Disc jockey


A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs, club DJs, mobile DJs, and turntablists. Originally, the "disc" in "disc jockey" referred to shellac and later vinyl records, but nowadays DJ is used as an all-encompassing term to also describe persons who mix music from other recording media such as cassettes, CDs or digital audio files on a CDJ, controller, or even a laptop. DJs may adopt the title "DJ" in front of their real names, adopted pseudonyms, or stage names.
DJs commonly use audio equipment that can play at least two sources of recorded music simultaneously. This enables them to blend tracks together to create transitions between recordings and develop unique mixes of songs. 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. DJs often use specialized DJ mixers, small audio mixers with crossfader and cue functions to blend or transition from one song to another. Mixers are also used to pre-listen to sources of recorded music in headphones and adjust upcoming tracks to mix with currently playing music. DJ software can be used with a DJ controller device to mix audio files on a computer instead of a console mixer. DJs may also use a microphone to speak to the audience; effects units such as reverb to create sound effects and electronic musical instruments such as drum machines and synthesizers.

Etymology

The term "disc jockey" was ostensibly coined by radio gossip commentator Walter Winchell in 1935 to describe the radio work of Martin Block. The phrase first appeared in print in a 1941 Variety magazine. Originally, the word "disc" in "disc jockey" referred to phonograph or gramophone records and was used to describe radio personalities who introduced them on the air.

Role

"DJ" is used as an all-encompassing term to describe someone who mixes recorded music from any source, including vinyl records, cassettes, CDs, or digital audio files. DJs typically perform for a live audience in a nightclub or dance club or a TV, radio broadcast audience, or an online radio audience. DJs also create mixes, remixes, and tracks that are recorded for later sale and distribution. Some DJs adopt the title "DJ" as part of their names. Professional DJs often specialize in a specific genre of music, such as techno, house, or hip-hop. DJs typically have extensive knowledge about the music they specialize in. Many DJs are avid music collectors of vintage, rare, or obscure tracks and records.

Types

Club DJs

Club DJs, commonly referred to as DJs in general, play music at musical events, such as parties at music venues or bars, clubs, music festivals, corporate, and private events. Typically, club DJs mix music recordings from two or more sources using different mixing techniques to produce a non-stop flow of music. Mixing began with hip-hop in the 1970s and would subsequently expand to other genres in especially dance music. A DJ who mostly plays and mixes one specific music genre is often given the title of that genre; for example, a DJ who plays hip-hop is called a hip-hop DJ, a DJ who plays house music is a house DJ, a DJ who plays techno is called a techno DJ, and so on.
The quality of a DJ performance consists of two main features: technical skills, or how well the DJ can operate the equipment and produce smooth transitions between two or more recordings and a playlist; and the ability of a DJ to select the most suitable recordings, also known as "reading the crowd". One key technique used for seamlessly transitioning from one song to another is beatmatching.

Hip-hop DJs

In hip-hop, DJs may create beats, using percussion breaks, basslines, and other musical content sampled from pre-existing records. In hip-hop, rappers and MCs use these beats to rap over.

Radio DJs

Radio DJs or radio personalities introduce and play music broadcasts on AM, FM, digital, or Internet radio stations.

Dancehall/reggae deejays

In Jamaican music, a deejay is a reggae or dancehall musician who sings and "toasts" to an instrumental riddim. Deejays are not to be confused with DJs from other music genres, like hip-hop, where they select and play music. Dancehall/reggae DJs who select riddims to play are called selectors. Deejays whose style is nearer to singing are sometimes called singjays.

Turntablists

Turntablists, also called battle DJs, use turntables and DJ mixer to manipulate recorded sounds to produce new music. In essence, they use DJ equipment as a musical instrument. Perhaps the best-known turntablist technique is scratching. Turntablists often participate in DJ contests like DMC World DJ Championships.

