Mobile DJ's

Mobile Disc Jockeys (or Mobile DJs) travel or tour with mobile sound systems and play from an extensive collection of pre-recorded music for a targeted audience.

In the past, Mobile DJs utilized formats such as vinyl records or cassettes. During the Disco era of the 1970s, demand for Mobile DJs soared. Top Disc Jockeys in this era would have hundreds of vinyl records and/or cassette tapes. The equipment used in this era was enormous and usually required roadies (similar to those who work for bands) to set up. While many Club Disc Jockeys still use vinyl, most Mobile DJs currently use Compact Discs, computer-based files (such as MP3s), or a combination of sources. In addition, professional-grade equipment created by a variety of companies expressly for Mobile DJing has allowed for faster set-up and break-down, as well as improved quality of performance.

The audiences Mobile DJs play for may be at one of many different types of events including wedding receptions, bar and bat mitzvah receptions, company parties, school dances, anniversaries, birthdays, etc. Mobile DJs also perform in public at bars / taverns, nightclubs, or even at block parties.

Bands had long dominated the wedding entertainment industry, but with the advent of the less expensive and more versatile Mobile DJ, their market share dwindled. Mobile DJs offer the advantage of being able to play music in a wide variety of styles by a wide range of artists, as they use the artists' own original recordings. In addition, audiences or planners that formerly could not afford music for their event are now able to hire a Mobile DJ while still staying within their budget.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Mobile DJs began to form and expand associations and create professional business networks, which now include annual trade shows and Internet discussion forums. Today, many Mobile DJs also promote themselves as an event's planner, organizer, and MC (Master of Ceremonies). Working closely with their customers, their guests, and other vendors (such as venue staff and photographers / videographers), today's professional Mobile DJs strive to provide quality entertainment that fits the event in question in terms of style and performance.

In addition, a good Mobile DJ should be able to play a client's specific requests by incorporating them into a repertoire of party favorites. This is called "reading" the crowd.

Today, a large selection of music, professional-grade equipment, good organizational skills, vocal talent as an MC, mixing skills, quality lighting, insurance for liability, and on-site back-up equipment are all essential customer expectations when purchasing Mobile DJ services.

Some current topics of debate within the professional Mobile DJ community include moving from CDs to MP3s, full-time vs. part-time DJs, pricing, and multi-ops vs. single-ops. (A multi-operator company offers several difference DJs on staff for an event, while a single-operator company is owned and run by one DJ.) The chief argument between most of these positions in the professional Mobile DJ community is that of quantity vs. quality, but the debate itself indicates a thriving professional business community attempting to continually redefine itself for its customers' ever-changing needs.

I've been a mobile DJ for quite a while and now I've gathered enough knowlage to write you about this business!

Our mobile DJ website: www.sonorizare.srv.ro

History Of Hip-Hop

Hip-hop music or rap music is an admired and famous style or genre of music in the USA. This well-known music genre is made up of two components, rapping and record scratching. Rapping is also known as MCing and DJing, which comprises of audio mixing. These two main components combined with graffiti and break dancing form the four core elements of hip-hop.

Hip-hop was initiated as a cultural movement by inner-city youth, mostly Latinos, Hispanics, and African Americans in New York City, in the early seventies. The word "rap" was derived in the sixties, from a slang word that meant conversation.

Hip-hop has two main historical eras, the old school hip-hop era from 1970-1985 and the golden age hip-hop era from 1985-1993. The golden age of hip-hop began only when it entered the mainstream of music and it consolidated the sounds of the West Coast and the East Coast.

The origin of hip-hop music is from African American and West African music. Contributions of griots like The Last Poets, Jalal Mansur Nurriddin, and Gil Scott-Heron were significant in a big way for the advent of hip-hop in the 1960s. Hip-hop had originally begun in the Bronx. Funk and soul music were played a lot in block parties. In the beginning, the DJs at these parties began separating the percussion breaks from hit songs. They started realizing that these breaks were more entertaining and groovy. This technique had become widespread in Jamaica and had spread considerably in the New York community via the Jamaican immigrants.

