Disc jockey
A
disc jockey (also called
DJ, or
deejay) is an individual who selects and plays
prerecorded music for an intended audience.
The term
disc jockey was first used to describe radio announcers who would introduce and play popular
gramophone records. These records, also called
discs by those in the industry, were
jockeyed by the
radio announcers, hence the name
disc jockey, which was soon shortened to
DJs or
deejays. Today, there are a number of factors, including the selected music, the intended audience, the performance setting, the preferred medium, and the development of sound manipulation, that have led to different types of disc jockeys. However, today there are many different kinds of 'DJ's' and it does not always mean 'disc jockey' in the traditional sense, for example turntablist DJ's use actual 'discs' whilst radio DJ's may use a number of sound sources including CD's, jingles and other pre-recorded media.
The physical act of selecting and playing sound recordings is called
deejaying, or
DJing.
The most basic equipment that is necessary for a standard disc jockey to perform consists of the following:# Sound recordings in preferred medium (eg. vinyl records, compact discs, mp3s)# A minimum of two devices for playback of sound recordings, for alternating back and forth to create continuous playback (e.g. record players, compact disc players, mp3 players)# A
sound system for amplification of the recordings (e.g. portable audio system, radio wave broadcaster)
The addition of a
DJ mixer (used to mix the sound of the two or four playback devices), a
microphone (used to amplify the human voice), and
headphones (used to listen to one recording while the other is playing, without outputting the sound to the audience) is strongly recommended, but not required. Other types of equipment including
samplers,
drum machines, effects processors, and Computerized Performance Systems, add to the performance of the DJ.
Several techniques can be used by the disc jockey as a means to manipulate the prerecorded music. These primarily include the
cueing,
equalization and
audio mixing of two or more sound sources. However, turntablist DJ's also utilise
slip-cueing,
phrasing,
cutting,
beat juggling,
scratching,
beatmatching,
needle drops,
phase shifting, and more to perform the transitions and overdubs of a number of sources in a more creative manner.
Many professional DJs use
harmonic mixing for choosing compatible songs according to
music theory.
Sasha and
Armin Van Buuren use
harmonic mixing in their DJ sets.
Throughout the 1950s,
payola was an ongoing problem. Part of the fallout from that payola scandal was tighter control of the music by station management. The
Top 40 format emerged, where popular songs are played repeatedly.
Today, very few radio DJs in the United States have any control over what is played on the air. Play lists are tightly regulated, and the DJ is often not allowed to make any changes or additions. The songs to be played are usually determined by
computerized
algorithms and
automation techniques, such as
voice tracking, allowing single DJs to send announcements across many stations. A DJ might announce a song as a request even though it was already set to appear in the play list. It is not unusual for modern radio DJ's to get a request for a song, if they are allowed to play a request, which is rare, and download it from a free download site such as
Limewire; then they enter it into the computer play list to make the listener happy. With modern computers and high-speed internet access, it is possible to fulfill any reasonable request in a matter of minutes. This is a little-known legal use for "free" music downloads, as all radio stations must pay licensing fees to
ASCAP and
BMI.
Economically, this formula has been successful across the country. However, music aficionados look upon such practices with disgust and either seek out
freeform stations that put the DJs back in control, or end up dumping terrestrial radio in favor of
satellite radio services or portable music players.
College radio stations and other
public radio outlets are the most common places for freeform play lists in the U.S.
By definition, the role of selecting and playing
prerecorded music for an intended audience is the same for every disc jockey. The selected music, the audience, the setting, the preferred medium, and the level of sophistication of sound manipulation are factors that create a number of different types of deejays.
Radio DJs
A radio disc jockey plays music that is broadcast across radio waves.
AM and
FM bands or worldwide on
shortwave radio stations. For a while,
WRNO-FM was a good example of the latter.
Radio DJs are notable for their personalities. Often due to terrestrial radio using program directors to generate the playlist, radio DJs do not typically pick the music to play at stations. Emceeing becomes their primary duty.
The following is a list of the most common types of disc jockeys, along with notable examples of each, listed in chronological order by birth.
Notable Radio DJs
*
Bruce Morrow - Former
WCBS-FM DJ who now works for
SIRIUS Satellite Radio.
