in 1995 djababu of DILATED PEOPLES coined the term TURNTABLISM to differentiate someone who just plays a bunch of records from a deejay who performs mixing and manipulations. and while its history dates back to the 1930s deejaying and turntablism really peaked as a modern art form in the early 1970s when HIP-HOP took over.
afrika bambaata and GRANDMASTER FLASH were the first to establish deejay instrumentals. then kool dj herc invented the break beat. it was pretty much game over for a minute until the late DJ JAM MASTER JAY busted out on the scene with RUN DMC.
run dmc integrated rhyming over scratched beats to showcase the talent of the emcees which made for some super sexy performances and etched in stone the template for many live rap performances today. and there were so many other greats too who helped to develop the original concepts and techniques associated with modern turntablism.
while some deejays still play records most of the contemporary clubkids are turning to vinyl emulation software which allows the average ape with an intelligence quotient of 90-points and a macbook to play back digital audio files. much respect to all my real dj's: @djsillykid @djadam12 @philthydrummond @dtox who still know how to spin vinyl !!
the truth is it takes significantly less effort to just play around with emulation technology on a laptop at the club and is also way more convenient than schlepping giant crates full of records and big equipment around. only problem is that today i see a lot of marks claiming the title of dj when they really dont know jack about the art of turntablism. so please do whatever you can to preserve this dying art before it goes extinct...
a phonograph in the hands of a hip-hop/scratch artist who plays a record like an electronic washboard with a phonographic needle as a plectrum produces sounds which are unique and not reproduced-- the record player becomes a musical instrument. RT @ john oswald. composer born in 1953. ontario canada.