Kool DJ Herc and Grandmaster Flash were the pioneers in the hip-hop industry and other DJs had extended the short percussion interludes of funk records and created a more danceable sound. As a result, remixes had become popular with the advent of mixing and scratching techniques. Many styles of hip-hop had developed in the golden age of hip-hop.

At present, hip-hop is enjoyed all around the world. In spite, of all the controversies created by hip-hop artists they are still growing in number. Hip-hop music is sold all over the world in stores and even online.

Hip Hop provides detailed information on Hip Hop, Hip Hop And Rap, Hip Hop Music, R&B Hip Hop and more. Hip Hop is affiliated with Karaoke Music [http://www.karaoke-web.com].

DJ Equipment Mixers - Now Equipped With MIDI Support For the Extreme Performance Experience

The new breed of DJ mixers are right there under your fingers --- finally, a gadget that allows both new and professional DJs to blend standard audio are here, plus, additionally allowing them to control virtual DJing software using the same controls on the mixer via MIDI. DJ equipment mixers have never been this mobile and powerful --- and absolutely in.

The coolest thing about a DJ equipment mixer is that it is packed with the aspects of first class DJ gear when it comes to your critical beat-mixing --- your DJ system can now build its own conventional DJ-style music minus the effort of maneuvering a lot of buttons and getting lost in a sea of cables and wires. The main function of DJ equipment mixers is to allow more than one song to play through a sound system at the same time. Your DJ equipment mixers aren't really supposed to scare you --- truth is they were already used from your regular night parties down to wedding receptions, school dances and other events manipulated by the music person, DJ or not. So you'd get pretty familiar with this one in no time.

So let's get a little more acquainted with DJ equipment mixers. There are actually a number of good DJ mixers in the market today --- there are units that are used for some music mixing and matching including dance beats between songs while others are the general mixers that can be used for scratching, mixing dance beats or both. You can pretty much take your pick from the wide array of options available --- you can definitely make your own songs adding up some little wild twists giving you the ultimate personalized music you've always craved for for as long as you can remember.

Another DJ must-have that can definitely get you an upgrade is the MIDI controller. It brings a simple and fixed kind of DJ mixer-style control to the world of computer DJing and live performance but with a touch of "something else". Now whatever that is, is up to you. A MIDI controller does exactly that --- give you power and control in how you would want to progress. You can get perceptible and not so complicated controls for volume, EQ, cueing, pitch, cross fader and a transport with a single USB connection. That is the beauty of laptop computers and mixers --- you get boundless options to bring your electronic performance to the high class category. So remember: if you're looking to get the best kind of DJ equipment mixer, don't forget to check out MIDI supports. You would be missing a lot if you don't.

For more information on what makes a good DJ Equipment Mixer or for more information on DJ Equipment in general.

What Is Hip Hop and How It Originated in New York

Hip Hop was formed as a cultural movement among the youths of New York City. It is made up of four main elements or aspects which are MCing, DJing, graffiti art, and breakdancing. Hip Hop has also become a synonym for rap music but the two should not be interchanged. The word rap is actually ripped off a 1960 slang word for conversation. Rap consists of street poetry that is chanted to the accompaniment of popular disco music or funk recordings.

Gangs are often related or associated with hip hop but the difference between them is that the latter is a bigger cultural movement while the other is only a small part under it. Hip hop was also developed in the 1970s as an alternative culture to the worship of violence often displayed by gangs.

Many sources point towards the direction of the Bronx in New York as the birthplace of hip hop culture. When an expressway was being built at the heart of the Bronx in 1959, the middle classes started leaving the borough.

The exit of these neighborhoods was replaced by poor families that are either black or Hispanic. They brought along unemployment, crime and drug addiction. Due to the continuous exit of middle-classmen, landlords were forced to sell their properties because of too many vacancies. This resulted to abandoned and vacant buildings.

