Disc jockey
This can involve aligning the beats of the music sources so their rhythms and tempos do not clash when played together and enable a smooth transition from one song to another.
Some of the most popular DJs are Skrillex, David Guetta, Porter Robinson, deadmau5, Avicii, Calvin Harris, Martin Garrix, Marshmello, Zedd, Alan Walker, Eric Prydz, DJ Snake, R3HAB, Timmy Trumpet, Tiësto, Steve Aoki, Diplo, Nicky Romero, Lost Frequencies, Daft Punk.
[6] DJ Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash, and Afrika Bambaataa were members of a block party at South Bronx from 1973 onwards.
Kool Herc played records such as James Brown's "Give It Up or Turnit a Loose", Jimmy Castor's "It's Just Begun", Booker T. & the M.G.
[13][14] In Jamaican music, a deejay (DJ) is a reggae or dancehall musician who sings and "toasts" (recites poetry) to an instrumental riddim.
The term deejay originated in the 1960s and 1970s when performers such as U-Roy and King Stitt toasted over the instrumental (dub music) versions of popular records.
Turntablists, also called battle DJs, use turntables and DJ mixer to manipulate recorded sounds to produce new music.
[33] Historian Ruth Oldenziel concurs in her writing on engineering with this idea of socialization as a central factor in the lack of engagement with technology.
[36] She suggests that women's alienation from "areas that have a strong technological tendency such as DJing, sound engineering and producing" are "not necessarily about their dislike of these instruments but relates to the interrupting effect of their dominantly masculine delineations".
[34] A 2015 article cited a number of prominent women DJs: Hannah Wants, Ellen Allien, Miss Kittin, Monika Kruse, Nicole Moudaber, B.Traits, Magda, Nina Kraviz, Nervo, and Annie Mac.
[40] Two years later, another article brings out a list with world-famous women DJs including Nastia, tINY, Nora En Pure, Anja Schneider, Peggy Gou, Maya Jane Coles, and Eli & Fur.
[43] In 2018, The Blessed Madonna played herself as an in-residence DJ for the video game Grand Theft Auto Online, as part of the After Hours DLC.
DJs use equipment that enables them to play multiple sources of recorded music and mix them to create seamless transitions and unique arrangements of songs.
The cue knobs or switches allow the DJ to "listen" to a source of recorded music in headphones before playing it for the live club or broadcast audience.
DJs may align the beats of the music sources so their rhythms do not clash when they are played together to help create a smooth transition from one song to another.
As compact discs became popular media for publishing music, specialized high-quality CD players known as CDJs were developed for DJs.
With the spread of portable laptops, tablets, and smartphone computers, DJs began using software together with specialized sound cards and DJ controller hardware.
The analyzed information can be used by the DJ to help manually beatmatch like with vinyl records or the software can automatically synchronize the beats.
Digital signal processing algorithms in software allow DJs to adjust the tempo of recordings independently of their pitch (and musical key, a feature known as "keylock".
Examples include phrasing and beatmatching, which can be partially or completely automated by using DJ software that performs automatic synchronization of sound recordings, a feature commonly labelled "sync".
In the past, being a DJ has largely been a self-taught craft but with the complexities of new technologies and the convergence with music production methods, there are a growing number of schools and organizations that offer instruction on the techniques.
[56] Some within the DJ community say that miming is increasingly used as a technique by celebrity model DJs who may lack mixing skills, but can draw big crowds to a venue.
[57] During a DJ tour for the release of the French group Justice's A Cross the Universe in November 2008, controversy arose when a photograph of Augé DJing with an unplugged Akai MPD24 surfaced.
[60] Playing recorded music for dancing and parties rose with the mass marketing of home phonographs in the late 19th century.
British radio disc jockey Jimmy Savile hosted his first live dance party in 1943 using a single turntable and a makeshift sound system.
[62] In 1959, one of the first discos in Germany, the Scotch Club, opened in Aachen and visiting journalist Klaus Quirini (later DJ Heinrich) made comments, conducted audience games, and announced songs while playing records.
[72] In 1980, Japanese company Roland released the TR-808, an analog rhythm/drum machine, which has unique artificial sounds, such as its booming bass and sharp snare, and a metronome-like rhythm.
In January of that same year at the BeOS Developer Conference, N2IT demonstrated FinalScratch, the first digital DJ system to allow DJs control of MP3 files through special time-coded vinyl records or CDs.
Tenosynovitis results from staying in the same position over multiple gigs for scratching motion and cueing, this would be related to a repetitive strain injury.
[82] Gigs can last 4-5 hours in the nightlife and hospitality industry, as a result, there are potential complications of prolonged standing which include slouching, varicose veins, cardiovascular disorders, joint compression, and muscle fatigue.
