Friday, November 16, 2007

"DJ Lingo for the Layman"

from thecrimson.com - by Daniel J. Mandel
 
Beat-juggling: Carefully mixing small portions of two records (or two copies of the same record) to create a new beat out of the pre-existing rhythms.

Bite: Copying the techniques another DJ has already used for a particular record. No-no #1 of DJing.

Boom-bap: The signature hard bass and snapping snare sound of classic New York hip-hop. "Boom boom bap / boom boom-boom bap."

Custom records: Expensive specially-commissioned records for a battle DJ to use in his routines. Controversial, and popular in Europe.

DMC: Disco Mix Club, although nobody calls it that. International organization hosting the most prestigious DJ battle competitions.

Fat Beats: New York's home of underground Hip-Hop, located at the corner of 6th Ave. and 8th St., Manhattan, on the second floor. Shiftee's favorite record store.

Golden Age of DJing: Roughly 1996-2000. A period of breakneck technical advancements in DJ music-making. Think DJ Shadow's "Endtroducing...."

Golden Age of Hip-Hop: Roughly 1986-1994. Rapid creative innovation spurred Hip-Hop's rise to mainstream success. Signature artists: Run-DMC, Public Enemy, the Beastie Boys, and De La Soul.

Massive Records: Briefly, the nexus of Boston's underground Hip-Hop scene. Located near Harvard Square, shuttered its doors in 2006.

Rane Serato: Music technology allowing DJs to scratch and mix MP3s, live.

Scratching: Creating new sounds by manually moving a record under the needle. That "wicky wicky wah" sound.

Tip: Hip-Hop speak for "in the context of." "On a dinosaur tip..." = "in the context of dinosaurs...."

Turntablism: Art of playing turntables as a musical instrument. Involves both improvisation and composed routines.

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