When I started DJing, I had zero talent in that regard. I couldn’t talk on the mic. There was a few other guys that were new that had much more talent to start with …..BUT……
When I started djing
- Thread starter Scott Hanna
- Start date
I don’t think any of us had talent when we started. I know in the 70s we were trying to figure it all out and it wasn’t like you could go to the Internet and get information. I know we would look at what the other DJs who were just starting out were doing in many cases we were all at the same level. And the real DJ equipment going into clubs were way out of our price range. I was talking about this on the podcast and the crazy stuff we came up what to get the jobs done.
I simply had the want and desire...plus lots of CD's already back in 1989.
I still don't have much talent. While others can fly all through the night, I can rock a party till the early light. Or something like that.
I'll add determination and longevity to that whiteboard. Like most I had very limited talent when I started hell I was a kid but I was very approachable and willing to listen and learn. I still try to hold those qualities I am hoping the talent will eventually come 
Sugar Hill Gang and the song is Rapper's Delight. I used to rap the entire song. I don't have the wind anymore. LOL.
Me starting out I was clueless too. I remember buying a pair of speakers on wheels from Downtown Newark, NJ. My first turntables didn't have pitch control. They were Technics though. I had a amp and pre amp I used. You had to buy records. CD'S weren't invented yet. I started in 81. If you didn't have a song at an event, there was no way to get the song. The internet wasn't a big deal at the time. There wasn't a thing where you could buy things online.
Things have changed. Some good and some bad. Some businesses have been put out of business because people don't have to go to a store to buy a product.
Since there's the internet today people expect a DJ should have a way to get any song and won't take any excuse.
The way a lot of DJs do things today makes it look so easy. Yet it's not as easy as it looks. There's more to it than the eyes can see.
Things have changed. Some good and some bad. Some businesses have been put out of business because people don't have to go to a store to buy a product.
Since there's the internet today people expect a DJ should have a way to get any song and won't take any excuse.
The way a lot of DJs do things today makes it look so easy. Yet it's not as easy as it looks. There's more to it than the eyes can see.
I was working in radio, so I was already spinning in clubs and at appearances.
So, I understood music, and loved all types of music.
The one talent I did have was that I was not shy.
I loved being in front of a crowd....and still do.
So, I understood music, and loved all types of music.
The one talent I did have was that I was not shy.
I loved being in front of a crowd....and still do.
I can do about half the song from memory. Two local bands have me do it whenever I see them perform which is about once a month. One band starts playing Good Times and has me rap at the end. They use a backing track which fades out shortly after I start the 3rd verse (Master Gee). The other band plays 100% live. I usually do the first three versus (~5 minutes) but if the crowd is really into it, I will add a fourth verse. Beyond that, I think it gets monotonous.
I always had an ear for good music. It just felt natural. I was also a talker. Maybe that's why I became a DJ.
That's funny to me. I'm not a fan of DJs who talk a lot on the microphone. I will talk a little. I believe in letting the music I play do the talking for me.
I'm also NOT a fan of DJs that talk a lot on the mic. But, I also cringe when I hear a poor sounding voice.
Or the people who sound obviously nervous, I am often hired simply to MC events that stems from having a decent mic voice and confidence to not be afraid to use it