*
Christopher Stone (1882â€"1965), became the first disc jockey in the
United Kingdom in
1927.
*
Martin Block (1901-1967), the first radio disc jockey to become a star, inspired the term "disc jockey".
*
Alan Freed (1922-1965), became internationally known for promoting
African-American Rhythm and Blues music in the United States and Europe under the name of
Rock and Roll.
*
Murray "The K" Kaufman (1922-1982), influential rock and roll disc jockey, for a time was billed as the "Fifth Beatle".
*
Jimmy Savile (born 1926), British DJ and television personality, best known for his
BBC television show
Jim'll Fix It where he made the wishes of members of the public (mainly children) come true. In 1947 he was the first ever DJ to use twin turntables for continuous play after he paid a local metalworker to weld two domestic record decks together.
*
Dick Clark (born 1929), host of
American Bandstand, television's longest-running music/variety program, as well as a number of nationally syndicated radio shows.
*
Casey Kasem (born 1932), disc jockey and music historian, host of the long-running radio series
American Top 40. Also the voice of
Shaggy in the
Scooby-Doo cartoon series.
*"The Real
Don Steele" (1936-1997), Los Angeles' pre-eminent "afternoon drive" personality and the Bossest of the "Boss Jocks" of LA's
Top 40 powerhouse
KHJ-AM - "Boss Radio" - during the 1960s.
*
Wolfman Jack (1938-1995), drew upon his love of horror movies and rock and roll to create his raspy-voiced, howling persona, one of radio's most distinctive voices, and the subject of the song by the
Guess Who Clap for the Wolfman which featured spoken parts by him.
*
John Peel (1939-2004), one of the original DJs of
UK's
Radio 1 in
1967, known for the extraordinary range of his taste in music, and for championing unknown musical artists.
*Colin Davies (born 1946), known as The Professor of Rock, broadcasts a weekly show from Fairfax, Virginia that is carried on the website www.theprofessorrocks.com. The Professor's specialty is early rock'n'roll -
Jerry Lee Lewis,
Little Richard,
Buddy Holly,
Gene Vincent,
Fats Domino - and his show receives emailed requests from rock'n'roll fans from all over the world.
*
Jim Ladd (born 1948), the last remaining freeform rock DJ in
United States commercial radio.
*Pete Tong (born 1960). First club DJ to get a regular show on Radio 1 in 1991, called The Essential Mix.
*Chris Sheppard (born 196?). First DJ to release mix compilations, First DJ to mix cd's in a club. First for so many things he is known as The Often Imitated Never Duplicated One.
*
The Electrifying Mojo. Influential Detroit DJ in the late 70's - mid 80's. recognized for having introduced or "broken" many artists into the Detroit radio market, also influential in the development of Detroit's original techno artists.
See also: Bedroom DJs
A person who owns DJing equipment (i.e. turntables, mixer, CDJ, etc.) and has a passion for music, but does not play out to crowds at bars or special events (i.e. raves). Instead, they opt to play their music at home for their friends, record
mix tapes or broadcast over the internet via audio broadcasting software, such as
SHOUTcast.
Club/Rave DJs
A club/rave disc jockey is one that selects and plays music in a club setting. The setting can range anywhere from a small club, a neighborhood party, a disco, a rave, or even a stadium.
Music is the name of the game for club/rave DJs. They focus more on the music and mixing the music to wow their crowds.
Notable Club/Rave DJs
*
David Mancuso (born 1944), founder of
New York City's first underground party called
The Loft.
*
Francis Grasso (1948-2001), popularized several new disc jockey techniques, including
beatmatching and
slip-cueing.
*
Larry Levan (1954-1992), an early and prolific re-mixer and the DJ at
The Paradise Garage*
Frankie Knuckles (born 1955), the godfather of
house music.
*
Paul Oakenfold (born 1963), British record producer, remixer, and one of the best-known DJs worldwide.
*
Tiesto (born 1969), one of world's leading trance music DJs, voted
DJ Magazine's 'No. 1 DJ in the World' for the third consecutive year in 2004.
*
Keoki (born 1969), famous techno musician, portrayed in the
2003 film
Party Monster.
*
Paul van Dyk (born 1971) a famous trance DJ who earned "DJ Magazine"'s 2005 No. 1 DJ award.
