Are Real DJ's a Thing of the Past

Recently I was over one of my friends house and a few of the neighborhood kids were there playing Playstation 3 with his son. The kids were talking and I heard one of them say, “I am going to get me some DJ equipment for Christmas”. This statement really caught my ear because back in the day I was a DJ. I started my life as a DJ when I was about 14 or 15. I learned the craft and had a lot of fun with it. I spun records for school dances, I did gigs at a lot of clubs here in the city and I also toured with a DC go go band and spun during the band breaks. So I told this kid that if he wanted a few tips I could show him some stuff. I explained that I could show him how to backspin, how to scratch and cut, how to transform, how match beats and make some nice blends. I told him that I could show him how to cue up his records and put together some nice sets. Then without hesitation the kid answered back, “What do you mean by cueing up records”? My heart dropped and I could not believe what I just heard. Then it really hit me, theses kids coming up do not even know what vinyl is. In today’s world they work from MP3’s, CD’s (which are slowly becoming extinct) and Serato. Most kids have never seen a record. I was appalled, but could not be mad with the kid. Are DJ’s who spin vinyl also becoming extinct like the dinosaur? I stopped my DJ career right after college but never lost touch with the craft. I have my turntables at home and a stack of vinyl. No more gigs, no more battles, just a passion for the craft. But again, how can these kids want to be DJ’s without knowing how it came about. Are you a real DJ if all you use are MP3’s , CD’s and Serato? Where is the showcase of your skills? Can you keep a crowd on it’s feet and partying all night?

So I told this kid that he should go home and research how the art came about. I told him to check out some past DJ battles. I told him to checkout DJ’s like Jazzy Jeff, Kid Capri and Grandmaster Flash. I also told him to seriously look into getting some turntables before he gets the CD players and DJ software. Learn the basics, learn the history then add the new technology to your skill set.

Check out these two videos. First is DJ Jazzy Jeff on the wheels of steel and then my personal favorite DJ Scratch!!