|
There are still tonnes of djs that play "oldschool" style (though I don't know if that's the best term to use to describe it) - just that most of them are busy playing festival/club circuits over in Europe and will rarely make appearances on these shores. Ben Sims, Dave Clarke, DJ Bone, Rob Hood, Steve Rachmad, etc...all play in a very similar vein to the way they've always played, and of course use music (whether current or retro) that suits that style. They haven't fallen out of fashion because they aren't following trends and there's enough appreciation for them to continue with their chosen way of rocking the ones and twos.
It also holds true that some djs do play different types of sets depending on where they're playing - the same "minimal" Techno dj that you recently heard in Toronto might play a much harder and more varied set were they booked to play in Eastern Europe, where they know the crowds will be much more receptive to that particular style.
North American crowds aren't exactly clamouring for the likes of Sims, Clarke, et al, because we don't have the venues or fan base to support that end of things. Music like this belongs in big warehouses, with massive, high quality sound systems and lighting and thousands of fans to support it - that part of the scene went bye-bye in Toronto around the turn of the century (<---just had to say that). Sure, we do have a handful of world-class clubs here, but a night at the Guv or Circa is still a far cry from bringing together 40,000+ Techno fans, spread out over 5 rooms for one night of a veritable who's-who of the genre (see "ILOVETECHNO" in Ghent, Belgium).
Having said all that, the only thing that really matters to me in a dj set is good storytelling, which as I see it by default implies a good sense of history. Someone who only plays the latest and greatest is immediately going to find themselves in the company of hundreds of other superstars and wannabes who are all doing the same thing ("because that's what's popular"), which is probably why so many djs I hear snippets of these days all seem to sound like they've been picking their tunes from the same Beatport promo list. Deep crates and the ability to seamlessly fuse the old with the new make for the most delicious sets, imho.
___________________
4a.m.deepdarksweatypulsingwarehousemusic
WestsideWax Soundcloud
WestsideWax Mixcloud
New! WestsideWax Archives
|