See also: :Category:Club DJsHip Hop DJs
A hip-hop disc jockey is one that selects, plays and creates music as a hip-hop artist and/or performer, often backing up one or more
MCs.
Notable Hip Hop DJs
*
DJ Kool Herc (born 1955), inventor of
breakbeat technique, "the father of hip hop culture".
*
Grandmaster Flash (born 1958), one of the early pioneers of hip-hop DJing, cutting, and scratching. Created the Quick Mix Technique, which allowed a DJ to extend a break using two copies of the same record; essentially invented modern turntablism.
*
Afrika Bambaataa (born 1960), instrumental in the development of hip-hop from its birth in the South Bronx to its international success. He also created the first hip-hop track to feature synthesizers; "The godfather of hip-hop"
*
DJ Jazzy Jeff (born 1965), of
DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince (also backed
Will Smith on his solo efforts)
*
Jam Master Jay (1965-2002), founder and DJ of
Run-DMC, one of the most innovative hip-hop groups of all time.
*
DJ Clue (born Ernesto Shaw on January 8, 1975 in Queens, New York City) is a mix DJ known for his involvement in the mix tape circuit. He signed as an artist on Roc-A-Fella Records
*
Eric B. (born 1965), one half of duo
Eric B. & Rakim, popularized the
James Brown-sampled funky hip-hop of the late
1980s.
*
Terminator X (born 1966), DJ of the highly influential hip-hop group
Public Enemy.
*
DJ Lethal, the DJ for Irish hip-hop group
House of Pain who subsequently became the DJ for
Limp Bizkit.
*
DJ Qbert (born 1969), founding member of the
turntablism group the
Invisibl Skratch Piklz and three-time winner of the International DMC Award.
*
Mix Master Mike (born 1970), skilled DJ of hip-hop group
Beastie Boys, three-time winner of the International DMC Turntablism Award.
*
The X-Ecutioners, a turntablist band with several collaborations with groups and artists, including
Linkin Park and
Xzibit.
See also: :Category:Hip hop DJsReggae DJs
In
reggae terms, the DJ is traditionally a
vocalist who would rap, toast, or chat with an instrumental record. The term
selector is reserved for the person who performs the traditional function of a DJ.
Mobile DJs
|
Historic Image - Captain PJ |
The mobile disc jockey is an extension of the original radio disc jockey. In its infancy, Mobile DJing was perceived as a part-time career, subsidised by a 'daytime job'; today, it is recognised a legitimate skill which leads to a marketable profession - there are many mobile DJs around the world that use this as their primary career. Even as far back as 1975, many dico companies sprung up around the world, with fleets of disco's that entertained thousands of people in remote places, such as
Hamilton,
New Zealand. By 1980 there were up to 50 consoles in regular weekly operation in that area. They had names such as 'Radio Active' 15 consoles, 'Music City Discos' 22 consoles, and '
Captain PJs Disco', 7 consoles.
Mobile DJs travel or tour with their own sound systems and play from an extensive collection of pre-recorded music, on various media, for a targeted audience. Mobile DJs tend to work for hire at private functions such as receptions, religious ceremonies, school dances; but they can occasionally be seen in bars, nightclubs, or even block parties. Unlike many club/rave DJs, mobile DJs often play more mainstream selections of music from multiple genres and they often take requests.
History
The definition and responsibilities of a mobile disc jockey have changed since Bob Casey's first two-turntable system for continuous playback was utilized for sock-hops in 1955. Bands had long dominated the wedding entertainment industry, but with the advent of the less expensive mobile DJ, the demand for live performers dwindled. Even so, in the early years, the mobile DJ industry was seen as a last-resort choice for entertainment, as the DJs were reputed to frequently be unreliable and unprofessional. Mobile DJ companies came and went. However, a few companies of this era did establish themselves as competent businesses and thrived; some even still exist today.
During the Disco era of the 1970s, demand for mobile DJs (called
mobile disco in the UK) soared. Top mobile DJs in this era would have hundreds of vinyl records and/or cassette tapes to play from. The equipment used in this era was enormous and usually required roadies (similar to those who work for bands) to set up. Because of the high demand for mobile DJs, many people from all facets of life jumped into the industry, hoping to make a few extra dollars on the weekends. These "Weekend Warriors", as they are called by many, helped enhance the negative stereotype of the mobile DJ; many of the same complaints from the earlier era continued.
