Having been a DJ since I was 6 years old has been a blessing and a challenge. I grew up spinning (actually “scratching”) on my mother’s Technic turntable — yeah, just one! So, recently I have been asked by cats interested in the art and culture of the DJ, “What is a DJ?” There are many answers to that question, but here is what I suggested a novice do to earn an authentic answer.



I felt rather than just having the novice follow me, I would recommend that he/she visit a successful night at a club where a dope and accomplished DJ could be studied. I recommended that the novice visit The Royal Lounge in Olympia on Re:Fresh Fridays where, The 25360 DJ of The Year, DJ Drastik would be. There were many DJs I could have recommended … I chose to forward the novice to visit Drastik because he is a rarity in that he has excellent programming (music selection), he is a personality (he interacts with the crowd/audience), he is enthusiastic (he has a good time doing his thang-thang on the 1s and 2s) and he is an original, genuine party rocker! This is rare … most so-called DJs I have encountered are content to be followers and biters of other DJs, and few are focused on pushing the art and culture into new creative realms. Drastik does this with his attitude alone.



So, in order to learn about the art and culture of the DJ, I suggested the novice arrive at the club at 9 p.m. before it “jumps off” (before it’s packed in the club). This allows the novice to observe the evening’s development from a light crowd to a crowd that is jumpin’. I wanted the novice to observe and note the playlist of the DJ from hour to hour so that an understanding of programming can take place. This means that the novice can see what kind of songs get the crowd comfortable, what warms them up, what gets them excited, and what can bring them back down if necessary. I’ve always felt like I did my job if my music was part of a new couple meeting, got people in a happy mood or when I see people getting their sensual seduction on, on the dance floor. I wanted the novice to watch the chemistry of musicianship take place and not all so-called DJs have that alchemy … it is a wonder to watch.



I asked the novice to report his observations to me the next week. He did, and he actually enjoyed the process and took very detailed notes. He recorded the songs that he knew and asked the DJ when he did not know a song. He watched the club’s population go from 15 people to more than 300 over a two-hour span, and he saw the DJ play “navigator.” I was pleased to know that someone had the interest and took the time to study one of the elements of hip-hop anthropologically — live in the flesh to “see how it is done,” as Morris Day said in Purple Rain. It is even more encouraging for the culture of hip-hop that people are supporting and advancing the culture with their curiosity.



I started touching turntables in 1981. It took me until 1995 to buy my first DJ set-up. I say that to say that the soul of music and more specifically hip-hop is still of the utmost importance. In the era of digital DJ systems and programs that mix for so-called DJs, the authenticity of the art and culture — the very essence of it — is at risk of deterioration, and the actual skill of DJs is questionable. As the foundation of the culture of hip-hop, the DJ’s place, position and standing is inseparable from the direction that hip-hop takes. It is important that steel continues to sharpen steel … learn from the best and elevate the game from there.



Winners Train, Losers Complain … Do Yo’ Thang!!!



Peace & Love

 

Jose S. Gutierrez Jr. is an editor, writer and producer. A graduate of Washington State University and student at The Evergreen State College, he writes and edits the Pacific Northwest section of OZONE Magazine and hosts and produces Live From I-5 Radio (since ’89) every Friday at 3 p.m. on KAOS 89.3 FM (www.kaosradio.org) in Olympia.