Sleeves Magazine May 2016 | Page 60

At this point, I have a tip for the readers who want to be Dj. Do not buy yourself a cheap equipment. Expensive equipment is usually worth the money. If you stay tuned and your skills are good, I advise you buy good equipment. With good technique you will have more fun. But back to the question . After I had my equipment I was finally able to start practicing. I practiced then about a year at home, to have improve my skills in preparation for public performances. After this year, I tried to get my first gigs . At first, I was allowed to play at small parties and at a bar . Now with my polished skills, I can play at bigger venues. Photo: J E de Veyra Carsten, tell us how you became a well-known Disc Jockey? I started DJ-ing when I was 15 years old. But before I became a DJ, I was playing drums for seven years till I decided to try something new. So I quit to play the drums and started to listen to mixtapes from other DJs. I really liked the idea of mixing two songs together to create a new sound . To see how to make a transition made me also very interested. Therefore, I made a research on DJ technology and I watched and read countless of videos , forums, blogs , etc. . I wanted to get an overview and learn more about DJing. I realized that I wanted to play with turntables which I still enjoy doing. I also figured that Djing is an expensive hobby but I have taken my saved-up money and invested it in my DJ equipment. "The first task of the DJ is to get people to dance." What makes a good DJ? I think that the first task of the DJs is to get people to dance. Sometimes this is an easy task, sometimes it’s hard to get people to dance. But the people at the club should have fun and enjoy a great evening. This depends not only on the DJ but he is of course an important factor. I also think that a good DJ is creative and he should have some kind of sense for the crowd. But of course, DJ skills , music selection and all this stuff is important too . Every DJ should develop his own style in order to compete with other DJs. Last but not least he should love music. Sleeves Magazine