Blog

We're thrilled to share the newest addition to our mixer collection – the Pioneer DJM-A9 Mixer! According to Pioneer, the DJM-A9 is more than just a mixer; it's a game-changer for DJs seeking unparalleled performance and innovation. Here's what makes it stand out:Advanced Sound Processing: Immerse yourself in crystal-clear audio quality with advanced sound processing technology, ensuring every beat is heard as it's meant to be.Intuitive Touchscreen Interface: The 7-inch touchscreen display offers a user-friendly interface, allowing you to

What to expect from music production lessonsWe have been offering music production lessons to both novice and experienced producers for many years now. Whether you are starting out on your music production journey and are hungry to take your creativity to new levels, are looking to expand your knowledge and skills, or are purely seeking advice and guidance to get existing projects over the finish line, we have got you. What beginners can expectIf you’re entirely

Why you might like to try Vinyl DJing If you are a DJ who has honed their skills on CDJs and are yet to dabble in the world of vinyl DJing, then you may well be questioning whether it is time to make the leap. The reality is, getting to grips with vinyl DJing takes commitment and practice  - a lot of practice - but there are multiple reasons why it is entirely worth it. It

DJ STUDIO HIRE WITH VINYL DECKS - TECHNICS 1210's TURNTABLESWhat's that?You're fed up you can't find a London studio with vinyl decks to jam on?Ahem. We may be able to help.Word on the street is that it is hard for wax lovers out there to find a decent studio in London offering a vinyl deck set-up. A sad state of affairs if you are a lover of records without the cash to splash on a

An introduction to Rekordbox As professional DJs ourselves, Rekordbox is a piece of music management software that we can most definitely vouch for.And it’s not just us. The large majority of DJs coming through the doors of our DJ studio here in Shepherd’s Bush are more than well acquainted with Rekordbox. So why is it so popular?Well as a music management system, it takes away the inevitable headache from attempting to organise countless digital tracks. Plus it provides

Alternative to Pirate StudiosPirate Studios came into the music rehearsal space market over 5 years ago, offering a new self-service concept and promising to be affordable and convenient. And yes, at first their prices were unbeatable, yet since becoming established in the market things have changed a little.While the self-service concept does offer a certain level of convenience given that you can access the studios 24/7, the fact that there is no-one actually on-site might

The overview of the possible thoughts running through your mind before booking your first DJing lesson or Music Production course in our London studio.  We’ve all been there, approaching or part-way through the adult years of life when things begin to feel stagnant and stuck. Routine and monotony seems like an all too familiar friend (or fo), leaving us feeling unfulfilled. Work comes around each day, then that buzz of excitement as the weekend approaches, perhaps

The Anima Mundi Album ReleaseToday we celebrate the album release to see the light on our On the 5th Day label, this time from studio client and local artist, Ben K aka Anima Mundi.A 10-part album, this is music that we couldn't be happier found its home on On the 5th Day; each piece inviting you to become immersed in its world which together, form the world's soul.Available on digital and CD. 'The Anima Mundi' by

B2B DJ SessionsThere’s nothing quite like a good back-to-back session on the decks. The buzz of jamming it out together, improvising, selecting tracks under pressure, weaving a story together. It’s the best! B2Bs are generally full of surprises, you never know where they will take you and you even can start to hear your music in new ways. A lot of fun.If you haven’t yet had a B2B, then this is definitely the way to

Best Techno events in London this October Autumn has arrived - a time for winding down following a hot and steamy summer. Although this doesn't need to mean your party schedule does the same.Fortunately, we have some worthwhile event recommendations to see you through the autumnal month of October:The best (in our opinion) music events coming up this month:1. Labyrinth: Agents of Time Live, Michael Mayer at Earth - 7th of Octoberhttps://ra.co/events/1573754This event is for melodic

Best Techno nights in London this September Us Londoners are pretty lucky to have such a rich underground music scene available to us. While European cities like Berlin and Amsterdam have been leading the way for quite a while, we are blessed with an abundance of quality underground events to choose from. We’re often asked for recommendations by our clients so have decided to launch a new monthly blog series: “Best electronic music nights in London”. This

Sounds of Stillness, ambient podcast series promoting calmness On the 5th Day: Sounds of Stillness“The quieter you become, the more you are able to hear.” (Rumi)Sounds of Stillness is On the 5th Day’s ambient podcast series dedicated to the beauty of stillness - to expanding consciousness and to deepening our connection to the universe. More simply, it’s dedicated to the preciousness of time out for you.The demands of daily life, of the roles and responsibilities we adopt and of the endless stream of thoughts

