02 – Disc Jockey Art: The Origins.
It’s fascinating! Fasten your seatbelt and join me as we travel back in time.
Entertaining people through music is something we humans have done for many centuries.
Did you know that Thomas Edison, the man from the 19th century who invented electric light, also invented the first device to record music on physical media in 1877? This invention allowed artists of that era to record their music. Imagine the technological leap this represented for those living in that time—it allowed people to listen to an artist they loved, right in their own homes, without the artist physically being there. Today, this feels so pretty normal to us, doesn’t it? (Thanks, Thomas Edison!) Little did he know, his invention was setting the stage for what would become the art of the Disc Jockey.
Then, a bit later, the radio was invented and became a common household item, and the term “Disc Jockey” emerged around the 1940s, initially referring to people on the radio who played records from different artists. By then, millions of records had been produced, allowing people to enjoy music beyond live performances.
Once it became possible to carry multiple songs from different artists in a bag, gatherings could happen where people would dance to these records, simulating the experience of a live band. By the 1950s, dance parties were becoming popular, with venues playing rock ‘n’ roll and pop records instead of live bands—foreshadowing what would later become club culture. DJs took on a new role, controlling the musical experience for the audience. However, at that time, there was no artistry involved yet.
DJs would play one song until it ended, then switch to the next record with a gap of silence or a comment on the microphone. They were merely imitating live performances, without yet discovering the energy created by a continuous, seamless flow of music. At that time, DJs were actually hidden from the crowd.
In the 1960s and 70s, we can say the art of the Disc Jockey started to take shape. Techniques like cross-fading were developed, and DJs began beat-matching records which had similar tempos, creating smooth transitions between songs. For the first time, continuous music played in venues, and DJs discovered the powerful energy generated by non-stop music, learning where and how to change tracks and how it would affect the crowd.
Technics, a branch of Panasonic, began producing high-end turntables, and in 1972, they released the SL-1200 turntable designed for people to enjoy their vinyl records. This model featured a pitch adjustment dial intended only to control rotation irregularities, but DJs found a unique way to use it: they began using it to help match beats for seamless transitions, maintaining high energy on the dance floor. By some miraculous coincidence, the SL-1200 also included other several physical features that DJs could creatively adapt, so it quickly became the standard DJ turntable. DJs began developing techniques like scratching, back-spinning, and cutting, marking the beginning of Turntablist DJ art as well.
Later, Technics’ staff visited clubs and saw DJs using the SL-1200 as a musical instrument, playing non-stop music. In 1979, they released the Technics MK2, the first turntable specifically tailored for DJs, with pitch control like the one we see on modern CDJs. Around this time, drum machines and synthesizers were also invented, opening doors for solo producers to create remixes of well-known songs and produce their own tracks without needing a full band or traditional musical instruments, marking the beginning of Producer DJ too.
From this very moment, we can say that all aspects of the Disc Jockey Art were truly created and consolidated. Here, the Disc Jockey Art was born!
With two turntables and a mixer, DJs were blending different songs and lighting up dance floors, making people transcend through music. Turntablist DJs invented many new techniques, generating transitions and sounds that were both creative and complex, and Producer DJs began creating tracks that we now consider classics.
The Disc Jockey Art took an entire century to evolve and fully establish itself!