Brolic Army DJ School by DJ Rob Swift

  Advanced DJing Course at Brolic Army DJ School by DJ Rob Swift DJ Rob Swift teaches this Advanced DJing course at the Brolic Army. Rob Swift covers techniques such as EQ mixing and incorporating loops into mixes. This course focuses on elevating DJ sets and routines and features tutorials on more complex and elevated mixing techniques, as well as ways of incorporating the three main facets of DJing (mixing, scratching and beat juggling) into your work. Other Upper Level classes include Advanced Scratching and Advanced Beat Juggling . Refer to the courses page for these! Advanced DJing Course Breakdown: EQ Mixing and Looping: How to camouflage transitions from one song to the next using a mixer’s equalizer. More lectures coming soon! Best suited to intermediate or advanced DJs that want to elevate their sets and routines. Advanced DJing is for students who have strong foundations in the techniques of DJing. DJing is best learned step by step, building your skills one block at a...

  DJ Rob Swift leads this Brolic Army DJ School course on Advanced Scratching techniques. Expect to learn scratches such as DJ Disk’s “Orbit Flare”, The Invisibl Skratch Piklz’ “Crab Scratch” and other techniques. Each Brolic Army course is updated regularly with new tutorials on a regular basis! In line with DJ Rob Swift’s typical teaching style, he focuses his tutorials on both the history and the execution of these techniques. Rob Swift aims to empower the next wave of DJs in becoming active participants of the culture, passing down the knowledge for generations to come. Advanced Scratching is no exception. “This was very clear, concise, and easy to understand. This in turn makes me more excited to practice now that I know what to focus on. Thank you Sensei Swift!” – Nedimthedream Advanced Scratching is for students who have strong foundations in the techniques of DJing and scratching techniques. Check out our other courses such as Basic DJing, Basic Scratching and Training C...

  Advanced DJing Course at Brolic Army DJ School by DJ Rob Swift DJ Rob Swift teaches this Advanced DJing course at the Brolic Army. Rob Swift covers techniques such as EQ mixing and incorporating loops into mixes. This course focuses on elevating DJ sets and routines and features tutorials on more complex and elevated mixing techniques, as well as ways of incorporating the three main facets of DJing (mixing, scratching and beat juggling) into your work. Other Upper Level classes include Advanced Scratching and Advanced Beat Juggling. Refer to the courses page for these! Advanced DJing Course Breakdown: EQ Mixing and Looping: How to camouflage transitions from one song to the next using a mixer’s equalizer. More lectures coming soon! Best suited to intermediate or advanced DJs that want to elevate their sets and routines. Advanced DJing is for students who have strong foundations in the techniques of DJing. DJing is best learned step by step, building your skills one block at a ti...

  Typically when scratching, your audience is experiencing a combination of two sounds. Your scratches and the beat you’re scratching to. These aspects of the music you’re projecting to people’s ears are happening simultaneously but also separate from each other. The spatial terms background (the beat) and foreground (your scratches) can be used to describe both elements. How a DJ works with these two ingredients will impact your listener’s ability to sonically differentiate what they’re hearing. Artists call it Negative Space Perception and this article will explain how a drawing concept like NSP can improve your scratching style. When you stare at the Graffiti piece below, we see a girl reaching for a Bonsai plant. What you may not be accounting for though, is how the negative space in this picture or what we don’t see (the emptiness) accentuates the action our eyes are observing i.e., the girl reaching for the Bonsai plant. The emptiness within this work of art is subtle, yet th...

  If you’re a DJ with a residency in 2022 and you’ve asked yourself, “Am I being underpaid?” then you are. What’s more, you’re not alone. Most of your colleagues have to DJ a minimum of 4 residencies per week just to cover today’s rising cost of living. Simply do the math! Table minimums at the average club start around $250 at the low end, and go up into the thousands for more exclusive high end clubs. With the demand for DJs as high as it is, anyone with a residency (regardless of skill level) should be getting paid at least half the minimum table price per hour. This has nothing to do with greed, at least on the part of DJs, and more to do with fairness. Venues are generating thousands of dollars HOURLY and there are two reasons for that. The alcohol served by the bartenders and the music played by the DJ. Both are equally vital aspects of club culture. So the idea that a bartender can make more in 2 hours worth of tips than a DJ can in 4 to 6 hours of rocking a dance floor, mea...

