It has come to the mind of every EDM fan I know, and it is natural. We all covet the idea of being the next great DJ getting paid to go to the shows we love, and all the glamour of being the DJ that just walks out and sends the crowd into a frenzy. It is a lot of hard work though to learn, and if you have no musical background it is even more difficult. The basic tools and software to start making EDM are also very expensive. I recommend researching EDM production, and also starting to learn to read music, and researching music theory.
Intimidated?
(Photo Credits: Image-Line)
You should, and should not be. When you start learning music production and have your own DAW(Digital Audio Workshop) you will know what all those buttons and knobs do.
There is a Youtube series (many infact) that will teach you the basics to music production. This is their first video installment of the series. Watch it see if this interests you, if it does pursue it. Who knows in the next few years you could be the biggest DJ on the scene performing at festivals all over the world. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=457tWi-QxjM
The first step of joining the EDM/rave culture is to identify which sub genre's of EDM you prefer. This is especially important in EDM. There are approximately 12 sub-genre's of EDM and those have 6-12 sub genre's of their own. Though many songs and mixes fall into multiple sub genres and the "sub-sub-genre's" in many cases are difficult to distinguish from each other. There are distinct pillars though in the EDM genre in which. Below are my three favorite sub genre's that also serve a great inductions into the EDM music scene.
1. House
House is one of the most popular genre's in EDM. House Music was born in the backyard of the midwest in chicago. Heavy use of 4/4 beats and drum machines. House, in the simplest terms, is dance music. It has a lot of disco and pop influences and the samples used in house music draw from any generation of music; from old school big band swing music, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin, Paula Abdul, etc. I always recommend House to newcomers asking about EDM, it has a wide variety and is probably the best representation for EDM.
Recommended DJ's
Avicii
Daft Punk
Kaskade
David Guetta
Dimitri & Vegas
Examples of House
2. Dubstep
Dubstep is not one of my favorite sub genre's I actually do not like majority of the genre's music. It is however, an excellent genre for those new to EDM and there are admittedly quite a few musical gems in the genre. It incorporates a lot of other genre's into its style; break beats, and drum & bass styles. I joke about it being the "gateway genre" because a lot of my friends into the EDM scene started by listening to Dubstep.
Recommended Dj's
Skrillex
Adventure Club
Flux Pavilion
Zeds Dead
BassNectar
Examples of Dubstep
3. Trap
Trap is my favorite form of EDM, it is not a genre for the faint of heart. The drum and bass kits are very heavy, and the vocals in the songs are often aggressive. . It originated as a form of southern hip hop that was extremely violent. As EDM Dj's moved into the genre it's focus shifted. It still incorporates many hip hop influences. If you like it loud and in your face this genre is definitely the one for you.
