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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:

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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
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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)

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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)

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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.