Three decades on from its beginnings, the CDJ has revolutionised DJing in countless ways. Below, in a new documentary and accompanying long read by Ria Hylton, DJ Mag maps its evolution from experimental tech to industry standard, and speaks with some of its biggest advocates to learn why it is now an essential tool for today’s selectors

The CDJ’s evolution from experimental tech to industry standard gear, and explore how it changed DJing in countless ways. Speaking with some of its biggest advocates, including Roger Sanchez, DJ Paulette, DJ Shadow, Miss Monique, James Zabiela, Moxie and more, we find out why the CDJ has become such an essential tool for today’s electronic music artists. We also sit down with Yoshinori Kataoka, AlphaTheta’s President and CEO, and Kou Atsumi, one of the former product planners for the company — responsible for the Pioneer DJ brand — to learn the inside story on the development of the CDJ since its inception 30 years ago.

H/T DJ Mag.