The jury is still out on the new technological developments that allow DJs to scratch MP3′s with vinyl dubplates. Rane’s Serato DJ software is far and away the leader in space. And with endorsements from high profile DJs like Qbert and crews like the 5th Platoon, it doesn’t look like the popularity of this software will abate any time soon. In fact, every major DJ equipment manufacturer have come out with scratch software of their own. Stanton’s Final Scratch are a distant second and Native Instrument’s Traktor Scratch is quickly catching up to Serato as one of the most popular DJ software packages.

With all this new techology, lugging a crate of vinyl to the competition has become a thing of the past. No longer does a DJ have to break his or her back. All you need today is a laptop, a midi interaface that acts as both the computers sound card and passes the signal from the turntables to the computer while manipulating the platter. Some say the art of the scratch DJ has been lost. The nuances of turntablism have gone the way of the dinosaur. The true sound of vinyl hitting the needle and inadvertent errors that turn out to be new tricks, we might be losting something, while many up and coming DJs are turning out new tricks that make the old sound pale in comparison.

New technology has always permeated DJ culture. We can’t be afriad to look to new tools to carry us in the future. With every generation, while we may lose something, we build on the past and bring new ideas to the forefront that will continue to propel DJ culture for many years to come.