The Art of DJing, San Francisco

Operating out of Washburn Studio, DJ Chucky Brown of The Art of DJing trains his students when to rock the party and when to recognize that the party is happening inside a lifeboat. “You throw bait out,” he says, recognizing that different crowds, such as indie dance rock and Top 40 audiences, require different tunes. “If you start with Azari and nothing happens, throw out some Datarock or LCD Soundsystem; or if you start with Daft Punk, then throw out some Usher, Calvin Harris, or Madonna.” Brown imparts this encyclopedic knowledge of music in private, small-group, and large-scale classes, where his charges learn how to mix, scratch, and reinvent on the fly. On Brown’s student mixes page, visitors can listen to mash-ups and mixtapes created by his former pupils. The DJ has even performed for several of the artists sampled by his students and himself, having spun at events thrown by Elton John, Missy Elliot, and Justin Timberlake.