A marker placed at a precise spot in a track (often the first kick, or the start of the chorus) so playback can start there instantly. Software and CDJs handle 4 to 8 per track. In the vinyl era, the equivalent was the needle drop: placing the needle at exactly the right spot, by hand.

The moment when the tension accumulated during the build-up releases and the main rhythm comes back, often at maximum intensity. It's the energy peak of a track — a key moment in house, dubstep and EDM.

What's the difference between an edit, a remix and a mashup?

An edit lightly modifies a track to make it easier to mix (extended intro, added break); a remix rebuilds a new version, which can change style completely, usually built from the a cappellas; a mashup fuses two or more tracks — typically one track's a cappella over another's instrumental — as long as tempo and key are compatible.

What is a white label?

A vinyl record pressed and distributed without any official information — just a white label, sometimes a handwritten reference. Historically used to promote new releases ahead of their official street date, it became a DJ culture object in its own right.

Are beat juggling and scratching the same thing?

No. Scratching creates sound effects by manipulating a record under the needle, usually with the crossfader. Beat juggling, invented in the early 1990s by Steve Dee (future X-Ecutioners), creates a NEW rhythm out of two identical records. You can put scratches inside a juggle, but they are two distinct disciplines.

The DJ glossary: every term you need to know

This glossary is adapted from the "Terminologie-DJ" glossary of Culture DJ (Larousse, 2023), expanded with the technical terms from the book's other chapters. It serves as the reference for every Academy course.

The gear

Anti-skating — The mechanical system that compensates for the force pulling the tonearm toward the center of the record. Without it, the stylus presses too hard on the inner wall of the groove: degraded sound, record and stylus worn out prematurely.
Cartridge — The part mounted at the end of the turntable's tonearm that translates the record's grooves into an electrical signal, via its needle (the "stylus"). It's a consumable — and the DJs' historic reference, the Shure M44-7, has been out of production since 2018.
Crossfader — The horizontal slider at the bottom of the mixer that moves the sound from one channel to the other: hard left, left channel only; hard right, right channel only; in the middle, both. In hip-hop its use is rhythmic — quick cuts, scratching — and its response curve is adjustable on battle mixers.
Fader — The vertical linear slider that sets a channel's volume. One per channel.
Slipmat — The felt disc slipped between the vinyl and the platter, which reduces friction and leaves the record free under your hand — essential for scratching. The Bronx pioneers made theirs out of cut-up curtains or plastic bags, before the industry turned it into a product.
Jog wheel — The touch-sensitive platter on CDJ players and controllers that simulates handling a vinyl record. Introduced by the Pioneer CDJ-500 in 1994.
Pitch — The playback speed control (classically ±8 %), found on every DJ turntable since the 1970s. It's the beatmatching tool. Key lock (or master tempo) now lets you change the tempo without changing the pitch of the vocals.
DVS (Digital Vinyl System) — A system that controls digital files from real vinyl records or CDs pressed with a control signal (the timecode). Pioneered by Final Scratch (2001-2002), popularized by Serato Scratch Live (2004).

The technique and the mix

Beatmatching — Aligning the tempos of two tracks to synchronize them perfectly before the transition. The DJ's number one skill — full lesson here.
BPM (beats per minute) — The measure of tempo. Reference points: techno around 120-130 BPM, drum and bass around 160-180.
Cue point — A marker placed at a precise spot in a track to start playback there instantly (first kick, chorus…).
Needle drop — The ancestor of the cue point: placing the needle at exactly the right spot on the vinyl, by hand. An invention of Grand Wizzard Theodore.
Cutting — A sharp, clean transition from one track to the other on the crossfader. Easy on paper: a badly placed cut breaks the rhythm and the room's energy.
EQing — Using each channel's equalizers (bass, mids, highs) to make two tracks coexist — typically swapping one track's bass for the other's at the moment of the transition.
Loop — A section of a track repeated continuously (1, 2, 4, 8 bars…). In the vinyl era it took two copies of the same record — Kool Herc's founding move; today, one button does it.
Scratch — Creating sound effects by manipulating the record under the needle, usually combined with the crossfader. Invented by Grand Wizzard Theodore in 1975. Its techniques carry precise names: baby, forward, backward, chirp, transform, flare, crab…
Beat juggling — Creating a new rhythm out of two identical records. Invented by Steve Dee in the early 1990s. Not to be confused with trick mixing (French DJs call it passe-passe): continuously alternating between two records.
Harmonic mixing — Sequencing tracks with compatible keys, located on the Camelot wheel (1A to 12B), for more musical transitions.

The records and formats

Bootleg — An unauthorized version of a track, an album or a performance, distributed without the rights holders' consent.
Dubplate — A unique, exclusive version of a track, often cut for one specific DJ — a direct legacy of Jamaican sound system culture, where versions carried the DJ's name.
Edit — A light modification of a track to make it easier to mix: extended intro or outro, added break, tightened structure.
Remix — A new version of a track, usually built from the a cappellas, which can change style completely.
Mashup — A fusion of two or more tracks into one — typically an a cappella laid over another track's instrumental, with compatible tempo and key.
White label — A vinyl pressed without an official label, historically for promoting new releases.
Scratch record (DJ tool) — A record compiling sounds, phrases and beats designed for scratching — the turntablist's "ammunition". Some are "skipless": if the needle skips, it lands back on the same sound.

The performance

Set — A DJ's performance: a selection of tracks mixed continuously, from a few minutes (festival) to several hours (marathon).
Drop — The moment when the build-up's tension releases and the main rhythm comes back, at maximum intensity.
Tempo — A track's speed, expressed in BPM; the DJ shapes it with the pitch fader to synchronize tracks.
Rewind (pull up) — A technique inherited from Jamaican dancehall: brutally stopping a track that just set the room on fire and restarting it from the top — a collective surge of energy.
Turntablism — The art of turning turntables and mixer into musical instruments. The term was coined by DJ Babu in the mid-1990s.
Portablism — Nomadic turntablism, on portable turntables — born from the urge to scratch anywhere, when a full setup weighs more than thirty kilos.

To see these terms in action, start with beatmatching and choosing your gear.