefloor guessing what’s coming, what landing next. “What’s this song?” “I just made it.. Just now“. Things that were practically impossible, or for the beatjuggling DMC 1%ers! But sync won’t do all the work, and it won’t do what you expect every time. And when sync goes wrong, it can be spectacular.
For The Love Of Music
Technology has undoubtedly made DJing more accessible – sync buttons, USBs, and digital crates have replaced crates of vinyl and manual beatmatching. But with these advances come greater creative possibilities and higher expectations. DJs today aren’t just mixing, they’re reading crowds, layering effects, remixing on the fly, and shaping atmosphere in real time.
Whether you started on a pair of SL-1210s like me or are rocking an XDJ-XZ as your first kit, the learning never stops. Behind the decks, it’s not just about playing tracks – it’s about curating an experience. The tools may evolve, but the heart of DJing remains: connection, creativity, and a deep love of the music.