Edmund White
11-11-2003, 06:21 PM
I just stumbled upon this in the Trib....
http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/custom/redeye/chi-031111dpmusic,1,6893074.story?coll=chi-homepagenews-utl
So you wanna be a DJ
By Kyra Kyles
for RedEye
Published November 11, 2003
They can make or break a party. A bad one keeps you cooling your heels and baby-sitting a beer. A good one keeps you swaying, singing and sweating long after last call. These mixing magicians are DJs, and six weeks and $399 dollars might be all that separates us from "them."
Well, not exactly, but the newly formed Chicago DJ Academy at 2443 N. Clybourn Ave. aims to provide the basics of blending, scratching and party-moving techniques.
Starting Sunday, students will spend their time in lectures and labs in front of four flycases, or turntable sets, tuned into instructors such as WGCI-FM's Mike Love and Chicago DJs Vaughn Woods and Steve "Silk" Hurley.
"Being a DJ is an established career that is now respected globally," said 30-year-old Monty Burks, who co-founded the program with Reggie Hopkins, after a stint on Wall Street. But Burks acknowledges that the DJ course won't make you a superstar. "I could teach people, for example, the basic principles of banking in six weeks. But that doesn't make them investment bankers."
Some of the academy's students, are, in fact, investment bankers. Others are lawyers or doctors. Take for instance, Robert Hoover. The 37-year-old nephrologist grew up admiring the sounds produced by Run DMC.
"If you have even a house party in New York and you don't have a real DJ, then you don't have a real party," said Hoover, who took part in the six-week pilot program at the Chicago DJ Academy in July.
Hoover learned to mix and cut from an array of street-credited instructors with backgrounds in house, rap and dance.
"Now, you won't be seeing me rocking a party of a thousand anytime soon, but I did pretty well," Hoover said.
The DJ doctor fits the profile of a typical academy student-a turntable aficionado who wants to "show off" at his small gatherings. But for those with a bit more ambition, the academy offers an advanced track-eight weeks for $599. Some local DJs are skeptical, however, that such short courses would be effective.
"If someone has a natural talent, it is possible to learn DJ-ing in less than a year," said 30-year-old Steven Bonny, a.k.a Steve Bravo. "It took me a year to get everything down, but I'm still learning. To have a chance at a career, it takes serious work."
Alicia Ryan, a.k.a. AMPM agrees. The 26-year-old mocks "guys who work at the MERC" who DJ as a hobby and occasionally get free gigs spinning techno at some smaller local venues. "A short course gives a person food for thought," she said, "But it's harder than it looks, and believe me, not everybody is good at it despite years in the business."
But Burks maintains that the academy doesn't pretend to produce the next Biz Markie or Funkmaster Flex. "People came to me and Reggie begging for this class," Burks explained. "They just have an interest. And our instructors are doing it more for the love of the art form than money. They wish there'd been a structured class like this when they were coming up."
Kyra Kyles is a RedEye special contributor.
Copyright © 2003, Chicago Tribune
http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/custom/redeye/chi-031111dpmusic,1,6893074.story?coll=chi-homepagenews-utl
So you wanna be a DJ
By Kyra Kyles
for RedEye
Published November 11, 2003
They can make or break a party. A bad one keeps you cooling your heels and baby-sitting a beer. A good one keeps you swaying, singing and sweating long after last call. These mixing magicians are DJs, and six weeks and $399 dollars might be all that separates us from "them."
Well, not exactly, but the newly formed Chicago DJ Academy at 2443 N. Clybourn Ave. aims to provide the basics of blending, scratching and party-moving techniques.
Starting Sunday, students will spend their time in lectures and labs in front of four flycases, or turntable sets, tuned into instructors such as WGCI-FM's Mike Love and Chicago DJs Vaughn Woods and Steve "Silk" Hurley.
"Being a DJ is an established career that is now respected globally," said 30-year-old Monty Burks, who co-founded the program with Reggie Hopkins, after a stint on Wall Street. But Burks acknowledges that the DJ course won't make you a superstar. "I could teach people, for example, the basic principles of banking in six weeks. But that doesn't make them investment bankers."
Some of the academy's students, are, in fact, investment bankers. Others are lawyers or doctors. Take for instance, Robert Hoover. The 37-year-old nephrologist grew up admiring the sounds produced by Run DMC.
"If you have even a house party in New York and you don't have a real DJ, then you don't have a real party," said Hoover, who took part in the six-week pilot program at the Chicago DJ Academy in July.
Hoover learned to mix and cut from an array of street-credited instructors with backgrounds in house, rap and dance.
"Now, you won't be seeing me rocking a party of a thousand anytime soon, but I did pretty well," Hoover said.
The DJ doctor fits the profile of a typical academy student-a turntable aficionado who wants to "show off" at his small gatherings. But for those with a bit more ambition, the academy offers an advanced track-eight weeks for $599. Some local DJs are skeptical, however, that such short courses would be effective.
"If someone has a natural talent, it is possible to learn DJ-ing in less than a year," said 30-year-old Steven Bonny, a.k.a Steve Bravo. "It took me a year to get everything down, but I'm still learning. To have a chance at a career, it takes serious work."
Alicia Ryan, a.k.a. AMPM agrees. The 26-year-old mocks "guys who work at the MERC" who DJ as a hobby and occasionally get free gigs spinning techno at some smaller local venues. "A short course gives a person food for thought," she said, "But it's harder than it looks, and believe me, not everybody is good at it despite years in the business."
But Burks maintains that the academy doesn't pretend to produce the next Biz Markie or Funkmaster Flex. "People came to me and Reggie begging for this class," Burks explained. "They just have an interest. And our instructors are doing it more for the love of the art form than money. They wish there'd been a structured class like this when they were coming up."
Kyra Kyles is a RedEye special contributor.
Copyright © 2003, Chicago Tribune