Fatboy Slim on CDJs: “I could finally dance up and down in the booth without the decks jumping”
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It’s the 30th anniversary of the CDJ-500. To celebrate, Pioneer DJ has released a free digital magazine featuring among other things Fatboy Slim on CDJs.
Fatboy Slim on CDJs
Has it really been 30 years since the debut of the CDJ? Indeed it has, and Pioneer DJ is celebrating that milestone with a free digital magazine. Called Deckades, it features stories about the development of the CDJ, from the CDJ-500 all the way back in 1994 to the CDJ-3000 in 2020.
It also has a number of interviews with CDJ-favoring DJs like Fabio (of drum and bass pioneers Fabio & Grooverider), Anna Tur, Kikelomo, TSHA and Fatboy Slim.
Fatboy Slim on CDJs: The Game Changer
“I was initially most scared of CDJ’s, a very late adopter,” said Norman Cook aka Fatboy Slim, the big beat king himself, looking back on his first encounter with the DJ device. “I was using Serato with control vinyl for ages because my whole life I had learned to mix on decks and I thought you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”
As for how he eventually decided to make the move to CDJs, he said, “At first I was just knocked out because I realized you didn’t need to keep nudging the turntable to keep the mix in. If the BPM was right the mix just stayed in time! Also I realized that I could finally dance up and down in the booth without the decks jumping. Major game changer.”
Fatboy Slim Vs David Guetta
Before he went full-on digital, though, Norman had a rather embarrassing experience DJing with none other than David Guetta in Brazil. “The turning point was a night where I was playing on a lorry at Carnival in Salvador, Brazil for five hours back to back with David Guetta. He was whupping my ass because his CDJs were louder and didn’t jump every time we went over a pothole…. He absolutely blew me off stage that night and it hurt!”
Dance Music Vs. Karaoke
Elsewhere in Deckades, there’s an interview with the creator of the original CDJ-500, Kou Atsumi. He relates how Pioneer was mainly focused on the karaoke business in Japan at the time. The company originally planned to introduce karaoke to the West but soon realized that dance music was much more popular. After abandoning the idea of a 300-disc changer for DJs, Pioneer settled on the CDJ-500.
Deckades is a fascinating read, with lots more content than just Fatboy Slim on CDJs. Get your own free copy at the link below.
More Information
- Pioneer DJ Deckades page
- Pioneer DJ home page
- All about Pioneer DJ
- All about DJing
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