The DJ has ditched your house party at the last moment. There’s an angry  mob in your living room. Guests are calling it the day the music died. You have to think on your feet. Rope in your backup spinner—you. 

You can now learn how to DJ from scratch thanks to Shaan Bhavnani aka DJ Fatbat. Currently the resident DJ at Aer bar (Four Seasons Hotel, Mumbai), he has recently started offering a 30- hour program at his Colaba studio that will cover everything a DJ needs to know. With over a decade of experience in the business and having consulted on audio and lighting systems for establishments like Tote on the Turf and Lagerbay, Shaan will make sure his pupils don’t miss a beat.

Follow the Bat Signal

You don’t need to be an aspiring DJ to register. Anyone who wants to take it up as a hobby, or learn how to rock their own iPod are welcome. “Of course, I’d love it if they were going to open their own club too,” says Shaan.  

If you’re not too sure about enrolling right away, sign up for Shaan’s free introductory two-hour session. “Here, I mix a set of music, which is usually a genre that the student is comfortable with,” he explains. Shaan will then show you what the equipment—a full DJ console connected and ready for playback—looks like and how it works. At the end of this session, you’ll know what a DJ does at a club or private party, how the equipment works and how he chooses the sequence of music.

Once you get a hang of the basics, Shaan will keep adding tricks and advanced mixing techniques to the teaching module. At the end of the program, students will get a chance to make their grand debut at a Bombay nightclub, which could, depending on how you fare, end in crowd surfing. Group(ies) hug.

Shaan’s One Minute Tutorial: Jargon You Need To Know

Dropping the beat: The point at which the DJ begins mixing the next song usually with a heavy bass style.

Trainspotting: The practice of going to a club just to figure out what track the DJ is playing, as quickly as possible.

Slam Mixing: When a DJ has to immediately start a song and instantly drop out the current track he is playing.

Itch: The speed of the track. This is adjusted for each song played.

Loop: An equipment feature that assigns part of a track to play back in a continuous loop until released.

Scratch: Make a lot of noise (sometimes very annoying), while trying to simulate a traditional record player.

Getting there: Call Shaan Bhavnani on 9820723554 or email at sb.elements@gmail, classes held in Colaba, Rs 25,000 for a 30 hour program.