DJ Lessons at BAD Studios in London - what to expectBAD Studios was founded on a genuine passion for music and has been teaching the art of DJing to aspiring DJs for over 15 years. Hundreds of our clients have gone on to play at gigs around the world, as well as organising their own events, establishing record labels and producing their own music. Our specially designed DJ course takes you through the entire spectrum of skills

6 Tools for Overcoming Creative Blocks Whether you’re a music producer, graphic designer, artist, writer, or working in a field that banks on creative output, facing blocks during the process of production is natural and, unfortunately, guaranteed to occur at least once during your modus operandi.Sitting in a fog of negative thoughts can potentially fuel these blocks for longer than necessary. To overcome this period of stagnancy, we’ve compiled a list of tools to help manage

Music Production lessons now available online The current pandemic has definitely taught us how to be more technically versatile and being able to offer our music production sesssions online is just one great example.With travel to our studios being a challenge right now, online production sessions are a great way to begin your journey in music production or get the support you may need to finish your projects. Our online sessions are suitable for complete beginners looking

Record a video of your DJ mix at our DJ Studios With the pandemic in full force, dancefloors globally are sadly shut so many DJs are searching for ways to stay connected with their listeners and continue showcasing themselves. Recording and posting your DJ mixes on socials are a great way to do both, while ensuring you keep the inspiration flowing, but if you also want to be seen in addition to being heard then recording

New Pioneer CDJ3000 in our DJ studio! Come and try them out!We have a super doper exciting upgrade in the studio - new Pioneer CDJs3000. The new players offer some very good features like bigger and better touchscreen, improved jog wheel and enhanced audio quality amongst many others. But come and try it out yourself. DJ Studio hire available 7 days per week, 9 AM-11 PM and only £12.5 per hour. Book HERE

What is VST plugin and how to install it to AbletonVST is short for Virtual Studio Technology, software which essentially enables you to mimic different hardware equipment used in the studio, allowing you to access virtually any instrument or effect.VST audio plugin can process audio effects such as reverbs, delays, distortions and modulations, sending audio through the plugin itself to process the sound and create the above effects. In other words, this midi information which

FREE SAMPLES FOR MUSIC PRODUCTION When making your tracks, samples can be a very fun and useful resource to feed your creativity, help to express your ideas and add originality to your music. Samples are small elements of recorded sounds which are re-used in new music tracks. Any recorded material can be sampled and processed, ready to include in your new creations. Samples can include elements of a song, dialogues from films, youtube clips - anything

Introduction to music theory for electronic music by Hüseyin Evirgen - CassegrainI would like to share a very educational video about electronic music theory delivered by Hüseyin Evirgen, aka one half of the Cassegrain duo. In the video, Hüseyin explains the basic concepts of music theory which can be very eye-opening and lay foundations for new aspiring music producers. Therefore get comfy and soak it all in! 😉 Contents of the video:0:00 Intro08:16 Octaves10:14 Tones &

WHY BAD STUDIOS BEATS PIRATE STUDIOS FOR THE BEST DJ STUDIO HIRE EXPERIENCE?*  We’re a family-led business with a deep-seated passion for electronic music. We share your love for music and get how important quality equipment and sound is.*  Take your pick from our range of industry-standard equipment. Add a third or fourth Pioneer CDJ, Technic 1210s, and/or the uncompromising analogue Allen & Heath Xone 96 mixer to your set-up.*  We’re proud of our roots!

DJ and Music Production lessons, DJ Studio Hire Gift Vouchers for your nearest and dearest With holidays around the corner, we wanted to remind you that we have a range of different gift vouchers available. Therefore they are a perfect gift for those special people in your life who are passionate about electronic music. From DJ lessons for complete beginners through to more advanced levels, as well as music production sessions to learn how to create

Astonishing results from our music production sessions - new EP from ANTØM ANTØM has been learning music production with us for the past few months. Therefore his debut EP is a very beautiful end result which he just released on our in house label  - Kombinat. We have launched the label and dedicated it to emerging artists primarily learning the craft with us at our BAD studios. His 5-track EP catapults you headfirst into the depths of

How to have a better DJing practice session in our London DJ StudiosYou may have heard that it takes 10,000 hours to master a skill. We’re certainly not saying that you should lock yourself in the dj studio for the next 10,000 hours, but it’s without a doubt that solid practice is needed to progress and improve.  Deliberate and mindful practice can really help you to achieve your goals thus always try to plan, prepare

