Not Your Mother’s DJ — The Changing World of Music-Mixers

DJs are the new rock stars—anyone who’s been to a dance club in the last decade has seen the transformation.  It used to be the guy with the record case would be slammed into the corner of a dark room and forgotten.  Nowadays, he or she is center stage, full of theatrics, and revered by the dancing revelers.  Just like MTV changed the face of popular music, so too has the DJ revolution impacted all genres of recording styles.  Electronica has devoured a sizable amount of record sales and hit the mainstream, giving DJs top billing as the new musical heroes.  But what exactly does a DJ do? 

The talented mixers read the crowd, weave set-lists that tell stories, and keep the dancers pumped with their energetic stylings.  There are also the fakers, turning knobs that actually don’t impact the song in the slightest, and trying their best to fool the masses.  But the truth is the majority of people daring enough to stand in front of a crowd and control the ebb and flow of the audience, are talented musicians in their own right.  And most of them have worked tirelessly to earn their place on stages large and small.  Let’s break down the DJ types once and for all, hail a few of the real-deal talents, and hypothesize about what’s next for these mystical musicians.

A few decades ago, if you were a DJ, you were on the radio.  There wasn’t a need to beat-match, and no opportunity to “read” a sweaty dance floor.  The show normally involved a pre-programmed set list with a heavy dose of silly banter.  While still a viable career choice, today, this category of record-spinners doesn’t qualify for the new generation of rock stars.  Popular DJs instead rely more on talent and  personality, with little crossover into the beat-matching world. 

Then there are exceptions like Jason Bentley of LA’s KCRW, with his velvety, deep-toned voice and massive knowledge of the electronica scene—the guy is a breakthrough does-it-all rarity.   Bentley performs live, he music supervises film and TV shows, and he has a loyal fan base for his nightly electronica public radio show. 

Actually, many of today’s club, wedding, and party DJs, started out on the radio, like Eve Falcon, a dynamic mixer, producer, and vocalist, “I started DJing on the radio when I was thirteen, but I didn’t get into club DJing until about 2002.  So I’ve been a DJ for practically my whole life.”  But performing live on the radio and performing live in person are two distinct things.  For Eve, the difference is the people, “I’m different than a radio DJ for the sheer reason that I physically see and connect with my audience.”  She’s also keen on creating a masterful mix—a completely unnoticeable song transition is a serious skill, “I like to take my time with mixes so they’re generally indiscernible and they feel more like I’m switching moods than songs.   I also think my musical choices and knack for programming are pretty unique due to my radio background.”  There’s no chance for a live club DJ to hide a bad mix with voice-over and jokes, and a crowd of happy dancers can turn on you in an instant. 

DJs are only as good as the last mix, and if it triggered a train-wreck—the term for a mismatched beat—they are officially on probation with the revelers.  DJs do a whole lot more than slam down a record and hit the cross-fade; this really is serious business with sky-high expectations.

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Author's biography:

Tina M. Courtney, aka PoetKitty, is a full-time writer who’s written for dozens of online and offline publications. This 31-year-old Gemini is a regular in the LA nightlife scene, with a special flair for dance floors and testing menus. She needs DJ throw-downs and life-affirming live music events in equal doses. When she’s not dining, dancing, and/or writing, you’ll find her throwing popcorn, working with a shaman in the Amazon, trying to get on a jury, or jumping out of an airplane. Her first novel, “Precious Things”, will be published this winter.