Vinyl vs. Digital: Death of an Art Form, or A New Era

Vinyl purists have voiced their disdain for all things digital, since the first crappy dual CD players first appeared in the pro-DJ market back in the 90's. Since then, the technology has advanced to the point of converting some of the most well-known vinyl DJs, due to the ease of use, comparable hands-on manipulation, and added bells and whistles like samplers, loop functions, and key control.

There are, however, DJs such as DJ Qbert (considered one of the best scratch DJs in the world), who still have a deep appreciation for the original instrument. "I think I'm the 'Last Samurai,'" says Qbert about still using vinyl (taken from the January 2009 interview with DJ Times).

"DJing with records is an experience and I’ll always love the feel and precision of vinyl. Don’t get me wrong—I experiment at home with a digital setup, too. But when it comes down to the nitty-gritty and scratching, nothing compares to real vinyl. I haven’t found a digital system that emulates vinyl 100-percent. And you can ask any real scratch DJ, not the ones that do it just to do it, but the hardcore scratchers, if this is true—and they will say the same. They say you can hear with your fingertips, and this is absolutely true. When you touch vinyl, you can feel and hear the vibrations on the record and you will know where all the sounds are located, as if you were a magician. All you old-school DJs know what I’m talking about. I love taking a record out of its sleeve and looking at the cover, the art, the credits, the concept of the album. Records are a beautiful experience and I know what that is like. "

On the other hand, there is an emerging new generation of DJs who want to explore new technology, such as DJ A-Trak, who at age 15, won the prestigious DMC competition in 1997.

[From another DJ Times interview] "I don’t think that digital DJing takes away from the art form. I think it’s an inevitable transition... There’s a ton of reasons why I use it. Mainly, I get so many songs in the form of MP3s that this allows me to play them while keeping the touch of vinyl. If I had to wait for every 12-inch to come out, I couldn’t play half the songs I want to play. It gives me access to way more music and allows me to travel lighter at the same time. And it’s really reliable. I run the whole Kanye West show on it."


So, the debate lives on. For the most part, many DJs are maintaining the traditional turntables, but incorporating newer technology to enhance their shows. But, as we were informed, there's still a lot of disagreement as to what is considered "respectable" in the DJ world. Can't we just all get along? The question continues...