A long awaited new Allen & Heath Xone 96 is in our London DJ Studio! After a long wait the next edition of the Allen&Heath Xone mixer is here and you are very welcome to come and try it. Available to use during your DJ studio hire or your DJing lesson.All in all, the new Xone puts a modern twist on the masterful art of what the Xone:92 already provides. In other words: it takes the

Niamh - 'Constitution Hill' Release Kombinat’s third release ‘Constitution Hill’ comes from London based Irish producer Niamh. She marks her first EP with a four-track collection of driving, tripped out sounds. Nodding to her roots in Dublin’s electronic music scene which paved the way to her discovery of the rowdier side of techno which she currently revels in. As a result, this EP celebrates the beginning of her journey in production which initially started near Constitution

Second release on Kombinat - Apatik 'Intelligenza Emotiva' EP Following a solid, widely sought after EP from Ireen Amnes marking its launch in August 2018, Kombinat returns with its second release to show it really means business!And this time we welcome Fabio as Apatik with ‘Intelligenza Emotiva’, a 4-track EP exploring the dimensions of emotional intelligence. Using dark, driving drums and rhythms, emotional pads and pulsating percussions as his tools, Apatik reveals his journey and revelations.

Launch of the Kombinat - our in house record label We are very excited to announce a launch of our very own in house record label called Kombinat. It is dedicated to emerging artists from the techno and experimental world and will be a great outlet for our clients to release their musical creations.The first release is from hugely talented Ireen Amnes who is also our instructor here in the studios. ‘Duality of Self’, the debut

Music Production course at our London studios Here at BAD Studios, we have a big love for teaching and mentoring people in music production. Many of our clients have been on an amazing journey through their sessions with a dedicated instructor, coming out the other side feeling proud of the tracks they have created which tell a story about who they are. I have finally opened up the mac and compiled a little library of previews

On the 5th Day summer party As some of you might know apart of teaching and mentoring here at Become A DJ we are also founders and organisers of On the 5th Day project - techno events, podcast series and record label. You can head down to Facebook page to learn more HERE.On the 5th Day events take place at an incredible venue, Corsica Studios. The aim is to create a truly free and welcoming environment,

Synthapise - a night of 'conscious raving' Throughout the years we have met, mentored and taught a lot of people throughout their djing  and music production adventure.  Therefore it is always a great pleasure to see where their passion is taking them - discover and attend the gigs they play, listen to the music they release or visit parties they organise.One of previous student at ‘Become A DJ’ Tonia Nee earlier in the year has launched

Best Vinyl Shops in London for DJs Our beloved London certainly deserves to be on the list of the best cities to go shopping for vinyls. Even though most of the people turn to ordering their music online, nothing can beat the feeling of going to a shop for some crate digging and being able to find some unknown and rare sounds. There are dozens of record shops spread across the capital covering every genre you

How to use Traktor in our London DJ Studio This is an easy to use guide on how to set up Traktor with our DJ Studio equipment - Pioneer DJM-900 mixer and Pioneer CDJ-2000s.It’s important to stress that Traktor may be the first step on the road to your dream DJing career and that once you’ve familiarised yourself with the software, you may want to move on to CDJs or vinyl so you can develop and refine

'Become A DJ' Students rock Pacha London Pacha, 27th June was home to the Raw Silence crew for the night and they invited world-renowned DJ/Producer John Monkman to play. What a fantastic night it was, with everybody from the foot shufflers to people in tuxedos present. 13 Raw Silence DJ’s played alongside John Monkman of which 2 were their first time playing out live. Where did they hone their amazing talent I hear you ask, It

What does it take #5 Interview with Third Son Third Son is the alias of techno producer and DJ Joseph Thomas Price. Born into a musical family, Joseph studied many different styles of composition from an early age. In Third Son Joseph combines throaty basslines with fluttering synths and heavy percussion and, in doing so, enraptures his audience with a unique and refined sound.In this interview he speaks to us about his experience within the music

Become a DJ is Launching a New Interactive Podcast Become a DJ is excited to announce a brand new weekly podcast. This podcast will air live and then be posted on our soundcloud page and promoted through social media!The shows will feature mixes from up and coming house and techno DJs, as we look to showcase the freshest talent from London and beyond. Become a DJ will continue its tradition of promoting students and former students,

How long can pirate radio stations survive? Growing up in South London in the 90’s and noughties, the radio frequencies were abreast with pirate radio stations. All flavours of Dance music were available with Garage, House and Drum n Bass ruling most of the illegal airwaves. With kids in estates all over London setting up radio transmitters, these sub-cultures thrived. Often these stations advertised raves all over London. Word would get out about these raves, after

Secret Community of Ravers Swapping DJ Trading Cards in the 90’s? Top Trumps for DJ’s - A Real Thing The 90s marked the end, not only of a century, but also a millennium. The decade leading up to the year 2000 saw a lot of change and excitement. Many important events happened to shape not only the 90s but our lives since then. That change happened in every way you can imagine – politically, technologically, and culturally.