Some tried to improve this image by forming professional associations. The
Canadian Disc Jockey Association (CDJA) was one of the original associations formed in 1976 as a not-for-profit trade association for disc jockeys across
Canada. It was joined by a much broader online association called the
Canadian Online Disc Jockey Association (CODJA), founded by Canadian mobile DJs Glenn Miller (not the famous bandleader) and Dennis Hampson.
United States Disc Jockeys were reluctant to form anything similar until 1992 when the
American Disc Jockey Association (ADJA) was incorporated. The original Board of Directors was Bruce Keslar, Maureen Keslar, John Roberts, and Lori Jesse. In 1996, after being removed from the ADJA Board over a financial dispute, Keslar went on to form the for-profit
National Association of Mobile Entertainers (NAME), based in the Philadelphia area. Both associations thrive today, with an estimated 5,000 members combined as of November 2005.
As the late 1980s turned into the 1990s, new technologies emerged.
Compact disc collections were becoming the standard to play music from. Many equipment manufacturers realized the potential market that existed for
mobile DJs and raced to make equipment that was smaller, easier to use, and of better quality. Dedicated mobile disc jockey trade publications such as
DJ Times magazine and
Mobile Beat magazine were founded in this era. These publications helped to spread the word about the emerging technologies and published informational articles that were helpful to the mobile disc jockey. This is also the era when mobile disc jockeys became the top entertainment choice for most private parties, including wedding receptions.
In the mid-1990s, computers and the Internet had a profound impact on the mobile DJ industry. Professor Jam, a
Tampa Bay, Florida disc jockey already known in the industry for having performed for many celebrities and television networks, became one of the first mobile DJs in the United States to regularly use computer technology to play music at his shows, and was the first professionally endorsed computer disc jockey internationally. CODJA cofounder Glenn Miller became the first licensed MP3 DJ under new music licensing agreement that was introduced to Canada in 2000 by the AVLA, and had already pioneered online networking for mobile disc jockeys by starting the first
bulletin board system for mobile DJs from all over North America (and eventually the world).[
1]
In the 21st Century, the role of the mobile disc jockey has expanded. While there are still many conventional, "human jukebox" mobile DJs, many others have assumed more responsibilities to ensure the success of the events where they perform. These responsibilities include emceeing, event coordination, lighting direction, and sound engineering.
The number of resources available for mobile DJs has also expanded. Aside from the many online community forums, there are now annual conventions, regional conferences, and many local seminars for mobile disc jockeys to attend.
Notable Mobile DJs
*In 1955, Bob Casey (born 1941), a well-known sock hop DJ, introduced the first two-turntable system for the purpose of alternating back and forth between records, creating continuous playback.
*
1857 -
Leon Scott invents the
phonoautograph, the first device to record arbitrary sound, in
France.
*
1877 -
Thomas Alva Edison invents the
phonograph cylinder, the first device to playback recorded sound, in the
United States.
*
1887 -
German-
American Emile Berliner invents the
gramophone, a
lateral disc device to record and playback sound.
*
1889 - Coin-slot phonograph machines, the public's first encounter with recorded sound, begin to be mass-produced. The earliest versions played only a single record, but multiple record devices, called
jukeboxes, were soon developed.
*
1892 - Emile Berliner begins commercial production of his gramophone records, the first disc record to be offered to the public.
*mid-
1890s to early
1920s - Cylinder and disc recordings, and the machines to play them on, are widely mass marketed and sold. The disc system gradually becomes more popular due to its cheaper price and better marketing.
*
1906 -
Reginald Fessenden transmits the first audio
radio broadcast in history when he plays Christmas music from
Brant Rock,
Massachusetts.
*
1910s - Regular radio broadcasting begins, using "live" as well as prerecorded sound. In the early radio age, content typically includes comedy, drama, news, music, and sports reporting. The on-air announcers and programmers would later be known as disc jockeys.
*
1920s - "Juke-joints" become popular as a place for dancing and drinking to jukebox music.
*
1927 -
Christopher Stone becomes the first radio announcer and programmer in the
United Kingdom, on the
BBC radio station.
