Most Influential DJ's
mr.brett
678 Posts
A journalist is doing an article about the local dj's in my town and was wondering who some of the most influential DJ's are. I gave her the following names, but was curious to get some of your opinions. Hip-hopDJ Kool Herc - Threw the first hip-hop parties, focused on looping the break. Question: To what extent did Herc bring the concept of the soundsystem clash from Jamaica and to what extent did this instill the concept of battling as key part of hip-hop?GrandWizard Theodore - "Inventor" of the scratchGrandmaster Flash - What was signficant about flash? He cut while flipping around, scratching w/ elbows and moving the fader with his back, but is there anything else?Who else?I told her that Jazzy Jeff and DJ Premier are worth mentioning as underground icons today. Who else falls in this category?Disco/HouseDavid Mancuso - Worth mentioning because his loft parties were the model atmosphere/vibe that clubs and party hosts tried to replicate in the 70's. While he didn't mix, his selections and sequencing were highly respected. Frankie Knuckles - DJ at the Warehouse. Knuckles imported the aesthetic found in the New York underground disco scene. People began calling house music house to describe the type of music he played at the Warehouse. Francis Grasso - first beatmatcher. Current underground icons - Mark Farina, Derrick Carter, Raoul Belmans.... it could go on and on... and names vary with personal preferences towards different styles of house.What about techno DJ's... the only name I really know is Jeff Mills.
Comments
Shadow and Cut Chemist
Z-Trip
Beat Junkies
Scratch Picklz
KDAY DJs
Red Alert
Stretch Armstrong
Chemical Brothers
Grandmixer DST
Bambaataa
Jazzy Jay
Grandmaster Flash
Grandwizard Theodorde
Jam Master Jay
Bambatta - records
Flash - techniques
Herc - best sound system
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tijs_Verwest
Craze
Alaadin
Cash Money
Jazzy Jeff
DJ Supreme (UK)
Joe Cooley
Real fucking mixers know the deal...
end of story.
Flash's influence shouldn't be downplayed! While Kool Herc might've been the first to double up breaks, Flash took it to a whole other level.. He was really the first to make it sound seamless and segue between breaks without missing a beat. People were so blown away by it that they'd just stop dancing to watch him... Enter the MC, to keep the people moving and get some of the attention off of Flash.
Not to mention he modified his mixer to have a cue listen.. I'm not sure if that was a feature on a lot of mixers back then, but apparently it was a big breakthrough for him.
Walter Gibbons
Levan
Knuckles
Ron Hardy
Electrifying Mojo
Hot Mix 5
Francois K
Baldelli
Loda
Mozart
Harvey
Tee Scott
Nicky Siano
jim Burgess
Gilles Peterson (?)
House is so global
NYC = Walter Gibbons (!), Tee Scott, Larry Levan, Francois K (who is still influential to this day), and in the last 10 years - present Timmy Regisford, Joe Claussell, Little Louie Vega
Chicago = Ron Hardy always.
UK = Harvey, and for "rare groove" Norman Jay & Gilles Peterson
Spain = Ricardo Villalobos
Norway = Prins Thomas and Lindstrom
Not sure where Maurice Fulton is living nowadays
Most influential "techno" dj of all time = Electrifying Mojo or whatever his name is.
I-F is very influential right now, and has been for the last 5 or more years.
Carl Craig, Derrick May, Juan Atkins
DJ Hell
Have any been mentioned?
DJ Drama
and how about Sven V??th?
2 many DJ's & A skills w. Krafty Kuts have got to be other more recent DJ's who changed a scene.
Ian Levine, Kev Roberts....and not to forget the mighty Keb Darge, who rose from the ranks of the Northern Soulies...
No way
uuuhhhh
that was dope!
No way
Easily one of the top ten dj's ever, sucka