DJ Textbook

Made for complete beginners: learn everything from DJ basics to how two tracks are connected.

Photo: Mackey 提供

Author

Portrait of Mackey

Mackey

Founder / Editor-in-Chief

About 20 years as an audience member at clubs and music festivals. As a raver, he has experienced the dance music scene in Japan and abroad firsthand.

Alongside running a company, he began performing in earnest as a club DJ in April 2025. He has played at major nightclubs in Tokyo and has also made guest appearances during weekend peak hours.

He has performed at World DJ Festival Japan, one of the largest music festivals in Japan, for two years in a row, in 2025 and 2026.

Drawing on his experience living in the United States and France, he is an open-format DJ who plays a wide-ranging selection that crosses eras and genres.

Going forward, he plans to take up music composition as well, aiming to become a producer DJ.

Past appearances
Zouk Tokyo / 1OAK Tokyo / SEL OCTAGON TOKYO / CÉ LA VI TOKYO / RAISE / V2 TOKYO / T2 SHINJUKU / WOMB, and more
Mackey playing on a festival stage
Photo: Mackey 提供

What this textbook is for

  • Understand the basics of what a DJ does
  • Understand beats, BPM, and how tracks are structured
  • Understand the principle of connecting track A to track B

About Opinion (the author's view)

If you mix up Fact and Opinion, personal taste and interpretation start to look like the "right answer."

In this textbook, we separate what can be objectively verified as "Fact" from the author's thoughts, interpretations, and preferences, which we mark as "Opinion (the author's view)."

Some of the topics that fall under Opinion are ones where DJs themselves disagree. On the DJ Debates page, you can share your own view on such topics by voting and commenting.

Learn in a class, practice on real gear

DJ schools across Japan

Compare in-person classes, online courses, and long-term programs by format, content, and price.

DJ practice studios across Japan

Compare studios and practice booths with DJ gear by area, price, and gear model.