What Is the Future of DJing?
What will DJing look like in 25 years?
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We draw aside the curtain time to ponder the future of DJing, with predictions about AI, exciting new controller technology and even super turntables.
The Future of DJing
Twenty-five years ago, a little upstart New Zealand-based company called Serato released a product to allow DJs to play digital audio files from a turntable. To commemorate, the company has even re-released its original Serato Scratch Live Control Vinyl. This may feel quaint here in the 21st century, using an analog turntable to control a digital file, but at the time it was revolutionary and really felt like the future.
This got me thinking: what will DJing look like 25 years from now?
In this piece, I’ll explore the future of DJing. Of course, I can’t see the future so I’ll be looking at present technology and extrapolating where it could go in the next two and half decades. I’ll also be talking to DJs and technology experts to get their take on the future of DJing.
Grab your headphones, jump in the Delorean and let’s head into the near future.
The Future of DJing: Artificial Intelligence DJs
Welcome to the year 2049. Young ravers are gathered around a hologram of an AI DJ, many punters wearing augmented reality glasses that display track info and social media stats in real-time. The songs the AI is playing are being remixed on the spot and are barely recognizable from their release versions. Meanwhile, a few visibly tired senior citizen ravers in the back of the room mutter about the good ol’ days of CDJs and human-made music.
This may sound far-fetched but when you put together all the different threads of our increasingly AI-driven present, you end up with a piece of cloth where artificial intelligence plays a dominant role in the future of DJing. “I wouldn’t be surprised if along comes an AI program to completely replace the human DJ altogether,” says San Francisco vinyl DJ Vinnie Esparza of stores Groove Merchant and Amoeba Music.
The Future of DJing: Stem Separation and Beyond
Much like music production, we’re already at the point where AI is heavily involved in DJ software. Stem separation is now standard, such as with Algoriddim’s Djay and Native Instruments’ Traktor Pro, as is AI-powered tempo and key detection. AI can even suggest songs to play based on the energy of the current song, as with the Hercules DJControl Inpulse 300 MK2. It’s just a short hop, skip and jump to AI that can essentially do it all for you.
“I think the future of DJing is going to continue to follow the path it has been on for a while now,” says Esparza. “AI will … play a much larger role, where it may even do song selection and song mixing techniques. It will basically become even easier for someone to become a DJ without paying any real dues. Just answer a few questions and off you go.”
Chris Galvin, a DJ and the co-founder of music production collaboration software Submix, also mentioned AI as the future of DJing. “DJing requires a lot of practice, a deep understanding of mixing in key, song structure, knowing your equipment, reading the crowd and mastering software. However, as AI continues to advance – which is happening at breakneck speeds – these skills may become less essential.”
About the only thing that AI can’t do is read the crowd – but I feel it’s only a matter of time.
The Future of DJing: New Technology
As part of the future of DJing, we’ll see changes to existing DJ equipment like controllers as well as band new, unimagined devices.
One area where DJ equipment such as controllers and all-in-one setups will likely change is touchscreens. We have them on synthesizers and production stations like the MPC Touch so why not DJ gear too?
There’s been some movement in this area already. Reloop’s Touch features a seven-inch integrated touchscreen. And, although now discontinued, the HoloScreenz HTD40 Holo Touch Display brought Minority Report-like control to DJing.
The Future of DJing: Virtual Reality
Virtual reality is another area that could make inroads into DJing. Algoriddim’s Djay for Apple Vision Pro hints at a future of controllerless DJing. Although Vision Pro has admittedly not been successful, once the price comes down and the technology becomes more accessible, virtual reality could become a viable new way to DJ.
Eventually, we may not even need to use our hands, with our thoughts instead controlling the virtual decks. Sound crazy? The technology for the control side actually already exists…
The Future of DJing: Vinyl Purists
Along with the increased presence of AI in DJ software, the other thing that most people that I spoke with talked about as the future of DJing was deeper interest in turntables, audiophile-style rotary DJ mixers and vinyl purity.
“I see a lot of nostalgia in the current DJ tech market,” says the UK’s DJ Haze. “I see a lot of folks focusing on mixer tech these days. The true analog scene is huge.”
As DJ Haze points out, audiophile-grade DJ mixers are massively popular, with AlphaTheta’s euphonia just one example. Others include the Superstereo DN78LXADB, Omnitronic TRM-422 and Ecler Warm2.
The Future of DJing: Super Turntables
Technics’ SL-1200 series turntables remain the standard as well, although there’s always room for improvement in the turntable market, as Haze points out. “Vinyl turntables haven’t really changed in decades,” he says, “and adding more controller style buttons and connectivity seems the only way for anything new.”
Reloop’s RP 8000 MK2 offers a glimpse of what we could see more of in the future, with integration with Serato DJ Pro, eight pads, a real-time LCD display and pitch that goes +/- 8%, +/- 16% and even a mind-blowing +/-50%.
“There will be those that keep it strictly old-school and keep digging for and spinning vinyl records, keeping that aspect of the culture alive,” predicts Esparza. “The downside of that is it will become even more elite, exclusive and cliquish than it already is. Vintage vinyl will become even more expensive, but there will likely be more tools involving AI to make it easier to track down rare records.”
It always comes back to AI, doesn’t it?
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