It is safe to say that most aspiring and established DJs have seen their fair share of gear. Nevertheless, it is always interesting to take a look at the slightly odder entries to the market.
Some of which are credited with paving the way for what is on the market today, but are not given the respect or admiration it deserves.
To illustrate the point, here is a look at four weird and wonderful pieces of DJ gear you have probably never heard of but should have:
The EKS Otus
The Otus came from a veteran on the scene with a history dating back to 1955. Despite having come up with something truly unique, in this case the Otus - EKS officially went out of business in 2014.
What makes the Otus unique is the way in which it was designed to be placed over a turntable - it even features a hole underneath to accommodate the spindle of the deck below. Hence, it does not need to take up any additional space in the booth - a crafty and convenient design that sadly never gained any real traction.
Particularly given its unique aesthetic, which is frankly awesome.
The Stanton DJ SCS.4DJ
This thing deserves total respect simply for the reason that it was so ridiculously far ahead of its time. Not to mention, destined to be sold by Stanton for the ludicrously low price of around $500, this is so much cheaper than anything even remotely comparable in its class.
It’s worth remembering that the SCS.4DJ was devised, developed and debuted long before the all-in-one standalone controllers we now rely on were. It was cheap, packed with impressive features and looked the part in every way.
Unfortunately, it never made it to the market. For some reason, it was shelved before ever going on sale - which at $500 could have seen it becoming an absolute superstar on the scene.
The Tonium Pacemaker
Nothing even remotely like The Tonium Pacemaker has been seen on the market before or since. It was produced for a good few years between 2008 and 2011, somehow never finding its place on the market.
The Tonium Pacemaker was launched to considerable acclaim, as an unusual handheld device that used gesture-like controls to do its thing. Wireless connectivity was pretty rudimentary at the time, so it needed to be hooked up to a speaker physically for sound output.
Even so, it is not a bad piece of kit and was certainly something no other brand had ever come up with.
The Denon DJ DN-HC1000S
The Denon DJ DN-HC1000S was crafted from the ground up to make the most of Serato DJ. It was an exceptionally heavy piece of equipment that could probably withstand a nuclear explosion and still perform as good as new.
Why this particular controller never proved popular is open for discussion though is perhaps a combination of its excessive weight and the fact that it was quickly superseded by a long list of superior devices.
Either way, it was a curious entry to the market from Denon the likes of which you do not see much of these days.
