There’s a lively debate going on amongst DJs lately. The topic? The future of the venerable CDJ. Many believe the CDJ will remain a fixture at festivals and at night clubs, while others believe it will soon go the way of the dodo bird.

I’m firmly in the latter camp. Even now, in 2021, I’m starting to see fewer and fewer CDJ units in clubs and bars, and I believe the trend will continue. Why? Let’s examine the situation.

In the first place, the CDJ is dated technology. Even its name harkens back to the ‘90s, and an era of CD burners and the emergence of the “Compact Disc Jockey.” Hence the term, CDJ. What, you may ask, is in a name? That which we call a CDJ by any other name would function the same, right? Well, that leads to my next point.

Functionality-wise, the CDJ is still mired in the old school. Modern software and controllers have given DJs so many more options and capabilities that any time I step into a booth with CDJs I know my audience is going to be short-changed that night. Not only do I have to use something as archaic as a USB drive, I no longer have access to all the hot cues that allow me to unleash the full extent of my creativity, nor do I have all the notes I’ve associate with those cues, which would be front and center on a controller.

It doesn’t stop there, either. Want to quickly scroll through a track with your fingertip? Not on a CDJ you don’t. Need to look at the waveform and see what’s coming? Nope, not you my friend. You’re Fred Flinstone behind the CDJs, watching George Jetson rock the house on a controller. And god forbid you ever need to update your hot cues, BPMs, or beat grids on the fly. That only happens at home on your computer. Unless, of course, you’re using a controller, in which case it happens any time you want it to happen.

Features aside, there’s another aspect in play that I’ve not yet mentioned. For nearly two years of pandemic lockdowns, new DJs have been practicing at home, all of whom will soon be out in the wild, so to speak, ready to ply their new trade. Nearly every single one of those DJs, as well as a huge majority of already-in-existence DJs, use a controller at home. Most have never even seen a CDJ. The next generation of superstar DJs has been weaned on controllers, and will be very reluctant to take the backwards steps necessary to adapt to CDJs. Night club owners will cater to this, and when it comes time to replace or upgrade a sound system, or when building a new club, will choose to install a controller over a pair of costly CDJs.

I know I’ll hear it from some of you that I’m all wet, and that CDJs are here to stay. “There will never be a self-respecting night club that will replace CDJs with a controller!” you will shout. Trust me, I’ve heard it all before. Twice before, in fact. The first time was in the ‘90s, when I told everyone that turntables were on the way out, soon to be replaced by CDJs. “Blasphemy!” the purists screamed at me. “There will never be a self-respecting night club that will replace turntables with CDJs!” they all shouted. We all saw how that went.

Prepare yourself for the advent of the controller.