Is the DJ an Artist? Is a mixset a piece of art?

People often ask: is a DJ an artist? This is a difficult question. Sure, there is a certain skill involved in DJ’ing, but does that make the DJ an artist? There is skill involved in driving a car but no-one would call driving an art-form. Is the same true of DJ’ing?

I believe that DJ’ing is a form of art. The purpose of this short piece is to explain my reasons for holding this belief. My goal is to convince the skeptics that DJs should be put into a similar category with other artists. Musicians, composers, painters, and photographers are all artists that have learned a skill. They use their skill to bring about emotion in other people. They do this by either creating something new, or by capturing a unique scene or moment in time, and then making the result available to an audience. DJs are the same. They…