The Art of Djing and Transgression to Digital Media

Generally speaking, a DJ’s job is to present a series of records for the enjoyment of the audience. That applies to the radio DJ as well – they play music intermingling it with chat or some sort of comedic performance. The club DJ, on the other hand, does something much more musically creative – s/he presents records by performing them to produce a cohesive musical atmosphere. Songs are carefully chosen, strung together in an improvised story to make a continuous and flowing set. Whether the DJ chooses to dramatically juxtapose songs or unnoticeably overlay and mix them together, he creates new unique music that cannot be found anywhere else. To a large extent, it is possible thanks to the amazing advances in technology that DJs also have taken advantage of. I think it is safe to safe that the modern DJ is a true performer and, more importantly, a talented musician who does much more than simply presenting records for the entertainment of an audience. From the technical perspective, the craft of the DJ is demanding and requires a certain level of skill. In order to seamlessly mix two separate songs, he needs to know their structure, be able to determine whether they are in matching keys and have a reliable sense of rhythm. In addition, the DJ needs to understand the song’s construction and have a good musical memory. Finally, there is the pretty complex equipment that he definitely should get to know very closely: the turntables, digital CD players, the mixer, an amplifier, speakers and whatever other sound processing devices might be necessary. Skillful DJs can drastically alter the song’s danceability and emphasize its dynamics by adjusting the volume, EQ (frequency balance), treble and bass, playing with the crossovers. In fact, the whole sound system is like one big instrument that the DJ plays. And of course, there is the music – no matter what kind of hardware and software is going to be used, a DJ needs plenty of songs to play on that “instrument”.

Bibliography: 1. Brewster, Bill, and Frank Broughton. How to DJ Right. The Art and Science of Playing Records. New York: Grove Press, 2003. 2. Brewster, Bill, and Frank Broughton. Last Night a DJ Saved My Life. New York: Grove Press, 2000. 4. Frederiske, Tom, and Phil Benedictus. How to DJ. The Insider’s Guide to Success on the Decks. New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 2002. 6. Kirn, Peter. Real World Digital Audio. Berkeley: Peachpit Press, 2006. 8. Newquist, Harvey P. Music & Technology. New York: Billboards Books, 1989. Talks about how electronic music and sound recording was reborn with the emergence of personal computer 9. Reighley, Kurt B. Looking For the Perfect Beat. The Art and Culture of the DJ. New York: Pocket Books, 2000. 10. Souvignier, Todd. The World of DJs and the Turntable Culture. New York: Hal Leonard Corporation, 2003. It clearly and thoroughly teaches the tools, technologies and techniques of contemporary DJing