DJs are everywhere bands used to be: school dances, wedding receptions, birthday parties, bars, clubs, and lately in championships where turntablists battle each other with their beat-juggling and mixing skills, often including acrobatics.
In 2004, a DJ played the opening ceremony of the Athens Olympics for the first time. With sales of DJ equipment (turntables, CDJs, mixers, midi controllers) rivaling those of guitars and drum sets, the popularity of Books for DJs has surged. These books now discuss the emergence of DJs as full-fledged musicians and offer valuable insights into their craft.
Top 5 Books For DJs
1 – Last Night A DJ Saved My Life
Author: Bill Brewster and Frank Broughton
The title says it all; inspired by the name of a 1982 R&B song by Indeep, no doubt millions of dance floor enthusiasts have thought just that after a magical night of dancing. “A truly great DJ, just for a moment, can make a whole room fall in love,” say the authors in this entertaining biography of the DJ, with club charts from the mid-50s through the end of the ’90s. Their How to DJ Right: The Art and Science of Playing Records is even more fun.
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2 – DJ Skills: The Essential Guide to Mixing & Scratching
Author: Stephen Webber
DJ Skills: The Essential Guide to Mixing & Scratching is a comprehensive and up-to-date approach to DJing. With insights from top club, mobile, and scratch DJs, it includes many teaching strategies developed in the Berklee College of Music prototype DJ lab. This book is perfect for intermediate and advanced DJs looking to improve their skills in both analogue and digital domains.
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3 – Looking for the Perfect Beat: The Art and Culture of the DJ
Author: Kurt B. Reighley
An enjoyable read with lots of quotes from popular DJs. Says the author, “If [my book] spares one neophyte DJ a little frustration, prompts a single pro to examine his or her art from a new angle, or just makes the reader think differently about how [musical] ideas can be presented and combined, then I won’t feel like such a jackass when I tell people I’m a DJ.”
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4 – Love Saves the Day
Author: Kurt B. Reighley
A valuable historical record of the Disco phenomenon, describing its transformation from gay and urban subculture to mainstream popular culture, based on over 300 interviews with influential figures, including legendary DJs. The book includes a fascinating selected discography of the music of the era.
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5 – The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash
The inspiration for countless DJ dreams, the legendary Bronx native (aka Joseph Saddler) sets the record straight in his autobiography, detailing how he pioneered techniques that transformed DJing from merely playing records to reinventing the turntable as a musical instrument.
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Hi, I’m Erick Ycaza — a music blogger with a BA in Advertising & Graphic Design. I created this blog to keep you updated with daily music news. Surprisingly, I’ve been writing about music since 2007. If you’re an artist and would like to be featured, feel free to reach out: info@electrowow.net
