Rating: 
Summary: Excellent.
Review: I found this book to be a great read. Very well written, thorough, and extremely interesting! It's exactly what I was looking for when I went searching for information about the origins of the modern club DJ.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent.
Review: I found this book to be a great read. Very well written, thorough, and extremely interesting! It's exactly what I was looking for when I went searching for information about the origins of the modern club DJ.
Rating: 
Summary: great in-depth history of djs, clubs and dance music
Review: I really didn't know what to expect from this book when I picked it up...any book on pop culture has the potential to be poorly researched or written. However the authors have put a lot of time and effort into the book so as to make it interesting to read while actually getting an impressive number of unusual and interesting facts into the text. They have actual names and dates for odd things like the first person to use three turntables or even the first dance club featuring recorded music only. The authors also have interesting insight into how djs have advanced to the level of international superstardom that to some seems somewhat of a mystery. In all a very informative and entertaining book.
Rating:
Summary: great in-depth history of djs, clubs and dance music
Review: I really didn't know what to expect from this book when I picked it up...any book on pop culture has the potential to be poorly researched or written. However the authors have put a lot of time and effort into the book so as to make it interesting to read while actually getting an impressive number of unusual and interesting facts into the text. They have actual names and dates for odd things like the first person to use three turntables or even the first dance club featuring recorded music only. The authors also have interesting insight into how djs have advanced to the level of international superstardom that to some seems somewhat of a mystery. In all a very informative and entertaining book.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent history, remarkable research
Review: I've only gone through the sections on Chicago house music and am astonished by the detail collected on this low-profile era of dj history. Though I was only a young bystander. the authors managed to unearth the mythical names, long desolate locations, and key events of the day. WBMX Jams on Saturday and Sunday mornings going down to Maxwell street, where last night's pressings were available on too thin, recycled vinyl (sometimes with pieces of gym shoe in them). If they could discover this, I suspect the rest is as solid. Well written.
Rating:
Summary: Despite flaws, an excellent book.
Review: Last Night A DJ Saved My Life lives up it's billing as the definitive history of the disc jockey, as well as that of club culture. Brewster and Broughton presented an extensively researched and well connected history through a number of key genres, from sock hops, Jamaican sound systems, soul, disco, hip hop, and into house and techno. Through interviews with survivors of these scenes, the reader is given a good deal of first hand information, and gets a real feeling for most of the music presented, regardless of how familiar you are. In fact, one of the greatests aspects of this book is that it centers on the underground cultures: hip-hop before it became rap, disco before it became mainstream, etc. However, the book is not without it's faults. Very early on, the authors slam academia, claiming that such an approach is incapable of providing a passionate or meaningful account. Certainly, this is both true and false, and it is unfair to make such a claim. My other main complaint with the book is that once it moves into the more modern genres of house and techno, the writers seem to lose their steam. One gets the feeling that these chapters were included in an effort to be definitive, not a level of deep-rooted passion for the music by the authors. Consequently, these chapters are not very interesting reads. Still, this is the definitive book on the subject. Despite the aforementioned flaws, it is extremely informative, and overall, very well researched. A must for anyone interested in deejaying, club culture, or general music history.
Rating:
Summary: Despite flaws, an excellent book.
Review: Last Night A DJ Saved My Life lives up it's billing as the definitive history of the disc jockey, as well as that of club culture. Brewster and Broughton presented an extensively researched and well connected history through a number of key genres, from sock hops, Jamaican sound systems, soul, disco, hip hop, and into house and techno. Through interviews with survivors of these scenes, the reader is given a good deal of first hand information, and gets a real feeling for most of the music presented, regardless of how familiar you are. In fact, one of the greatests aspects of this book is that it centers on the underground cultures: hip-hop before it became rap, disco before it became mainstream, etc. However, the book is not without it's faults. Very early on, the authors slam academia, claiming that such an approach is incapable of providing a passionate or meaningful account. Certainly, this is both true and false, and it is unfair to make such a claim. My other main complaint with the book is that once it moves into the more modern genres of house and techno, the writers seem to lose their steam. One gets the feeling that these chapters were included in an effort to be definitive, not a level of deep-rooted passion for the music by the authors. Consequently, these chapters are not very interesting reads. Still, this is the definitive book on the subject. Despite the aforementioned flaws, it is extremely informative, and overall, very well researched. A must for anyone interested in deejaying, club culture, or general music history.
Rating: 
Summary: If I hear the dj/shaman analogy one more time...
Review: lotsa good history, unfortunately there are too many freshman comp comments about what a good dj does w/ the crowd, and the authors could learn a thing or two about sentence structure.
Rating:
Summary: knowin our roots
Review: reading this book has giving me a better understanding and a deeper appreciation of the people, the technology which now enables us to make inncredible music. i never felt like i knew enough of the history of the dj. through this book, not only have i gained more knowledge about different genres that i have always loved, such as hip hop, disco, or house, ive learned more about garage and northern soul. i highly encourage any dj or music appreciator to read this book. it is very important, because to know this music, is to know the history, and have a deep respect for it. whoever has had their life impacted the minute you hear a good beat, this book is definitely for you!
Rating:
Summary: Good History
Review: The book is quite successful in recounting the development of the modern DJ and bridging together the history and influences of different genres and cultures. The writers obviously did their research and whether I agree with things or not I was entertained and most importantly learning. The first tweleve chapters alone make this read worthwhile. It formalizes a lot of the history we all hear about and read on the Internet. I found it fascinating to learn about things I was unfamiliar with such as Northern Soul. However in the end, I was looking for something more from the book in regards to what happens now and into the future. The later chapters tend to focus on the DJ persona rather than the experience which the DJ continues to create for us. In the end it is all about the music!
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