  DJ Rob Swift leads this Brolic Army DJ School course on Advanced Scratching techniques. Expect to learn scratches such as DJ Disk’s “Orbit Flare”, The Invisibl Skratch Piklz’ “Crab Scratch” and other techniques. Each Brolic Army course is updated regularly with new tutorials on a regular basis! In line with DJ Rob Swift’s typical teaching style, he focuses his tutorials on both the history and the execution of these techniques. Rob Swift aims to empower the next wave of DJs in becoming active participants of the culture, passing down the knowledge for generations to come. Advanced Scratching is no exception. “This was very clear, concise, and easy to understand. This in turn makes me more excited to practice now that I know what to focus on. Thank you Sensei Swift ?” – Nedimthedream Advanced Scratching is for students who have strong foundations in the techniques of DJing and scratching techniques. Check out our other courses such as Basic DJing, Basic Scratching and Training C...

  Since launching the Brolic Army platform, I’ve taken more notice of how others learn and teach DJ art. From my observations, imitation seems to be at the center of both ends. Since when did copying become creativity? If Hip Hop’s golden rule is don’t bite, yet we see post after post of DJs regurgitating the works of masters like X-Ecutioners, Invisibl Skratch Piklz and Beat Junkies, how can we bring creativity and imagination back to DJing? Welp, here’s 5 ways I can think of: 1. Stop caring what people think. There are battle routines of mine that have stood the test of time. I can perform joints like my “Funky For You” routine today and 30 years after its creation, I still get a positive reaction. Even in cases where my audience doesn’t know the record. That’s because the song itself is a true reflection of my musical taste and when you stay true to what you like, without compromise, the authenticity in your motives trumps everything! 2. Be creatively courageous. Creative peop...

  Beat Juggling involves the right and left hands doing two separate things at the same time. For example, your right hand may be pulling the record back to a specific spot, while your left hand is stopping the record incrementally. This is otherwise known as hand independence. Although it’s virtually impossible to cover every hand technique involved in beat juggling, I will explain a couple of drills that will help you during your training. 1. Invert your movements.Anything you learn from left to right, you must also master from right to left. The goal here is to achieve balance between both your limbs. Doing so will allow you to execute your juggle patterns with the necessary accuracy. Regardless of the direction your hands need to move. 2. Simultaneously tap and rewindWithout sound, learn how to rewind the left turntable with your left hand, while you tap the opposite turntable with your right hand. Once you feel comfortable, reverse roles. As with patting your head and rubbing ...

  Over the course of 2 weeks, 15 Brolic Army DJ School students will get the chance to honor the memory of Roc Raida by showcasing their beat juggling prowess with his classic “Unassisted” routine. The challenge officially begins Sunday, May 1st at 12 p.m. (EST) and will run through May 16th. The top 3 students will be picked by Brolic Army DJ School Masterclass instructors DJ Mike C, Mista B and the General of the Brolic Army, DJ Rob Swift. First, second and third place will be announced on Roc Raida’s birthday, May 17th! The winner of the ROC RAIDA CHALLENGE will be awarded a pair of JICO Cartridges, second place takes home a Jico Hoodie, and third place walks away with a Jico tee. Make sure to follow the @brolicarmy IG page our subscribe to our YouTube account for daily updates on the competition standings!

  Most people think you need advanced DJ skills to learn how to recreate a classic beat juggle routine. But do you really? Before I knew about the Root Movements of Beat Juggling, I developed my skills by copying what I heard the DJs I admired do. You see, learning a juggle routine is challenging but not impossible, so long as you have the basics down! STUDENT OF THE WEEK, DJ Frank3000, proves that by following this 5-step process you can teach yourself how to juggle like Mista Sinista or any other master juggler! Step #1: Listen to the entire routine you want to learn. Listening allows you to mentally grasp how the routine sounds. Since our limbs follow the instructions of our brains, it’s important to mentally digest a juggle routine’s structure first. Once you can sound out all of the patterns in your head you’re pointed in the right direction. Step #2: Break the routine into workable chunks. Before you go all guns blazing, trying to perform the “Method Man” routine from beg...

