About ten years ago, the growth of high school students who wanted to play on your birthday or party was a lot bigger. Now young DJs prefer to go viral on Tiktok or they score a hit on Spotify. Robin Nollen (31) from Tilburg, founder of DJ School 013, also notices that: “It seems as if it is more and more about the rapid success.”
Robin himself once started at the age of fifteen, with his father’s stereo set on his own birthday: “I wanted to rent a DJ, but I had no money for that and so I did it myself,” he laughs. Now he is DJ and DJ teacher at DJ School 013, which he founded in 2021.
“Hobby for their retirement.”
The school works as a music school, with lessons, workshops and personal guidance. Students learn to mix, turn and how you put yourself as a DJ on the menu. “Some people want to run as a hobby, but there are also students who want to make their jobs and stand at large festivals. We also give marketing lessons and learn how to sell music. But also people from around sixty learn to play, as a hobby for their retirement.”
But Robin sees that traditional party DJ less and less. “They are still there, but I see a lot of the same faces as ten years ago,” laughs the Tilburger. “There is less young growth.”
“One viral hit and you might be at a festival.”
Young people still want something with music, but what they want looks different. Robin has no figures. “But I do see a shift to specific styles such as hard techno, hardhouse, eurodance and up -tempo.”
Young people choose to produce their own tracks more often and then release them on different platforms. The result: less young all -round DJs, more producers with their own style.
According to Robin, that is partly due to Corona. “Parties could not, and that way the party DJs fell away,” he says. But the main reason is social media. “You used to have to go to a label to release music. Now you pay a hundred euros a year, and you can put everything online yourself. You keep all rights and income yourself. One viral hit and you might be at a festival.” Moreover, it is contagious: “If you see a different DJ successful on social media, then you will also try it yourself.”
“Turning as a DJ is becoming the new professional football player,” laughs Robin. “When I was a little, everyone wanted to become a football player. Until Martin Garrix broke through, children and their parents saw that that was also a way to turn DJs into your work.” A disadvantage of that popularity: “There is a lot of competition,” Robin notes.
“Because of this quick content you will soon forget it again.”
Not only the type of DJ has changed, the style also changes: “Tiktok Techno I call it: Beyoncé voice over it, hard beat under it. Young people love it.” At the same time, the students often know what they want. “They don’t just want to mix some pictures themselves, but want to learn how to make songs in their own style. It’s great that they deal with it so seriously,” says Robin.
And that that party DJ may be less, is that bad? “I don’t think so,” says Robin. “A viral video with music has never been within reach.” But that also has a downside. “Because of this quick content you quickly forgot it again. This is how the music world has become a fleeting scene.”
