David Guetta, Afrojack, Tiesto. No DJ Chestnut.
If you didn’t catch that, all of those names are world-renowned DJs, except for the last one. You guessed it. That’s me!
DJ Chestnut
Let me take you through how I, with zero DJ experience, ended up spinning tunes at a local Korean pub. Spoiler alert: I had no idea what I was doing, but that didn’t stop me from learning quickly and turning the volume up to 11.
A friend of mine recently opened a Korean pub in across town. After months of renovation, hard work, and marketing, one idea started to shine: turning his pub into a mini-club to give customers a place to eat, drink, and dance. It was a unique concept. After all, many bars are the same; booze and food. Thankfully, the pub was spacious enough to transform a part of it into a dance floor.
My friend dove head-in: he sectioned off a 1000 sq. ft area, invested in expensive speakers, lighting, smoke machines, and more. The idea was coming together, but the final piece of the puzzle was obvious. He needed a DJ.
After some networking, he found someone willing to play at the pub. The marketing machine started rolling, and soon enough, “DJ Night” was plastered all over social media. Patrons were buzzing, the night was approaching, and everything seemed set for success.
The big night arrived. The drinks flowed, people danced, the vibe was electric, but the numbers didn’t add up. Sure, sales saw a small uptick, but after covering the cost of hiring a DJ, marketing, and setting up the dance floor, my friend was left with a negative profit.
It was a good experience for him and his customers. The concept was solid, but the financials weren’t sustainable for now. He knew there was potential, but he wasn’t about to keep running the test at a loss for weeks on end.
That’s when I, a total music lover, with no prior DJ experience jumped at the opportunity.
“Why don’t I DJ for you?” I said, without much hesitation. I mean, how hard could it be? I already had some solid music knowledge; friends would often praise my car playlists. And let’s be real, with a couple of drinks in hand, how picky are people going to be about the music?
So, without a second thought, I promised I’d DJ for free. No experience? Doesn’t matter. I’ll find a way to make it work one way or another.
I started by researching beginner, budget-friendly gear. Less than $400 later, I had a DJ controller, headphones, and speakers. I already had a laptop, and YouTube became my teacher.
What I quickly learned was that while DJing looks easy, it’s not. Sure, it’s not rocket science, but it’s also not as simple as playing songs back-to-back. There’s an art to mixing, to reading the crowd, to making sure each transition flows seamlessly.
I dove deep into tutorials; beatmatching, transitioning between genres, and adding effects. Thank God for modern tech, because back in the day, DJs had to spin vinyl records and rely on intuition. Now, with the right tools, mixing is way more approachable, but the learning curve was still steep.
Finally, the day arrived. I would debut as the pub’s DJ during Halloween week, a busy time with tons of customers. I was nervous. I started getting cold feet actually. But, I kept reminding myself: I wasn’t a professional DJ. I was just here to have fun, and if I screwed up, well… my career ends here.
Night 1: I was determined to give it my all. I studied playlists, downloaded a mix of genres, and even threw in some remixes to make the set unique. But then… disaster struck (kind of). A customer approached me with a request: “Can you play APT”
I had no clue what they were talking about. APT? What is that?
I scrambled to search for it, downloaded it, and asked if I had the right song. They nodded, and I nervously queued it up. Turns out, it was a Billboard Top 10 song and, #1 in Korea. I hadn’t heard it before, but that was a wake-up call. Knowing trending music is key for a DJ.
Night 2: I was more prepared. I had learned from my mistakes. I had the top 50 Billboard songs loaded up, and I felt more confident. Plus, people were asking for song requests, which made me feel like I was doing something right.
A list of songs written by a customer
My wife posted a short clip of me DJing on social media. Her friends started messaging her, asking, “Is he a DJ now?” One of them even asked if I could DJ at their restaurant. While I couldn’t say, “Go through my manager,” I also realized that maybe, just maybe, this could be something worth pursuing—on the side, of course.
I didn’t expect to learn so much, but DJing turned out to be full of surprises. Here are some key takeaways:
Variety Is Key: People have different tastes, so you can’t satisfy everyone with just one genre. Switching between genres is crucial to keeping the energy up and people on the dance floor.
Transitions Matter: Moving from a fast-paced genre like house to something slower like hip-hop or Afrobeat is tricky, but it’s essential to keep the vibe going. The best DJs know how to blend seamlessly.
Read the Room: If no one’s dancing, don’t be afraid to switch it up. You need to be quick on your feet (and quick on the mixer). And remember, you don’t have to play a full song. Just hit the sweet spots that people enjoy.
Standing Up for Hours Is Hard: I had a newfound respect for DJs who stand all night, mixing and watching the crowd. Four hours on your feet is no joke!
Overall, here are my takeaways:
Difficulty rating: 3/5 - If I had created my own mixes from scratch, I’m sure the difficulty level would have been much higher. But even without that, standing for hours and reading the crowd is no walk in the park.
Fun factor: 5/5 - I absolutely loved it! The best part was seeing customers respond to the music. It felt like giving a friend the perfect gift on Christmas—watching their eyes light up when you get it just right. Unforgettable.