Last Night a DJ Saved My Life was the first comprehensive history of the disc jockey, a figure who has become a powerful force shaping the music industry—and since its original publication, the book has become a cult classic. Now, with five new chapters and over a hundred pages of additional material, this updated and revised edition of Last Night a DJ Saved My Life reasserts itself as the definitive account of DJ culture, from the first record played over airwaves to house, hip hop, techno, and beyond.
From the early development of recorded and transmitted sound, DJs have been shaping the way we listen to music and the record industry. Bill Brewster and Frank Broughton have tracked down the inside story on some of music’s most memorable moments. Focusing on the club DJ, the book gets first-hand accounts of the births of disco, hip hop, house, and techno. Visiting legendary clubs like the Peppermint Lounge, Cheetah, the Loft, Sound Factory, and Ministry of Sound, and with interviews with legendary DJs, Last Night a DJ Saved My Life is a lively and entertaining account of musical history and some of the most legendary parties of the century.
The DJ functions as “dance music’s most important figure,” the authors of this tome argue. To establish that, they profile those who’ve captivated crowds with music they spin, from Reginald Fessenden playing Handel’s “Largo” over the radio airwaves on Christmas Eve 1906 through the 21st century’s top electronic innovators. While the book touches on the DJ’s radio presence, its focus falls on colorful characters of the clubs, from those who presided over parties in Jamaica to the women who burst into the booth’s boys’ club.
