Recently, a firestorm was unleashed when the nightclub Cure and the Cause in L.A banned laptops from the booth. The reasoning was straightforward – “We opened this place to showcase talent. So, show us your talent”. The ensuing debate discussed the intricacies of what it means to be a dj in this day and age. I find my opinion on the matter is multi-faceted.

For djs, competition in the arena is super strong these days. I get the impression that amateurs don’t want to admit they’re on their L plates. They forget that even the world’s greatest creatives had to start somewhere. Vincent Van Gogh famously said “I keep on making what I can’t do yet in order to learn to be able to do it”.

On the flipside, I have seen many older djs relish the opportunity to share their passion with boys and girls just starting their journey in music. Excellent mixing is an art. Younger djs who limit themselves to sync buttons and controllers miss out on the opportunity to develop a deep understanding and appreciation for the origins of the art.

When considering how many high quality, established djs use controllers these days – I keep coming back to Pablo Picasso’s famous words – “Lean the rules like a professional so you can break them like an artist”. At the end of the day, that’s exactly what it’s all about.

Now, we understand how hard it is to break into the club scene, so if you want to kick your dj’ing up a knotch enter the Habitat DJ Competition now! 2016 marks the 10th year of Perth’s most prestigious underground dj comp. We have been responsible for discovering some of Perth’s finest talent, and many have gone on to become top club djs in Perth. Past finalists won a total of 9 Perth Dance Music Awards between them. Many contestants have used the opportunity to get exposure to the industry and have gone on to become residents at Habitat, Geisha and many of Perth’s top underground clubs, festivals and events. Keen? Go to https://www.geishabar.com.au/whaton/2016-habitat-dj-competition/ and get your mixes in fast!