Whether they're heard on the radio or on MTV, or appear in the underground or in the mainstream, electronic sounds have become prominent in contemporary music.
Bands as diverse as Radiohead, The Beta Band and Incubus, and artists like OutKast and Jay-Z rely on synthesizers, sampling, turntables and programming to make their records. Especially in the last 20 years, these elements have often replaced traditional acoustic instruments, like guitars or pianos, and have given musicians boundless artistic possibilities.
One of the most-common elements of electronic music is the disc jockey, or DJ. Though the combinations are many, there are two basic types of DJs: those who play records and match beats as entertainment and those who create beats, mix samples and execute scratches as artistic performance.
According to scratchdj.com, the record-playing type first appeared in the 1940s during WWII. Armed with a turntable, an amplifier and popular records, the DJ would "spin" to entertain troops, as it was too expensive to send entire bands overseas.
The performance-oriented DJ began emerging after the 1960s, when modern electronic music first appeared. In a revolutionary moment, according to scratchdj.com, in 1969, DJ Kool Herc developed a style called "cutting breaks": He would play two identical records simultaneously on two turntables. Using an audio mixer, he would jump between percussion breaks on the records, enabling him to replay the breaks endlessly. His innovation eventually led to the development of sampling and contemporary hip-hop music.
Kool Herc's experimentation also led to Grand Wizard Theodore's crucial discovery -- the record scratch -- in 1975. Grand Wizard Theodore's new technique began turntablism, which is the art of manipulating records with mixers and turntables to produce combinations of electronic sounds.
The innovations of Kool Herc and Grand Wizard Theodore sparked more developments. In the 1980s, artists like Grandmaster Flash and Jam Master Jay from Run-DMC used sampling and scratching; these groups created the first hip-hop of its kind. In the following years, the influence of these artists led the way for DJs to enter the mainstream, and they have since, appearing in a long list of rap groups like the Beastie Boys and rock bands like Linkin Park.
Like these artists, Alex Edgecombe is a local performance-oriented DJ. From Indianapolis, the 20 year old is a junior at Ball State and has performed for three years.
DJ Lex, as he is known, has played at many clubs and night spots in Indianapolis, and will soon have residencies at Vertigo in Bloomington on Saturdays and at CJ's Sports Bar in Muncie on Thursdays and Fridays. He's scratched for the Wu-Tang Clan and is preparing to play with Kanye West, a rapper on Jay-Z's label, in Illinois. DJ Lex has also released some records of his own mixed music, featuring freestyle rapping from area lyricists.
Throughout his experiences, DJ Lex has aimed to affect his audience.
"That is one of the most beautiful things," he said. "You can control the room and control the crowd."
At 16, he bought his first mixer from a pawn shop and promptly began crossfading Will Smith tapes. Upon securing a gig at an under-21 club in Indianapolis, DJ Lex began learning his art on the dance floor.
"When I first started, I didn't know how to beat match or count records. I didn't know how to make songs flow seamlessly," he said.
But, he immersed himself in the art, and he learned to embrace the technical aspect, as well as the integrity and importance of music. For him, the importance is putting his touch on the records he spins.
"You come up with a unique way to display it," he said. "The crowd has heard this song 300 times, but tonight they're going to remember it because of the juggles I did in the middle of it. It's just about making the songs new."
Chris Sutula is the other kind of DJ -- one who plays records for entertainment. Spinning under the moniker DJ Tantrik, the 21 year old has played Muncie-area house parties, and fraternity and sorority parties at Ball State. He said he's played everything, from a 12-year-old's birthday party to a nightclub.
The Chicago native got his start as a DJ after the requests for his homemade mix compilations became too numerous. He bought his equipment and landed a job. Like DJ Lex, no matter what venue he's playing, DJ Tantrik said his spinning is about the audience.
"I like to interact with the crowd," he said. "I feel the vibe of the crowd, and I like to get them in the mood and listening to the songs."
The two DJs differ, though, in their approach. While DJ Lex wants to put his signature on the music he spins, DJ Tantrik is not as interested in scratching or turntablism. He wants to play the newest, hottest records first.
"You want to be the first one to play a song when a new one comes out," he said. "Rather than having a humongous collection, I worry about having the songs that will be hot tomorrow."
In the end, despite their different styles, these two DJs are continuing in, and contributing to, the line of electronic musicians that extends back to the 1960s. Turntables, though changed dramatically from those first used to entertain soldiers, have become vital and irreplaceable instruments in all forms of contemporary music, from rock to hip-hop and back again.
..2*-¦a=-í+â-ìM72_coverstory_25DNEditorial..2SORTb+â-ä2AUDT
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
