Editorial Review
DJs have gone from being underpaid live jukeboxes to becoming premier entertainers, producers, businessmen, and musicians capable of commanding admiration from thousands and earning serious money. Bill Brewster and Frank Broughton's Last Night a DJ Saved My Life was the definitive history of the DJ. Now they gather their mastery of the artistic and technical aspects of being a DJ into a clear, accessible, and entertaining guide. How to DJ is the perfect guide -- from the most basic keys to establishing a music collection and a distinctive sound, to elementary record-spinning, to the complex skills of scratching, hot-mixing, and beat-juggling, as well as the inimitable art of creating an evening of sound that is perfectly timed, balanced, and unforgettable. Diagrams throughout illustrate phrases, beat timing, and song structure with no reliance on music theory, and resource lists recommend everything from which songs are best (and most fun) to learn with, to good sources for building a library of disks, CDs, and MP3s. For those who want to turn pro, the authors give sage advice on the vagaries of the club and music business. Short quotes, anecdotes, and photos of famous DJs such as Grandmaster Flash and Derrick Carter are featured.
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Customer Reviews
Great book! 
2008-07-14
I'm very happy about reading this book. Now I know a lot more: what is important and what not, which equipment buy and which not. It's the best book you can read to be a great dj.
Love it 2008-05-03
I got this book at a store the sales lady recomended it to me it tells it all about equiptment and voicing and keeping the crowed hyped and and just the fundementals of djing from mixing to beat matching I would recomend this book for and aspiring Dj
DJ book review 
2008-03-25
a handy book for a learner, this can actually make a DJ out of you. Simple and easy explanations and illustrations make it seem like have your own tutor beside you.
Great book if your thinking about dj 2008-02-12
This book has everything you would ever need to know about how to dj. I am just starting and almost everything in there has helped me learn everything from quing to picking the best records. buy this book!
Awesome...it's a "must have" for every dj... 2007-09-26
Although I'm a digital dj and laptop performer and this book is more "turntablist" oriented...I found it very interesting, every page you open has something to teach you...
Good pick and this is why..... 2007-08-09
DJs have gone from being underpaid live jukeboxes to becoming premier entertainers, producers, businessmen, and musicians capable of commanding admiration from thousands and earning serious money. Bill Brewster and Frank Broughton's Last Night a DJ Saved My Life was the definitive history of the DJ. Now they gather their mastery of the artistic and technical aspects of being a DJ into a clear, accessible, and entertaining guide. How to DJ is the perfect guide -- from the most basic keys to establishing a music collection and a distinctive sound, to elementary record-spinning, to the complex skills of scratching, hot-mixing, and beat-juggling, as well as the inimitable art of creating an evening of sound that is perfectly timed, balanced, and unforgettable. Diagrams throughout illustrate phrases, beat timing, and song structure with no reliance on music theory, and resource lists recommend everything from which songs are best (and most fun) to learn with, to good sources for building a library of disks, CDs, and MP3s. For those who want to turn pro, the authors give sage advice on the vagaries of the club and music business. Short quotes, anecdotes, and photos of famous DJs such as Grandmaster Flash and Derrick Carter are featured.
"Show you how to party right" 2007-08-05
Very funny and informative guide to running the turntables. It takes a lot of work to make things happen in a club. This book takes you step by step through everything from how to find the best gear, to how to add special effects, scratching on beat, and making sure you get paid. There are plenty of pictures. The stories from real DJs such as John Digweed, Grandmaster Flash and more are laugh-out-loud funny. Go from dreaming of greatness to moving the crowd, with clues from the best.
Everything you'll ever need to know and how to love it 2007-03-31
I had DJ'd for years prior to picking this up. Front to back in 2 days. I learned a lot of new technique and cleaned up on some of my old habits. The greatest thing I learned was how to get myself 'in'. I was a bedroom DJ all those years. This book taught me to grab the bull by the horns and show the world what I've got.
That was all great, but the true lesson was not something I learned from the book, but what the book reassured me of and demanded that I maintain.
Love for music.
The consistent undertone was that of a "you are a DJ, you have the duty to show the world this music and take them on a journey through it the way you see best".
If you own a single piece of vinyl or have been collecting for years and stuck in that bedroom, read this. If you've thought about being a DJ and have no vinyl, read this. If you have always wondered what "beat juggling" or "crab scratching" was, read this book.
Peace, Love and Jellybeans!
Good laugh and great start 2006-11-10
Great book to get you on track if you're a beginner, or to give you a few new ideas if you've been spinning for a bit. Hilarious book, and you're sure to just sit there and laugh, then bust out the tables and try some new slip-cueing techniques. Recommended, highly.
Great Resource 2006-11-10
I bought a couple of books on this topic for my buddy's birthday. I returned the others and gave him this one because it covers so many practical topics and the authors have drawn illustrations that make it easy to understand the concepts they discuss. It has a DIY quality to it, but for me, that's part of it's appeal and I highly reccommned this book.
