This week I sat down with DJ Murky, a DJ from New Zealand who has played gigs all over Australia and New Zealand, and is now living in LA.

In a rush? Here are the actionable highlights from the interview:
• The core purpose of a DJ is to make the crowd have a good time- everything else should be about this goal.
• Every 5th or 6th song, you need to play something more mellow. This sends people to the bar. You are working for the venue, so if they do well, you do well. Don't forget that.
• The fastest way to learn to DJ is to model the mixes of your favorite DJs (look at their track lists and try to replicate the mix), and to play a lot of live gigs (as there is a lot you can't learn playing in your bedroom, like song selection).
• The fundamental skills of DJing are vinyl control (pause/play, moving a track around, speeding up and slowing down a track), beatmatching, and song selection.
• It can be very affordable (<$300) to get started DJing.
• While you may not earn much in the beginning, it's possible to make a lot of money DJing (even if you aren't a superstar DJ).
• Listen to a lot of music, and use apps like Shazam to note what songs are working in the clubs you are visiting.
• Being friendly and well-known in person is important to get gigs. You can't just drop off a mixtape and expect to land a gig.
• If you want to get hired in any position (e.g. DJing or web design), get on the hiring side to see what good and bad candidates do differently.
Note: George mistakingly mentioned how Sebastian Ingrosso played a set where he simply played a recorded mix. It was actually Steve Angello.

onemonthmaster