For a DJ – Every Song is a Pokemon

DJs are more similar to Pokemon Trainers than you might think.

Why Being a DJ is Like Being a Pokemon Trainer

DJs have a lot more in common with Pokemon Trainers than you might think – and here’s why…

If you’ve ever seen the Pokemon cartoon, watched any of the movies, encountered the ubiquitous card game, or seen people running around different locations trying to catch a rare Pokemon on their phone with the mobile game, then you’ve got a sense of what the setup is.

In the cartoon, 10 year-old Ash Ketchum encounters Pokemon, these adorable or sometimes terrifying critters in the wild, and he can capture them and use them in Pokemon battles against other Trainers who wield their bestiary against his. Ash’s personal favorite is the brand mascot – Pikachu – a lightning-themed yellow plush with a warm heart and untapped potential.

We can actually see this play out in a slightly more meta way with the new Pokemon Presents that just released as DJ Pikachu spins an hour of beats before the program officially began.

If you’ve ever seen a DJ deep in the zone — headphones on, eyes scanning the crowd, hands hovering over the decks like they’re about to summon lightning — you’re witnessing something that’s part science, part instinct… and honestly, more than a little like Pokémon.

Stay with me.

Every DJ has their team. It’s not just a playlist or a folder of bangers, but a carefully trained squad of songs, each one chosen with purpose. You don’t just play music — you deploy it, like you’re throwing a pokeball onto the arena floor and waiting for it to fully open, revealing the powerful creature inside . You pick the right track at the right moment to shift the energy in the room, flip a vibe, or land the knockout move. Every song is a Pokémon, and the dancefloor is your battlefield.

Some tracks are your ride-or-die. Your Pikachu. The ones you keep in the top slot because you know what they’re going to do. Maybe it’s a bass-heavy banger that always makes people lose their minds, or a silky-smooth disco groove that never fails to get the hips moving. They’re not just songs — they’re reliable allies. Crowd pleasers with a 100% success rate for most audiences.

And then there are the evolutions.

https://pokemonpokefact.weebly.com/starters-and-evolution.html

A remix is like a song’s second or third form. Still the same core, but upgraded. More powerful. Maybe it hits harder, runs faster, or glows in the dark. You’ve got 10 versions of that same track, and depending on the moment, you might reach for the mellow original, the festival-slaying VIP edit, or the bootleg that sneaks in an extra bassline just to keep heads nodding.

You can also evolve tracks on the fly with mashups and the power of stems (an exciting new software feature that some have called the ‘EQ Killer’). Doja-Chu doing a good job of setting the vibe but you need more punch so you throw a Hyphy beat underneath and a K-Pop melody riding the topline subtly while Doja’s punchy drawl soars to victory.

As a DJ, you know your team. You know what each one’s good at. That deep-cut lo-fi house tune? That’s your sleeper — unassuming at first, but weirdly effective. The big-room anthem with the dramatic build and tear-out drop? That’s your Charizard. Doesn’t come out often, but when it does, it’s carnage.

Every mix is a strategy. You feel out the room like a seasoned trainer reading their opponent. You watch the crowd as they lean in or shift their feet. You lead with something mid-tempo and funky to draw them in, then hit them with the surprise move. You hold a few tricks back for when you really need them. You swap one track out and the whole vibe changes. Every transition matters.

And sometimes you’ll throw out something unexpected — a rare one, maybe even a little edgy — just to see what happens. Because a good trainer knows when to take risks. If the crowd’s willing to go further, we’re the ones to take them there.

So the next time you’re watching a DJ at work, don’t just hear the music. See the roster. See the precision. See the time spent collecting and the lenghts we’ll go to. See the squad of sounds being summoned, one after the other, to shift energy, build tension, and land critical hits.

Because behind every killer set is someone who knows their team — and how to use it.

Gotta play ’em all.

Jason Huggins is a special event and club performer with Raleigh Wedding DJ Stylus SE

Check out more blog posts here: https://stylusweddings.com/blog/