Creativity, not rechnique, more important at DJ school

Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Many think that being a DJ, or disc jockey, is just about playing and mixing records.

Some DJs really just do that, making them more like an operator. But to become a real DJ takes a lot more than just spinning the records. Remember the good ol' days, especially in the 80s when the DJ scene peaked and the DJs really performed while they worked?

Because owning dozens of records and knowing a thing or two about spinning them are not enough, one might need an education to become a real DJ.

Take a look at two places that offer DJ courses below.

* BIZ Mixing DJ Studio

Come and stroll inside the dim and gray Plaza Jayakarta shopping complex, just behind the Hotel Jayakarta Tower in Jl. Hayam Wuruk, West Jakarta.

Climb the stairs to the first floor (don't take the elevator as it passes the first floor), and listen carefully. The beat of the house music will guide you to the DJ school.

The facade of the school sure can fool you, as it is more like a wartel (telecommunication kiosk) with only around five meters by two meters of space. But the sign and the music assure you that it is indeed the place where people learn how to become real DJs.

Inside, the room is divided into three even smaller rooms: Two classrooms and an "office" in the middle. From each of the classrooms, the instructions were heard: "Find the pitch! Watch the pitch! Now the loop!".

The school was established in 1994 by veteran DJs Agustinus Leo and Kitting Lee.

"It used to be a Top 10 DJ School, which is also a discotheque in Hayam Wuruk. The place was closed, then we opened a new one here," said Agustinus, 36, who has been spinning records since 1987.

"Yeah, it's a very small place. So far, though, it can accommodate our students. But we're thinking about making it more spacious to enable our students to have a place to practice when they don't have a class."

The course costs Rp 500,000 (US$54.3) for the three-month program. The class is available three times a week with a 2-hour session each. The materials offered include the equipment introduction, mixing/chopping, CD mixing, microphone techniques and basic creative mixing.

There is also a special class on appearance, performance and professionalism. The points that are taught include the right attitude, the right clothes, being punctual, honest, having respect for one's elders and so on.

"I put them in the course material because I've been DJ-ing for 15 years and I found them very important. That if you want to last longer as a DJ," said Agustinus who works six days a week at the Hailai in Ancol, North Jakarta.

Businesswise, he said, the DJ school had good prospects as the number of students increases every year. So far, BIZ Mixing has produced 550 graduates who work all over the city and the country.

However, Agustinus added, the DJ scene is not as exciting as it used to be since drugs have swept in to the dance floors.

"Starting around 1993, with ecstasy pills inundating the country, people became different. I could play a wide range of music back then and I could perform, dancing, announcing. It was really fun.

"But now the guests only want to hear house music, as it goes better with the drugs. They are also annoyed if the DJ talks, so I only talk during a special event, like a birthday party," said Agustinus.

Meanwhile, in the alley just in front of the school, a few good-looking young people, some of whom are already accomplished DJs, discuss the latest types of Ecstasy.

"Blue Diamond is great, and Hercules too. I often steal it from the guests. But now it's hard to get because there have been so many (police) raids," said one of them, grinning.

International DJ School

The banner loudly says "The first International DJ School in Indonesia. For non-drug students and DJs only." The non-drugs part is bolded and highlighted.

"Ever since drugs flooded the scene and house music came, the reputation of DJs has been tarnished. I had eight DJ friends who died of drug overdoses. People don't see DJs as important anymore. Because they just want to listen to house music. So, I want to show that a DJ is a lot more than that," said Max Don, owner of the International DJ School.

"We always ask the students first whether they have ever used drugs. And we always tell them that drugs won't get their DJ career anywhere."

An American by birth, with Singapore citizenship, Don, or DJ X Man has been DJ-ing for 22 years now, working in eight different countries before settling here some 12 years ago.

"Many people asked me to open a DJ school. I was a bit reluctant, though, as I was more interested in my business. But then I saw a lot of potential and talented DJs, but nobody taught them how to do it right," said Don who also owns Imamax DJ Station, a one-stop DJ specialist shop.

Located on Jl. Sultan Iskandar Muda No. 100 C, Arteri Pondok Indah, South Jakarta, the school was opened three years ago and offers three programs: Basic, advanced and private, with a fee that starts from Rp 3.6 million to Rp 6 million.

Each program takes three months, or 12 classes, with the first class spent merely on function and technicalities.

"The DJs here only know how to operate their equipment and depend on technicians for the rest. But it's different in other countries. So, we teach the students every detail of the equipment and how to solve a problem. There's even a test at the end of the course," said Don, who is married to noted singer Imaniar.

The class then continues with the techniques and knowledge, not just mixing or microphone technique, but also building your own character, discipline and how to be an international DJ.

"To have a long career as a DJ, one must have an original style, creativity and a good attitude. If you have that, people will look for you," Don said.

"One of my students now works in Penang, Malaysia. That's the first time an Indonesian DJ has been recruited to another country. That's because he's got the style and, most of all, he's professional and disciplined."

Now, Don is setting up a studio to enable the people -- who do not have that much money to buy DJ equipment -- to practice by themselves.