Culture & History
Where DJing comes from — and why it still matters.
Chicago, the Bronx, free parties, the French Touch: DJing is a culture before it is a technique. This pillar tells you where the music you play actually comes from — because a DJ who doesn't know the history of their music is just pushing buttons.
★ Test yourself — the pillar quiz →Courses — live
What is the cultural role of the DJ?
Hip-hop, house and techno were all born behind turntables, and the discotheque is a Parisian invention. So why is the DJ still so misunderstood? The documented answer from Dirty Swift, author of « Culture DJ » (Larousse).
10 min read · Updated 2026-07-02
Who invented hip-hop?
Hip-hop was born on August 11, 1973 in the Bronx, at the hands of an 18-year-old DJ: Kool Herc. From the Jamaican sound system to the first French rap album, the complete, dated history — told by Dirty Swift, author of « Culture DJ » (Larousse).
11 min read · Updated 2026-07-02
Who invented house music?
House music was born in Chicago in the early 1980s, in a club called the Warehouse, on the turntables of a DJ: Frankie Knuckles. From Chicago to the French Touch, the complete, dated history — by Dirty Swift, author of « Culture DJ » (Larousse).
10 min read · Updated 2026-07-02
The DJ and the radio: how the airwaves built French DJing
Before the Internet, the DJ reached you through radio. From the founders Wayaffe and Rosko to the free radios of 1982, from Deenastyle to Mouv': the history of the radio DJ in France, by Dirty Swift, author of « Culture DJ » (Larousse).
8 min read · Updated 2026-07-03
Raves, free parties and French Touch: club culture in France
French club culture was born outside the clubs: in the raves of the 1990s, the free parties and teknivals, up to the Techno Parade and the French Touch. By Dirty Swift, author of « Culture DJ » (Larousse).
9 min read · Updated 2026-07-03
Women DJs: numbers, pioneers and barriers
Underrepresented but foundational: the real numbers on women DJs, the pioneers from Régine to Charlotte de Witte, and the causes of the imbalance. By Dirty Swift, author of « Culture DJ » (Larousse).
8 min read · Updated 2026-07-03