The DJ History Archive Is Essential Reading For Any Dance Music Fan

From Jeff Mills to Mike Pickering: The stories of the DJs that changed the world, told in their own words.

Despite it’s relative youth—at least in music history terms—DJ culture has walked a long, complicated and often forking path over the last half-a-century. Its origins cannot be reduced to one place or name, and the logic that accounts for where we are now is just as mind-boggling. 

Nevertheless, when you have incredible DJ archives like the one below, piecing together the odd-fitting shapes that make up the puzzle is made just that little bit easier. Red Bull Music Academy has put together a fantastic online archive which includes transcripts from interviews with the major DJs, cult figures and authorities who played key roles in this history. You can trawl through conversations with Derrick May, Jeff Mills and Kevin Saunderson if Detroit techno’s your thing, or learn about the incredible life of Loft Party pioneer David Mancuso if the world of the downtown New York party scene sparks your interest.

But this just scratches the surface of what you can discover here. There are amazing interviews about English rave and jungle, Madchester nightlife and Manhattan disco (that’s a pic of Danny Krivit above). Including memorable tracks from all the interviewees, its a sonic and intellectual treasure chest for all true electronic music fan. Check it out here. Before you do so, learn about the legacy of David Mancuso from celebrated disco historian Tim Lawrence.

Read more: Watch a 33-minute interview with house legend Frankie Knuckles