During the deterioration of the borough, the third element of hip hop culture which is graffiti art was born. It began with a group of teenage boys terrorizing the Bronx vicinity. After that, different gang activities started surging and it went on until the next six years. The group was first called the Savage Seven which was later changed to the Black Spades as more members started to join. Later on, the hip hop movement was organized as a powerful alternative against street violence.

There are four elements of Hip Hop. Firstly, MCing. MC is a short term for Masters of Ceremonies. It was generally associated with rapping in the past. Rapping is a form of rhyming the spoken lyrics and is done over musical instruments. Rapping used to be called MCing until such time it became a subset of MCing.

Secondly, DJing. A disc jockey or DJ creates different musical backgrounds by using techniques such as audio mixing, sampling and scratching. They use the music as party entertainment or as backdrops to accompany a rapper. The third element is Graffiti art. It was used by street gangs in the 1950s to promote their groups, mark territories and intimidate enemies. It was also popularized by a mail courier who began writing his name and courier ID in every bus he rode to deliver mails and packages. The fourth element is Breakdancing. This dancing style was born during the time that hip hop music was undergoing developments. The different moves that comprise breakdancing often stretch the human body to the limits.Hip hop began its earlier developments and recognition through block and house parties where DJs provide party entertainment by playing popular music. They created a signature technique called breaks. Later on, the DJs and MCs teamed up to create rap and it became very popular. After that, the influence of hip hop went on to form another subculture which is breakdancing. While the rap music is for turntables and microphones, breakdancing also began invading not only block party floors but also street floors.

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Learn to DJ - Class 1

DJ mixing is all about creating a continuous groove that keeps the dance floor grooving. The DJ blends the end of one record into the beginning of the next by lining up the beats, bars and phrases of the two records and then making a smooth transition from one track to the next.

Beats, bars and phrases are the building blocks of modern music - the beat is the constant pulse which is present in every song (even when the drums aren't playing). Beats are most easily identified in House or Garage tunes when the bass drum thuds once on each beat. The speed of the beat is called the "tempo" and is measured in beats per minute or "BPM". A slow tune (R&B or Hip Hop for example) might have a tempo of around 98 BPM, while faster tunes (in Drum n Bass for example) can reach a tempo of 170BPM.

To get started, choose a tune and play it on the first deck, then choose a second tune (roughly the same BPM as the first) and play it on the second deck but without turning up its volume in the main mix, so that you can hear it only in your headphones.

When both records are playing together, it quickly becomes clear that the beats of the two records won't stay in synch unless they are running at the same BPM. Use the speed control (or "BPM Slider") to speed up or slow down one of the two records until the two BPMs are the same.

To perform a simple Drop Mix, when the first record gets near its end start the second record from the beginning and, in order to make a smooth transition, use the "cross-fader" (the sideways fader at the bottom of the mixer) to switch from the first record to the second.

To perform a Beat Mix, the DJ has to physically manipulate the records so that the beats of both tunes line up in synch. When mixing with real vinyl on a deck with a slip mat, this means he has to "grab" the record, by stopping it physically with one hand on the surface and, making sure the needle always stays in the groove, wind it forwards or backwards (but without ever pressing too hard so the platter underneath doesn't stop).

If you are interested in exploring the craft of djing further you might want to look at more detailed resources on dj skills and dj courses

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DJ Hero - Review From a Real Battle DJ

Activision has released DJ Hero, the latest and greatest in the music/gaming industry. First, let me give you my experience with DJing. I'm a Hip Hop Battle DJ that has competed in many competitions, but have yet to win first. Been close, but that doesn't count, anyway, on with my review/opinion.

First, I was very excited to see the DJ Hero commercial the other night. Finally, a DJ simulation that has the look and feel of real DJ'ing. The game itself is packaged with a turntable and a mixer designed to integrate with your xBox, Wii, or PS2/3. Out of the box, you can start to mix down songs just like a real DJ.

