The History Of CDJs

The history of the CDJ is one of the most interesting stories in music technology. From revolutionary to mainstream, this DJ hardware has seen it all.

The literal meaning of CDJ is Compact Disk Jockey which references the key reason the hardware was so successful – its compactness and convenience.

The first CDJ was introduced by Pioneer in 1994. Prior to this, DJing on vinyl was the only viable option. Looking back, this was a big disadvantage, as DJs had to carry records to every gig – which meant DJing was hugely expensive and DJs constantly ran the risk of damaging their precious vinyl records.

When the first commercial CDJ was released, this opened up a whole new world of convenience for DJs. Fast forward to now and take a look at DJing in the 21st Century – most DJs taking a fully digital approach to their performance.