The DJ stands at a juncture of technology, performance and culture in the increasingly uncertain climate of the popular music industry, functioning both as pioneer of musical taste and gatekeeper of the music industry. Together with promoters, producers, video jockeys (VJs) and other professionals in dance music scenes, DJs have pushed forward music techniques and technological developments in last few decades, from mashups and remixes to digital systems for emulating vinyl performance modes. This book is the outcome of international collaboration among academics in the study of electronic dance music. Mixing established and upcoming researchers from the US, Canada, the UK, Germany, Austria, Sweden, Australia and Brazil, the collection offers critical insights into DJ activities in a range of global dance music contexts. In particular, chapters address digitization and performativity, as well as issues surrounding the gender dynamics and political economies of DJ cultures and practices.
One of the strongest points of this collection is the attention it pays to issues of gender in relation to DJs, their careers, and their representations in EDM scenes. ? Gavanas and Reitsamer refuse to content themselves with merely observing that the DJ profession is male-dominated, instead striving to understand how this has come to be, how it persists, and what efforts are being made to change it. ? DJ Culture in the Mix is an original, valuable, and much-needed contribution to the scholarship of DJS and their activities in the EDM scene.