Hip Hop DJs and the Evolution of Technology: Cultural Exchange, Innovation, and Democratization(27 Popular Culture and Everyday Life)

Using interviews with world-renowned and innovative hip-hop DJs, as well as technology manufacturers that cater to the market/culture, this book reveals stories behind some of the iconic DJ technologies that have helped shape the history and culture of DJing. More importantly, it explores how DJs have impacted the evolution of technology. By looking at the networks of innovation behind DJ technologies, this book problematizes the notion of the individual genius and the concept of invention. Developing a theory of «technocultural synergism,» this book attempts to detail the relationship between culture and industry through the manipulation, exchange, and rights associated with intellectual property. While the subject of hip-hop and intellectual property has already been well explored, this is the first time that hip-hop DJs have been conceptualized as intellectual property because of their role in the R&D and branding of DJ products. The book also addresses the impact of digital technology on the democratization of DJ culture, as well as how new digital DJ technology has affected the recorded music market.

Table of Contents:
Contents: Re-coding Sound Technology and the Vinyl Archive – Exchange and Rights in the DJ Product Industry: Technics and Vestax Corporation – Exchange and Rights in the DJ Product Industry: Rane Corporation and Serato Audio Research – The Hip-Hop DJ as Intellectual Property: Research and Development – The Hip-Hop DJ as Intellectual Property: Branding, Endorsement, and the Nature of Convergence – Scratching the Digital Itch and the Cultural Negotiation of DVS.

About the Author :
André Sirois (PhD, University of Oregon), a.k.a. DJ food stamp, is an instructor at the University of Oregon, where he teaches courses on filmmaking and popular culture in the media. He has over 17 years experience as a hip-hop, scratch, club, and radio DJ. His scratches have been featured on numerous artists’ songs, including the gold-selling single by Spose, «I’m Awesome.» He is one of the founders of DJistory/DJpedia, a non-profit organization and archive dedicated to preserving and telling histories of DJ technology and culture.

Review :
"A must-read for anyone interested in some of the lost and important stories of hip-hop DJ/turntablist history and technology." (D-Styles, Scratch DJ innovator and member of the Invisibl Skratch Piklz and the Beat Junkies) "A precise and thorough documentation of the scratch DJ history in its purest form by an author who lives it." (DJ Focus, Artist and inventor of the first optical crossfader for hip-hop culture and scratching) "Andre Sirois (a.k.a. DJ food stamp) takes us where previous histories of hip-hop have not: into the world of the technology companies that have long collaborated with and profited from DJ culture. This compelling and thoroughly researched work forces us to reconsider how technology is made. Rather than being conceived of and disseminated from on high, Sirois demonstrates how new technologies are shaped with users in mind and often developed in dialogue with them. We already know hip-hop as one of the most important artistic, political, and social developments of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries; Sirois makes clear that hip-hop is also a profound technological force of its own. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the full scope of hip-hop culture, as well as by anyone looking to understand the synergy between everyday practices and technological advancement." (Loren Kajikawa, Author of Sounding Race in Rap Songs) "This is a very cool book...in so many ways. Andre Sirois presents fascinating stories and valuable analysis that not only illuminates the DJ industry, but also speaks more generally to the commodification of culture. The emphasis on intellectual property is serious and significant. Don't miss it!" (Janet Wasko, Knight Chair in Communication Research, University of Oregon)