Last Night a DJ Saved My Life

Led by Berklee professor Chris Annibell, this seminar and demonstration examines the evolution of DJ techniques through the intersecting influences of migration, culture, and technology, drawing connections among Jamaican sound system practices, American radio traditions, and the emergence of disco and early hip hop in New York City.

Emphasis is placed on how technology directly shaped and advanced the art form — from rotary mixers in disco enabling seamless, continuous blends, to the crossfader and headphone cue systems in hip hop facilitating beatmatching, cutting, and real-time performance control. These technical developments are contextualized within the parallel rise of the downtown club scene (including Paradise Garage and Black, Latin, and LGBTQ+ dancefloor culture) and the uptown Bronx hip hop movement, both of which responded to the social, economic, and political conditions of the time. The seminar positions DJing as a technologically driven practice rooted in community, innovation, and cultural exchange.

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Host or Publisher BerkleeNYC