So you wanna

By Ramon Ramirez
Daily Texan Staff

Evolving out of the house, hip-hop and club scenes, today’s DJs are creatively mashing up music and turning a profit at unprecedented rates. DJ Danger Mouse, for instance, went from the depths of one-bedroom-apartment obscurity to producing the latest Gorillaz album all through one self-released online masterpiece (see page 13).

In today’s cultural and musical landscape, DJs are enjoying high levels of artistic credibility, making it easier than ever before to turn this hobby into a career.

More and more people are being seduced by the allure of the ones and twos. It seems easy enough: get a pair of turn tables and one of those little switchboard-looking cubes to connect them and it’s time to rock some house parties.

Not so fast, Grandmaster. The barriers are vast.

To begin with, you need to find affordable gear. Two record players and a mixer? That’s essentially buying three instruments. Assuming you get this far, your next step is learning the craft. Unlike traditional axes, it’s not like you can just open up the Yellow Pages and solicit lessons from burnt out rockers.

Furthermore, what are you going to spin, your mom’s Tom Jones records? Vinyl is a dying medium and the good stuff is hard to come across.

Thank goodness for the DJ Dojo.

The South Austin establishment specializes in three key DJ components: it sells vinyl, produces albums and serves as Austin’s premier DJ school.

“Everyone has their own talent and we help people find what makes them different,” said DJ Manny, a ten-year veteran spinner and teacher at DJ Dojo.

“We charge 30 dollars for a lesson,” DJ Manny said, “we start by introducing the basic movements, scratching and mixing, and help students explore the art form as they develop.”

It’s an effective formula. In the compressed lesson I received, my impossible quest to become Grandmaster Freaknasty became a tangible possibility. I can now “beat- match.”

“Beat-matching is the most important part,” DJ Manny said, “It took me four years to figure out how to [beat-match] because no one told me what I was supposed to be doing. My students have all done it by the second lesson.”

Beat-matching is a technique DJs use to transition between tracks.

Basically, the tempo of a new track must be changed so that it matches the current one, then mixed between the two so there’s no stoppage of sound. Without maintaining a steady flow of music, you can’t keep the party going; should this happen the DJ has essentially failed.

Of course it’s difficult to become an underground kingpin of the DJ game without getting your creations on wax. Since music has been making a steady digital transition for the past six years, vinyl has become increasingly rare and harder to produce.

“60-70% of test plates for records are produced in the Ukraine,” DJ Manny said, “it is an old format , but 90% of the artists we play [at DJ Dojo] are independent artists who made the investment.”

Just how big of an investment?

“You can get two master plates which are reproduced into vinyl and 1000 records for $2500.”

DJ Manny pauses, “but DJ Dojo can totally hook that up for you.”

DJ Manny’s Essential Guide To Gear, In Other Words What You Need To Get Going:

Two Turn Tables
“I Recommend Technique 1200 Turn Tables. Brand new they cost $600 dollars but on Ebay you can find them for $250-350; any less and there is probably something wrong with them.”

Needles
“Technique headshell cartridges are where it’s at. Depending on how many you get that’ll range from $20-35.”
Headphones
“A good pair of headphones will range from $50-75. Obviously they can run a lot higher but that’s a good range for beginners.”

Mixer
“You can start off with mixers that range from $150-250. I recommend the Newmarks. Again, any cheaper and it won’t be worth the investment.”

Amplifier
“For the amplifier your best bet is a good home amplifier you can find cheaply for $50-70.”