Residents

A resident DJ performs at a venue on a regular basis or permanently. They would perform regularly in a particular discotheque, a particular club, a particular event, or a particular broadcasting station. Residents have a decisive influence on the club or a series of events. Per agreement with the management or company, the DJ would have to perform under agreed times and dates. Typically, DJs perform as residents for two or three times in a week, for example, on Friday and Saturday. DJs who make a steady income from a venue are also considered resident DJs.

Other types

  • Bedroom DJs – A non-professional DJ who mixes music in their room as a hobby, rather than on radio or in a music venue such as a bar or a nightclub. Bedroom DJs are normally motivated by a desire to hone their skills and have fun with friends. Many professional DJs start out as bedroom DJs but not all bedroom DJs want to become professional–some are content being hobbyists. Most bedroom DJs generally have small set-ups of basic equipment. They might be learning how to DJ on a laptop or have a controller.
  • Mobile DJs – DJs with their own portable audio sound systems who specialize in performing at gatherings such as block parties, street fairs, taverns, weddings, birthdays, school and corporate events. Mobile DJs may also offer lighting packages and video systems.
  • DJanes – a term describing women DJs used in countries such as Germany that employ grammatical gender in their languages
  • Celebrity DJs – widely known celebrities performing as DJs.

    Women DJs

In Western popular music, even though there are relatively few women DJs and turntablists, women musicians have achieved great success in singing and songwriting roles, however, they are given much less representation than men DJs. Part of this may stem from a generally low percentage of women in audio technology-related jobs. A 2013 Sound on Sound article by Rosina Ncube stated that there are "... few women in record production and sound engineering." Ncube states that "inety-five percent of music producers are male, and although there are women producers achieving great things in music, they are less well-known than their counterparts." The vast majority of students in music technology programs are male. In hip-hop, the low percentage of women DJs and turntablists may stem from the overall men's domination of the entire hip-hop music industry. Most of the top rappers, MCs, DJs, record producers and music executives are men. There are a small number of high-profile women, but they are rare.
In 2007, Mark Katz's article "Men, Women, and Turntables: Gender and the DJ Battle", stated that "very few women battle; the matter has been a topic of conversation among hip-hop DJs for years." In 2010, Rebekah Farrugia said "the male-centricity of electronic dance music culture" contributes to "a marginalisation of women in these spaces." While turntablism and broader DJ practices should not be conflated, Katz suggests use or lack of use of the turntable broadly by women across genres and disciplines is impacted upon by what he defines as "male technophilia". 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. She says:
Lucy Green has focused on gender in relation to musical performers and creators, and specifically on educational frameworks as they relate to both. 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". Despite this, women and girls do increasingly engage in turntable and DJ practices, individually and collectively, and "carve out spaces for themselves in EDM and DJ Culture". Some artists and collectives go beyond these practices to be more gender inclusive.

Notable women DJs (2000s–present)

