So you guys probably read my DJ Steve Angello vs Paris Hilton post from a few days ago. Steve was DJing at a popular nightclub in Miami at the Winter Music Conference when Paris Hilton came up and asked him to play Hip Hop.

If you would like to be a DJ playing in big clubs and parties with celebrities, start DJing now by signing up for free DJ Lesson Videos by clicking HERE right now!

This was Steve Angello’s party and on top of that, this was the Winter Music Conference where 500,000 dance music fanatics flock to Miami to hear the newest and best in dance, techno, trance and house music. Steve was in no position to play Hip Hop even if he wanted to. Paris didn’t like this and it resulted in her boyfriend fighting the club doormen outside.

While DJing this past weekend I was faced with a similar situation when a group of drunk girls came into the packed club on a “stagette”. One wanted me to play the new Britney Spears track… I was polite and said that I couldn’t play it. She got angry and said “If you’re not going to play it then I WILL”. She grabbed my headphones and lunged at the CD Decks.

She went for the one dj cd player that was playing out loud so when she put her hand on it to ‘scratch’ the song stopped dead in the club. Silence. Then she hit the next song button and a different song started to play.

Part of becoming a good DJ is that you have to Learn To Dj while getting bad song requests. To avoid horror stories like this I have come up with 10 excuses to avoid DJ requests. Some are hilarious, but all are effective. I’ve tried every one:

1) What was that? What was that? What was that?

Just keep shouting “what… I can’t hear you” and after a few minuets they will walk away. It might take a half an hour…but in the end you’ll win!

2) “Sure, I’ll play that in a minuet.” / “Coming Right Up!!!”

This is my favorite excuse and the favorite excuse of many top DJs.

When agreeing to the requester you give them with a sense of power and satisfaction. They strut away feeling like they run the club, and might even buy you a drink (bonus!).

They’ll go back to their table or to their friends happy and content, and most likely they’ll forget they ever asked you for it. But on the rare occasion they realize you haven’t actually played what they asked for yet, you can just respond, “it’s coming up next” and then keep going as you are. Some Djs prefer the more direct “Coming right up!” line.

Another, perhaps safer option, is to have a girlfriend, friend of retarded monkey take the requests enthusiastically for you thereby rendering you all but innocent!

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For those of you are are working hard learning or want to learn to dj, this is what you have to look forward to once you master being a DJ!

If you are DJing or are thinking about DJing, sign up for free DJ Lesson Videos by clicking HERE right now!

Here we have an AWESOME video of a few European DJs, Ricardo Villalobos, Luciano, and Loco Dice DJing on the top of a mountain 2300m above the sea in Crans-Montana Switzerland. Some skydivers and parachutes go flying over the party while the DJs are mixing. Crazy stuff!

This is the beauty of being a DJ, there are wicked parties everywhere that need good music; from the beaches to the tops of the highest mountains!

Hopefully one day soon you’ll be able to play parties like this too!

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I was DJing in a Nighclub last night and a young guy came up and asked me what Dj Gear I was playing on. I showed him…. The Pioneer CDJ 1000s (dj cd players), the Pioneer DJM 600 and traktor DJ software.

If you want to learn about DJ Gear, Mixing & Beatmatching or Playing Gigs, sign up for free DJ Lesson Videos by clicking HERE right now!

I asked him why he was curious about my gear and he said that it is because he is Learning To DJ and he had just bought his DJ equipment.

Naturally I asked what he bought and he told me the Pioneer DJM 800 dj mixer and the Pioneer CDJ 1000 dj cd players.

He said “I just started to learn to dj last week… “. I nearly fell out of the DJ booth and this is not the first time this has happened.

The reason why I almost had a Dj heart attack is because his dj equipment is worth over $5000 USD (…if he got a good deal). There is no reason to spend anything close to this when you are starting out.

If you are just beginning to DJ and have decided to buy gear, for the next few weeks or months (depending on how dedicated you are) you will be learning the basics of DJing. Cueing, throwing, beatmatching, blending, cutting, EQing, Dropping etc. All of these skills can be learned on a $100 mixer and two $200 dj cd players just as easily as on the $5000 setup that this young guy just bought.

No wait scratch that… You can learn the basics even FASTER on simple dj equipment as mentioned above ($100 mixer) because there are less extra features to learn. If you spend all of your time figuring out how to use effects and loops and other advanced features that come on a $5000 mixer, you won’t learn to mix as quickly as if you just focused on the basics first.

So here is what I recommend…

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So you’ve decided that you want to Learn To DJ. Awesome! To get started, sign up for free DJ Lesson Videos by clicking HERE right now!

If you’re learning to dj ou’re probably busy and overwhelmed by choosing the right dj equipment. If not then you’re spending time learning to beat match on a pair of turntables with vinyl, dj cd players (Go Pioneer!) or with dj software (Serato or Ableton Live). If you’ve figured this out then you’re probably out there hustling trying to land gigs. No matter where you are you are probably focusing 100% on your dj skills and building a music collection.

No matter where you’re at in this process of Learning To Dj, its important to take time to get to know the history of the music you play. Knowing where the music came from and how it has evolved will help you as a DJ. Knowing this will give you new found respect for those tracks you play.

Trust me, no matter where you are (beginner or even a seasoned dance floor pro), knowing the history of the music will make you a better DJ!

Theses are the best videos I’ve ever found on the history of the music I love: House Music.

This documentary was filmed and aired by the BBC in London. The series introduces you to the influential names and unsung heros of dance music. The documentary follows dance music from its beginning in New York at the Paradise Garage in the 70′s, to Europe and all the way to breeding new sub genres of trance, techno, breaks, dnb, progress, chill out and the rest of the electronic dance music genres. It takes a look at the rise and fall of the rave scene, the anomaly called Ibiza, night club culture and everything else you need to know about Dance music.

Some of the big name DJs found in this series are Pete Tong, Carl Cox, Paul Oakenfold, Tiesto, and many many others! These guys will inspire you to learn to dj!

The first video in the series is posted above and the rest of the videos are posted below.

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I just found this post on one of my favorite blogs, Beatportal.

Richie Hawtin explains how he is able to mix off of two labtops and one mixer with two different programs.

If you want to learn about digital DJing, dj gear, mixing, beatmatching, playing gigs or anything else, sign up for free DJ Lesson Videos by clicking HERE right now!

All I can say is that he is one intense DJ. I want to Learn To Dj like him!

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Richie Hawtin’s DJ setup

Richie Hawtin is known for his love of new technology and currently employs a rather complicated setup to DJ with.

Anyone who has recently stood beside Richie in the DJ booth will no doubt have been scratching their heads because alongside an Allen & Heath Xone:92 mixer.

He also has two Allen & Heath Xone 92 mixer:1D controllers and two laptops running.

“You know I’m one of Richie’s closest friends and I’ve known him for years, but even I have absolutely no clue what he’s doing in the DJ booth,” says Jon Gaiser, one of Minus’ biggest artists.

Richie explains to Beatportal exactly what the hell he’s doing behind the laptops.
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