Two Turntables and a Microphone

The art of being a DJ has changed over the past 30 to 40 years. Back in the 1970’s Clive Campbell (aka DJ Kool Herc) pioneered the DJ block party by setting up his equipment in a park in the Bronx. He viewed his two turntables and a microphone as a single instrument used to make people want to dance. By traveling throughout New York, and throwing parties for the public, some deemed him the world’s first “mobile DJ.”

Over the years the definition of a “mobile DJ” has changed. Today it is very easy for someone to purchase equipment, build a library of music, and then play that music for a group of people. Most mobile DJ’s of today are still playing the same sets they were when they started in the 1970’s & 1980’s. That is why at a lot of weddings you hear the YMCA or Celebration. However, there is much more to being “a true DJ,” than just playing music.

Any “true DJ” possesses two skills that he or she uses to get people dancing. One of the most difficult parts of DJing is being to able to read a crowd. What sets these “true DJ’s” apart from other DJ’s is having the ability to decide which music to play based on how the crowd is reacts to it. Feeding off the energy from a group of people a “true DJ” can take them to the next level by choosing the “right” song to play next. The other skill a “true DJ” possesses is knowing how to mix the songs they choose.

Beat-mixing is a key ingredient for any “true DJ.” Taking one song and blending the beat with another song is what allows people to dance for much more time. The art of using DJ equipment to do live mixes transforms the equipment into an instrument. Without a skilled and dedicated person to play, the saxophone is just a piece of brass; as is any set of DJ equipment. Like any other instrument the DJ equipment needs a person who knows how to use it.

Mobile DJ’s of today can say they have the most elaborate equipment, use the most up-to-date technology available, a computer program that helps them mix and a music library of 500,000 songs, but none of that matters if the person behind the table does not have the skills to use the above equipment effectively.

A “true DJ” does not need the most expensive equipment to get people dancing and having a good time. DJ Kool Herc did it with two turntables and a microphone.

-Matt