The world of music has lately experienced tremendous transformations in technology and process. A great part of this development is played by the DJing scene, a realm of versatility and connection. Based in Breda but born on Bulgarian land, Karina Karaivanova is a 20-year-old Creative Business student at BUas who’s not afraid to explore her talents. We sat down with Karina to discuss her current greatest passion, DJing.
How did you start your DJing adventure?
K: One day, I was really bored, and I felt that I needed to do something new. As most of my friends are either DJs or producers, and I saw them doing what they love, I decided to give this hobby a try and I downloaded a random DJing program to get into it. Another thing that got me more into it, is that my friends decided to give me, as a birthday present, a whole DJ set with headphones, speakers and a DJing control player. That was my starting point. I took it as a sign from fate!
How did you learn?
K: I just started exploring around the controlling set. I think in total until now I've only watched three to five tutorials, as they generally only confuse me even more. Everything else is just me fooling around and doing what I feel from within. I don't think there's a right starting point with DJing: if you really have a passion for it, you just need to go for it and see what feels right for you. I believe that, in this way, it'll be easier for you to discover your own DJing style.
How would you describe your style?
K: For the moment, truly experimental. I often get sudden impulses of inspiration, usually at night, so I jump off my bed and play around with my DJ set. I make sure to record every DJing session, turning it into a new mix that I upload on my social media afterward.
What tools do you use in your DJing mixing and everything for production?
K: I am currently using the DJ set that my friends gave me as a gift. It's not that professional, it's the tiniest DJ set, but it's great because it's practical, I can put it in my backpack and travel with it anywhere! Right now, I'm looking into a bigger mixer that can help me expand my abilities and knowledge.
What would you say is the most rewarding part of being a DJ?
K: The most rewarding part is when people acknowledge your passion for DJing. It’s great when they notice you, reply to your sets or congratulate you on your DJing achievements because, at the end of the day, you’re not playing just for yourself, you’re doing it also for them.
What has DJing taught you?
K: DJing is teaching me to openly be myself and to show my true spirit to others. I think that learning to be yourself is a process, and you never know where it’s going to lead you, but it definitely changes your perspectives.
Do you have any tips for beginners that want to go down this path?
K: If you're a beginner, I think the first step you should take would be getting a DJing set. If you don’t have one, you can still play around with DJing programs, the one I’m using is called Virtual DJ. What also helped me a lot was watching lots of DJ sets and analysing their techniques and the ways in which they manage to engage their audiences. Don't stick to certain things that you're used to, I noticed myself falling into patterns and that comes in the way of experimentation. All in all, if you’re passionate about DJing, just go for it!
Don’t forget to check out Karina’s work at:
Soundcloud: Karina Karaivanova
Instagram: karinakaraivanova and etrwithkarina for insightful podcasts
Youtube: Karina Karaivanova
