The role of the DJ in popular culture as a performer and a gatekeeper has transformed in recent years as a rising tide of digital and streaming media threatens to drown us in an overload of information. Amidst that transformation is a growing recognition of the DJ as an artistic curator,selecting sounds and weaving them into coherent narratives. What’s more, we’ve all become DJs in our own right, as curators of our own experiences through individualized playlists and social media feeds. Some voices bemoan the rise of curatorial culture as the death of the traditional DJ or a crisis for the music industry, but more of us are recognizing this as a tremendous opportunity for professionals and content creators as well as an exciting time for consumers and music fans.
The Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication at California State University, Northridge will host a special series of events focused on DJ Culture as Curation. Events will include a roundtable discussion with DJs, scholars, and music industry professionals as well as an interactive art installation with individually curated listening stations.
Date:
Thursday, November 21, 2019
Schedule of Events
11:00 AM
Introduction: The DJ as Curatorial Performer
Professor Bernardo Attias, CSUN
Location: CSUN USU Northridge Center
11:15 AM Keynote Performance: Fiercely Eccentric—Musical Selection and Queer Club
Dr. madison moore, Assistant Professor of Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies, Virginia Commonwealth University; author of Fabulous: The Rise of the Beautiful Eccentric (Yale University Press, 2018).
Location: CSUN USU Northridge Center
12:30 PM
Keynote Address: Race, Culture, and the DJ—Curation as Cultural Dialogue
Dr. Larisa Kingston Mann, Assistant Professor of Emergent Media, Temple University
Location: CSUN USU Northridge Center
1:00 PM
StarttoDJ.com: Introductory DJ Class
(Continues throughout event)
Location: Department of Art - Conference Room
2:00 PM
Panel Discussion
Our Keynote presenters will be joined by Dr. Stephanie Eisenberg Todd (aka DJ Lucy Stoner), Alexandra Urbano from Otherlife, DJ Hapa of StarttoDJ.com, DJ Greg Caz of NuBlu, along with industry representatives from Ableton and VNYL for a special panel discussion on the topic of DJ culture as curation.
Location: USU Thousand Oaks Room
4:00 PM
Reception
Location: CSUN Art Galleries, Breezeway
4:30 PM
Interactive Installation
CSUN Art Galleries, West Gallery
Location: CSUN Art Galleries, West Gallery
9:00 PM
Afterparty
Location: ETA Highland Park, 5630 N Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90042