The following alphabetical selection lists 50 widely covered women DJs active since the 2000s, reflecting sustained coverage in international polls, critics’ lists and major media. See also recurring international rankings and end-of-year features that document women’s prominence in DJ culture.
  • Alison Wonderland — Australian DJ and producer working across bass and electro-pop, noted for large-scale festival performances.
  • Amelie Lens — Belgian techno DJ and label head of KNTXT, associated with peak-time, hard-edged sets.
  • Anna Lunoe — Australian house DJ, vocalist and producer; also known for international radio and club residencies.
  • Anja Schneider — German techno/house DJ and producer; longtime label curator and A&R.
  • Annie Mac — Irish DJ and broadcaster, former BBC Radio 1 host and champion of emergent dance acts.
  • Annie Nightingale — British broadcaster and pioneering BBC Radio 1 DJ who helped mainstream club culture.
  • B.Traits — Canadian DJ/producer and former BBC Radio 1 presenter with a multi-genre club and radio profile.
  • Cassy — Austrian-born house/techno DJ, producer and vocalist with residencies at leading European clubs.
  • Charlotte de Witte — Belgian techno DJ/producer and KNTXT founder, known for high-intensity, streamlined techno.
  • Chloé — French DJ/producer associated with minimal, electro and filmic electronics; runs Lumière Noire.
  • DJ Minx — Detroit house/techno DJ and founder of Women on Wax, active since the 1990s.
  • DJ Paulette — British house DJ with historic residencies at Hacienda, Ministry of Sound and Paris clubs.
  • DJ Rap — British DJ/producer linked to drum and bass and jungle; founder of Propa Talent.
  • DJ Rekha — British-born, US-based DJ credited with popularizing bhangra in New York through Basement Bhangra.
  • DJ Soda — South Korean EDM/pop DJ with a mainstream festival and club presence across Asia.
  • DJ Spinderella — American DJ best known as member of Salt-N-Pepa and as a solo club DJ.
  • Eclair Fifi — Scottish DJ and curator associated with the LuckyMe collective and forward-looking club music.
  • Ellen Allien — German techno DJ/producer; founder of BPitch Control and fixture of Berlin’s scene.
  • HAAi — Australian-born, London-based DJ/producer blending psychedelic textures with techno and left-field dance.
  • Hannah Wants — British house/bass DJ recognized for energetic club sets and UK radio work.
  • Heidi — Canadian-born DJ known for jackin’ house and techno; creator of the Jackathon brand.
  • Helena Hauff — German DJ/producer famed for raw electro, acid and industrial-leaning techno.
  • Honey Dijon — Chicago-born house DJ/producer with deep roots in US club culture and fashion collaborations.
  • Ikonika — British DJ/producer associated with Hyperdub and UK bass/experimental club sounds.
  • Jayda G — Canadian DJ/producer bridging disco, house and contemporary club music.
  • K-Hand — Detroit techno/house DJ and producer; founder of Acacia Records and early Motor City pioneer.
  • Kemistry & Storm — British drum-and-bass duo closely associated with Metalheadz and UK club culture.
  • Lady Starlight — American DJ and live techno performer known for hardware-driven sets.
  • Laurel Halo — American electronic musician and DJ spanning experimental techno, ambient and sound art.
  • Magda — Polish-born American DJ tied to minimal techno and the Minus/Detroit networks.
  • Mary Anne Hobbs — English DJ and curator known for radio advocacy of experimental and bass music.
  • Maya Jane Coles — British-Japanese DJ/producer across deep and tech house, also records as Nocturnal Sunshine.
  • Mija — American DJ/producer working between house, bass and indie-leaning club sounds.
  • Miss Djax — Dutch DJ/producer; founder of Djax-Up-Beats and influential in European techno.
  • Miss Kittin — French DJ/singer central to electroclash and electro-techno, often with The Hacker.
  • Miss Monique — Ukrainian progressive and melodic house DJ/producer; known for widely viewed mixes.
  • Monika Kruse — German techno DJ/producer and Terminal M label founder with decades-long career.
  • Nastia — Ukrainian DJ/label owner noted for fast, percussive techno sets.
  • Nicole Moudaber — Lebanese-Nigerian DJ/producer; runs MOOD Records and global techno events.
  • Nina Kraviz — Russian DJ/producer spanning techno, acid and trance; founder of трип label.
  • Nina Las Vegas — Australian DJ/curator and former Triple J presenter; head of the NLV Records imprint.
  • Nora En Pure — South African-Swiss DJ/producer associated with deep and melodic house; leads Purified brand.
  • Paula Temple — British techno DJ/producer known for abrasive, industrial-leaning sound design.
  • Peggy Gou — South Korean DJ/producer; Gudu Records founder with global club and festival profile.
  • Rezz — Canadian DJ/producer recognized for mid-tempo, hypnotic bass music and immersive visuals.
  • Sama' Abdulhadi — Palestinian techno DJ/producer and prominent figure in the West Asian scene.
  • Soledad Rodríguez Zubieta — Argentine DJ, radio host and music curator noted for “sonic decoration” in hospitality and retail.
  • TOKiMONSTA — American producer/DJ blending hip-hop and electronic; founder of Young Art Records.
  • Yaeji — Korean-American singer/producer/DJ combining house, pop and bilingual vocals in club contexts.