Published
Thu, Mar 1, 2018, 12:00
- The unknown author is described by the publisher as a "globally recognised DJ."
Faber & Faber is publishing a book, titled The Secret DJ, that's been described as an exposé of the life of a touring DJ.
The unidentified author is said to be a "globally recognised DJ," according to the publisher's music-focused arm, Faber Social. When asked by Resident Advisor why they wished to remain anonymous, the DJ wrote: "It's not complex. Some of the content is highly litigious. All of them are real events. Not all the events make me look good. Also, there is an undercurrent of just being a bit fed up with hype, pretty faces and the cult of the individual."
They added that The Secret DJ was written as a counterweight to the "highly journalistic" approach of other dance music books. "They are nearly always written by people looking in from outside," said the DJ. "Or they resembled textbooks. I'd just never read anything that actually describes the scene in a way I recognise, as someone who has been there all the way. They are frequently horrific hagiographies of megastars, too. DJs I know personally who I've seen licking their own eyebrows off, gurning their chops off in toilets, yet not a single mention of that ever happens in their books."
The Secret DJ's accounts of their experiences have previously featured in Mixmag, where past essays have covered topics such as booth etiquette and drug-driving promoters. Faber Social, which has also put out books by Cosey Fanni Tutti, Moby and Simon Reynolds, will publish The Secret DJ on June 7th. You can read an excerpt here.