*
1929 - Thomas Edison ceases phonograph cylinder manufacture, ending the disc and cylinder rivalry.
*
1934 - American commentator
Walter Winchell coins the term "disc jockey" (the combination of "disc", referring to the disc records, and "jockey", which is an operator of a machine) as a description of radio announcer
Martin Block, the first announcer to become a star in his own right. While his audience was awaiting developments in the
Lindbergh kidnapping, Block played records and created the illusion that he was broadcasting from a ballroom, with the nation's top dance bands performing live. The show, which he called
Make Believe Ballroom, was an instant hit.
*
1940s -
Musique concrète composers utilize portions of sound recordings to create new compositions. This is the first occurrence of
sampling.
*
1943 -
Jimmy Savile launches the world's first DJ dance party by playing
jazz records in the upstairs function room of the Loyal Order of Ancient Shepherd's in
Otley,
England. In 1947, he paid a local metalworker to weld two domestic record decks together and became the first DJ to use twin turntables for continuous play.
*
1947 - The "Whiskey-A-Go-Go" nightclub opens in
Paris, France, considered to be the world's first
discothèque, or disco (deriving its name from the French word, meaning a nightclub where the featured entertainment is recorded music rather than an on-stage band). Discos began appearing across Europe and the United States.
*late
1940s to early
1950s - The introduction of
television erodes the popularity of radio's early format, causing it to take on the general form it has today, with a strong focus on music, news and sports.
*
1950s - American radio DJs would appear live at "sock hops" and "platter parties" and assume the role of a human jukebox. They would usually play 45-rpm records featuring hit singles on one turntable, while talking between songs. In some cases, a live drummer was hired to play beats between songs to maintain the dance floor.
*
1955 -
Bob Casey, a well-known sock hop DJ, introduces the first two-turntable system for the purpose of alternating back and forth between records, creating continuous playback.
*late
1950s -
Jamaican sound systems, a new form of public entertainment, are developed in the
ghettos of
Kingston, Jamaica. Promoters, who called themselves DJs, would throw large parties in the streets that centered on the disc jockey, called the "selector". These parties quickly became profitable for the promoters, who would sell admission, food and alcohol, leading to fierce competition between DJs for the biggest sound systems and newest records.
*mid-
1960s - Nightclubs and discotheques continue to grow in Europe and the United States. However, by
1968, the number of dance clubs started to decline.
*
1969 - American club DJ
Francis Grasso popularizes
beatmatching at
New York's Sanctuary nightclub. Beatmatching is the technique of creating seamless transitions between back-to-back records with
matching beats, or tempos. Grasso also perfected
slip-cueing, the technique of holding a record still while the turntable is revolving underneath, releasing it at the desired moment to create a sudden transition from the previous record.
*late
1960s - Most American discos either closed or were transformed into clubs featuring live bands. Neighborhood block parties that are modeled after Jamaican sound systems gain popularity in Europe and in the
boroughs of
New York City.
*early
1970s - The
Vietnam War, oil crisis, and economic recession has a negative impact on dance clubs and disc jockeys. The total number of clubs and DJs dropped substantially, and most of the dance clubs were underground
gay discos. It should also be noted that electronics company
Technics released a series of direct-drive DJ turntables during this period.
*
1973 -
Jamaican-born DJ Kool Herc, widely regarded as the "godfather of hip hop culture", performs at block parties in his
Bronx neighborhood and develops a technique of mixing back and forth between two identical records to extend the rhythmic instrumental segment, or
break.
Turntablism, the art of using turntables not only to play music, but to manipulate sound and create original music, is considered to begin at this time.
*
1974 -
Technics releases the first
SL-1200 turntable, which evolves into the SL-1200 MK2 in
1979, currently the industry standard for deejaying.
*
1974 - German
electronic music band
Kraftwerk releases the 22-minute song "Autobahn", which takes up the entire first side of that LP. Years later, Kraftwerk would become a significant influence on
hip hop artists such as
Afrika Bambaataa and
house music pioneer
Frankie Knuckles.
*mid
1970s -
Hip hop music and culture begins to emerge, originating among urban
African Americans and
Latinos in New York City. The four main elements of
hip hop culture are
MCing (rapping), DJing,
graffiti, and
breakdancing.
