Understand
Clear explanations, labelled visuals and short demonstrations that make the reason behind each technique easy to follow.
BEST DJ ACADEMY / MUSIC FOR EVERYONE
Don’t just play.
Create a feeling.
Find your sound. Shape your craft. Become the artist behind the moment. A welcoming academy for curious beginners, working DJs and the next generation of performers.
Founded by Hakan Nurhak · Music. Mindset. Mastery.
THE ARTIST STARTS WITH YOU.EXPLORE ↓
MUSIC & MINDSETREAL PRACTICEYOUR OWN STYLEMEANINGFUL ASSESSMENT
MORE THAN A MIXING COURSE
Technique gives you control.
Imagination gives you a voice.
Learn to listen deeply, select with purpose and move a room. We’re building a place where musical curiosity becomes confidence—and confidence becomes an individual artistic identity.
THE BOOK BEHIND THE APPROACH
Music. Mindset.
Mastery.
Hakan’s Best DJ: DJ’s Guide to Music, Mindset and Mastery brings together practical technique and the human side of the booth: choosing your music, reading the room, developing an identity and protecting your integrity.
“Your sound is your signature don’t let anyone rewrite it.”Hakan Nurhak · Best DJ, 2024 edition
The academy is being developed from the author-supplied 2024 edition, extending its ideas into structured exercises and practical assessment. It also introduces new material. Reading the book is not a substitute for demonstrating the skills.
Explore the reading room →THREE PATHWAYS. YOUR PACE.
Meet yourself where you are.
Start with the essentials or explore your next challenge. You don’t need to know everything to belong here.
THE OPEN STUDIO · FREE SAMPLE
Feel the phrase.
Foundations / Music structure / Lesson 01
Read. Listen. Practise. Check your understanding.
BEAT LAB120 BPM
1234
Ready when you are.
An original metronome exercise. Start quietly and adjust your volume to a comfortable level.
YOUR PRACTICE TASK
Choose a familiar 4/4 track. Count eight bars from a clear downbeat. Write down what changes at the next phrase. Repeat with a second track and compare.
The demonstration bench
Filmed deck demonstrations with Hakan are planned for the full course. This preview contains a written lesson and working beat lab; video lessons are not yet available.
FROM THE PAGE TO THE BOOTH
The artist’s reading room.
Three short lessons adapted from Hakan’s book. Read a principle, try it with your music and reflect on the result.
FROM THE BOOK · THE IMPORTANCE OF FREQUENCIES
Hear what the EQ does.
Two basslines can compete for space. Listen to this original practice loop, then reduce the bass and compare. Start with your device volume low.
Ready. No sound plays until you press Start.
Read the lesson and try it on your decks
Bass gives a track weight, but overlapping kick drums and basslines can make a transition crowded. Cue your incoming track, reduce its low EQ and bring it in on a phrase. Exchange the low end deliberately as the outgoing track leaves. Listen and maintain headroom; every mixer’s EQ behaves differently.
Practice: record the same transition three times using different bass handover points. Compare clarity, energy and timing. Explain which version serves the music best.
Professional judgement: an event scenario
A promoter changes your set time and asks you to play longer without discussing payment. What do you do?
Clarify the revised timings, scope and fee respectfully, and confirm the agreement in writing. Preparation, boundaries and reliable communication belong alongside your technical skills. This exercise draws on the professional lessons in Hakan’s Pirana chapter.
LESSONS THAT BECOME HABITS
A little understanding.
A lot of doing.
Try it
Focused exercises with your own music and equipment. Build one useful skill before adding another.
Reflect
Listen back, notice your choices and learn to explain what you would improve.
Demonstrate
Show what you can do through a performance assessed against published criteria.
EARNED THROUGH PRACTICE
A certificate with
something behind it.
Our proposed awards combine knowledge with demonstrated skill. Completing a video or passing a short quiz will not, on its own, certify professional performance.