  This learning pathway guide will help intermediate turntablists find out the best way of navigating our courses. We classify intermediate an intermediate DJ as somebody who has experience with turntables, can mix by ear, has the correct turntable fundamentals down such as mechanics, hand alignment, and can drop on beat. If you are experienced with CDJs and controllers but have no touched turntables before or are not used to using turntables, please see the beginners learning guide . Where to start? We advise that intermediate DJs do browse over the Basic DJing course, in order to ensure that they have strong and correct fundamental skills. See here: https://brolicarmydjschool.com/courses/basic-djing/ Most DJs overlook these fundamentals but without having these turntable instincts perfected, it will be difficult to correctly engage with the next courses. What course should I begin with? We recommend that DJs who are confident in their basic skills start with: Basic Scratching An...

  This guide is to help individuals who want to sign up, or have just signed up, navigate the website. Welcome! Thank you so much for coming to see the Brolic Army DJ School. We are excited to show you around and help you get started on your journey to becoming a beast on the turntables! Choose a Plan Membership Plans GET STARTED We have three membership options. The first is the monthly subscription, at $49 billed monthly. The second option is to be billed 249 every 6 months. With this option you save $90 per year. The final tier is the Lifetime membership. We recommend this to DJs who want to stay a part of the community for life. Enroll in your first class Congratulations! Now you are truly on your way to becoming a formidable DJ. To start your first class, select the desired course from the courses page and scroll the to bottom and click “Enroll”. This will enroll you in the course and give you access to all of the lesson material. Browse our Merch and Rep the Ar...

  May 17th marks what would have been Roc Raida’s 50th birthday. So in honor of the ultimate DJ hero, Brolic Army DJ School celebrates the life and creativity of Anthony “Roc Raida” Williams for the entire month of May with the Roc Raida Challenge! Last year’s Roc Raida Challenge tested students’ ability to compose their own unique beat juggle based on Raida’s famous “Chief Rocka” (Lords of the Underground) routine. Which oh by the way. helped him win his 1995 World DMC Championship title. This year, we’re interested in seeing how Brolic Army students fare with “Unassisted”, another beat juggle masterpiece composition from the mind of Roc Raida. RULES Create your best routine based on Roc Raida’s “Unassisted” (Rasco) beat juggle. SUBMISSION PROCESS Film a video of yourself performing a 90 second (maximum) beat juggle composition. Please ensure that your video is captured in landscape mode and contains direct audio. Email your video to Brolic Army DJ School no later than April 17th,...

Each season of the year we like to pose DJ challenges for our Brolic Army students because what’s the point in teaching someone a skill if you won’t provide opportunities for that student to apply their mastery of it? At Brolic Army DJ School, application is one of our most important tenets and the latest Brolic Army challenge not only test our students’ individual grasp of the DJ concepts they’ve learned, they will also be expected to showcase their newly acquired skills in a team setting. To mark the beginning of Summer training. We issued the BROLIC ARMY SQUAD CHALLENGE! Two teams, The Monty Pythons (Selecta Monty, DJ Tyson and DJ ECC) and The Peaky Jugglers (Chief Rocka challenge champ Captain Co, DJ Circle and DJ Backbeat), worked together as a group to create one cohesive battle set. The winning squad was decided by public fan vote. “It taught me how to be a better teacher and how to explain stuff and assess people.” ~ Selecta Monty “I have learnt so much from this challenge. It...

At midnight tonight, the DJ community celebrates the 20th year anniversary of the documentary SCRATCH. Directed by Doug Pray and released by Palm Pictures on Feb.15, 2002, this powerful documentary continues to stand as a symbol for how a small group of marginalized DJs can effect change by banding together. Twenty years later the ripple effects of what DJs like the X-Ecutioners, Invisibl Skratch Piklz, Beat Junkies, still resonates. Doug Pray does a thorough job of revealing how the authors (Kool Herc, Bambaataa, Grandmaster Flash, GrandWizzard Theodore, Grand Mixer D.St…) of DJing as we know it to be today, passed on techniques such as mixing, scratching and back spinning to the younger generation of DJs (Rob Swift, Roc Raida, Q-Bert, Mix Master Mike, Babu, Shortkut, DJ Shadow…). By building on the practices of their predecessors, these young visionaries furthered DJ culture and bum rushed a music industry that pushed them to the background during the 90s. This may surprise you but a...

