What genres (music types) are important?
Learning styles of music can help you get work, don’t get me wrong; but you need to consider the time and expense involved in knowing a lot of music genre’s, having the goods to do them, and if your locality really wants the specific genre.
DJs invariably enter the profession as a part time hobby because they love the music they play and love to see others enjoying it too.
Usually DJs have an already significant existing vinyl or CD/DVD collection of music that they enjoy and they use this to mix and play for DJ events for which they are hired.
Some DJs like to specialize in a particular genre of music in order to attract a certain type of clientele. This may be because they particularly liked learning styles of music; that genre; or because they know that this will secure regular work.
Dance, Indie, acid or house music is particularly popular with DJs who work the club circuit while 60s, 70s and 80s music is more popular with mobile DJs who host private parties and BBQs.
It depends on what’s popular in your area, as to whether you should offer Country, HipHop, or the latest cutting edge music genre. To learn more about specific music styles, you may want to read up .
Every good DJ experiments with how they will get the crowd moving and different DJs enjoy learning styles of music to do exactly that.
In fact, you will probably find that most DJs have a set routine for how the night will play out according to music, sound, lighting and other effects such as bubbles, background buzz, DJ banter and audience participation.
This methodology works the world around and is irrespective of what genre the DJ specializes in.
Regardless of what music genre a DJ specializes in, the key to the event is not the actual songs themselves but the mix that the DJ puts together.
A good DJ will know how to link together a good mix of songs with both the event and the crowd in mind.
Good DJs now how to put together songs that ebb and flow according to the crowd response and the timing of the event – the DJ cannot allow the crowd to peak too early or the event will then slowly fizzle out, long before it needs to.
When you specialize, it’s much easier to become known for a certain style of music, and a lot cheaper to get a good stock of vinyls or cd’s in that genre since you already have a head start in your favorite style.
DJ Equipment is expensive; so save money where you can and specialize in just a few musical genres instead of many!
This article was posted on September 28, 2005
