The DJ will forever have a place in hip-hop as the pioneer of the music genre. Without the DJ, there would be no hip-hop music today. There would be no rappers, and there would be no breakdancers. They were the source of the music that is characterized by beats and portions of other songs. By using funk and rock songs, DJs could sample particular parts of a song creating loops. These loops could be taken and mixed with synthesizers and drum machines to make specific beats that had their own unique sound and style. A new type of music that has never been heard before. The main instrument capable of allowing a DJ to do this was the turntable. Turntables could play multiple tracks at one time and mix pieces from one song and create new ones out of them. Thus, the turntablism movement started.
Turntablism brought about a new technique that made the DJ more popular than ever which was "Scratching". What came about as an accident when playing records came to be a useful and innovative technique giving the DJ the ability to create what is now known as a break beat. Some of the most influential DJs to ever use this technique include; DJ Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash, Afrika Bambaataa, Jazzy Jeff, and DJ Disco Wiz.
In the beginning Hip-hop music had no attention from the record industry and was mainly heard in the streets. Hip-hop music was popular in the streets to a point where DJs sold and distributed mixtapes to help build more publicity. Live performances were recorded and dubbed on to cassette tapes. They were eventually copied by fans and passed along from friends to friend. The mixtapes helped to create a buzz and promote new up-and-coming acts by displaying their talents. In the end, Hip-hop music was able to prosper as a whole due to the wide circulation of various music from many different artists in the New York area.
Once Hip-hop became a mainstream music genre the attention shifted from the DJ to the MC; but the role of the DJ never changed. Most of the popular groups around when Hip-hop first blew up had a DJ that played and produced all of their records. Live instruments were rare at a performance during this time. All that was needed was a set of turntables and a few microphones to make a live performance. The DJ is the one man band of Hip-hop.
Today, DJs still spin records and scratch to make shows and live performances hot; they also still promote what is considered the underground movement through mixtapes. The DJ has evolved into many different types due to a variety of factors. Clubs and radios now thrive off of them because of the skills they possess in order to deliver mixes of different songs in rotations. New technology and innovative equipment gives a DJ the capability to work from a device as simple as an ipod. Computers also play a new role in the ability of a DJ. Being portable, stronger, and still effective are attributes of the new developments in equipment that DJs use now to take their shows to the next level.
Turntablism brought about a new technique that made the DJ more popular than ever which was "Scratching". What came about as an accident when playing records came to be a useful and innovative technique giving the DJ the ability to create what is now known as a break beat. Some of the most influential DJs to ever use this technique include; DJ Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash, Afrika Bambaataa, Jazzy Jeff, and DJ Disco Wiz.
In the beginning Hip-hop music had no attention from the record industry and was mainly heard in the streets. Hip-hop music was popular in the streets to a point where DJs sold and distributed mixtapes to help build more publicity. Live performances were recorded and dubbed on to cassette tapes. They were eventually copied by fans and passed along from friends to friend. The mixtapes helped to create a buzz and promote new up-and-coming acts by displaying their talents. In the end, Hip-hop music was able to prosper as a whole due to the wide circulation of various music from many different artists in the New York area.
Once Hip-hop became a mainstream music genre the attention shifted from the DJ to the MC; but the role of the DJ never changed. Most of the popular groups around when Hip-hop first blew up had a DJ that played and produced all of their records. Live instruments were rare at a performance during this time. All that was needed was a set of turntables and a few microphones to make a live performance. The DJ is the one man band of Hip-hop.
Today, DJs still spin records and scratch to make shows and live performances hot; they also still promote what is considered the underground movement through mixtapes. The DJ has evolved into many different types due to a variety of factors. Clubs and radios now thrive off of them because of the skills they possess in order to deliver mixes of different songs in rotations. New technology and innovative equipment gives a DJ the capability to work from a device as simple as an ipod. Computers also play a new role in the ability of a DJ. Being portable, stronger, and still effective are attributes of the new developments in equipment that DJs use now to take their shows to the next level.
No comments:
Post a Comment