Last Night a Dj Saved My Life: The History of the Disc Jockey

Rating:
Summary: An essential read for DJ wannabes
Review: The book traces nascent DJ culture from early American radio hosts to Jamaican dance hall selectors, and from disco kings to hip-hop maestros and dance music impresarios. The book is incredibly well-researched and includes some tasty quotes from DJ superstars.

Rating:
Summary: A great set!
Review: This is a fascinating book. It is meticulously researched and very well written (though sometimes the authors are too clever for their own good). It is THE definitive book on the DJ and its history. The sections on hip hop, reggae, and disco are mountains of knowledge. Even the sections on the types of music I dislike (house, techno, etc.) had me turning pages furiously. My quips: There is no mention of Acid-Jazz (not that this is an innovative or defining genre). The authors praise the drug ecstasy to no end. True, it was definitely an intrinsic force in the shaping of the UK rave scene, but they conveniently ignore the fact that it is a dangerous drug with nasty side effects and the potential to kill. Finally, the authors seem to celebrate the fact that as the result of the rise of the DJ in recent years, the live musician has been "made redundant". Whether this is true or not is open to debate, but I don't think it's such a great thing either way. Even though I am a DJ myself, I view the decline of actual live muscians and live music venues as very depressing. Maybe I'm just old fashioned. Other than that, though, this book is superb. If there is a better book out there chronicling the history of the DJ I have yet to know of it.