VOA慢速英语2021--Young Dubai DJ Gains Fame

Michelle Rasul, age 9, is one of the world's top DJs or disc jockeys - people who play recorded music on the radio or at celebrations or parties.

Rasul even competed in this year's international championship and placed 14th out of 85 DJ stars from around the world.

At her home in Dubai, the rising star from Azerbaijan described how she got her start.

"I looked at my dad while he was practicing DJ-ing and I saw him and was like, ‘Wow, is he doing magic or something? He's a real magician...'" Michelle told The Associated Press recently.

She added, "When I turned 5 on my birthday, I told him, ‘Dad, I want to be a world famous DJ. I'm going to start practicing.'"

Michelle smiled and added: "And the rest is history."

Michelle is the youngest-ever person in the DMC World DJ Championship. She placed 14th out of 85 DJ stars from around the world in the "Portablist" category this year, the portable scratch competition. The 2021 competition was held online due to the coronavirus crisis.

Although she did not go to the next round this time, she is determined² to beat her father, Vagif "DJ Shock" Rasulov in next year's competition.

Rasulov came in 9th place this year and taught Michelle how to DJ.

Turntables are the part of a record player that turns the record. Turntabling - taking a record, putting the needle down and sliding it back and forth³ with one's fingertips - came onto the music scene in the late 1970s among hip¹ hop⁴ artists.

Turntabling can look like a simple act, but it is an art form. It involves sound mixing and methods like quick, rhythmic⁵ scratching or "crabs," or rubbing the record under the needle.

From the moment her parents gave her a mini DJ starter set, they recognized her strong abilities.

Sadia Rasulova, a former violinist, is Michelle's mother.

"She just catches things so fast," she said. "I realized that she's a star, that she's really talented."

When children her age were listening to children's music, or as she put it, "‘Baby Shark' stuff or ABC songs," Michelle said she listened to rap artists like Tupac Shakur, Chuck D, Jay-Z, the Notorious B.I.G. and Michael Jackson, who remains⁶ her favorite.

Her parents started putting video of her DJing online, and Michelle's popularity grew. Her Instagram page has around 110,000 followers⁷. Online messages from DJs ages 6 to 65 came in from around the world, she said.

Before the pandemic put big gatherings⁸ on hold, Michelle performed regularly at weddings, parties and musical events across the city.

While the rest of the world pays attention to her accomplishments⁹ as a DJ star, Michelle is busy attending online school, reading and hanging out with friends and dogs at her neighborhood park. But her heart is always in turntabling.

"I can't imagine my life without music," she said.

Words in This Story

practice – v. to do something again and again in order to become better at it

magic – n. tricks that seem to be impossible and that are done by a performer to entertain people

category – n. a group of people or things that are similar in some way

portable – adj. easy to carry or move around

scratch – v. to rub a surface or object with something sharp or rough in a way that produces a harsh sound

rhythmic -- adj. having a regular repeated pattern of sounds or movements

needle – n. a very small piece of metal that touches a record and produces sound when the record is played

talented -- adj. having a special ability to do something well : having talent

1 hip   

n.臀部，髋；屋脊

参考例句：

• The thigh bone is connected to the hip bone.股骨连着髋骨。
• The new coats blouse gracefully above the hip line.新外套在臀围线上优美地打着褶皱。

2 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

3 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

4 hop   

n.单脚跳，跳跃；vi.单脚跳，跳跃；着手做某事；vt.跳跃，跃过

参考例句：

• The children had a competition to see who could hop the fastest.孩子们举行比赛，看谁单足跳跃最快。
• How long can you hop on your right foot?你用右脚能跳多远？

5 rhythmic   

adj.有节奏的，有韵律的

参考例句：

• Her breathing became more rhythmic.她的呼吸变得更有规律了。
• Good breathing is slow,rhythmic and deep.健康的呼吸方式缓慢深沉而有节奏。

6 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

7 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

8 gatherings   

聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集

参考例句：

• His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
• During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次，其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。

9 accomplishments   

n.造诣；完成( accomplishment的名词复数 )；技能；成绩；成就

参考例句：

• It was one of the President's greatest accomplishments. 那是总统最伟大的成就之一。
• Among her accomplishments were sewing,cooking,playing the piano and dancing. 她的才能包括缝纫、烹调、弹钢琴和跳舞。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》