  I prefer DJing indoors to outdoors 100% of the time. Especially as the weather gets colder. College GameDay Week 9 at the campus of Michigan State was a perfect reminder of why I feel this way. DJing in bad weather is tough on your gear and your hands. But when ESPN is depending on you to keep an audience of hundreds of people energized for 90 minutes you must adapt to Mother Nature. Here are my TOP 3 TIPS FOR DJing IN COLD WEATHER: 1) Get to the gig early and let your instruments acclimate to the temperature. Radical shifts in temperature (both up and down) can damage your equipment. So I recommend bringing the turntables, mixer, etc., in their cases, leaving them on stage IN their cases for a while, and then taking them out just before your set begins. 2) Wear a hoodie. A long sleeve shirt or sweater alone won’t cut it. Hoodies are perfect cause they have that center pocket you can easily slide your hands in to warm them up! 3) Hide your laptop if possible. I lucked out today c...

  You’re probably asking yourself, why should I learn how to make my own edits when I can censor curse words, trigger loops, etc., on the fly while I perform a DJ set? No matter what type of DJ you are, understanding how to make your own edits has it’s advantages. The most important being the creative freedom to do more while you perform your set live. Not having to engage the reverse effect on your mixer on a curse word while a song is playing makes it so you have one less thing to worry about while DJing. This in turn allows you to channel your awareness to other important aspects of your performance. Additionally, learning how to edit is a great avenue to get you acclimated to the world of production, the natural “next step” in the journey of a DJ. This article will impart 4 tips on how to edit your MP3s on iMovie. That’s right, you don’t need to pay for an editing program like Logic or Audacity to learn. 4 Tips on ways to edit an MP3 using iMovie 1. Cut and Pasting sections of...

  Since launching the Brolic Army platform, I’ve taken more notice of how others learn and teach DJ art. From my observations, imitation seems to be at the center of both ends. Since when did copying become creativity? If Hip Hop’s golden rule is don’t bite, yet we see post after post of DJs regurgitating the works of masters like X-Ecutioners, Invisibl Skratch Piklz and Beat Junkies, how can we bring creativity and imagination back to DJing? Welp, here’s 5 ways I can think of: 1. Stop caring what people think. There are battle routines of mine that have stood the test of time. I can perform joints like my “Funky For You” routine today and 30 years after its creation, I still get a positive reaction. Even in cases where my audience doesn’t know the record. That’s because the song itself is a true reflection of my musical taste and when you stay true to what you like, without compromise, the authenticity in your motives trumps everything! 2. Be creatively courageous. Creative people...

DJ Rob Swift explains in Fundamentals of Beat Juggling how to manipulate drum beats, words, etc. on both left and right turntables simultaneously through the application of the 10 Root Movements of “Beat Juggling”. This course is one of our most popular courses at the Brolic Army DJ School. As a pioneer of beat juggling and creator of the ‘Swing Pattern’ there is no one better to teach these techniques. 10 Root Moves Breakdown: Backspinning + Backspinning with 1/8th and 1/4 note fills Breakdown Pattern Snare Pattern Offset Backspin Rock the Bells Pattern Swing Pattern Chase/Strobe Pattern Single 8th Note Linear Fills Double 8th Note Linear Fills Triple 8th Note Linear Fills This course features over 10 hours of information packed training on basic to advanced beat juggling patterns and techniques. All patterns are applicable to all genres of music. Tutorials are complete with cultural and historical information making this the most comprehensive course in beat juggling available. 10 Ro...

Welcome to the Brolic Army DJ School by DJ Rob Swift. If you aspire to become a well rounded DJ, this is the place for you. “ The Brolic Army DJ School helps students cultivate the skills it takes to forge their own unique trail to success.” “Learning to mix, scratch and beat juggle takes a combination of effective teaching and hard work. There is no shortcut to becoming a well-rounded DJ, but having the techniques and styles of practice broken down for you sets you on the path to long-term success. This is why I created the Brolic Army DJ School. Whether you have no experience DJing and are excited to learn, or if you’re struggling to improve your current DJ game, my courses will take you on a journey through what I’ve learned throughout the past 30 years of creating, mastering, performing and teaching the art of DJing. “ – DJ Rob Swift JOIN THE BROLIC ARMY DJ SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY NOW ! Brolic Army DJ School Courses: All courses are included in each membership level. 9 Courses: Basic ...