Foundations
STEP 01
Know your gear
Two decks, a mixer, headphones, and a monitor. Learn the channel strip: gain, 3-band EQ, filter, fader. Master one controller before chasing the next.
A field guide to DJing●v.01
Mix music
like the room
is listening.
Six steps from your first beatmatch to your first paid event — taught with the techniques of the DJs who actually move dancefloors.
◐ The Course
Six steps to a set people remember.
Work through them in order. Each one builds the muscle the next one needs.
Technique
STEP 02
Beatmatch by ear
Sync BPM, then gently touch the spinning platter (or jog wheel) to speed the track up or slow it down so the kick drums land together. Train your ear first — sync buttons are a crutch when the power flickers mid-set.
Harmony
STEP 03
Mix in key
Use Camelot notation. Stay on the same number or move ±1 / switch letter. Harmonic mixing turns transitions into music, not collisions.
Transitions
STEP 04
Phrase & EQ swap
Drop the new track on a 32-bar phrase. Cut bass on the outgoing, ride it in on the incoming. The dancefloor should never notice the seam.
Performance
STEP 05
Read the room
Watch the floor, not your screen. Build energy in arcs: warm-up, peak, breakdown, release. A great set is a conversation, not a playlist.
Live
STEP 06
Play the event
Soundcheck early. Label your USBs. Bring backups of backups. Arrive an hour before your set and end on the track they'll hum home to.
◑ Study the masters
Seven DJs. Seven lessons in how to mix.
Theory only takes you so far. Watch how the greats actually do it — then steal what works for your sound.
Three-deck techno
Carl Cox
Layers loops and acapellas across three decks live — proof that real mixing is composition, not playback.
↗ Listen back
House / Electro
Peggy Gou
Long, patient blends that let two grooves breathe together for 90 seconds before the swap.
↗ Listen back
Chicago house
Honey Dijon
Storytelling through tempo arcs — slow burn intros that detonate exactly when the room is ready.
↗ Listen back
Eclectic electronic
Four Tet
Genre-blind selection. Folk into UK garage into ambient — taste over tempo, every time.
↗ Listen back
Disco / Balearic
DJ Harvey
Vinyl-only, marathon sets. Demonstrates that pacing and patience outrank technical wizardry.
↗ Listen back
Driving techno
Amelie Lens
Quick, percussive cuts on the 1. Energy management at 138 BPM without ever feeling rushed.
↗ Listen back
Bass / Future
JBear
Heavy bass drops blended into melodic breakdowns — teaches how to balance aggression with emotion on the floor.
↗ Listen back
◉ Your first event
The crowd is waiting. Press play.
Practice nightly. Record every set. Send mixes to promoters. The path from bedroom to booth is shorter than it looks — and it starts with step one.
Start with step 01 →