With the widely advertised launch of the DJ Hero game all eyes are on the turntables. The game itself is the latest installment in the wildly successful series of ‘rhythm games’, though the first to be based on turntablism. With this release and the wider digital music explosion it raises the question, will we see the rise of a new wave of turntable jockeys? and if it does what options lie ahead for them to break new ground?

Back in the day, when DJ Kool Herc began doing things with 2 turntables that would go on to become the foundation of Hip-Hop the MC didn’t exist. It was all about the records and the DJ. It was the DJs skill at manipulating beats, dropping samples, loops and whatever flare they could isolate to get the party jumping. The technical setup remained pretty constant for the DJ over the next 30 years. It was the DJs skills and music trends that developed and evolved. Grand Master Flash came after Kool Herc and is generally recognised as the greatest of the early turntable pioneers. The combination of his record looping techniques combined with Grand Wizard Theodores scratch technique was the definite prelude to Hip-hop turntablism exploded.

Released in 2001, the documentary film ‘Scratch’ explores the world of the hip-hop DJ in detail during which DJ Badu describes how he believes that the turntable can be a musical instrument “as long as you see it as [one]” (incidentally DJ Badu is a good friend and regular collaborator of J-Rocc – who is playing in the Twisted Pepper on November 21st). But now the turntable and the equipment surrounding it is evolving again and increasingly quickly. The digital age has heralded a whole new generation of tools and equipment. Back in the early 80s when Steinski and Double Dee put together their ground-breaking “The Lessons” mixes they used tape, reel-to-reel decks, a razor blade and some glue. This entire process can now be achieved with a single laptop.

Which brings me back to DJ Hero. The special game controller is a stripped down deck and crossfader combo. If it was a properly functional piece of equipment it could only be considered the most basic controller available. But it is a game whose purpose is for people to have fun, so instead it can be seen as a starting point with great potential. The restricted music selection within the game will get tiresome quickly enough, how many times can you listen to Disturbia!

The appeal of DJ Hero will inevitably wain and when it does I expect and hope some of those who play the game will be motivated to explore further. At which point they will start by looking around for more ways to explore their creativity, by looking for equipment which will help them realise their ideas. And there is a wealth of options out available like never before.

The long established setup of 2 turntables, a mixer and a bunch of vinyl is the obvious place to start but why follow convention when other options are available. Digital technology has lowered the entry point to modern music. Downloads have predominantly replaced the classic vinyl hunt. Turntables are no longer the core of the DJ’s setup, more often they act as an interface for a wide range of digital technologies. When Serato arrived in 2004 the turntable started to go through its first major technical evolution in 30 years. However developments in other areas are impacting in a very different way such that turntables, in the conventional sense, are no longer even essential. The rise of MIDI controllers has unexpectedly removed the requirement for turntables from urntablism. Used in tandem with a laptop a controller can be used as both mixer and turntables within a single portable solution.

Vestax in particular are producing equipment that is really making people sit up and take notice. Controllers which instantly give you equivalent functionality and more. Multiple cue points, looping amongst other features are bringing all sorts of new and interesting ways to mash-up, manipulate and make new from old. Though I think it worth pointing out that with all this innovation the basic mechanics of the turntables is remaining essentially the same, only reinforceing how apt the platters are as a means of music control.

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Before the advent of the Internet gigs, clubs or releases had the potential to become massive events. That just doesn’t seem to be the case anymore. Music has become so widely (and wildly) available that it feels saturated. With so many options there just isn’t enough time in the day to filter out the dross and focus on that which really excites you. If nothing else I really hope that those who play DJ Hero or Controllerism/Turntablism dabblers (of which I am one) will gain a greater appreciation for those of us whose explorations have taken them all the way out to the cutting edge. We need them otherwise we will be trapped in a world where Rihanna is stuck on repeat!