What does a DJ do?
By Bjornsane on Wednesday, 7 April 2010, 12:00. Viewed 565 times. 
If you've gone out sometime, you've probably seen a DJ at work. If you're interested in music, you might have wondered by yourself: "What is he or she actually doing right now?" I will explain what I do most of the time when I'm DJing.
In my view, there are at least 2 parts to DJing: Technical and Social.
(This article is aimed at people who have almost no idea what a DJ is and what he or she does.)
Technical
The technical part of DJing is quite straightforward. You have (at least) 2 decks (a CDJ, cd-player, turntable, you name it) and a mixer. Most clubs offer more decks which allow for more creative mixes, yet the standard is having 2 decks. Both decks are playing different tracks. You as a DJ make sure both tracks are aligned and running at the same speed. If you happen to be a bit experienced, you will know where most tracks will "drop" (come out of a break and releasing all the energy it built up) so you can effectively bring in the new song. Next is to look for the right moment to add the second track to the mix. And start fading out the first one. When you've completely mixed out the first track, the mix is complete. And you start over again.
Social
As I said before, the technical part is pretty straightforward. You mix from track A to track B and from track B to track C. But how do you determine which track you will play? This is where the social part kicks in.
You must know your audience. Know what they like. You can easily find this out by simply experimenting. Play a song, check their reaction and adjust. The social part begins in the preperation. When your gig or event is coming up, you might already try to find out what kind of people will visit. What is the organization expecting from you? What would they like to hear? You then start by looking for tracks (new ones or in your existing collection) that add up to that expectation.
The rest is up to you. Do you have the social skill to see what your crowd likes and dislikes? Did you prepare well enough to adjust yourself easily, without sacrificing your own (hopefully recognizable) style?
It's the social part that defines and sets apart DJs. It's also the part that makes DJing harder than it seems.
If you'd like to start out on DJing, read this article first.