Learn. Mix. Play. Stay curious.
Two-hour beginner DJ workshop
Always wanted to have a go at DJing?
Beginner DJ lessons — no experience needed.
Maybe you've stood watching someone behind the decks and wondered what it would feel like to be on the other side. Our beginner DJ lessons are built for exactly that feeling.
Maybe you love music but don't think of yourself as particularly technical.
Maybe you've wanted to try for years but never quite known where to start.
- You don't need experience.
- You don't need equipment.
- You don't need to know what any of the buttons do.
- You just need to want to try.
- Date
- Wednesday 9 September
- Time
- 7:00pm – 9:00pm
- Where
- The Basement, HOFFS, Margate
- Group size
- Maximum 8 people
- Experience
- None necessary
£100per person · everything provided
Our next workshop is women over 30 only.
Secure booking via Ticket Tailor.
The moment we're really here for
There's a particular expression that appears on somebody's face when they hear two records come together for the first time.
Wait.
I did that.
That moment is gold.
Because learning something new can do much more than teach you a new skill. It can remind you that curiosity doesn't have an age limit. That being a beginner isn't embarrassing. That you don't have to be naturally 'technical'. And that something you've quietly wanted to do for years doesn't have to remain something you almost did.
We're not interested in creating an intimidating classroom, or teaching you how to perform being a DJ. We want to give you enough knowledge, confidence and practical experience to leave thinking:
I can actually do this. And I want to do more.
What happens when I arrive?
Arrive 15 minutes early. Then we close the door.
You'll have time to grab a drink, get comfortable and settle in before we start.
We'll begin with some quick introductions: Who are you? Why are you here? What music do you love?
And then we get on the decks.
Timekeeping
Please be on time
This is a small group workshop and everybody learns together, so arriving late holds up the lesson for everyone else. Once everybody has arrived, we close the door and the workshop begins.
Drinks
Soft drinks during the lesson
We want everyone present, comfortable and able to learn. Depending on the venue, there may be a bar afterwards if you fancy staying for a drink.
The break
A pause, halfway
There's a short break during the two hours to grab a drink, use the loo, chat and give your brain a few minutes to absorb everything you've just learned.
Coming alone
Absolutely fine
You don't need to know anybody else attending. You're very welcome to book by yourself, or book with friends.
Where
Wherever it happens, it's private.
We source appropriate spaces where the workshop can happen privately — that might be a venue with a private space, a coffee shop that's closed to the public, a youth space, a community space that's totally accessible, or your own home.
Workshops take place in small, intimate groups of no more than eight people. Your workshop is completely private.
The venue is closed to the public during lessons. There are no customers wandering in, nobody watching from the sidelines and no audience while you're learning.
You get to experience learning on DJ equipment, without the pressure of being in a working club. We create a relaxed, friendly and inclusive space where you can experiment, make mistakes, ask questions and learn.
- Low lights.
- Soft drinks.
- Small groups.
- Closed doors.
- No judgement.
- Just you, your group, your tutor and the music.
This workshop:The Basement, HOFFS — Margate
Private groups
Bring your own eight
If you have a group of up to eight people, you can enquire about booking an entire workshop together. Because our workshops are deliberately small and private, we don't have space for spectators during the lesson — everyone in the room gets to be part of it.
What do I need to bring?
Just yourself.
You do not need to bring
- Music
- A laptop
- A USB
- Headphones
- DJ equipment
Everything you need for the lesson will be provided.
Wear something you can move in
Come in comfortable clothes. Flat shoes or trainers are essential — DJing is surprisingly physical, and feeling the beat and moving with the music is part of how we learn.
What you'll learn
What you'll learn in a two-hour beginner DJ workshop.
Not sitting around watching somebody else do it.
On the decks
- Cueing
- Using headphones
- BPM and beatmatching
- Beats, bars and phrases
- Song structure
- Where and when to mix
- Jog wheel corrections
- EQ
- Filters
- Chops and blends
- Different transition techniques
The stuff nobody explains
- Where DJs get their music
- Streaming versus buying music
- How to organise playlists
- Analysing tracks
- Adding cue points
- Rekordbox
- Serato Lite
- Preparing music
- Exporting playlists to USB
- How to keep practising on your own afterwards
What will I be able to do afterwards?
You won't become a professional DJ in two hours.
You will leave understanding how mixing works. You'll have made mixes yourself and learned the fundamental techniques you need to begin practising independently.
Most importantly, the equipment that may have looked completely mysterious when you arrived should make considerably more sense when you leave.
- You'll know what to practise.
- You'll know what you're listening for.
- And you'll know how to continue.
What do I take home?
The First Mix Guide
Every student receives The Beat Retreat Academy First Mix Guide to take away. It covers what you learned during your workshop, with reminders and practical tips:
- Cueing
- BPM
- Jog wheel corrections
- Beats, bars and phrases
- EQ and filters
- Mixing techniques
- Practice routines
- Where to get music
- Organising playlists
- Analysing tracks
- Setting cue points
- Preparing and exporting music to USB
- Using Serato Lite
Because we don't want you to walk out buzzing and then get home thinking: Hang on. What did she say about that button? You'll have something to refer back to while you practise.
What do previous students say?
Other people have stood exactly where you're standing.
“My vinyl lesson with Bex was so much more than just playing music. It was being shown I already had the courage to show up, to do it — the lesson fell into place just the way it was supposed to. I wasn't rushed, I was guided, nothing felt out of reach, and Bex made me realise I was so much more capable than I gave myself credit for, which had me itching to go back for more.”
“Bex's remarkability lies in her desire to see you succeed — to do the thing you've always wanted to do but were afraid to. To see you smile when your neural pathways learn a long-awaited new skill. Her passion in empowering women is palpable. For the first time in my life I heard the words, ‘I believe in you.’ Those four words are life changing — and that's what Bex does. She changes your life.”
What happens next?
Your first mix is only the beginning.
Available to book
Private 1-to-1 lessons
Want more individual attention? Dedicated time to practise, troubleshoot and develop your mixing at your own pace.
Your tutor
DJ TBX
TBX has been DJing for more than three decades, with a career spanning clubs, festivals, radio, private events and major international events.
But The Beat Retreat Academy grew from something much simpler. Again and again, she found herself putting somebody behind the decks who didn't believe they belonged there. The pattern was remarkably consistent.
- Get them physically involved before they can talk themselves out of it.
- Give them the tools.
- Let them hear what they've done.
- And watch what happens.
TBX's teaching style is informal, practical, encouraging and hands-on. There are no stupid questions, no expectation that you should already understand DJ terminology, and absolutely no requirement to pretend you know what a button does when you don't.
You are allowed to be a beginner here.
Ready?
The first step is smaller than you think.
You don't have to want a DJ career. You might want to play at parties. You might have secretly imagined yourself behind the decks for years. You might want a creative challenge. You might simply want to spend two hours doing something completely different. Where it goes afterwards is entirely up to you.
Headphones on.
Press play.
Let's go.
Two-hour beginner workshop · £100 per person · No experience necessary
Wednesday 9 September · 7–9pm · HOFFS, Margate · Women 30+ only
Enquiries
Ask us anything.
Private group bookings, 1-to-1 lessons, or just a question before you book — one form, all of it.
We usually reply within two working days.