You can always trust the dance music press to publish an article which correctly identifies a problem, but then fails to identify where the problem is coming from. This is precisely what happened on Tuesday, when Mixmag’s Gemma Ross wrote about how Brexit was to blame for the current shortage of DJ equipment.

As they used to say in the 1920s, close but no cigar. The biggest issue, in fact, is a worldwide shortage of computer chips, sometimes also called semiconductors. In early 2020, the pandemic forced China into lockdown and many of the factories making these semiconductors closed. During the next few months as the virus spread around the world, other manufacturers of computer chips were affected – thus meaning existing stocks were not being renewed.

The effect of having to move to working from home so quickly, and in so many different countries, was that far more computers were needed. So this depleted stock further. And these chips go into all kinds of electronic products – including the laptop, tablet or smartphone you’re most likely reading this article on.

Manufacturers are now working flat out to increase supply – but with the world reopening and being keen to avoid further lockdowns, it means the problem is going to take some time to resolve. This blog has little time for Brexit – being of the opinion it has caused more problems than it resolved – but citing it as a factor in a worldwide shortage is misleading, disingenuous and lazy…