First came skratchworx, and then it was DJWORX. But as far as I’m concerned, it’s a fully joined up decade and a half of writing decidedly English prose about DJ gear. For on September 3rd 2003, I posted my inaugural story on skratchworx, all about the Pioneer DJM707 and 909 mixers. And the rest is… well an ongoing journey. Today however, I shall allow myself a long lunch topped off with a slice of cake to mark 15 years of DJ journalism.
IN THE BEGINNING
In 2003, CDJs had hit the scene, but Serato Scratch Live wasn’t even a thing until a few months later at NAMM 2004. And then came the whole digital revolution that entirely changed the face of DJing as we knew it.
And now we find ourselves in a mature market, one where anything and everything goes, alongside all the original technology that existed when I kicked off skratchworx. The market has come cull circle, and given what I know about what’s coming, I’m beginning to feel like it’s the exciting days of skratchworx will be happening all over again.
For those that want a walk down memory lane, or indeed feel like checking out what this skratchworx thing was, here’s the monthly archive page that serves as a timeline of DJ technology history. Apologies for any site wonkiness — it’s really old technology now. At some point, I’d love to move it all to a modern platform, but part of me also feels that said wonkiness is part of skratchworx’s continuing appeal.
THE FUTURE
Today is a just minor celebration however — I’ve got images to retouch, articles to write, and a living to earn. But I’ve got a very special 15th birthday thing in progress. There are a few I’s to dot and T’s to cross, ducks to herd into rows, and arms to twist. But when it lands, it’ll be hands down the best thing I’ve ever done in 15 years.
Also, please forgive the excessive “I” language in this post. Today is a celebration of me starting this whole thing off. But the last 15 years has had a huge number of people step up to make skratchworx what it was, and DJWORX what it is, and importantly will be. And everyone will get their name in lights in what’s coming.
I started in the corner of the living room on an original Bondi blue iMac with the support of my family, but it has not been a lonely journey. I’ve made a lot of new friends, as well as people I now consider as my extended family. And without them I couldn’t do what I do now, and will do in the future.
Anyway, lunchtime approaches. A long lunchtime. With cake. And then the really hard work begins.
OVER TO YOU
Some of you will have been around since day one. So what are your memories of the wider Worxworld and industry in general? Are there events that stand out? And what does skratchworx and DJWORX mean to you?