Expert Article [Final Draft]
Why DJing is an Amazing Hobby
An Explanation by a DJ for Future DJs
by Collin Abe
I love music, and I assume you do as well. It is something I know I could not live without, and if you are like me, you think your music taste is superior to any of your friends. I am sure all of us have been to some really fun parties or clubs in our lives. Let’s all go back to that moment and reminisce for a second. Everyone is having a great time. The dance floor is electric. The vibe is euphoric, but the music could’ve been better. Imagine if you could control the music…
Photo taken by a friend: Kevin Kissinger (05/26/2023)
For me, that dream is now a reality. As a DJ, I am now in control of the music of any party, club, or event I am booked for. I have DJ’d almost everything from charity events and weddings to nightclubs and warehouse raves. Regardless of the event type, seeing a crowd dancing to your music is an extremely rewarding experience.
I will be discussing why DJing is one of the best hobbies that one could pick up. First, I will provide some background on the many positives of music and hobbies, which is why I got into DJing. Then, I will discuss some fundamentals of DJing.
Background
As I mentioned earlier, all of us like music. It is second nature, and most of us play music in the background for when we do activities such as driving or working out. Furthermore, my life would not be the same without music. I have made so many friends through music alone, and even more core memories that I have associated with certain songs, for better or for worse. But, if one thing is for sure, music has a lot of positive effects on the body and mind.
The Harvard Medical School published an article titled “Music and Health”, which discusses the roles that music plays in our daily lives. For example, when discussing music’s effect on our mood, “bright, cheerful music can make people of all ages feel happy, energetic, and alert, and music may even have a role in lifting the mood of people with depressive illnesses”.
As a STEM major, hobbies are a great activity for me to relieve some stress and mentally remove myself from my studies. Venkat S.R. wrote an article called “Health Benefits of Hobbies” which discusses how hobbies as a whole can improve one’s own well-being. In this article, many studies were described such as how “a study in New Zealand found that participating in activities that bring out your creative side leads to an increased sense of well-being that is good for you in the long term…Studies have also shown that individuals that regularly take time off for their hobbies are less likely to feel low or depressed”.
Music and hobbies both have very positive effects on one’s mental health, which is why music-related hobbies have worked so well for me. I actually got into DJing by chance while completing another musical hobby I perform (guitar playing). I was offered a really cheap board that was on clearance at Guitar Center. I knew nothing about DJing at the time but I told myself “Why not?” Ever since that moment, DJing has become my favorite musical hobby, and I have not looked back.
This is the board I bought that day (Pioneer SB3), and it had everything I needed.
Bonus: Here is the board I have upgraded to currently (Pioneer XDJ-XZ).
Fundamentals
Listed below is an image of the basic functions of the buttons and switches included on every DJ board. For the sake of this blog, the volume faders, sync button, and the play/pause buttons are all you need to understand the basics.
MasterClass published an article titled, “How to Beatmatch: Beatmatching Tips and Benefits”. Looking at this article now, I regret all the time I wasted figuring out how to DJ on my own. This article describes beatmatching as a “mixing technique used by DJs to match a music track’s tempo with the upcoming track. This technique allows the percussion elements—the hi-hat and kick drum, specifically—to be heard simultaneously when both songs are played at the same time. The purpose of beatmatching is to create a seamless musical experience that allows the DJ to control the energy and rhythm on the dance floor.”
Without beatmatching, the two songs would just sound horrible together, the percussions would clash against each other creating a sound that cannot be described as anything else but awful. Here is an example of what you would see if songs are not synced together. It is indicated by the white bars with red triangles not being aligned.
Screenshot 1 of 2 from Rekordbox, the DJ software that I use (09/16/2023)
Here is an example of when they are synced. This can be done by playing both tracks and using the sync button to automatically sync the songs together. As the image below depicts, the white lines are aligned with one another. Once beat-matching songs, the rest of how a DJ wants to transition to the next song is all up to the DJ. However, for the sake of simplicity, one could simply fade out the current song while bringing in the new song by using the volume faders. The whole purpose of DJing is to go from song 1 to song 2 as seamlessly as possible.
Screenshot 2 of 2 from Rekordbox, the DJ software that I use (09/16/2023)
The basic fundamentals of DJing are not the most difficult. It is up to the DJ for how hard they would want to make a transition for themselves, but sometimes less is more. On February 2, 2021, The Shapeshifters, a big house DJ in the UK, tweeted the following: “Technical ability in DJing can be taught & learnt, selection, flow & reading an audience.... well that’s something completely different!”.
This is a statement that I could not agree more with. At the end of the day, when you DJ for a crowd, most of them will not remember how you transition two songs, but more importantly what songs you play. Obviously, if you have good transitions it will add more to the set but not as much as the quality of the songs. Song selection is crucial as one has to be able to understand the crowd they are DJing. For example, what I DJ for warehouse raves is very different from what I DJ for charity events. DJs must be able to adapt and prioritize the audience’s preferences over their own. The Shapeshifters couldn’t have worded their tweet any better honestly, and if I were to add on to their tweet, I would say that DJing is 80% song selection and 20% mixing.
Conclusion
DJing is something I love to do that has brought me so much joy and fun memories. There have been countless nights where I’m with my friends, and I teach them the basics of DJing and we have our own mini party in my room listening to good music. And of course, nothing beats a good reaction from a packed crowd when you are in control of the music.
We now understand the basics of what the guy behind the discs is doing at a party and maybe now you will pay more attention to how it sounds and what he/she is doing. Maybe within a year, one of you will pick up this hobby and be in the same shoes I am standing in now or maybe even further.
Photo collage taken by booking company: Elevate Events (09/29/2022)
Work Cited (Images Cited Above)
“How to Beatmatch: Beatmatching Tips and Benefits - 2022.” MasterClass, 7 June 2021, https://www.masterclass.com/articles/beat-matching-guide.
“Music and Health.” Harvard Health, 11 Sept. 2021, https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/music-and-health.
R., Venkat S. “Health Benefits of Hobbies.” WebMD, WebMD, 23 May 2022, https://www.webmd.com/balance/health-benefits-of-hobbies.
Shapeshifters, The. “Technical Ability in Djing Can Be Taught & Learnt, Selection, Flow & Reading an Audience.... Well That's Something Completely Different!” Twitter, Twitter, 2 Feb. 2021, https://mobile.twitter.com/ukshapeshifters/status/1356590738402906115.
What's up Collin! It was great getting to read about the ways you express your creativity. I loved getting to see the perspective of a DJ, especially as a musician/producer who's never DJ'd. It was also cool getting to see the professional sources support hobbies and music as legitimately helpful to one's mental health. A way to improve could be to touch on some more details you might've not mentioned about how to DJ. For example, What do all those knobs and buttons do? Great job on not just sticking to the technical stuff too!
ReplyDeleteHey Collin. I really enjoyed reading what you had to say about DJing. Before this, I didn't understand it, but I've always appreciated a good DJ. In terms of comments on the paper, I really liked your use of images. Especially the two boards. I think you could explain the pictures that have to do with beat matching a bit more. Aside from that, make sure to include a second part of your title. Also, make sure that the paragraph formatting is consistent. Otherwise, I think this looks like a great EXPERT article. I'm excited to chat about it in class.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this article Collin. It is very nice that you are able to express yourself through DJing. I also liked your sources that you cited, they make the article more professional. Just make sure that your formatting is all good. Good job!
ReplyDelete