Disc Jockeying

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Disc Jockeying A Disc Jockey (commonly called a DJ) is one who combines the art of mixing music whilst creating a new song all together playing pre recorded music. Whether it be Turntablism or Mixing, the idea is to put your creative ability to use as well as your talent to enthrall the crowds on the dancefloor. The Dj creates music using techniques such as mixing, cueing, beatmatching as well as scratching, beat juggling and cutting. The former is applied while playing pre recorded music on CD's and the latter while making the use of records or vinyl's as commonly referred to. The History of Dj'ing (Derived from various sources) The term was first used to describe radio announcers who would introduce and play popular gramaphone records. These records, also called discs by those in the industry were jockeyed by the radio announcers, hence the name disc jockey and soon to be known as DJ's 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 deejays. DJ'ing as a profession came into existence in the early 1900's, with DJ's performing on old vinyl's and obsolete equipment rocking and enthralling the crowds to their tunes. Thru the years and as time progressed, the DJ's used expensive instruments as well as incorporated newer techniques in their performances. Classification of DJ's The Dj's are further classified into various subcategories:

2 1. Mobile DJ's - The Dj's who spin at private parties and cart their equipment along with them in vans from party to party. 2. Club Dj' s - DJ's who play (are residents) of clubs or discotheques and perform within the specified area. 3. Bedroom Dj's - DJ's who do not perform outside the premises of their homes. who like to perform for their friends etc or over the internet, not necessarily playing for crowds outside their homes. This method of DJ'ing does not involve the act as a way of making ends meet or as a breadwinner but simply as a hobby or a passion. 4. Radio Jockeying - Radio Jockeying or RJ'ing as we commonly call it, refers to playing music over the radio / manning a radio station. The job does not necessarily include live mixing but can also be in the form of relaying pre recorded sets that are prepared on the computer using playlists. Equipment Used by DJ's A DJ normally uses a set of DUAL "Pitch Control" players like Pioneer, DENON, Numark etc., that plays the prerecorded CD's or MP3's. Incase he does not spin on CD's, he plays on Vinyl's or records using special equipment that are called Turntables like the TECHNICS MK II or the Numark or the DENON. The use of a DJ mixer is for cutting and fading as well as mixing the tracks that are played on the hardware. A set of headphones to monitor the songs, a mic that let's the DJ speak. The usage of power amplifiers with crossovers to power the speakers, a set of speakers that provide the output.

Sometimes the DJ uses extra equipment in his set like a laptop that plays the list or uses

3 specific software to add to the performance, drum kits, kaos pads, effect machines, synths as well as midi players to enhance the act.

Technics SL MK II Motor Driven Turntables (Silver Edition)

Pro Dj Mixer (Used by All kinds of Dj’s)

4 The Future of DJ'ing The future of Dj'ing does look promising with the mushrooming of various DJ training and RJ training institutes all over the world, teaching the art of mixing to aspirants at the same time chiseling them into becoming future crowd entertainers. Also with the coming up of various night clubs and the ever increasing demand of Mobile DJ's for weddings / family get togethers or just parties makes Dj'ing a viable option as a career. Dj's are no longer restricted to playing Vinyl's or Cd's, there are many more venues coming up for the creative mind, like the use of MP3 / MP4 technology that can be used on specially made players that read and reproduce such formats, the use of computers in making live music or playing music rather than using streotype players. With the ever evolving genres of music, the DJ can choose from any genre like hip hop, house, R n B, Garage, Techno, Trance etc. Players nowadays are dynamic and the features do not leave anything to the imagination, seems like it just keeps getting better for the new arrivals with lots to look forward to as well as for the older DJ's. The payscales for top notch DJ's like Paul Oakenfold and Sasha range from anywhere between $ 10,000 for a single gig on normal days and goes up on occasions. For a mediocre DJ, the nightly charge could fetch anywhere from $ 200 - $ 500 per gig. The DJ when saturated could also look forward to a career in music making as he / she would be well conversant by that time with music and the type of genre he / she chooses to specialize in.

TOP 10 DJ's in the WORLD ( 2005 Poll from DJMAG)

5 01. Dj Paul Van Dyk 02. Dj Tiesto 03. Dj Armin Van Buuren 04. Dj Sasha 05. Dj Ferry Corsten 06. Dj John Digweed 07. Dj Hernan Catteneo 08. Deep Dish 09. Dj ATB 10. Dj Carl Cox

References

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Quotes derived from a prospectus of a DJ Training Institute in Mumbai – SPIN the DJ Workshop.