How To Pronounce Difficult DJ Names

August 12, 2014, 6:15pm

We’ll admit it: learning how to pronounce new DJ names can be hard. In the constant attempt to be cool and stand out, DJs incorporate numbers with letter, mix random words together or simply abandon words altogether, mostly just leading to confusion. Plus, most DJs come from across the world, taking from languages us simple Americans simply do not speak. What’s worse? DJs love to stay mysterious and behind-the-~~scenes~~boards so it’s rare to even hear them say their name out loud. It’s the music that speaks, not the person.

No worries, though. We’ve got the scoop. Here are some of the hardest to pronounce and most often consfused DJ names pronounced for you. So the next time you and your friends gather round to fight about pronounciations, you’ll be the winner.

Videos by VICE

!!!

Bandmembers say it’s technically pronounced “chk chk chk” after the subtitles for the movie The Gods Must Be Crazy.The clicking sounds of the Bushmens’ Khoisan language were represented as “!” But, the bandmembers themselves also say the name works by saying and monosyllabic sound three times in a row like, “Pow Pow Pow,” “Bam Bam Bam” or “Uh Uh Uh.” Go crazy.

Avicii

Don’t let that double ‘I’ confuse you. It’s “Ah-vee-chee.”

Bonobo

David Guetta

I’ll assume you know how to say David. And it’s “get-ah,” like when you’re chasing after a girl and someone says, “Go run and getta!”

DJ EZ

He’s from the UK, so that’s “E Zed” to you.

DJ Koze

Ko-zay like Ricky Rozay.

DVBBS

That ‘V’ is actually a ‘U.’ It’s Dubbs.

Eric Prydz

Replace the ‘Y’ for an ‘I’ and we have: Pridz

Gui Boratto

That’s “Gee” with a hard G.

Gesaffelstein

This name is a mix of “Einstein” (one of his idols) with the German word, “Gesamtkunstwerk,” which means “the paroxysm of art between image, sound and video.” Let’s take this one slow: Geh-Saf-El-Steen.

HNNY

Not henny, rather “Honey.”

Laurent Garnier

Law-ron (but take it easy on the ‘N,’ it’s very soft sounding) garn-YAY. Don’t you love French?

NguzuNguzu

The name, as fantastically weird as their music, is pronounced “En-Goo-Zoo En-Goo-Zoo.”

Martin Solveig

Orjan Nilsen

This Norweigan trance and progressive producer goes by “Ehr-Yan Neel-sen.” Fun fact: that pesty O-with-the-slash is always pronouned “ehr,” like the vowel in “bird.”

Todd Terje