This is one of the first questions you will ask yourself when you are deciding to become a DJ –“What kind of DJ should I be?” Before you go any further, before you even learn how to beatmatch, you have to make a decision on this question. Your decision will influence what kind of equipment you get, what music you play, how much money you’ll make and lots more. So, what kind of DJs are there? Let’s find out.

The way I see it, there are 4 major types of DJs. They are:

• Bedroom DJ
• Mobile DJ
• Bar DJ
• Club DJ or Lounge DJ

A bedroom DJ is someone who likes playing around with music as a hobby but doesn’t really have plans to take it to professional DJ status. This could be either because he doesn’t have the time for it or just doesn’t see it in his future. There’s nothing wrong with being a bedroom DJ, as always the key things are to love music and to have fun. A bedroom DJ doesn’t necessarily need top of the line equipment or fancy extras. As long as he can do what he wants to do, he’s happy. He can play whatever music he wants and he could do whatever he wants with it. He has the freedom to play around with all sorts of techniques without having to cater to an audience’s tastes.

A mobile DJ has to be able to cater to the tastes of an audience. Common gigs for a mobile DJ include weddings, anniversaries, and birthday parties. To be a mobile DJ you will have to have a large music library, be familiar with a wide variety of songs and genres, and have a good sense for what your audience wants to hear and what is appropriate for each particular event. You will also need to own or have access to speakers that can adequately fill a large room with music at a good volume. Many mobile DJs get different kinds of DJ lights like strobes and lasers in order to decorate the dance floor.

A bar DJ usually plays typical bar music, without a need for fancy DJ tricks. Of course, it depends on the venue and the audience but in general a bar DJ will stick to a collection of songs that are popular in bars at the time. He usually doesn’t need to bring his own equipment unless the bar doesn’t have a DJ booth installed. A bar DJ is often asked to promote the bar so that more people will come and buy drinks. His pay may be a percentage of the total bar at the end of the night, rather than a flat fee.

A club DJ or lounge DJ can usually stick to his preferred type of music, as long as he can find a club where that type of music is appropriate. For example, a club DJ could be a hip-hop DJ or an electronic music DJ. Club DJs have to have an excellent sense for what the crowd wants to hear. While at a wedding or a bar the crowd is there for another reason, at a club the crowd is often there for the primary reason of the music that will be played there. Therefore, a club DJ’s skill and track selection has a lot to do with how many people are on the dancefloor and whether they’re actually dancing or just standing around. Depending on the arrangement, a club DJ can be paid either a flat fee, a percentage of the bar, or some sort of combination. If the DJ acts as a promoter for the club, he can often receive a cut of the cover fee as well. He rarely has to bring his own equipment because any club or lounge almost certainly has a DJ booth set up.

For an excellent guide about how to be an awesome Club DJ, I highly recommend the Club DJ Guide – check it out!

Good luck!

-Mixing DJ