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Posted by osuracnaes on Jun-30-2004 18:51:

Older/classic tunes

I've been seriously considering learning to mix... cost and lack of my own place is what's been holding me back so far... but I've always wondered about spinning tracks that aren't so recent, maybe overplayed. Is it generally looked down upon?

Pretty new to all of this, so might seem like a weird question. Just concerned because I never get sick of some songs, but I know other people might.

Posted by Rick D on Jun-30-2004 21:11:

i would say no way, but thats because i love the older 'anthems'. Just play what you enjoy, it'll keep you interested when you start out as well

Posted by Mr.Mystery on Jul-01-2004 00:59:

It depends, really. If it's a track that was just a passing fad when it was recent and got overplayed (Sandstorm) then you will be booed off the stage instantly. However, if it is a track that has gained the status of a "classic" then you can play it and the crowd will love you (unless you play too many of them in the same set, it gets tiresome).

Posted by Nemesis44 on Jul-01-2004 16:21:

I look at it like this, there are two types of music in this world... good and bad.
If the music is good then you can play it.

With regards to tracks like sandstorm you have to look and see what made it popular. It is worth avoiding tracks that have been hammered to death.
On the other hand I mixed PvD - For an Angel into a set of mine recently and the place went nuts.

It's all about dropping the right thing at the right time. It takes time to learn that skill but will serve you well once you master it.
Play classics by all means but don't hammer them back to back. People quickly get bored of that.

Start to mix and just enjoy it as that's really what it's about.

Cheers
Nem

Posted by JM-8 on Jul-01-2004 16:33:

quote:
Originally posted by Nemesis44
I look at it like this, there are two types of music in this world... good and bad.
If the music is good then you can play it.

With regards to tracks like sandstorm you have to look and see what made it popular. It is worth avoiding tracks that have been hammered to death.
On the other hand I mixed PvD - For an Angel into a set of mine recently and the place went nuts.

It's all about dropping the right thing at the right time. It takes time to learn that skill but will serve you well once you master it.
Play classics by all means but don't hammer them back to back. People quickly get bored of that.

Start to mix and just enjoy it as that's really what it's about.

Cheers
Nem

agree with that - people (especially in genres like trance) equivocate new tunes = good tunes and old tunes = bad tunes which is stupid IMO. Playing older stuff can sometimes be refreshing, just go into the DJ promotion forums and see what I mean - too many of the tracklists contain the same tracks.

Posted by Psiweaver on Jul-01-2004 19:02:

Basicly what it comes down to is if your a bedroom DJ play what tracks you wanna hear and what tracks make you excited don't play what other people tell you to play. If you start playing out at a club or something simliar then feel free to put 1 or 2 classics in there to mix it up a bit and really get the place jumping.

Posted by Solkanar512 on Jul-02-2004 05:05:

quote:
Originally posted by JM-8
agree with that - people (especially in genres like trance) equivocate new tunes = good tunes and old tunes = bad tunes which is stupid IMO. Playing older stuff can sometimes be refreshing, just go into the DJ promotion forums and see what I mean - too many of the tracklists contain the same tracks.

I have to third this one. I'm tired of this race to see who can get the latest and greatest tunes. I find it odd, because other genres place so much emphasis on the art of "digging" for the old, the lost and the forgotten tunes that simply need a DJs touch to bring back to life.

Frankly, obsolescence is for computers, not music. Just ask Bach...

Posted by whitesmoke on Jul-03-2004 07:53:

i doubt peeps in Cleveland, OH will look down on you if you play old tunes....they prob dont know any better

Posted by tu_face on Jul-03-2004 08:50:

i think it depends on the situation, and where you are playing. if its in the bedroom, you can play what the fuck you like, nem's good music bad music theory is in play.

if however you are playing out, i think things are slightly different. especially if you are playing seriously in clubs.. although the good music bad music thing still applies i think it is often better to give people a majority of music that they maybe havent heard before. its fine to stick the odd oldie that everyone knows here and there (secret weapon theory), but if you play the same stuff everyone else has already hammered for the last year, i doubt you will impress any promoters.

if the crowd wont have heard it then go for it! a bit like when america discovered trance, all the UK/european dj's went over and played them 10 years of music

Posted by Floorfiller on Jul-03-2004 09:14:

what you need to do is get your hands on some of them golden oldies that no one knows about and then you can play those as much as you like because people will be like...shit what the fuck is this tune?!?!?!

Posted by Solkanar512 on Jul-03-2004 17:51:

quote:
Originally posted by Floorfiller
what you need to do is get your hands on some of them golden oldies that no one knows about and then you can play those as much as you like because people will be like...shit what the fuck is this tune?!?!?!

That's why I love college parties. Those folks know quite little about trance, so you can tease them with the obscure stuff, but then play something more commercial, like PVD, and they all go crazy. It's really all about knowing your crowd.

Posted by dknylady on Jul-04-2004 03:12:

who cares...if you love the song , play it... if you dont' plan on being a sell-out or just getting into dj'ing for the $$$...then play whatever you love, because it should be your thing and nobody else's.

i play a lot of older songs. they are still just as good as they were when they were new. besides new songs always turn into old songs anyway...what are you gonna do, stop playing them ? nope

as for overplayed..if you think it's overplayed why buy it? you want to be unique. (again this is if you plan on other people hearing you spin)

Posted by DJ Kibon on Jul-06-2004 01:08:

There is absolutely nothing wrong with playing old tunes, you just need to be careful about which tracks you play, and when.

My experience so far playing residencey at an afterhours club is that people love to hear tracks that they recognize, so I can easily get away with playing some of the older trance anthems. I think you need to be careful how many of them you play though.

My theory on this is that when you're playing a set, you do a bit of pre-planning as you go, as well as trying to judge what types of tracks that crowd is liking or disliking, then take that into consideration when selecting upcoming tracks. I think that there needs to be a balance between playing older favorites and introducing the crowd to new tracks, since I think part of a DJs job is to "educate" people with new material.

To give an example of this, I frequently play Ferry Corsten - Rock Your Body Rock (because the extended mix just kicks ass...), and it usually gets a great reaction from people there. Then I'll play something like Ferry Corsten - It's Time, which is a relatively new and unheard track (I play the Ferry Corsten Flashover Remix).