Music is the one constant in life, it binds us, brings us together, and soothes our very soul. Regardless of the genre, its music that speaks to us, unfettered by language, continent, religion, or creed.
I have a very eclectic taste when it comes to music. Rock, rap, hip-hop, blues, jazz, country and every sub-genre in-between those. Each one of those are a story unto themselves on how they became part of my life, we’re not really here for that though. Not today. For now, we’re talking about music when it comes to a wide audience, getting that music to the masses. Wouldn’t you know it, DJ’s adapted to the rise of technology.
During the plague of 2020, some DJ’s took to Twitch, to help spread their music. Some chose to use it as a outlet while cooped up at home, others used it as a revenue stream, others did both. I found myself chillin’ with DJ Jazzy Jeff for most of the year after I learned he had taken to the Twitch Streets. It was an amazing discovery, and wished I had found it earlier. Around the same time, Dropkick Murphy had a Facebook concert as well. The artists, even though venues had closed, found a way to spread the music they knew we needed. We listened.
Now, years later, I still spend more time listening to music in the myriad of DJ’s that stream on Twitch. Most are local DJ’s from around the world. Since Jazzy Jeff only streamed, on certain days, and wasn’t always streaming. I mean, as the world opened back up, of course he returned to the venues he knew he could pack. Understandable. But what of the rest of the DJ’s? I expanded my search on Twitch and ended up on the International Hitmen Raid Train. I couldn’t of landed in within a better group of people. First, I want to thank them. Secondly, I want to thank ALL the DJ’s, regardless of their Raid affiliation.
While the International Hitmen no longer raid, the individual DJ’s still play music they enjoy, and overall just hang out with people on their channel, growing their followers into something more like a community then faceless “fans” or groupies. Many of the DJ’s interact with those in Chat, genuinely care about whats going on. But its all for the love of the music. They spread music with each stream, sometimes, after a hard day at work, or a draining Monday. They are there with soothing beats that can lift you out of the gutter. If, like me, you love music and miss when radio stations played more then 10 records a day, or when MTV played actual music video’s, I implore you to head over to Twitch and start following DJ’s. I have not found a genre that hasn’t been represented by at least one DJ on Twitch.