Brolic Army DJ School by DJ Rob Swift

  Whats included in Basic Scratching? Basic Scratching with DJ Rob Swift teaches the 9 cornerstone scratch techniques. Faderless scratches: baby, scribble, tear. Forward scratches: forward release, forward stab and forward drag. Intermediate scratches: reverse drag, transformer and chirp scratches. The fourth tutorial teaches how to combine all of the scratch techniques covered and how to phrase them. This will help you take your knowledge to the next level, creating scratch routines, improving social media content and more. Each lecture has a accompanying Training Camp designed and hosted by DJ Rob Swift to help you practice your scratches and improve your confidence and fluidity. Basic Scratching with DJ Rob Swift Breakdown Faderless Scratches (Baby, Scribble and Tear) Forward Scratches (Stab, Forward release, Forward Drag) Intermediate Scratches (the Chirp, Transformer and Reverse Drag) Combining the nine cornerstone scratches Basic Scratching also includes Scratch Training Camp...

  Basic DJing with DJ Rob Swift Basic DJing with DJ Rob Swift is for beginner or self-taught DJs looking to set strong foundations in their DJ skills. Taking it right down to the core principles, Rob teaches how to mix by ear, how to match bpm, and basic mixing styles. This course will help you manually control the tools of the trade, creating a strong foundation for scratching, beat juggling and all the fun things to come! Basic DJing with DJ Rob Swift Breakdown: Hand mechanics: examining how to manually control the tools of the trade (turntables, mixer, needles, headphones etc.) Listening: analysing the importance of understanding bars, bar structure and quarter, eigth and sixteenth notes. Mixing: explaining how to merge two songs of varying speeds in a seamless way.Dropping on BeatStyles of Mixing Set arrangement: exploring how to apply fundamental DJ techniques in arranging a fluid DJ set.Genre and BPM: understanding how to organise various styles of music. Best suited to begin...

  Masterclasses at Brolic Army DJ School by Guest Teachers are here! This course is a hub for DJ tutorials by our guest teachers. From Battle routines, to scratch composition this course will offer you a cornucopia of perspectives to draw inspiration from. Hand-picked guest teachers representing the most creative and talented DJs around teach our Masterclasses. ‘Masterclasses’ at Brolic Army DJ School are an exciting added feature to help diversify your learning experience. We strive to give a holistic approach to DJing at Brolic Army DJ School and how better to do that than bringing the pioneers straight to you. From other members of the X-ecutioners to DJs who have worked with the likes of Public Enemy and other Hip Hop icons, these masterclasses lift the veil on the mystery of the DJ world. Masterclasses Course Breakdown: 001: Total Eclipse’s DMX Routine 002: Johnny Juice on How to Arrange your Scratches 003: John Swan’s “Hit Me Wit’ Da Horns” Scratch Routine 004: DJ 8-Ball teac...

  This post will details our recommendations for how beginners should work through the courses. Beginners are considered individuals who are completely new to turntables, even if they are experienced on DJ Controllers of CDJs. This pathway shows the complete journey from Basic DJing to Advanced beat juggling. Where to Start? A good place to start is by making sure you have your DJ setup connected with all the necessary equipment. If you are unsure what you need, or want to double check, please refer to our  Equipment Guide . Which course should I begin with? We recommend working through the courses in this order: Basic DJing This course touches everything you need to know to begin yoru DJ journey. From hand mechanics to listening and basic mixing techniques, this course will help you manually control the tools of the trade, hone in on your listening and learn basic mixing styles. Rob Swift also gives a detailed comprehensive example tutorial on how to compose a DJ set. See the...

  NUMBER ONE 1982: Buffalo Gals (Malcolm McClaren) As a fan of scratch music you’re probably questioning this selection cause yes, there are slew of other songs which feature more technically progressive scratches on them. However, we would argue a top 5 list in any category merits the acknowledgement of the first, original, pioneer or in this case pioneers in said art or sport. Let it be known, Malcolm McClaren’s “Buffalo Gals” is the first song to ever feature scratches on it. In 1982, a British record producer named Malcolm McClaren flew across the Atlantic Ocean and landed in NYC. His mission, to seek help from DJ gods (we call them gods cause they were 5 Percenters) The World Famous Supreme Team in the recording of what would be the classic maxi-single release, “Buffalo Gals”. Started in 1979, Supreme Team members See Divine the Mastermind and Justice Allah the Superstar initially stepped into the Hip Hop scene as hosts of an undergound radio show on WHBI alongside none other ...

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...

  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...

This post will detail our recommendations for how beginners should work through the courses. Beginners are considered individuals who are completely new to turntables, even if they are experienced on DJ Controllers of CDJs. This pathway shows the complete journey from Basic DJing to Advanced beat juggling. Where to Start? A good place to start is by making sure you have your DJ setup connected with all the necessary equipment. If you are unsure what you need or want to double-check, please refer to our Equipment Guide. Which course should I begin with? We recommend working through the courses in this order: Basic DJing This course touches on everything you need to know to begin your DJ journey. From hand mechanics to listening and basic mixing techniques, this course will help you manually control the tools of the trade, hone in on your listening, and learn basic mixing styles. Rob Swift also gives a detailed comprehensive example tutorial on how to compose a DJ set. Basic Scratching I...

  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....

  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. 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 Camp   if you’re looking to develop your foundations before setting off on the advanced work. Advanced Scratching Course Breakdown: Lesson 1: The O...

Training Camp hosted and curated by DJ Rob Swift is the place for practice sessions. When it comes to DJing, learning a new skill can be challenging. It’s that beginning stage of the learning process when you’re likely to struggle the most and make mistakes. As a result, you may doubt yourself and your abilities. The good news is there is a solution to closing the gap between you and your goals. It is practice! If you commit to practice and believe in the power of training, practice will reward you! DJ Training Camp Breakdown: Baby, Scribble, and Tear Scratch Training Camp Forward Release, Stab and Drag Scratch Training Camp Reverse Drag, Transformer, and Chirp Scratch Training Camp 9 Cornerstone scratches Training Camp Improving Fader Grip The Mixmaster Ice Scratch A Guide to Composing a Battle Routine Applying the Mixmaster Ice Scratch Articulating the Orbit Flare Scratch Articulating the Crab Scratch Articulating the Boomerang Scratch Combining multiple scratching patterns in a solo...

This post will detail our recommendations for how beginners should work through the courses. Beginners are considered individuals who are completely new to turntables, even if they are experienced on DJ Controllers of CDJs. This pathway shows the complete journey from Basic DJing to Advanced beat juggling. Where to Start? A good place to start is by making sure you have your DJ setup connected with all the necessary equipment. If you are unsure what you need or want to double-check, please refer to our Equipment Guide. Which course should I begin with? We recommend working through the courses in this order: Basic DJing This course touches on everything you need to know to begin your DJ journey. From hand mechanics to listening and basic mixing techniques, this course will help you manually control the tools of the trade, hone in on your listening, and learn basic mixing styles. Rob Swift also gives a detailed comprehensive example tutorial on how to compose a DJ set. Basic Scratching I...