The turntable/mixer combo can be configured for either lefties, or righties, which is a very nice feature. I, as being right handed, but in my mixing and scratching, I'm more of a lefty, go figure. The turntable rotates just as a real turntable does, but is not motor driven. The turntable also contains three buttons (green, red, blue) which are used to assist in the game play, and perform functions such as queuing songs, or indicating which track you are scratching with. I find this to be a very interesting concept, as it will give you the feel of really scratching songs without having to spend thousands on DJ equipment, as I have.

The track list is very extensive as well, and poses some very interesting combinations of songs to mix down. Some of the more interesting mixes, to me at least are:


50 Cent - "Disco Inferno" vs. David Bowie - "Let's Dance"
Beastie Boys - "Intergalactic" vs. Blondie - "Rapture"
Black Eyed Peas - "Boom Boom Pow" vs. Benny Benassi - "Satisfaction"
Eminem - "My Name Is" vs. Beck - "Loser"
Jay-Z - "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" vs. Eminem - "My Name Is"

With over 90 different songs in the track listing, this game looks to bridge the gap of people that have always wanted to try to DJ, but did not want to shell out the money for a turntable setup - which can get very expensive. Trust me on that.

Check out my full review of DJ Hero here:

DJ Hero Review

Thanks for reading!

DJ Statik

Become a DJ - Getting a DJ Gig

When learning how to become a DJ there are many ways you can go about getting your first DJ gig. Firstly thought before you even consider your first DJ gig, you need to have put the hours of practice in your bedroom to make sure you are ready to take the opportunity with both hands when it presents itself.

I've meet loads of people over the years, some even friends that have made the plunge and invested in the full DJ set up and the one thing that makes the real DJ's stand out from all the other 'want to be DJ's' is practice, and lots of it!

An amateur practices till they get it right

A professional practices until they can't get it wrong!

So let's assume you have put the time and effort into practice and you're ready for your first club DJ gig!

The first thing that you need to do once you have learnt how to DJ is go out and inject yourself into the clubbing community or scene that you want to be a part of, and in particular the club that you want to play your first gig at. You not only need to inject yourself into that community but you need to become a part of it.

You have to be prepared to do whatever it takes. You could offer to help on the door, promote, hand out flyers, collect emails, pick up glasses, work behind the bar, pretty much anything to get your foot in that back door.

Once you are in you need to gain respect by working hard and by being passionate about what you're doing as well as your music and what you want to achieve with it.

I am a firm believer that you create your own luck when learning how to become a DJ, people will pick up on your passion and vibe and you will notice opportunities will start to present themselves. You will start to get invited to private house parties and start to build friendships with like minded people.

The entire time you will be giving out endless copies of your professional looking kick arse demo CD's, right?...

Always have your headphones and tune's ready to go!

Once you start becoming a familiar face at the club and the promoters and club owners start to feel your vibe and passion for the music and the club it will only be a matter of time till they get a DJ that doesn't show up - by strategically putting yourself in the right position and at the right time you will get your opportunity, that is a guarantee.

DJ's don't turn up all the time, flight delays, double bookings, wrong dates, lack of commitment, car break downs, airport rides' not turning up the list goes on. This is you backdoor entrance!

No matter how unrealistic or competitive it is getting in the front door, if you do the right things and are prepared to get your hands dirty handing out flyers or just generally volunteering your services to help the club owners and promoters out your time will come.

Are you ready though?

The thing I keep going back to is that you need to be ready. Remember if you get a gig this way it is out of desperation, after all you are filling a slot at the 11th hour, so you need to be doubly ready to make sure that you blow the club owners, promoters and most importantly dance floor out of the water with your confidence, charisma, music selection and seamless mixing.

If you've truly put the time in to being ready for your opportunity, you will be in a position to make the most of it, the right people will take notice and your DJing journey will have begun. The flipside - if you're not ready your DJing journey will be over before it even begins.

This leaves two questions:


Have you done the hard work and left no stone un-turned practicing in your bedroom?
Are you prepared to get your hands dirty and do whatever it takes to get your foot in the door?

If you can hand on heart answer yes to both the above questions, then you know what to do! So good luck and as always keep me posted because it's your success stories that keep me motivated!

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