Before we get started of what DJing is and what it meant to the hip hop culture I wanted to clear something up. DJing, mixing and turntablism are three very different things but often used interchangeably. The art of DJing is the ability to more a crowd with the selections you play which may or may not include mixing and/or turntablism.
Now, you van be superb at mixing lining beats up seamlessly and blending each song’s key superbly but that doesn’t necessarily make you a good DJ. I know many unbelievable DJs that through great knowledge of music, the ability to play music you’d never have thought of that moves a crowd every time but can’t beat mix to save their lives and vice versa.
Turntablism however is a different animal and is truly an artform. I’ve tried and failed numerous times to learn the art of scratching, double-decking, beat juggling or what ever moniker you care to apply to it. From the guys at the start of hip hop that combined two of the same records to elongate portions of a record creating seamless loops to the quite frankly “jedi knights’ of today such as the likes of DJ Koco.
DJing – The ability to move a crowd with good music played at the right time.
Mixing – The ability to blend two or more sources of music in a technically proficient manner.
Turntablism – To take two musical sources and create new patterns and flows from the original musical sources.
Before we get started of what DJing is and what it meant to the hip hop culture I wanted to clear something up. DJing, mixing and turntablism are three very different things but often used interchangeably. The art of DJing is the ability to more a crowd with the selections you play which may or may not include mixing and/or turntablism.
Now, you van be superb at mixing lining beats up seamlessly and blending each song’s key superbly but that doesn’t necessarily make you a good DJ. I know many unbelievable DJs that through great knowledge of music, the ability to play music you’d never have thought of that moves a crowd every time but can’t beat mix to save their lives and vice versa.
Turntablism however is a different animal and is truly an artform. I’ve tried and failed numerous times to learn the art of scratching, double-decking, beat juggling or what ever moniker you care to apply to it. From the guys at the start of hip hop that combined two of the same records to elongate portions of a record creating seamless loops to the quite frankly “jedi knights’ of today such as the likes of DJ Koco.
DJing – The ability to move a crowd with good music played at the right time.
Mixing – The ability to blend two or more sources of music in a technically proficient manner.
Turntablism – To take two musical sources and create new patterns and flows from the original musical sources.
