The Rise of the Bedroom DJ

What Is A Bedroom DJ?

Urban Dictionary: A person who owns DJing equipment (ie. turntables, mixer, CDJ, etc.) and has a passion for music, but doesn’t play out to crowds at bars or special events (ie. raves). Instead, they opt to play their music at home for their friends or over the Internet via audio broadcasting software, such as shoutcast… (Mixcloud, SoundCloud, Myspace, YouTube).

Music In The Digital Age: A Silver Lining
The digital music revolution has created a rupture in the commercial and moneymaking side of the industry, as a result of illegal downloads and peer-to-peer-file-sharing. However, there always is a silver lining to every downfall. The sluggish and lingering death of the Music Industry has also given birth a new life – an independent, non-profit, music-loving and creative sphere.

Once upon a time, being a DJ meant that you belonged to a very niche and somewhat elite-ish group of people. Equipment was expensive and upgrading to the latest gear – a necessary purchase to make in a competitive market – was a big investment. Furthermore, lugging around hard-copied vinyl collections and heavy masses of equipment to perform a gig at a different venue every night was very inconvenient.

With the evolution of technology came a huge change in the dynamics in which DJ’s work. The affordability of powerful home computers, the accessibility of the Internet, and the invention of pocket-sized hard drives that can carry thousands of tracks, have made it easier for aspiring DJ’s to get hold of music equipment and software, to produce music straight from their bedrooms and to eventually make it to the big stage.

The Internet: A Godsend
With the rise of the Internet Age, big record labels and marketing agencies are becoming more and more obsolete, as one single musician can become his/her own writer, producer, agent, distributor, publisher, and advertiser. With the rise of the Internet Age, DJ’s have not only been given more creative freedom, they have also been exposed to heaps of different kinds of genres and artists, which has in turn inspired them to experiment, mix up the genres and produce new, exciting and creative sounds.

As a result of the technological advances in the new digital music and Internet Age, self-teaching, sharing information and promoting music, peer-to-peer, via social media platforms such as SoundCloud, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook, have never been easier… and it’s only the beginning.

How To Become An Electronic Music Master Chef (In The Bedroom): The Ingredients
• 1 Laptop
• 1 Hard Drive
• 1 Turntable/CDJ
• 1 Mixer
• 2 Speakers
• Software
• The Internet

How To Become An Electronic Music Master Chef (In the Bedroom): The Directions
Once the DJ has the production basics (ie. equipment, software and access to the Internet), they can look up tutorials on YouTube and start playing around and making sounds. With some added time, practice and patience, and seasoned with a touch of talent, the track will soon be ready to broadcast on social media platforms. An established online presence, an open mind to constructive feedback and the support of fans can take a Bedroom DJ onto the next step. If this is the case and the DJ is looking to turn their hobby into a potential career, they can start booking gigs and signing up to competitions such as the Bedroom DJ Competition at the annual DJ Awards.

From The Bedroom To The Big Stage
Many DJ’s today have made their careers out of the change in technology. Not only have they followed the first steps to becoming talented and prolific Bedroom DJ’s, they have managed to book themselves multiple gigs, to create some hype around their musical brand, and to establish a reliable fan base. Ultimately, as a result of their hard work, continued efforts and good fortune, these former Bedroom DJ’s have now made big names for themselves and have set the tone on the big stage, in clubs and festivals around the world, after having been noticed and picked up by hungry labels.

Take a look at some of the Bedroom DJ’s-turned-rising stars we’ve interviewed here at Creation 5:

The Wallem Bros:
https://creation.com.es/blog/the-wallem-brothers-music-stuff/

Wallem Brothers & Les Castizos – #Gangsta (Play this video in Creation 5)