” Rev Speaks “

If your a puzzled by the current commercialization of DJ culture like myself, this article by DJ REVOLUTION should hold your attention (Instant DJ)….

I knew it wouldn’t t be long before something presented itself to me as inspiration to write in this space. A random walk through BestBuy today proved to be a little more than a search for some extra gear we needed for a location shoot. Passing though the endless maze of aisles and endcaps Rod Gee spotted a particular display that blew my mind. Topped by a row of “Beats by Dre” headphones, were three shelves of computer based DJ hardware for the general consumer. Various types of digital turntables and gadgets that came with their own software were stacked upon each other like the board games in the display across the aisle. Prices of these things ranged from $79 to $299. Clever slogans and flashy boxes tried to disguise the fact that they were junk. Basically, this was the instant DJ section.

Obviously having to be on the cutting edge of all things DJ, I’ve known things like this have existed for quite some time. I must say though, seeing them all laid out in one display like this did take me by suprise. It made me think of how hard it was for me to get some of the things that are easily and cheaply available at your local BestBuy. Working ridiculous hours at crap jobs and saving up was how I was able to get my gear after using junk for years. $425 for each Technics SL1200. $200 for my 1st Gemini mixer. Speakers, amps, cables, needles and the most expensive and addictive thing of all…records. The ongoing process of aquiring these things was a struggle and a long journey but it was fun and added to the value of who I was as a DJ. If all of a sudden I got some cheap digital turntables, some software to mix on and a laptop with the capacity to hold tens of thousands of songs I would know absolutely nothing, accept how to run software on my computer. My point is, you can’t be a DJ “out of a box”. Being a DJ is about the love of music and the passion for exposing what you love about it to other people in your own unique way. BestBuy doesn’t sell that on any shelf.

Maybe I can put it in perspective so that you might understand why I am disturbed and borderline insulted by this display. What would you do if you were walking through BestBuy and you came across a big display of Violins and Cello’s? Then, in the next aisle over you could buy paintbrushes and canvases. You would think to yourself “…why are these things on sale here?” wouldn’t you? Why is that? Because when you want to buy or find out about musical instruments you go somewhere known for selling them. A place that has a knowledgeable staff that can offer insight and perhaps even lessons. If you wanted to be painter would you go to BestBuy? No.You would go to an art store that will have what you need, or a bookstore to find out more about the history of art. You wouldn’t buy your 15 year old son or daughter a plastic Saxophone in a box and send them on their way to be a musician without giving them the means of learning to play properly. They would be laughed and taken for a joke. The same logic applies for things that relate to DJ’ing. Turntables are considered instruments.

DJ’ing is without a doubt considered a profession and in fact most who know about it in it’s true form would call it art. By putting items in the pictures I took on the shelves at a store like BestBuy, it makes the general consumer take them a little more seriously than if they saw them on the shelves at “Toys ‘R’ Us”. What I mean by that is these are in fact just expensive toys that shouldnt be taken seriously. If you want to inspire someone to be a DJ please do us all a favor and research the subject. Point yourself or someone else in the right direction. Otherwise the unprepared, inexperienced, know nothing phony that learned to DJ from a box they got at BestBuy might actually do damage to a respected craft instead of contributing to it.