Blog: Galactus Jack Talks Dance Music
DJ Galactus Jack writes a guest blog for LouderThanTheMusic on Dance Music...
Sometimes I get very strange reactions from people when they find out that I'm a Christian DJ. I'm not entirely sure why, perhaps it has something to do with the fact that the club scene does not have a reputation which has traditionally endeared it to the average church goer!
There is actually quite a movement of Christian DJ's, some of who are just doing their thing in the industry and living out their faith at the same time. Others are specifically using the Decks to create worship environments for those who appreciate the music and vibes.
I've been DJing for 10 years, and experimenting with the decks in worship for the majority of that time, but I certainly wasn't the first! The roots of a Christian influence in dance music can be traced back to the Chicago house movement of the 70's, and in the UK DJ's like Lee Jackson and Cameron Dante were amongst the DJ's pioneering the use of decks for worship expression in the early 90's.
Right now there are some pretty heavy hitters in the scene. Many of you will have heard of Andy Hunter, the poster boy of the Christian dance scene in many ways. Fusing his beautifully produced trance and house tunes with an engaging worship leader/band front man approach, he has become the go to man for DJ worship. With his global touring schedule and movies, TV shows and video games giving his songs a wide outing he has become a fixture at many Christian festivals and events keen to have a dance music representation. Check him out at www.AndyHunter.com
Andy Started out his DJ career with the UK organization New Generation Ministries (NGM). They still offer year out opportunities and training for young DJ's and producers, and if you're just starting out and want to use your DJ skills in ministry, then you should definitely check them out. www.ngm.org.uk
Now dance music, like most musical genres, has sub genres within it. House, trance, Drum & Bass, Techno, Dub, Breakbeat, Hardcore, Chillout, the list goes on and on! There are Christian DJ's and producers working in pretty much every area too.
Another one time NGM DJ who is making big waves in the secular scene is Jim Rivers. His deeply progressive and tech house DJ sets have brought him to the attention of one of the dance music scene's big hitter labels " Global Underground. www.myspace.com/jimriversdj
Drum & Bass is a consistently popular sub genre, and you should definitely check out Bcee if you like your DnB tunes with a bit of class! A Christian DJ and producer who is respected in the secular industry for his label set up Spearhead Records, as well as his production talent and DJ skill. His debut EP recently hit the top 5 DnB chart. www.myspace.com/bcee
There are loads of DJ's who are dedicating themselves to producing dance music the church can engage with, and pushing the boundaries of creative worship all the time. If you want to find out more about the Christian dance music scene there are a few great sites you can check out.
www.tastyfresh.com and www.godsdjs.com are two US based Christian DJ networks which will keep you up to date with all the latest tunes, the concepts behind dj worship, who the key and new players are and much more. Tasty fresh has a superb podcast system featuring great mixes and exclusive tunes, and GodsDjs has a weekly radio show which is worth giving a listen.
This is just the briefest of looks at what is a constantly growing and developing scene. If you like any form of dance music, are a DJ or a producer, or just like having a dance on a Friday night you should definitely check out some of the links. I love discovering new music and artists, and trust me, if you have any interest in dance music, as you start digging around in the Christian scene you're in for a treat! My new weekly radio show 'The Club with Galactus Jack' is starting up in November on the Cross Rhythms network of stations (www.crossrhythms.co.uk), and I hope that we can go deeper into the scene, the music and with God on air!
As always, Keep It Real
GJ.x
www.myspace.com/galactusjack
