Book Reviews: First 50 DJ Techniques You Should Know

I have been a DJ and music producer for over 25 years and have been teaching music technology, including DJ skills, to students from primary school level up to Further Education. So, I was really excited to see a book like this to help wave the flag and to educate others in the art of DJ-ing.

The book First 50 DJ Techniques, written by the highly regarded artist and instructor DJ Hapa, provides readers with an introduction to the essential knowledge and skills to become an accomplished DJ. It offers suggestions on how to set up in terms of hardware, software and the equipment options. The book claims that it is appropriate for students at all learning levels, regardless of experience, and this seems accurate. The written content is supplemented with video tutorials, which is a terrific way to support kinaesthetic learning.

The book divides into 50 chapters, or concepts, each covering topics that range from getting set up as a DJ and preparing a DJ set, to the theory behind DJ skills or how to develop specific techniques. The book provides a thorough foundation to DJ-ing, covering everything from beat-matching and mixing to more complex techniques such as scratching and looping. A lot of this helps embed transferable skills and knowledge that spill over into other subjects, such as music theory or even maths if we think of BPM, bars, song proportions, timing and rhythm.

Accessibility is one of the book's strengths. DJ Hapa excels at simplifying difficult concepts and methods into straightforward phrases that a novice can follow. The book has excellent pictures and images throughout to help understand the techniques and ideas. The video content further enhances the teaching and learning in a thorough and easy-to-follow way. The book facilitates all levels of learners in this respect, but it excels as a ground-up teaching and learning tool, paced appropriately.

Promoting practical application is how readers put what's learnt into practice. This strategy is effective because it gives readers a real sense of growth and improvement as they read the book and/or watch the videos.

For those wishing to delve deeper into the art of DJ-ing, the scope of the book may be a bit constraining. Different techniques and core skills are covered, but it remains a brief introduction and from the named artist's perspective. Readers who want to learn how to read a crowd (to be able to improvise in the moment) or use advanced mixing techniques such as double-drops and genre hopping, for example, may need to look at additional resources. That said, the book is titled The First 50 techniques, meaning a lot of ground is covered here, and the foundational teaching gives creative minds the tools for developing what's presented. After all, isn't that being an artist?

The book does an excellent job in discussing the technical aspects of DJ-ing; but when it comes to the creative side or invention, there's less food for thought. DJ-ing is an artistic medium, and many celebrated DJs are renowned for taking their listeners on a journey with their track selection, distinctive aesthetic and innovative methods. The book offers some advice on these, but doesn't go into detail.

Although the essential concepts and methods of DJ-ing have not changed since 2021, when the book first published, there are constant technological developments to be aware of; for instance, the use of contemporary digital DJ-ing software and/or controllers, which are commonly used in the business. While the differences between software and hardware can be minimal, it would be nice to see alternative ways of practising some of the fundamentals highlighted, using some key software and hardware DJ tools – but maybe the top 3 – to help keep the learners locked into the one primary resource (for the most part).

Overall, First 50 DJ Techniques is a great starting point. It serves those wanting to start DJ-ing from the ground up, but also has something to offer the seasoned pro wishing to fill in gaps from self-learning. It gives a thorough overview of the abilities and methods required to develop as a good DJ, and beginners will benefit from its usability and practical application.