DJing is usually an independent act. An independent DJ and their decks run the club but not in the world of team DJ competitions. DMC hosts the DJ Team Championship every year and in 2014 9’O Clock stole the trophy. The team is composed of three DJs who each have a mixer and a turntable to cut up tracks during their routine. The DJs aren’t mixing back to back but they reach musical connection as they all scratch at the same time. Watch their winning routine below.
Team DJing: A Band of Turntablists
This routine is really impressive. While the mixing may be not as intricate as some solo DJs, the whole team is on time and mixing just like a band would play live. You can see throughout the performance how each DJ feeds of the others who inspire the next track. From the way the team manipulates samples to the way they “help” each other mix on one mixer (2:14) 9’O Clock use their individual skills to build a cohesive performance that leaves the listener wanting more.
DJ teams like 9’O Clock push the limitations of the traditional DJ by incorporating a true, human rhythm through the diversity of the DJs playing. Each DJ rocking a Technic 1200 and a Rane Sixty Two mixer is like different musicians rocking an instrument. However DJs aren’t limited to the sounds of one particular instrument, they can really work with any number of sounds or samples. Performances like this should inspire DJs to start thinking about how they could team up and perform with other DJs. After seeing a routine like this it is fair to speculate that we may start seeing bands of DJs in the clubs.
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