Better Late Than Never

So here's my first post. I'm taking a deep breath, diving in and exploring that "edge" of slightly uncomfortable.

I was at the Beaux Arts Ball (http://www.beaux-arts-ball.org/) Saturday night (long story) and somehow ended up at the edge of the stage inside of the warehouse-converted-into-a-dance-hall. Though I was surrounded with crazy costumes, barely clad (and not clad) women and men, people dancing, jumping, clapping, screaming, etc., I couldn't help but notice the performers on the stage.

Yes, I do call them performers, not DJs. It was startling to see a live sampling in real life so soon after being inspired by Mike Lawton's presentation last week. (I could be mistaken in my labeling of "sampling" so please correct me if I'm wrong). It was incredible to see such a mass of people clamoring for music and for beats to dance to. That's exactly what the DJs - performers - on stage provided. They combined a steady beat but also elicited a certain emotional response from the audience through well thought out and executed mixing and sampling of popular tunes.

Take for example, the audience's jumping and shouting when bits and pieces of Papa Roach's "Last Resort" were blended into the bass heavy drum mix, compared to the shaking and hip movements when "Sandstorm" Darude was weaved through the speakers. I could go on and cite further examples but my point is this: the DJs were not simply plugging in songs and mindlessly chugging along, fading one soung out from another. No! I felt that I was a part of a live performance, the DJs feeling the energy of the crowd, cycling rhythmic samples of audio, spoken word, drum beats, and popular songs into drum beats and whipping the warehouse into a frenzy of sweat and dance.

Actually, now that I think about it, watching the DJs seemed like an intense fusion of composition with live performance aspects. I couldn't tell from my vantage point, but it seemed that they were always preparing the next piece, but at the same time, changing the sampling and adjusting the beats and doing the old fashioned disc "scratching" - except with the use of a Mac and other hardware (again I couldn't tell what was being used - but there was some serious equipment).

The reason that I post this is because I feel that I witnessed a valid art form. I feel that most people who have gone to a party can feel the difference in the room when there is a bad DJ versus a good DJ. A bad DJ kinda just puts on a play list and the night goes on. A good DJ feels the vibes of the crowd, feeds into the excitement, and carefully balances the atmosphere of the music with the atmosphere of the room. Taking in the Beaux Arts Ball from the outsider perspective (this was one of the first events of its kind that I have ever gone to), I truly appreciated the talent and work that the DJs spent making the room vibrant with energy and music.

SO I think this has to do with American Innovators because I felt that what I witnessed was pretty innovative. How did we go from live performances to tapes to CDs to this live sampling? How did the role of the DJ progress from a simple master of ceremonies to basically the life of the party?

Anyone?