*
1975 -
Disco music takes off in the mainstream pop charts in the
United States and
Europe, causing discotheques to experience a rebirth.
*
1975 -
Record pools begin, enabling disc jockeys access to newer music from the industry in an efficient method.
*
1976 - American DJ, editor, and producer
Walter Gibbons remixes "Ten Percent" by
Double Exposure, one of the earliest commercially released 12" singles (aka "maxi-single").
*
1977 - Hip hop DJ
Grand Wizard Theodore invents the
scratching technique by accident.
*
1977 - New York's
Studio 54 nightclub grosses $7 million in its first year of business (which is roughly $21 million in today's dollars after adjusting for inflation). In the same year, the motion picture
Saturday Night Fever popularizes discotheques and becomes one of the top-10 grossing films in history (at the time).
*
1979 - The
Sugar Hill Gang release "
Rapper's Delight", the first hip hop record to become a hit. It was also the first real breakthrough for
sampling, as the bassline of
CHIC's"
Good Times" laid the foundation for the song.
*
1979 - An anti-disco protest in
Chicago's Comiskey Park marks the major backlash against disco amongst
rock music fans. This is considered by some to be the year that disco "died", although the music remained popular for several more years, particularly in underground clubs and in Europe, where the subgenres
Euro Disco and
Italo Disco emerged.
*
1981 - Cable television network
MTV is launched, originally devoted to music videos, especially popular rock music. The term "
video jockey", or VJ, was used to describe the fresh faced youth who introduced the music videos.
*
1982 - The demise of disco in the mainstream by the summer of 1982 forces many nightclubs to either close or to change entertainment styles, such as by providing MTV style video dancing or live bands.
*
1982 - "Planet Rock" by DJ
Afrika Bambaataa is the first hip-hop song to feature
synthesizers. The song melded electronic hip hop beats with the melody from Kraftwerk's "Trans-Europe Express".
*
1982 - The
compact disc reached the public market in
Asia and early the following year in other markets. This event is often seen as the "Big Bang" of the
digital audio revolution.
*
1983 -
House music emerges. The name was derived from the
Warehouse club in
Chicago, where the resident DJ,
Frankie Knuckles, mixed old disco classics and Eurosynth pop. House music is essentially disco music with electronic beats. The common element of most house music is a 4/4 beat generated by a
drum machine or other electronic means (such as a
sampler), together with a solid (usually also electronically generated)
bassline.
*
1983 - Jesse Saunders releases the first house music track, "On & On".
*mid-
1980s -
New York Garage emerges at DJ
Larry Levan's
Paradise Garage nightclub in New York. The style was a result of the club DJs who would unsuccessfully try to duplicate the Chicago house sound, for example, leaving out the accentuated high-hats.
*mid-
1980s -
Techno music emerges from the
Detroit club scene. Being geographically located between Chicago and New York, Detroit techno combined elements of Chicago house and New York garage along with European imports. Techno distanced itself from disco's roots by becoming almost purely electronic with synthesized beats.
*
1985 - The Winter Music Conference starts in
Fort Lauderdale Florida and becomes the premier electronic music conference for dance music disc jockeys.
*
1986 - "
Walk This Way", a rap-rock collaboration by
Run DMC and
Aerosmith, becomes the first hip-hop song to reach the Top 10 on the
Billboard Hot 100. This song is the first exposure of hip hop music, as well as the concept of the disc jockey as band member and artist, to many mainstream audiences.
*
1988 - The
acid house scene emerges in the
UK. Originally called "acid parties" for a select few, the events grew in size and popularity, eventually spreading throughout England, Europe, the United States, and the rest of the world.
*early
1990s - The
rave scene grows out of the acid-house scene. Many elements of the rave scene, such as baggy pants and break dancing, appear to be inherited from the
Northern Soul scene of the
UK approximately 15 years earlier. The notion of "
trainspotting," for example, derives from Northern Soul's emphasis on researching and collecting rare & obscure records; while preventing other DJs from stealing titles via "white labels". The rave scene forever changed dance music, the image of DJs, and the nature of promoting. The innovative marketing surrounding the rave scene created the first superstar DJs.
