Disk Jockeys, those elusive masters of ceremonies have been playing usher to keep the soundtrack of our lives going for decades and in return have been showered with everything we have to offer. The role of the DJ has varied from with place, time and context. From being manager of an event schedule to building the mood of one, from holding and maintaining quality equipment to being aware of the contemporary grooves of the scenes, DJs do a lot.
Technology has turned the world on its head, and many of its inhabitants are try to get accustomed and adapt to it. DJs too have undergone a similar faith. The digital age has ushered in new tools, new methods and new skills. Critics have found this to be an attempt to do far too much in far too little amount of time with far little amount of lab testing. The various glitches of these systems have created embarrassing situations in lives of many DJs.
Nonetheless, the new technology has created convenience and also redefined the approach of many individuals in this profession. Well known producer/DJ, Fatboy Slim aka Norman Cook, also took to these modern tools after much pursuit of his crew. Norman revealed in an interview that though these tools are technologically advanced, he is much at home with his old tools that included Atari, the Akai S-950 and the mighty 303 sampler.
Some of the new toys made available to the modern DJ are CDJ with touch screen enabled displays that play almost all formats, USB Mixers that would give you control over your digital work station better than analog mixer along with the scratch function, Wi-Fi/Bluetooth enabled controllers giving greater performance freedom, and virtual emulations of unaffordable analog gear (Korg Analog Synths).
What DJS do with this would actually now define their abilities as compared to earlier when it was more about being able to get the music pumping. Laptops are soon becoming a preferred choice among DJs. Could this spell an end to CDJ manufacturers such as Pioneer and Gemini? It is all upon the preference of the DJ says DJ Aar, a Mumbai-Delhi based DJ. There are many DJs who find better sonic results from analog gear compared to the digital. The ability to have a control over too many parameters could spell disaster if the user is not well prepared with his stuff.
Automatic beat matching, harmonic synchronization, free music over the internet, portable music devices has made it easier to be a DJ and also made the professional DJ useless. DJs thus now need to work towards presenting something special for their audiences be it knowing their audiences well, having a uncanny knack to harmonize mind bending tunes one after another like an AK-47, flawless ease in use of various tools at hand or a combination of them and more. Some DJs have taken the next step in sound presentation with active participation in the creation of music as it plays. Thus, adding greater thrill to the performance. Performing with like-minded or totally different background based musicians is another way of adding additional flavors into the mix. Shirsh Malhotra, a classical violin player finds himself jamming/performing with DJs at many events. Jazz, Lounge, down tempo music is blended with live instruments to create a lively performance. It would be interesting to see what innovative DJs do in future. Mash artists such as z-Trip and Bit Meddler have been making creative funky electro pop music with almost nothing compared to what is available today. Scratch artists such as Qbert, Dj Flare, X-ecutioners and Mix Master Mike too, have created a niche for themselves with the Scratch movement since early nineties. Though there is no matching vinyl scratching its digital cousin continues to strive closer [Try Vestax-Spin]. Whatever be the case, the era of transition is on for the DJs – Watch out to what your DJ might do next!
