DJ sets are going through an undeniable revival. Not to say men named Kyle haven’t been pushing buttons and making sounds in dorm rooms across the country since the advent of the control board, but it seems like everyone is a DJ right now. It is the go-to pivot career for many influencers and reality TV stars, and the emergence of finance bros-turned-DJs, like the massively successful John Summit, makes it seem like remixing tracks may not be all that hard. 

“What do DJs actually do, because I don’t think they’re remixing the song on the spot,” said influencer Madeline Argy in a viral TikTok that soon became the base track for thousands of DJ remixes.

We’re not believers in a DJ hierarchy, and we love dance music. But we have to admit, traditional track spinning makes for a really fun set. Analog disc jockeying requires a good ear to match beats per minute and seamlessly transition between tracks.

In the ‘80s, before computers completely changed the industry, DJs would mark their records with crayons, noting exactly when to switch tracks. The technique was pioneered by Grandmaster Flash, who also popularized cutting and scratching on tracks, creating elongated, repetitive beats that further paved the way for rap music to emerge. 

Nowadays, most DJ sets, regardless of skill, look like a lot of button pushing and knob turning. The city still has a collection of DJs kicking it old school, though. Here’s where to catch one of them: 

“As a vinyl-only DJ, I recognize the main barrier to entry is expense,” Dutch said to D Magazine. “I’ve met a lot of people who want to spin records, but just don’t have the quantity to do it. Thanks to the generosity of local shops and DJs, we gave away 1,300 records to young collectors and aspiring DJs.”