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The Rise And Demise Of DJ Equipment

The music industry is an ever expanding beast that morphs and transmogrifies into a new creature at every slippery turn. Long gone are the clear cut definitions of jazz, blues, country and western - because, they are definitely, and always have been two completely separate genres of music. Even though each of the musical classifications can be broken down into ever more specific genres, for example blue grass is affiliated with country music and considered a sub- genre of the style, over the last few decades music has blended into almost indefinable styles.

The seminal moment in poppier that pop princess, Lilly Allen's debut chart topping tune, was when she walks into a record shop and asks for music that is 'trip-hop, two step with a funk beat and a psychedelic undertone with a hint of George Michael playing an acoustic guitar with a sandwich'. Or something like that. The point is that it has been accepted within popular culture that times have changed almost irreversibly in musical genres. One would expect that this is limited to musicians, but the trend has also evident in club-land with DJs mixing and mashing it up with all DJ equipment to express themselves in the art of turntablism.

Turntabilism is the art of using DJ equipment as if it were a musical instrument in its own right. Sound is manipulated to produce unique and spontaneous music; mixing, beat juggling and scratching are all combined to create music that has originality. This is in stark contrast to using the same equipment to simply blend one track into another, and thereby the turntablist movement has succeeded in separating themselves from club DJs and selectors. Some of the most successful turntablists have become well known within the music industry for their incredible talents, but unfortunately due to the demise of traditional DJ equipment as the path of the digital revolution progresses, the prominence of the turntabnlist is falling by the wayside.

The shame of this is that all that a budding turntabilist needs is regular DJ equipment, and a bundle of enthusiasm. Traditionally, the club DJ would have a couple of turntables, a stack of vinyl, a mixer and fader and a set of headphones to keep abreast of the next mix. Some DJs went as far as to take their own sound system, a wise move for those who specialised in break beat, as many clubs sub systems just weren't up to the job of conveying the bass in the tracks. This seriousness about the music and the quality of its presentation is something that emulates the sometimes more serious world of musicians.

Unfortunately, with equipment that is geared towards mixing CDs, MP3s, Wav files and the like, vinyl is losing it's hold. The convenience associated with digital DJ equipment means that people are ever more reluctant to lug a flight case of vinyl from venue to venue, and with CD mixers, there is no danger of turning up to a club to a turntable that needs new needles, a common thorn in the side of many classic DJs. Maybe the time will come where those passionate enough to continue with music making through decks will find themselves in a comfortable niche alongside players of prog rock, Peruvian style of course!

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