*early
1990s - The
compact disc surpasses the gramophone record in popularity, but gramophone records continue to be made (although in very limited quantities) into the 21st century, particularly for club DJs and for local acts recording on small regional labels.
*mid-
1990s -
Trance music, having run rampant in the German underground for several years, emerges as a major force in dance music throughout Europe and the UK. It is to become arguably the world's most dominant form of dance music by the end of the 1990s, thanks to a trend away from its repetitive, hypnotic roots, and towards commercialistic song structure.
*
1992 -
MPEG which stands for the
Moving Picture Experts Group, releases The MPEG-1 standard, designed to produce reasonable sound at low bit rates. MPEG-1 Layer-3 popularly known as MP3 (a Lossy format) will revolutionize the digital music domain.
*
1992 -
Promo Only, a popular music service for disc jockeys is launched.
*
1993 - The first
Internet "radio station", Internet Talk Radio, was developed by Carl Malamud. Because the radio signal is relayed over the Internet, it is possible to access internet radio stations from anywhere in the world. This makes it a popular service for both amateur and professional disc jockeys operating from a personal computer.
*
1995 - The first full-time, Internet-only radio station, Radio HK, begins broadcasting the music of
independent bands.
*late
1990s -
Nu metal bands such as
KoЯn,
Limp Bizkit, and
Linkin Park reach the height of popularity. This new subgenre of
alternative rock bears some influence from hip-hop, because rhythmic innovation and syncopation are primary, often featuring DJs as band members.
*late
1990s - Various DJ and VJ software programs are developed, allowing personal computer users to deejay or veejay using his or her personal music or video files.
*
1998 - The first MP3 digital audio player is released, the Eiger Labs MPMan F10.
*
1999 -
Shawn Fanning releases
Napster, the first of the massively popular
peer-to-peer file sharing systems.
*
1999 - late 1999 - AVLA (Audio Video Licensing Agency) of Canada announces MP3 DJing license. Administered by the Canadian Recording Industry Association. DJs can now apply for a license giving them the right to burn their own compilation CDs of "useable tracks," instead of having to cart their whole CD collections around to their gigs.
*
2001 -
Apple Computer's
iPod is introduced and quickly becomes the highest selling brand of portable digital mp3 audio player. The convenience and popularity of the iPod spawns a new type of DJ, the self-penned "
MP3J". First appearing in certain
East London clubs, and spreading to other music scenes, including New York City, this new DJ scene allows the average music fan to bring two iPods to an "iPod Night", plug in to the mixer, and program a play list without the skill and equipment demanded by a more traditional DJ setup.
*
2001 - late 2001 - Atlanta, Georgia, The fist Computerized Performance System Disc Jockey gathering was scheduled and organized during the small DJ3 convention. CPS mixing culture begins to emerge and organize.
*
2005 - Computerized Performance System Disc Jockey Summit is launched. Hosted by Professor Jam and originally developed as a social gathering in 2001, it was the first dedicated computer disc jockey industry event.
* Poschardt, Ulf (1998).
DJ Culture. London: Quartet Books. ISBN 0-704-38098-6
* Brewster, Bill & Broughton, Frank (2000).
Last Night a DJ Saved My Life: The History of the Disc Jockey. New York: Grove Press. ISBN 0-8021-3688-5 (North American edition). London: Headline. ISBN 0-747-26230-6 (U.K. edition).
*Lawrence, Tim (2004).
Love Saves the Day: A History of American Dance Music Culture, 1970-1979 . Duke University Press. ISBN 0822331985.
* Assef, Claudia (2000).
Todo DJ Já Sambou: A História do Disc-Jóquei no Brasil. São Paulo: Conrad Editora do Brasil. ISBN 85-87193-94-5.
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Electronic Music*
Hip hop music*
Nightclub*
Disc Jockey NewsThe Disc Jockey Newspaper for Business
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Disc Jockey New Releases Industry Updates
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Blog Forum Mobile Disc Jockey (MDJ) Business 101
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Disc Jockey 101 Pioneering DJ education on the Internet since 2000
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Rave/House DJ Profiles Various UK DJs interviews and pictures
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DJ Forums Various DJ resources and an online community.
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DJ Times First Industry published magazine
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Mobile Beat First Industry mobile DJ magazine
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Remix Magazine Remix Industry DJ magazine
