A DJ is art, passion, the soul of music, the dance floor shaker, a composer, the one with the secret weapon, the one who creates and interprets the soundtrack to your life, the artist who selects the right record at the right time, the fun of the party, a creator of trends, a continual learner, a lifestyle…
For DJs it all started in the United States when, back in the ’60s, they were tasked with putting on a record after the other. Back then the DJ didn’t own the records, rather they belonged to the owner of the club and the DJ came into the venue without any equipment and simply pieced together a set based off of what he was given. As the ’70s “Saturday Night Fever” began to spread with the explosion of disco, so did the role of the deejay, gaining more and more importance as the years went on. As anyone truly devoted to the history of electronic music knows, it was Dave Mancuso’s Loft that inaugurated the start of a new era, hosting the likes of Larry Levan, Frankie Knuckles, Nicky Siano, Francois Kevorkian and Larry Heard who at that time were simple lovers of the garage sound of the past. The Warehouse in Chicago followed suit and the rest, as they say, is actual history. At the time DJs received pay that was equal to or lower that of a barman, yet were entrusted with the track selection of the entire night. Things have evolved drastically to what we have today when, since the 1990s, popular DJs became the idols of countless thousands who travel from city to city to see their favorite acts perform.
As a child growing up in Italy, whenever I was asked what I wanted to be when I grew older the response was always the same: a football player (soccer for those who want to say it wrong). I imagine that a lot of kids in the States grew up with similar dreams, dreams and desires that will never disappear from their head, but that may now be joined by another equally profitable and fun activity: the disc jockey, the entertainer of the masses.
The allure of the DJ, who with his mixing technique and noteworthy music background is able to craft together a unique musical journey that should be unrepeatable elsewhere ever again, has changed dramatically in the past 5-10 years. Today, many DJs are considered to be world music stars, with entire tours, club nights, festivals and entrepreneurial activities connected with their role. Now there’s an entire industry tied to the DJ figure, with a significant increase in the number of DJs in circulation. This is the result of the advent of digital media, record piracy, the internet, and the advancement of DJ hardware and software, all combining to allow literally anyone to become a DJ. So while to become a world class footballer one must work hard and put in years of training and effort to develop their talent, it appears it’s much easier to become a touring DJ. There is no doubt that some have put in their time, have worked hard and deserve the career they are enjoying, but there’s also the general idea these days is that sometimes all it takes to have a full-time successful DJ career is money, good management/marketing and a pinch of good luck.
When it is all said and done, the truth remains that our whole industry revolves around the figure of the DJ. Yet, with the passing of the years some have allowed for the role to be cheapened as a result of short-cuts, dishonesty and lack of hard work. That’s not to say that true DJs are not out there, that hard work and perseverance don’t pay off or that the nightlife industry is simply “drugged and ignorant” as those misinformed often label it.
As the guys at Soundwall perfectly put it with an article on this subject, there’s a black sheep in every herd, but it is not because of this that all must be considered lost sheep…
At 6AM we champion the role of the deejay, and will continue to encourage hard-working DJs to hone their craft, achieve their goals and to never lose sight of what a DJ really is: art, passion, the soul of music, the dance floor shaker, a composer, the one with the secret weapon, the one who creates and interprets the soundtrack to your life, the artist who selects the right record at the right time, the fun of the party, a creator of trends, a continual learner, a lifestyle…
[brew_cta id=”4″]
