So I thought I’d share this quick story of how I got my first ‘real’ gig. In addition to providing inspiration for beginners, I’m sure that many working DJs, whether past or present, will resonate with my story. If you are a beginner, I’m hopeful that something will ‘’click’’ inside your head as to how you can apply a similar methodology to your current situation. Setting the scene When I first played out back in 2001 it was in a bar in central Manchester, UK, where I also promoted my own night called ‘’Strictly Vinyl’’. I’d only ever done private parties up until this point. I’d never actual ..read more

Last updated: 5th April 2023 | Est. reading time: 12 mins Choosing the right DJ software doesn’t need to be painful, although there are a couple of things you’ll want to consider. In this post, we’ll break down the best DJ software providers in the market right now (the 6 most widely used by working DJs around the world), whilst also considering WHO they’re best suited to. As well as providing the relevant trial or ‘demo’ links where applicable, we’ll also link to two additional free options in our FAQ section at the end. Table of Contents (clickable): 1: Serato DJ 2: rekordbox 3: Vi ..read more

Before we lay out the 15 best music download websites for DJs, there’s a couple of things to clear up: About this list (it’s not just for DJs) The list below covers the best places to LEGALLY download high-quality digital music files. Whilst most of these websites require a purchase, some also offer free downloads, or a mixture of both. It’s for anyone that either has, or is starting to build a digital music collection. As well as digital DJs, this could include any music lover that wishes to own a digital collection. To keep things simple, it DOESN’T include DJ record pools, social media si ..read more

Overview Covering a broad range of budgets, this post lays out 15 of the best DJ mixers on the market right now, in 2023, along with everything you need to make a buying decision. They’re all from the leading manufacturers – Pioneer DJ, Allen & Heath, Denon DJ, Reloop, Numark, and Native Instruments (Traktor). To keep things simple, we’ve broken them down into the following 4 categories: If you don’t want to scroll through the list, you can click the links below to jump straight to the most applicable section: Beginner/budget range (top 3) Best club mixers (top 4) Best scratch mixers (to ..read more

Overview Mostly targeted at electronic music producers, we thought we’d lay out 10 of the best sample pack websites on the market in 2023! Regardless of your style of genre focus, these 10 sites will undoubtedly have you covered for all your royalty-free samples, loops, one-shots, templates, FX, MIDI packs – you name it. To ensure the best possible chance your sounds are all high-quality and fully licensed (obviously we can’t guarantee anything, and you should always be diligent), we only selected reputable websites that we’re familiar with. Affiliate declaration: To help fund the website, w ..read more

Overview With a strong leaning towards electronic music, this simple guide lays out the 7 best online courses for music production in 2022. Regardless of what genre you’re into, or what software (DAW) you plan on using, these 7 course providers will undoubtedly have you covered. We’ll better explain who the courses are suited to as we go through the list. Note: To be clear, this list covers the best online course PROVIDERS – so they’re either a specific music production school or an online learning platform of some sort. They all have multiple courses, which we’ll talk about. Content (the ..read more

Overview If you’re looking for the ultimate resource on how to become a club DJ, then look no further. Whilst I’ll cover some basic stuff early on for complete beginners, rest assured we’ll quickly get into intermediate and even pro-level tips and topics! To keep this post to a sensible length, I’ll be linking out to various resources as we go for a deeper dive, so you might want to bookmark this post before we start to revisit it as needed. Why listen to me? Whilst I’m definitely not some globe-trotting superstar DJ, after ‘cutting my teeth’ as a rookie in my home town of Manchester, UK, I w ..read more

You can watch all the ‘’tips & tricks’’ tutorials in the world, although truth-be-told, this won’t help you transition out of your bedroom. If you truly want to play out in front of real people, you’ll need the right mindset together with the will to take action. Part 1: What does ‘’Acting As If’’ mean, and how it worked for me You might be wondering what the hell does ‘’acting as if’’ mean? Another way to describe it could be: ‘’leveraging the power of self-promotion & word of mouth’’, although it’s not quite as punchy! For me, it started by simply spreading the word that I’ve ‘’got ..read more

Before we jump in With a friend’s 40th birthday coming up, I thought it was a good opportunity to do an updated 2022 review the popular DJ record pool, BPM Supreme. If you do decide to sign up, we’ve got an exclusive affiliate offer for our readers – so don’t forget to use coupon code ‘DJREV’ to get 25% off your first month! Note: This review post assumes you already know what a DJ record pool is, and how they work, etc. If you want this explained click here. Main sections: BPM Supreme overview BPM Supreme review (a deeper dive) Conclusion Which plan should I go for? How to sign up (+ disco ..read more

If you’re planning on traveling overseas to find DJ work anytime soon, you might want to pay attention. Before we jump in… The quick back-story Back in the mid-to-late 2000s, I had some regular slots at a few club-orientated bars in the Canary Islands. Whilst they weren’t massive superclubs or anything like that, they definitely weren’t shoe boxes, either. Places that would typically hold about 150 people. Things would get very cheesy at times …which, considering I was always more of an underground house guy, I never saw coming. Back then, I used to think of myself as a ‘’commercial DJ’’, s ..read more