Music cafes with DJs from the 1960s to the 1980s received much popularity from the public. DJ is an abbreviation of disk jockey, which is a person who leads the listeners with the music. At that time, asking for music related to the story of the requesters in the cafe was common for most people. As the DJ played requested songs and read the letters to the visitors of the cafe, they had important roles to share emotions from letters from the public. However, when the number of singing rooms increased extremely, DJs and their musical culture lost their popularity, and then the number of music cafes with DJs declined. Afterward, DJ's functions and roles have been divided in several ways. Now, newly changed modern DJs are making an appearance.

 On March 11th, reporters from The Chungbuk Times in Chungbuk National University visited Battle DJ, a private educational institute for DJing in Seoul. Founded in 2002, Battle DJ offers those who want to be a DJ a curriculum which is possible to finish within a year.

 We interviewed one of the DJ trainees, Kim Cheol-ung(21). He said, "When I was studying abroad in the Netherlands, I went to a music festival with my friends on accident. As soon as I saw many DJs showing their musical skills, they deeply overwhelmed me." He told us that it was the main reason why he went to that institute in Korea.

 We questioned him what the differences between DJs before the 1990s and nowadays are. He answered, "DJs these days are music creators. Most DJs before the 1990s were just amateurs because they just played songs. Unlike them, modern DJs reinvent music through mixing existing songs."

 After a curriculum of 1 year, amateur DJs can practice in nightclubs or find their ways in various places. Recently, DJs have been contributing by building up universities’ party cultures. Jo Ji-hun, the director of DJ institute 'Battle DJ', said, "As tuition for university is constantly going up, many university students are realizing they don't want to invite celebrities to their campus festivals, so DJs with lower costs are replacing the hosts." He added, "Since 2007, DJs from my institute have been asked to go to the festivals at Kyung Hee University and Ajou University. If 7,000 students are in a university, we always try to make at least 2,000 students happy."

 Not only the school festivals but also local festivals also want DJs. For several years, DJs have appeared in the Boryeong Mud Festival to host the party. Now, we can see the DJ's popularity is broadening like never before.

 On the other hand, DJs leave much to be desired. First, most people still remember DJs as people who just play music in the cafes. However, we see that modern DJs play music and also harmonize the songs well. They are considered artists who bring out audience's responses. Secondly, the DJ institute is the only way to learn DJ skills in Korea. Many universities abroad have a curriculum for DJing. The University of California, Berkeley is an example where an electronic music department was opened.

 The demand for DJing will rise as its popularity is steadily broadening. Unlike before, the Westin Chosun Hotel in Seoul, which is affiliated with Battle DJ, now plays electronic music in the hotel. The ride Disco Pangpang in an amusement park also wants DJs to please passengers. The director said, "I think the number of professional DJs needs to be higher. Because the number of DJs before the 1990s decreased rapidly, few surviving DJs remained in existence. However, DJing is a bright job as DJs can work in various places now. Thus, I recommend university students to try to be DJs."

CBT reporters visited a traditional DJ cafe!

 CBT reporters visited the DJ cafe ‘Bird On The Wire’, which is located near Seodaejeon Station. ‘Bird On The Wire’ is a traditional DJ cafe where customers request songs and the DJ plays song requests. On walking into the cafe, the reporters could see hundreds of old LPs in ambient lighting. Choi Pyeong-Geun, who is the owner of the cafe and a veteran DJ at the same time, has worked as a DJ for 30 years. When we requested the song ‘Farewell’, which is sung by Patti Kim, who is a Korean singer, he easily found the right one among hundreds of old LPs.

 At the time when he worked as a DJ, DJs played an important role in not only playing the songs requested but also linking some people with others. He recalled that one man called him to confirm whether one woman came to the cafe or not. In those days, DJ cafes were meeting places for people who had no better place to go. People, who were young in the 1970s to the 1980s, cherish their memories about DJ cafes. That’s why Choi Pyeong-Geun feels sorry for the decreasing number of DJ cafes. He said, “Recently, the number of DJ cafes gradually increased in Seoul, but the number is not enough like before. Therefore, I think that DJs who are left today have to perform their roles very well.”

 While working as a DJ for 30 years, he gained the wisdom that all music is equally honorable. Some people regard music as a way to reveal their smartness. Thus, they listen to classical music against their preferences. However, he thinks very differently. He said, “When the music moves you deeply, that one is best for you. Someone’s favorite music has nothing to do with types of music” Also, he added,”I want many people to visit DJ cafes, to enjoy their favorite music, and to finally recall their memories”