DJ History: The
Third-Wave of Club DJ Growth, 1985-2001 (Part I)
by Rob
Wegner
May 2003
Special Thanks to
Bill Brewster and Frank Broughton (Authors of Last Night A
DJ Saved My Life: The History of the Disc Jockey), as well
as Doug Shannon (Author of Off the Record) and Mickey
"Mixin" Oliver. Magnificent Seven photo courtesy of
Julian "Jumpin" Perez.
As some of you may recall, I
contend that DJ history takes place in three distinctive phases
or waves of economic growth. The first-wave, which I addressed
in January,
appears between 1943 and 1969. The second-wave, discussed in
February,
takes place between 1974 and 1982. This month, I continue the
discussion by assessing the third-wave, which I will argue takes
place between 1985 and 2001.
The Period Between Waves (1982-1985)
It's important to note that the
disco scene didn't exactly "die" in 1982. It either
moved into underground clubs, or it remained strong in overseas
markets - particularly Italy (i.e., Italio-disco). In addition,
while the dance music scene started to show improvement around
1985, we don't begin to see genuine growth until the 1990's.
There
are many structural similarities between the slow period of the
early-80's and the downturn of 1969-1974, such as an economic
recession (1982) and the rebirth of peace activism (i.e.,
National
Nuclear Weapons Freeze Campaign of 1980-1986). This is not
to say that these factors created a slowdown in the DJ industry
per se. In fact, the disco wave ended primarily because
the scene became played-out (i.e., oversupply and weak demand).
However, it appears that oversupply combined with these
structural factors are probable signs that a growth wave will
lose strength. The chart at left depicts the general signs that
could potentially predict an economic downturn in the DJ industry.
This will be addressed in further detail next month with regard
to the current economic conjuncture.
Three significant innovations
seem to materialize during the downphase of the 1980's: (1) house
music; (2) the rave scene (which includes the creative marketing
surrounding it); and (3) the commercialization of CD technology.
These innovations will characterize the third-wave of economic
growth in the DJ industry.
The Third-Wave (1985-2001)
(1) House Music
There
are many different interpretations of house music, which has
created confusion regarding its true meaning. The notion that
"house" music is named after the underground music
played at Chicago's Warehouse nightclub during the 1980's
is the most accepted definition. However, some DJ's argue that
house music is named after "music lying around the house."
While others expand on this concept by stating that "it's
music lying around the Warehouse nightclub." The most confusing
definition - that house music is a state of mind or attitude
- offers little to explain how it's different than other styles
of music.
Mickey "Mixin" Oliver,
a Hot Mix 5 DJ at the center of Chicago's early house movement,
helped me to clarify the confusion. According to Oliver, house
music has two definitions: an early definition (the "original"
meaning) and the later version, which is the current definition.
The early definition, as Oliver puts it, holds that house music
was the stuff lying around the Warehouse nightclub on the Salsoul label
as played by Ron Hardy and Frankie Knuckles.
The New York based Salsoul (salsa+soul)
label bridges the gap between disco and house music. The label's
creators were looking to reduce expenses in light of the uncertain
economic environment surrounding the decline of disco. This reinforces
the notion that innovation in the dance music industry tends
to occur during downward periods (i.e., DJ's scramble to find
something that will keep their dance floors packed). In the case
of Salsoul, innovation meant that:
[c]omplete orchestras can now
be replaced by one person with a decent synthesizer and computer,
consequently reducing costs by an average 4,800%. Drummers and
bassists have generally been replaced by beat perfect and digitally
faultless machines which are 100% accurate, much cheaper, more
convenient and much less temperamental. Jahsonic.com
As the Warehouse nightclub and
Hot Mix 5 (on WBMX) started to cultivate the new electronic-disco
sound, there was consensus among Chicago's top DJ's - as Oliver
points out - to produce authentic house tracks. In 1983/1984,
Jesse Saunders released
the first house track, On & On. This leads to the
second definition of house:
It became disco music dominated
by electronic bass and drum machines. Percussion sounds, such
as the high-hat, were accentuated.
While this second definition
sounds like the classic definition of "electronica,"
the key word here is disco (particularly its beat). House music
derives from disco; which derives from the soul inspired "Philly
sound" (i.e., Soul Train); which derives from jazz and black
gospel. In fact, DJ's such as Tony Humphries would sample gospel
tracks over electronic beats.
New York Garage and Detroit
Techno
Tony Humphries' "Jersey
Sound" of mixing gospel, jazz, and melodic parts became
known as "Garage" music (Brewster and Broughton, pp.
282-283). Like house, the term garage is also vulnerable to different
interpretations. It is often assumed that the term originated
at DJ Larry Levan's Paradise Garage nightclub in New York (Levan
was close friends with Frankie Knuckles of Chicago's Warehouse).
However, the different styles and genres presented at the Paradise
Garage over ten years makes it difficult to discern a common
definition (Brewster and Broughton, p. 282).
According to Mickey Oliver, the
New York DJ's would try to duplicate the Chicago "house"
sound but didn't understand the formula (such as accentuated
high-hats). In fact, Oliver traveled to New York in order to
explain the elements of Chicago house to a few producers. As
Oliver put it, "the New York garage sound became the Big
Apple's version of house music."
Being geographically located
between Chicago and New York, Detroit techno combined elements
of Chicago house and New York garage along with European imports.
Techno seemed to distance itself from disco's roots by becoming
almost purely electronic with synthesized beats. As Bill Brewster
and Frank Broughton contend, "[techno's] basic notion was
this: if house is just disco played by microchips, what kind
of noise would these machines make on their own" (Brewster
and Broughton, p. 321).
Techno's originators were producers
such as Kevin Saunderson, Derrick May, and Juan Atkins, who were
heavily influenced by Kraftwerk, New Order, and Chicago's house
DJ's. As Mickey Oliver recalls, "both Juan and Kevin would
visit me and the other DJ's in Chicago. We inspired them."
Next Month: Part II
Resources
Brewster, Bill and Frank Broughton (1999) Last Night A DJ Saved My Life:
The History of the Disc Jockey. Grove Press.
Poschardt, Ulf (1995) DJ Culture. London, England: Quartet Books Limited.
Shannon, Doug (1982) Off The Record. Cleveland, OH: Pacesetter
Publishing House (Out of Print).
Webber, Stephen (2000) Turntable Technique. Boston, MA: Berklee Press.
-
Industry News
* DMA
Magazine, one of the first industry magazines, has ceased
publication after more than ten years. Disc Jockey 101 wishes
its staff and management good luck in the future. Disc Jockey
101 is one of the few selected sites that will host the DMA
Club Chart, which will continue to be updated monthly.
* A new inflatable church may
change the character of mobile weddings. The designers also have
plans to develop inflatable nightclubs. See Inflatable
Church.
.
