Music Not Diving with Scuba #081 Bill Brewster
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Aug 15, 2023 Bill Brewster, co-author of the most authoritative book on DJing, discusses the history of DJing, the influence of technology and commercialism, the impact of Thatcherism on UK culture, the role of the gay community in New York's dance music culture, the evolution of DJ culture in Ibiza, and the changing attitudes towards DJs as skilled artists.
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First Real DJ Lessons Came From The Garage
- Early UK club DJs like Dewhurst and Graham Park at The Garage taught Brewster the importance of mixing, flow, and playing diverse records without mic chatter.
- Seeing continuous mixing and narrative arcs convinced him DJing was a real craft, beyond just 'putting records on'.
Sound Factory Rewrote What A Club Could Be
- Brewster's first Sound Factory visit in 1991 left a lasting impression: a single DJ (Junior Vasquez) playing 12–14 hour sets on a raw square floor with minimal white lighting and an intense sound system.
- He dreamt about that club for months and it reframed his idea of what a DJ night could be.
Research Dance History The Old School Way
- For rigorous music history you must do old-school research: libraries, microfiche, oral interviews and tracking eyewitnesses rather than relying on early internet sources.
- Brewster and Frank spent months in British and New York Performing Arts libraries and interviewing key figures to build their book.