Pioneer DJ launches zine to mark 30 years of the CDJ

Pioneer DJ has shared the first issue of its new fan-zine Deckades.

The zine has been launched to celebrate 30 years since the launch of the first-ever CDJ (the CDJ-500), and charts its impact on DJ culture, including “42 exclusive pages of photos, interviews and commentary.”

The zine is split by decade; 1994-2004, 2004-2014, and 2014-2024, and features exclusive interviews with a number of DJs including Fatboy Slim, Fabio, Anna Tur, Kikelomo and TSHA, as well as an overview of “all 23 models of the CDJ alongside plenty of nostalgic imagery”.

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The CDJ was hugely impactful in the trajectory of DJing, with the move from vinyl to digital (originally CDs but later USBs) revolutionising how DJs were able to perform, collect, store and travel with their collection.

The shift also enabled a host of previously unseen features, including sync, loops and cue points, developments which while somewhat controversial in the DJ world, have made DJing far more accessible and intuitive for new audiences.

In other new surrounding Pioneer DJ, its parent company AlphaTheta was recently blocked from acquiring DJ software Serato by New Zealand's Commerce Commission.

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Deckades has been launched with a limited run of 1000 copies, which will be available as a physical copy on a first-come first-serve basis, or as a digital copy available for download here.

Jamaal Johnson is Mixmag's Digital Intern, follow him on Instagram