During the Apollonia interview, we got Shonky to share his Top 5 DJing tips for Manchester’s horde of aspiring selectors. Don’t push your way onto the decks in a Fallowfield basement this weekend without reading these first.
• Play the music that you love
If you play music you don’t love you won’t enjoy it. You have to enjoy it ‘cause if you don’t, everyone will know.
• Buy records!
You need to buy records to stay true to your music, you can’t beat the feel of a good record and discovering something amazing that you have never heard before. Also, you should build up a relationship with the people in the record shop, then they’ll know what you like and can look out for records for you. Don’t just go into record shops, you have to go to all sorts of places like Discogs, Beatport, and Juno. I love rinsing my wish list on Discogs. You have to be open minded about where you’re getting music from, get as much as you can!
• Be as open minded as possible
Listen to everything! Even if you think you don’t like it you should listen to it anyway—you might discover that you do like it. But even if you don’t then you’ll learn more about music; about the bass line of the track or percussion or something else.
• Believe in what you’re doing
If you don’t believe in what you’re doing then no-one will.
• Keep faith
Stay strong and true to your music. Keep your passion.
