A disc jockey (abbreviated D.J. or DJ) is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" (sometimes spelled "disk", although this is now uncommon) referred to phonograph records, not the later compact discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.

There are several types of disc jockeys. Radio DJs or radio personalities introduce and play music that is broadcast on AM, FM, shortwave, digital or internet radio stations. Club DJs select and play music in bars, nightclubs or discothèques, or at parties or raves, or even in stadiums. Hip hop DJs select and play music using multiple turntables to back up one or more MCs/rappers, perform turntable scratching to create percussive sounds, and are also often music producers who use turntablism and sampling to create backing instrumentals for new tracks. In reggae, the DJ (deejay) is a vocalist who raps, "toasts", or chats over pre-recorded rhythm tracks while the individual choosing and playing them is referred to as a selector.[1] Mobile DJs travel with portable sound systems and play recorded music at a variety of events. Some mobile DJs also serve as the master of ceremonies or MC directing the attention of attendees, and maintaining a room-wide focus on what is included in the event's agenda.[2] According to a 2012 study, there are approximately 1¼ million professional disc jockeys in the world.[3]

The title "DJ" is also commonly used by DJs in front of their real names or adopted pseudonyms as a title to denote their profession.

House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the American city of Chicago in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized circa 1984 in Chicago, but beginning in 1985, it fanned out to other major cities such as Baltimore, Detroit, Toronto, Mexico City, New York City, San Francisco, Boston, Montreal, Cancún, Manchester,[1] Miami, London,[1] and Paris. It then began to influence popular music in Europe, with songs such as "House Nation" by House Master Boyz and the Rude Boy of House (1987) and "Doctorin' the House" by Coldcut (1988) in the pop charts. Since the early to mid-1990s, house music has been infused in mainstream pop and dance music worldwide.

Early house music was generally dance-based music characterized by repetitive 4/4 beats, rhythms mainly provided by drum machines,[2] off-beat hi-hat cymbals, and synthesized basslines. While house displayed several characteristics similar to disco music, it was more electronic and minimalistic,[2] and the repetitive rhythm of house was more important than the song itself. House music today, while keeping several of these core elements, notably the prominent kick drum on every beat, varies a lot in style and influence, ranging from the soulful and atmospheric deep house to the more minimalistic microhouse. House music has also fused with several other genres creating fusion subgenres,[2] such as euro house, tech house, and electro house.

Many local Chicago house music artists suddenly found themselves with major label deals. House music proved to be a commercially successful genre and a more mainstream pop-based variation grew increasingly popular. Artists and groups such as Madonna,[2] Janet Jackson,[3] Björk, Kanye West,[4] and C+C Music Factory[2] incorporated the genre into their work. After enjoying significant success in the early to mid-90s, house music grew even larger during the second wave of progressive house (1999–2001). The genre has remained popular and fused into other popular subgenres, as the DJ Mag Top 100 DJs poll has been dominated by house DJs since the beginning of the polls. Today, house music remains popular in both clubs and in the mainstream pop scene while retaining a strong foothold on underground scenes across the globe.

Trance is a genre of electronic dance music that developed in the 1990s in Germany.[5] It is characterized by a tempo of between 125 and 150 beats per minute,[5] repeating melodic phrases,[5] and a musical form that builds up and down throughout a track.[5] Trance is a genre on its own, but also will include other styles of electronic music such as techno,[3] house,[1] pop,[3] chill-out,[3] classical music,[3][4] and film music.[4]

Trance refers to an induced emotional feeling, high, euphoria, chills, and uplifting rush listeners experience. A characteristic of virtually all trance songs is the soft mid-song breakdown,[3][5] beginning with and occurring after the orchestration is broken down and the rhythm tracks fade out rapidly, leaving the melody, atmospherics, or both to stand alone for anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes. Another common characteristic would be the use of vocals often sung by a female voice ranging from mezzo-soprano to soprano. Less often, the female vocals may be in a grand, soaring, or operatic style, which has been described as "ethereal female leads floating amongst the synths"

House music é um estilo musical surgido em Chicago, nos Estados Unidos, na primeira metade da década de 1980. A origem do nome se deu devido a esse novo estilo de dance music que surgia e começava a ser tocada na casa noturna chamada Warehouse. Os frequentadores da casa iam às lojas de discos a procura das músicas que ouviam no club e pediam por "aquela música da Warehouse", até as lojas começarem a encurtar o nome de Warehouse Music, para apenas house. Muitos dizem que a house music é uma vertente da disco music e da electropop dos anos 70, pois foram estilos de música quase que contemporâneos1 . Frankie Knuckles é aclamado por muitos como o "pai" da House Music2 , ele que é um dos pioneiros deste gênero juntamente com outros nomes como Tony Humphries3 . Atualmente existem muitas sub-vertentes do house, tais como: funky-house, tech-house, disco-house, progressive house, electro-house, acid house, soulful house, neo-jazz-house, entre outros.4

O elemento comum de quase toda a house music é uma batida 4/4 gerada numa bateria eletrônica, completada com uma sólida (muitas vezes também gerada eletronicamente) linha de baixo e, em muitos casos, acréscimos de "samplers", ou pequenas porções de voz ou de instrumentos de outras músicas. Representa, de certa forma, também uma evolução da disco music dos anos 70. A maioria dos projetos (desenvolvidos por DJs e produtores) e grupos de house music têm como origem a Itália, a Alemanha, a Bélgica, além dos Estados Unidos e Reino Unido.

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