Think DJ, Think Turntables?
March 9, 2011
Recently, I’ve gone back to using turntables and vinyl records as my primary method of music playback.
Wait, what?
Didn’t they stop making records and record players in the 80’s?
Well, yes and no. After about 1986, vinyl was replaced by the Compact Disc as the primary playback media for commercially available music. But vinyl never really went away. Turntable purists and the hip-hop community have kept the wheels of steel turning for the past 25 years.
In that time, thanks to Napster, iTunes and the iPod, the Compact Disc was replaced by the mp3 as the primary playback media for commercially available music.
So, if the turntable hasn’t been the primary way most of us listen to music for a quarter-century, why do we still picture a guy with two turntables and a mixer when someone says “DJ”?
I’ve already mentioned that the hip-hop community was instrumental in keeping the turntable alive. Meanwhile, turntablists, often called “scratch DJs” developed a method of treating the turntable more like a musical instrument than a small appliance.
Probably the first song most casual radio listeners remember hearing with “scratching” was Herbie Hancock’s 1983 hit “Rockit” from the album, “Future Shock”.
Even the DJs interviewed in the 2002 Doug Pray documentary “Scratch” overwhelmingly cite this track as the first on which they heard turntable scratching.
Whoa, whoa…isn’t this a wedding DJ blog? What the heck does all this have to do with my wedding?
Over the years, DJ equipment companies have listened to the wants and complaints DJs and DJ business owners. Club DJs are interested in equipment that allows them to fully express their vision for their mix; whether it be hip-hop, house, electronic, or any of the many sub-genres of club music.
DJ business owners on the other hand, tend to be mobile DJs. They’re concerned with more than just music playback. For the DJ business owner, automation is important. Computer software that mixes cocktail music and synchs beats during dancing allows them to concentrate on other things. Weight and portability are also concerns. As a result, you’re more likely to see a real, live DJ standing behind a laptop screen than two turntables and a mixer. Is that in any way a bad thing? Absolutely 100% not! I’ve simply decided that, for me, being a DJ who can exhibit good DJ skills is as important as being a good DJ business owner. It’s also a lot of fun!
It’s funny that the arc of my DJ career has taken me from vinyl, to CDs, to mp3’s, back to vinyl. Of course, I’m not 100% old school. I use a DJ software called Serato Scratch Live which allows me to manipulate mp3 files using a special vinyl record on a traditional turntable. I can scratch, touch vinyl and add my personality to the mix without having to lug crates and crates of records on a dolly to each gig. Plus, I’m getting way too old to get arrested for stealing milk crates from behind my neighborhood supermarket. 
See you on the dance floor!
