Listening Is the First Skill of a DJ

People think DJing starts with equipment. The controller. The mixer. The software.
But DJing actually starts with listening.

Before I ever touch a deck, I’m listening. Deeply. Intentionally. Repeatedly.

Playlist curation isn’t just picking songs you like—it’s understanding how songs behave. Knowing where the beat drops, where the energy shifts, when the hook hits, and how long the intro breathes before it asks for attention. That kind of familiarity doesn’t happen by accident. It happens because you’ve lived with the music.

Listening trains your ear to hear structure, tempo, mood, and momentum. It teaches you which songs want to be layered and which ones need space. When you really know a track, mixing becomes instinctual. You’re not guessing—you’re responding.

A good DJ doesn’t just play music. A good DJ anticipates it.

Playlist picking is a core skill set because it’s how you practice storytelling without saying a word. The order matters. The transitions matter. The emotional arc matters. You’re deciding what comes next, but you’re also deciding why it comes next.

That’s why I’m constantly listening—on walks, while designing, while driving, while doing nothing at all. The more familiar I am with the music, the more freedom I have behind the decks. Mixing becomes less about technique and more about feeling.

And that’s when the set really locks in.