Can DJs be considered artists? The question...As music lovers, we've all stumbled upon this question many times: is the DJ an artist? This is a troublesome inquiry. Of course, there is a very specific set of skills involved in DJing, yet does that per se make the DJ an artist? There is also a particular skill set that is needed to, for example, changing a flat tyre, but of course that's by no means considered an art. Is

DJ Culture and Festivals: yay or nay?Music festivals are nothing new. In fact, they have been around for ages – Woodstock, anyone? But in recent years, there has been a definite increase in the number of electronic dance music acts – namely DJs – in the line-ups of these uber-popular events. Actually, electronic-music-only festivals are now officially a thing and happen everywhere from the UK to Croatia, Iceland to Miami. This rise of the DJ

The format discussion: Vinyl, FLAC, WAV and MP3 The difference in sound between vinyl, CD and digital formats can be anything from minor to substantial depending on numerous variables. Which one is the best? Purists will stand by the warm sound of vinyl like true soldiers, while a good part of the new generation loves how digital files can make the life of a DJ a lot easier. But ultimately, it's up to you – it's

How to record your DJ Mix with your laptopSo you have created a great mix, something that will rock every dance floor in the world. It will get every man, woman and child bopping their heads along for sure. However you need to record it, so those said people can put it on their Ipods and listen to it on the bus to work. At Become A DJ we have a fully equipped DJ studio,

‘Become A DJ’ Student’s Takeover Pacha London One Last Time As the sun sets on Pacha London, Deep and Tech House was served up by The Raw Silence entourage for the last time on the 29th August.  At 11pm the doors were opened and the music was turned up.As House music lovers made their way inside this magical club, searching for the nearest dancefloor, each offering an epic musical journey as our DJ’s entertained the ravers right

'Become A DJ' Students play at Pacha London!!London Victoria on the 25th April was home to Raw Silence for the night. 12 DJ’s hailing from the Become A DJ course played alongside headliner Vanilla Ace. Of these DJ’s 4 of them were to play in a club environment for the first time and not just any club, it was the world recognised Pacha. The soundcheck was done, all the DJ’s had bag’s full of music

In The Mixdown #2 Vanilla Ace - Work On You A man of somewhat mystery - going by the name Vanilla Ace - this producer is next up to take us deep In The Mixdown, with his latest release ‘Work On You’. This eclectic groover sits itself in the depths of deep house, while spinning a slick set of disco stabs that makes us all kinds of giddy. Released on April 7, the track leads the

In The Mixdown #1 Cera Alba - Transition Welcome to the first In The Mixdown, a brand new series that takes a deep look into some of the best tracks from the best producers in the dance music scene. Here we talk to Liam Jones – more commonly known as Cera Alba – about the dark dubby infector that is ‘Transition’. The track found its home on the Crooks & Cads compilation from Save You Records

What Does It Take #4 Interview with Karol XVII & MB Valance Karol XVII (Karol Samocki) & MB Valence (Marek Bigajski) have spent over 10 years dedicated to crafting molten house, so hot it makes the Baltic Sea boil. Throughout their commendable career, the Polish duo have been dominating dance throughout Europe and beyond. Working not only as DJs the pair work as composers, song writers, sound engineers, producers and also run their own label - Loco

DropOne30 – Become A DJ Pacha Parties At ‘Become A DJ’ we don’t just teach you how to beatmatch on CDJs or vinyl just for you to become a bedroom DJ. ‘Become A DJ’ is one of the only DJ schools that offers students the chance to take their mixing abilities, honed through professional training, out into the real live world of London clubland – because let’s be honest when we DJ, we always want to

Becoming a DJ: The Aftermath Nothing’s more frustrating than completing a course in something and then not having the opportunity to put your knowledge and talents to good use – as any University graduate with a degree in Ancient Macedonian Architecture who ended up working in the marketing department for FoxyBingo.com will happily tell you. Here at ‘Become a DJ’, we help you to achieve your ambition- if its to make DJing your career or just

What Does It Take #3– Interview with Cristoph For the third instalment of ‘What Does it Take’ we are very happy to of had the opportunity to chat with a truly talented up and coming DJ and producer - Cristoph.Cristoph’s DJ sets and productions range from Deep House to Tech House to Techno, integrating heavy bass lines with quality and uplifting melodies.In this interview Cristoph shares his experiences right from the first gig he ever played,