Assessment and feedback
Planned standard: at least 80% on the theory assessment and a separate practical pass. Performances will be reviewed for timing, phrasing, level control, musical selection and the course-specific brief. Human tutors will make practical assessment decisions.
Fair opportunities to improve
Students will receive criterion-based feedback and a clear resubmission brief. Attempt limits, review times and any resit fees will be published before paid enrolment opens. Support needs can be discussed before assessment.
What a Best DJ certificate means
Best DJ certificates will be privately issued course awards, not Ofqual-regulated qualifications. They will state the course, assessed outcomes, assessor, issue date and unique identifier. No certificates are being issued by this preview.
Verification and professional approval
Public ID/QR verification is planned for launch. Course achievement will remain separate from booking-roster acceptance and Best DJ Approved status. Training does not guarantee bookings or employment.
BEST DJ ACADEMYMUSIC · MINDSET · MASTERY
PRIVATECOURSE AWARD
A RECOGNITION OF CRAFT & COMMITMENT
Certificate of
Achievement
PRESENTED TO
Your name here
DJ FOUNDATIONS
For demonstrating the required knowledge and practical skills
in music preparation, timing, phrasing, mixing and level control.
Hakan NurhakFOUNDER / ASSESSOR
BEST DJ
✦
ACADEMY
✦
ACADEMY
DD / MM / YYYYDATE OF ACHIEVEMENT
CERTIFICATE ID · SAMPLE ONLYbestdjacademy.org
DESIGN PREVIEW · NOT A VALID AWARD · NOT OFQUAL REGULATED
Every future award will reflect assessed learning, with a unique certificate ID. Verification will be enabled before certificates are issued.
LED BY EXPERIENCE
Experience to share.
Artists to inspire.
Best DJ Academy is being developed by Hakan Nurhak, DJ, producer and author of Best DJ: DJ’s Guide to Music, Mindset and Mastery, drawing on around 20 years of DJ experience and over 25 years in hospitality and entertainment.
The approach follows the heart of Hakan’s book: a DJ shapes an experience. Practical teaching and honest feedback help you develop technique, while reflection, integrity and musical curiosity help you find your identity. Preparation and reliability matter as much as the moment behind the decks.
Hakan NurhakFounder, Best DJ
PART OF THE BEST DJ WORLD
Learn. Perform. Be recognised.
The Academy develops skills. Best DJ connects artists and audiences. The future Best DJ Awards will celebrate achievement through a separate judging process.
Planned awards home: bestdjawards.org. Award categories, judges and entry arrangements have not yet been announced. Course purchases will not influence judging.
YOUR NEXT CHAPTER
Invest in your sound.
Planned introductory prices through 31 January 2027.
Choose your path and explore what’s included.
FOUNDING INTAKE / INTRODUCTORY PRICING50% below the planned price from 1 February 2027
One-time course prices in GBP. These are planned launch prices, not a claim that the future prices were previously charged. Paid enrolment is not open. No payment is collected in this preview. Launch availability will be confirmed before purchase.
A FEW THINGS YOU MAY BE WONDERING
You’re welcome here.
Do I need expensive equipment?
No. The Foundations pathway is being designed around transferable skills. Headphones and access to suitable DJ software or a basic controller will help with practice. Exact equipment requirements will be listed before enrolment.
Can an experienced DJ join?
Yes. Pro and Advanced pathways are intended for DJs with existing mixing skills. An entry skills check and examples of previous work are planned to help find the right starting point.
Can I enrol or buy a course now?
Not yet. This is an academy preview with a free sample lesson and quiz. Full courses, accounts, payments, video teaching and assessment submissions will open only when the content and student support are ready.
Will there be accessible learning options?
The course plan includes readable written alternatives, captioned videos and keyboard-friendly tests. Individual assessment adjustments will be discussed without removing the skill being assessed.
How is my sample quiz progress stored?
Your latest sample quiz score is saved only in this browser, if browser storage is available. It is not an official student record and is not sent to Best DJ. Use the reset button to remove it.
EVERY GREAT SET STARTS SOMEWHERE.