Blast From The Past – DJs Want Hardware Over Digital

You’d think that with the advance of digital technology, the last thing that DJs would want to do is go back in time to using clunky hardware. Sure, there have always been (and always will be) a niche group of DJs who continue to dabble in turntablism.

Now, though, DJs seem to be returning en masse to the old ways. There’s been a wave of interest in CDJs, turntables and laptop-free set-ups. Is it a phase or not? What’s behind the shift?

Sometimes it takes new technology to make us aware of the benefits of the old stuff. When CDs came on to the market with their perfect sound, everyone sang the praises of the scratchy, homey sound of vinyl.

Digital technology has allowed DJs endless possibilities when it comes to creating music. The problem is that with software of any kind, the potential for problems can also be endless. Compatibility issues, updates that go wrong, software that never really works properly … there’s also the fact that digital technology forces us to travel along a steeper learning curve. You know, sometimes you just want to get behind the decks and do your thing. You don’t always want to spend hours figuring out how the technology works best.

So, where do you stand on this? Are you tossing your laptop in favor of a pared down set-up?