The DJ is a performer, creator, and spectator all in one. A good DJ will have an innate sense of the crowd’s tastes and needs, but improvising can be just as useful when something goes wrong. The different roles a DJ fulfills require a different set of skills, so here are several qualities that would help you to be a better DJ:
Knowledge
To play the right songs for your audience at the right time, you need to know what’s going on in music culture generally and what tracks are popular now specifically. For DJs such as Othaside DJs to do this, they need to listen widely across genres instead of always focusing on personal favorites; browsing mixes online is also an excellent way to keep up-to-date with current trends.
Communication
A DJ’s audience is not limited to those inside the club or festival grounds but also includes those listening at home, in the office, and everywhere else in between. To reach each of these people, you need to know how to communicate effectively through your music, both with its selection and technical mixing techniques. In addition to knowing what songs fit together well from a technical standpoint, being able to read the room and follow an audience’s reactions is just as important.
Musicality
An ear for beats and melodies help a lot when playing other people’s tracks. If you can’t hear potential points where a transition fits naturally into a track, it makes it harder for anyone else who isn’t familiar with the source material to do so.
Creativity and improvisation
An audience wants to see your personality and hear it; if you’re not able to play suited to the situation, then all of your preparation beforehand won’t matter much. Again, this isn’t just about using the right songs; communicate your style through your technical mixing.
There are many different skills needed to be a good DJ. You need to know how to mix tracks, beat-match the songs, and learn some key mixing techniques like loops and crossfaders. The most important thing, though, is that you choose music that people want to hear.