DJ Blakey

One thing I've noticed recently is how many people are either returning to DJing after years away, or finally starting after wanting to do it for a long time.

I received this message from someone who recently joined my Ultimate Beginner DJ Course:

"As someone who used to meddle with software like Virtual DJ around 25 years ago, and practically neglected it since then, it felt so good bringing the DJ hobby back into my life. I got a Pioneer DDJ-FLX4 as a birthday present recently, and found your course by accident through some of your YouTube content, and I'm really happy I did."

Messages like that remind me exactly why I started teaching in the first place.
If you've been thinking about learning to DJ properly, or returning to it after a long break... it's absolutely possible.

You're not behind. You're not too old. And if the new technology feels intimidating, the software, the features, the endless options, that's completely understandable. DJing has changed a lot.

The Ultimate Beginner DJ Course was built specifically to cut through all of that and show you the clearest, most straightforward way to learn DJing properly today.

Link below 👇🏻

school.djblakey.com/beginner?community=YT%20commun…

3 days ago | [YT] | 39

DJ Blakey

Am I missing something here with the new onboard stems stuff for the Rane System One?

Because from what I’ve seen, yes, technically you can now create stems on the controller itself without a laptop… but it takes like 2+ minutes to analyse a single track.

That’s completely different to pressing the stems button in Serato and having it work instantly.

So while the technology is genuinely cool, I do think saying “you don’t need a laptop for stems anymore” is a bit misleading in terms of real-world DJing.

If I’m in the middle of a set, there is absolutely no chance I’m waiting 2 minutes for a vocal to separate 😅

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 69

DJ Blakey

On Saturday I performed the Spider-Man Live in Concert show again.

If you’ve seen Into the Spider-Verse or Across the Spider-Verse, you’ll know the music plays a huge role in those films.

What you might not know is that all of the scratching in those scores was done by me.

The live show is a pretty wild experience.

They play the full movie on a huge screen, while a live orchestra performs the entire score… and I’m standing right at the front of the stage performing the scratching parts live.

An orchestra behind me.
Thousands of people in the audience.
And turntables right in the middle of it all.

It’s not something I ever imagined I’d be doing when I started DJing.

The way it happened was actually quite random.

When I was working at Serato, the composer Daniel Pemberton emailed in with a pretty geeky technical question about the software.

The email got forwarded to me, as I was the European rep at the time.

I answered his questions, we got chatting… and at some point he mentioned he needed scratching for a film he was working on.

I said, “Well… I’m a DMC champion, I can probably help with that.”

And that was the start of it.

Working on those films has been one of the most interesting creative experiences I’ve had in my whole career.

Because there isn’t really a blueprint for scratching in Hollywood film scores.

It’s not like club DJing.
It’s not like battle DJing.
It’s something different.

Daniel is an incredibly talented composer, and what’s been fascinating is the back-and-forth creative process.

He has a very clear vision for how the scratching should interact with the music he’s written.

So I’m bringing my own style and technique to the turntables, but with direction about the feeling, texture, and emotion he wants the scratching to add to the score.

Over time, he’s even started writing parts that lean into my natural style, which is a very cool creative relationship to have.

It’s kind of wild when you think about it.

Two huge Hollywood films with turntablism right at the core of the music.

And now performing those parts live, on stage, with a full orchestra behind me… is surreal every single time.

Most people in the audience have probably never seen a scratch DJ perform live before.

So getting to introduce turntablism to that kind of audience is something I don’t take for granted.

It’s very different from a club.
Very different from a battle.
Very different from a DJ set.

But at the heart of it, it’s still the same thing:

Controlling sound creatively using turntables.

That’s always been the part of DJing I’ve loved the most.

Pretty surreal journey when I think about it.

2 months ago | [YT] | 228

DJ Blakey

Just got this message from someone on my email list 👇🏻

This is exactly why I wanted to give my subscribers early access to the Black Friday offer. The reactions so far have been unreal.

If you want the same early access, here’s the link:

👉 school.djblakey.com/black-friday?community=youtube…

Lifetime access to every course I’ve made, plus every future course I release.
45 percent off for Black Friday.
No upgrades. No extras. Just everything, forever.

If you’ve been thinking about joining, now’s the time.

6 months ago | [YT] | 21

DJ Blakey

🚨 My Black Friday offer drops soon (and it's the biggest discount I do all year)

If you've been thinking about going deeper than YouTube tutorials and actually mastering your DJ skills, this is your moment.

