Oakland, CA — We’ve all been in that position where someone passes us the aux cord and we get stuck not knowing what to play. Maybe you’ve hopped on the aux and you totally bombed. You played your favorite song and you didn’t get the reaction you were hoping for. One must understand that aux cord DJing is not a task to take lightly. There are many factors that come into play for a successful aux cord set. Here are a couple tools so you don’t fumble when you’re handed the aux cord. Note: Bluetooth users this applies to Y'all too.
It's very important to be mindful of your setting. Know the time and day and how that will affect the room. Read the room and the environment you are in. Note the personality of the people you are with! Take these things into consideration and you might be okay. Are you on the way to a party? At a party? Chilling with homies? What do you do with these different types of scenarios?
First, understand we all have different tastes, so think of the majority. Ultimately, your goal is for everyone to enjoy the music you’re playing. Second, understand that there's always a time and place for certain music. When the night dies down and you’re just chilling, put on some throwbacks or something you can vibe out too, this is a great time to experiment. This also applies to kickbacks and BBQs. By understanding this basic foundation, your aux cord DJ skills will dramatically improve and you’ll be less likely to be kicked off the aux.
A major key to aux cord DJing is to avoid ads, by any means necessary. Yeah, it’s understandable that advertising is how people make their money, but isn’t it annoying when the party is jumping and then suddenly an ad comes on? Now you have to wait a horrible 15 seconds or until it gives you the option to tap “Skip Ad.” Good job, you just ruined everybody’s night. Now people are screaming at you and the party is dumb awkward until the next song comes on.
Invest in streaming platforms without ads. That $10 a month is a solid investment. That's just one less Uber ride a month. This way you have access to essentially any and every song, without interruptions and with unlimited listening. Streaming platforms also allow offline listening. You can download songs to your library and listen to your music without wi-fi or cellular data. You can also download your mp3s straight to your cellular devices and play your music straight from your media player. Now you don't have to have to worry about internet connections or ads getting in the way.
Never get caught slippin’ and always have your playlists ready. If Spotify can create a million and one playlists, so can you. You don’t want that timer to hit zero and not have a song ready to go. Have different playlists on deck for every possible situation and this will help a lot. If you stay ready you ain't gotta get ready. Obviously, you gotta have the essentials. We’re talking playlists for parties, vibing out, throwbacks, or some good ol’ fashion R&B slaps. By having different playlists ready to go, you’ll have an easier time figuring out what song to play next or you can just let it rock and not worry about what song comes on next. Either way, you’re set! Actively scour the internet for music, Shazam songs, and stay up to date with new and upcoming artists. Putting your people on new music is what it’s all about.
Don’t be that person who is scared to share their music or the person who plays the same eight songs every time you hop on aux duties. Open your library to different types of music. You’ll be able to reach more of your audience that way. If someone doesn’t like what your playing who cares because somebody else will. The perfect time to explore different genres is when you’re with the homies. If you have a new artist that you’ve been listening to, put your homies on. There’s no reason to be scared - if they don’t like it, they don’t like it. However, if they do, your friends will highly appreciate what you put them on to. The beginning and end of social gatherings are also a very good time to throw in some of that new-new. In the middle of a function go ahead and take that chance but know you might get some surprising reactions. Could be good or a bad. By waiting for the right moment, people have time to appreciate new music and might be more open to listen to something different.