What Does It Take #2– Interview with STUFF With the revival of the French House scene, some dynamic players have started to take centre stage. One of these figures is STUFF, a DJ and producer originally from Grenoble who had his introduction to the circuit around 2007, fraternising with such influential local acts as Acid Washed and Kiko. Since producing his first releases on David Carretta's well-respected Space Factory label, he has now started moving into

Become A DJ – Make Your First Steps To Becoming A DJ Today At Become A DJ we know what it takes to get started as a DJ and we’re experts at inspiring and educating others to take the necessary steps needed to begin what will become your new passion. DJing is without a doubt one of the most rewarding hobbies or even career paths you can imagine, and with the right support from the right

Best DJ Headphones - ‘Become a DJ’ headphone review  Headphones are a must-have item for any DJ. With such a big choice and models focused and designed just for DJs, it is a hard task to find the right match. We will look into the most popular headphones, DJs opt-out for. I hope you will find this review helpful.Pioneer HDJ 2000From their launch in late 2008 the Pioneer HDJ 2000 has become one of the most

DISCREPANCIES BETWEEN REKORDBOX KEY DETECTION AND THE CAMELOT WHEEL Rekordbox™ (Ver 2.5) can now automatically detect the musical key of your tracks. This extra bit of info into the songs' details (along with BPM/Genre/etc) can come in very handy to create seamless and tasty mixes on the fly. There are two issues however1) Some of the keys that Rekordbox™ provides you with you will not be find on the Camelot Wheel (Figure 1).2) People without musical

Swim the Shine holds a Traktor™ Workshop in Budapest Traktor™ is one of the most advanced and widely used DJing software. Artists as diverse as Richie Hawtin and DJ Shiftee use it creatively to forge their own style. We are very proud that our Traktor™ instructor (Swim the Shine) was recently invited to Budapest, Hungary to hold a 2-day workshop at the local The Audio-Visual Open Studios (AVOS). This workshop covered a wide range of topics from the basic features of operation up

What Does It Take #1– Interview with Sixty69nine At Become A DJ we’re all about turning ideas into realities. We’re dedicated to giving the guidance and know how to those wanting to take the plunge into the DJ World. This new “What Does It Take” series will give you an insight into the stories of a range of widely-established and rapidly-rising DJs that are already making careers within the DJ industry.Launching the series this week is

The DJ Myth Why is it that some people assume becoming a DJ is as straightforward as confusing a glamour model? Something about the profession seems to give off the impression of a bunch of chancers who wanted the rock and roll lifestyle but couldn’t be bothered to learn an instrument. This is an attitude we come across a lot at BecomeADJ, with many people surprised at how much hard work, rehearsal time and access to

Raw Silence @ Hide 14th of June Another great night by Raw Silence where a number of our DJs played deep tech house. Sexy beats, vocals, dirty bass - thats their sound!

RAW SILENCE party - 12th of April 2013 Thank you all for coming last night! It was a great party with some amazing music and the best people! Most of all I would like to say a BIG THANKS to KEITH HUNTER, TIM WATTS, RYAN MOLLOY, MATAS BALTA and MARKUS RUSH for sharing your amazing sounds with all of us!!

Raw Silence goes Open Air @ Cargo, 3rd of Aug RAW SILENCE invites all of our friends and good music lovers to our OPEN AIR afternoon party at Cargo Terrace, Shoreditch. It will be a sin not to come and join us all for some great music by our DJs: Phoebe Kibbey, Rimus, Markus Rush, Tho Radia, Deejay J, Pitix, Matas Balta and Nick Dell. They will be playing their hearts out by delivering us the

DropOne30 @ Ministry of Sound  'Become a DJ' has launched a set of events focused on Progressive/Electro house - DropOne30!On the 6th of July, we have invited you to a legendary Ministry of Sound to witness the first party and show your support to Amioa, Basara, Skeletos, Deejay J, Mesh, Radia, Raz Van, Chrissy G.All the fans of powerful beats- watch this space for coming parties!

Raw Silence @ Hide London, 11th of May 2013 Party people! Very last minute, but best things come spontaneously! We would like to invite you all on the 11th of May to Hide London Club, Mayfair to yet another party! Our 'Become A DJ' students - Ryan Molloy, Keith Hunter, Patricia Marie C, Markus Rush, Victoria V and Urban Myth will be shaking the earth so hard that all the Mayfair snobs will start crawling in