A lot of DJs will bristle at the idea of DJing on a phone screen. I did too when I first heard of smartphone DJ apps over a decade ago.

And then I tried it.

10 years later, it’s my backup in case my laptop crashes. I even DJed an entire beach club party with it.

The reality is almost everyone has a phone, and the ones who don’t will in the near future. Not everyone who wants to be a DJ has a DJ controller – most pro DJs don’t own CDJs.

Gen Alpha DJs probably won’t even know what CDs are anymore. They’ll be DJing with apps first before using any hardware because apps are cheaper, even free.

To keep an ear close to the ground, skate to where the puck is headed instead of waiting for it to come to you.

Momentum & Technology

DJing itself is still a young artform with lots of room to grow. It started with vinyl in the 70s, CDs in the 2000s, then flash drives and laptops after that. The next jump in tech will most likely be a combination of smartphones, music streaming, and AI.

Momentum is hard to stop. DJ technology only moves one way: forwards.

Most DJs dismiss smartphone DJs today. But that will change as perspectives on technology change.

Our perspectives on DJing will also change in step.

Instead of standing in front of a boulder rolling down the hill, watch where it’s going and plan accordingly.

But never forget how this all started.