I don't do generic "press this button" tutorials or long talking head videos. I show you what's actually possible behind the decks because I've spent 20+ years doing this at the highest level.

You've seen the videos. You know my approach is different.

If you want early access to the Black Friday deal (I'm announcing it to my email list first), drop your email here:

👉 school.djblakey.com/email-signup?community=Email+S…

I only send emails worth reading. Just real DJ education from someone who's actually done it.

See you in your inbox.

6 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 21

DJ Blakey

I’m Judging the DMC World Final in Japan 🇯🇵

Today I’m flying out to Tokyo to judge the 40th anniversary of the DMC World DJ Championships, the most iconic DJ battle on earth.

It’s wild to think about, because 21 years ago, I was on that stage.

In 2004, I won the UK DMC Final and went on to represent my country at the World Finals.
That moment changed everything for me. It led to touring the world, helping create the DJ Hero video game series, and even scratching in two Hollywood Spider-Man movies.
My name’s literally in the credits under "Record Scratching". 🤯

Now I’m heading back, not as a competitor this time, but as a judge, alongside some of the same legends who inspired me to start.

Full circle.

To celebrate, I’m giving 20% off my Ultimate Scratching Course this week only.
If you’ve ever watched DMC sets and thought “I wish I could do that,” this is where it begins.

Click here to get 20% off the Ultimate Scratching Course 👇🏻

school.djblakey.com/scratching?community=DMC%20wal…
Use code DMC20.

The code also applies if you choose to upgrade to the All Access Pass at checkout.

7 months ago | [YT] | 208

DJ Blakey

Next week I’m off to Tokyo to judge the 40th anniversary of the DMC World Finals, alongside some of the biggest legends in the game.

I’m super excited to be part of an event that has changed my life in so many ways. The DJ game wouldn’t be the same without what this competition has bought to the culture.

To celebrate, the next few videos on the channel will all be DMC related, starting later this week with a breakdown of one of the greatest DMC winning sets of all time.

Can you guess which DJ?

7 months ago | [YT] | 175

DJ Blakey

24 years ago, I entered my first ever DJ battle…

It was the 2001 DMC London heat at Café de Paris. I was 15 years old.

Back then, anyone could enter the open decks. You’d play a 3-minute routine behind closed doors, and the judges would pick 10 DJs to go through to the main event.

Somehow I made it through.

I was the first one up that night, and I was completely out of my depth.
Still raw and still learning.

I was so young, they literally locked me in a storage room until my slot as I was too young to be in the club. Eventually someone convinced them to let me sit in the balcony to watch the comp 😅

DJ Skully won the heat with an unreal set.

I didn’t win. But I went home inspired.

The next year I won the Liverpool heat and reached the UK Final.
In 2003, I came second.
In 2004, after years of 8-hour practice days, I finally won the UK DMC Final. That moment changed my life.

And tomorrow, 23 years later, I’ll be judging the DMC UK Final in London.

This year marks 40 years of the DMC DJ Championships, and in October I’ll be flying out to Tokyo to judge the World Final.

Life is mad.

8 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 112

DJ Blakey

Where do pro DJs source their music in 2025?

It’s one of the questions I get asked more than anything.

That's why I put together a completely free mini-course: How Pro DJs Find Music & Build a Killer Library.

Inside, I go deep on how to actually discover new tracks, how to organise them, and how to build a music library that makes DJing easier, smoother, and more creative.

Your library is the foundation of everything you do as a DJ. Get it right, and everything else feels easier.

The best part, the whole course is free and available to everyone right now 👇🏻

school.djblakey.com/how-djs-find-music?community=Y…

9 months ago | [YT] | 17

DJ Blakey

I just made a completely FREE DJ course for everyone.

It’s called How Pro DJs Find Music & Build a Killer Library, and it’s all about helping you discover new music and build a DJ library that actually works.

Inside, I break down:

✅ Where pro DJs find their music (beyond the obvious sources)
✅ How to stay organised and never feel overwhelmed by your crates again
✅ The structure and library management that actually helps you grow as a DJ

It’s 7 in-depth lessons. Took me a week to make, and I genuinely think it’ll help every DJ who goes through it.

👇 Grab the free course here:
school.djblakey.com/how-djs-find-music?community=H…

If music organisation has ever held you back… this is for you.

9 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 58