Archive for November 2nd, 2009
History of the DJ 101
So let’s chat about the most popular person in the party. No not the champagne girl, not one of the groupies and no, not the guy who buys all the drinks for every girl at the bar.
I’m talking about the DJ.
This is a little history lesson, a timeline that shows where it came from to where it is today.
- In the 1880s Emile Berline invented the gramophone, yes, the first record player.
- In the 1920s radio became the damn thing, but no hip hop and reggae just yet, jazz and swing music were the hot plates of the day. Back in those days, the DJ was both the presenter and the salesman.
- In the 40s and 50s two guys by the name of Al Bensen and Eddie O’Jay created something called RnB.
- In the 50s and 60s the youths took over and the idea of top 40 music explodes. So at this time, DJs began to replace bands at ball rooms and dances. The idea of discothèques started in wartime France. DJs could now earn a living spinning at jazz and twist clubs. Oh the swinging 60’s, good times in London and New York. The music scene now began to revolve around the DJs. At this point we get the idea of sound systems from a guy called Alex Rosner at the world trade show, with the introduction of the first mixer called the ‘Rosie’.
In Jamaica sound systems like “King Tubby” and “Sir Coxsone” were spinning Ska and Rocksteady, and reggae emerges and the dubplate was used. Jamaica distinguishes the sound of the DJs with the use of the echo and the rewind or the “pull up!!”
- In the 70s disco comes alive in NY. Then comes beat-matching, the pioneer was a guy by the name of Francis Grasso.
- In the 80s came Warehouse, also known as “house music” out of New York, from the legendary Frankie Knuckles from Chicago and Larry Levan. At this time the consensus was that “disco sucks ass”. We then travel to Detroit to meet Derrick May, Kevin Sanderson and Juan Atkins for techno. Then with the emergence of the electronic age, the drum machine became the proverbial sliced bread.
And now for the hip hop heads….
- From the ghettos of the Bronx in New York, the DJs created this music, hip hop, that has since taken the world over by storm, and driven certain cultures society to date. DJ Kool Herc, who introduced breaks, funky and percussions, went on to influence Grandmaster Flash who developed manual sampling and looping.
- Then came Grand Wizard Theodore who invented the “scratch”. A far cry from what is today, it was much less advanced, just push and pull the record once or twice, but back then, that ish sounded like oil was discovered.
- To date, hip hop is the biggest selling music in the world, thanks to the DJs of course.
So the next time you at the party, why not give the DJ a pound (for the non-Caribbean crew, this would be a friendly greeting that involves the connecting of closed fists, please do not give loose change), out of respect for those that came before him or her.
It’s Elroy, educating the masses.
Maybe she’s born with it
Looking put together in the face on mornings doesn’t have to take a team. Some of us are willing to get up an extra half an hour to an hour earlier to put a face on and some of us have neither the time or the will to do so. Some days I agree with the latter group. That said, that doesn’t mean that we can’t take five minutes to look like we woke up on the right side.
Regardless of the artistic direction, the key to well applied makeup is of course blending but more so, healthy skin.
Healthy skin does not need much makeup to look like it was born naturally glamourous. For the minimalistas, those who wear little or no makeup but would like to know how to look put together in the face it here is some advice below.
1. Apply moisturizer to cleansed face
Moisturizer helps smoothen out skin’s texture and prepares it for better makeup application.
2. Even out skin tone. (optional)
Apply foundation or concealer, in your skin tone, to blemished areas only with a foundation/ concealer brush. Skip this step if you have no blemishes that you wish to cover up
3. Dust entire face with loose or compact powder using large powder brush.
A powder brush delivers a loser more natural application of powder. You can opt to use a powder sponge to apply powder if you have oily skin. The powder sponge deposits more powder on the skin’s surface which may help absorb oil during the day.
4. Apply blush using a blush brush
Once you find the right colour, you can wear the same color blush for years and years without fears. Unlike eyeshadow where you can really experiment, everyday use of blush is meant to impart a flushed healthy glow to your skin. As your skin stays the same colour there is really no reason to have various colours of blush.
For summer, a bronzer can double as a blush.
5. Apply mascara
In dark brown for fair skin tones or black for darker skin tones. Applying mascara on both sides of your eyelashes (top and underside of the top lash) gives you a more dramatic look than applying it on one side only. Applying mascara to the bottom lashes for the day can make you look spidery-ish.
6. Apply lip-gloss
Choose a shade that is a shade or two from your natural lip colour, or one with a pink or coral undertone. Darker skin tones can also try a translucent glosses with a rich plum undertone.
You can opt to use lipsticks but they require more effort to apply and, as they contain more pigment, it becomes more obvious when they need to be reapplied. However, you can easily apply lipgloss without looking in a mirror, perfect for after smooching touch ups!
The more makeup applied in the morning, the more maintenance needs to be done to upkeep the look during the day. So, unless you plan to walk with your entire makeup arsenal to work, it is often a good idea to keep it simple simon.
Ready, Set, Go.
Lets get ‘naturally’ beautiful!
Related GC posts
Minimalista Makeup: From day to night
Shake it off: Loose Powder
Product spotlight: Blush
Drama Glamour: Liquid Liner
Frump to Fab in 10 steps
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