i don't buy on beatport. i can't

next time, remind your mum about abortions.

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Freak Out Tóng Zhì

quote:

Originally posted by Dykes_on_Jay i don't buy on beatport. i can't next time, remind your mum about abortions.

Not all of us were unplanned Jay.

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Nothing lasts, nothing lasts, everything is changing into something else. Nothing is wrong, nothing is wrong, everything is on track...

You know, William Blake said... uh, nothing is lost. Nothing is lost and I... I really believe that, we only move on...

then i feel sorry for anyone who's plans fell through.

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Freak Out Tóng Zhì

quote:

Originally posted by Ishkur Okay: and they all sucked.

Right, so you went to Shambhala (and what a world-class line-up it looks like, I might add). I remember you once memorably berating me for lecturing on things I hadn't experienced (namely scenes in other cities). Now you're passing judgement on the entire state of DJing based on one annual excursion to some shitty second-rate Canadian music festival and probably a few podcasts (which generally have nothing to do with the art of DJing).

Of course in the modern scene, with DJ slots being the only realistic way most people make money, there are a lot of producers turning up in the booth without much idea what they're doing. But to say "the art of the pure DJ is dead" is typical jaded older-timerism. I've seen dozens of brilliant DJs in the last year or so, new and old, world-famous and unknown locals.

Regarding this "read the crowd and tell a story" notion... I think "reading the crowd" can be over-emphasised. If you're playing peak time to a busy dancefloor and you've been correctly booked by the promoter (and especially if you're a big name DJ) you're not going to have to worry too much about losing their attention unless you get it drastically wrong. Reading the crowd is most important for DJs who need to win the crowd over initially, which generally equates to opening and warm-up DJs. Theirs is one of the most under-appreciated jobs by its very nature - probably 1% of the crowd at most nights is there right from the start to see the warm-up DJ do his/her job.

As for "telling a story" or "taking you on a journey"... some genres and parties are more conducive to that than others, but again it clearly still happens. Perhaps the best example of that I've seen recently was when I saw Blu Mar Ten close a night with a 3 hour set a couple of months back. He constructed a brilliant narrative of different moods and styles, starting off with furious jungle, going stripped down and minimal into filthy bass darkness and then blissing it out for the final hour.

But overall, as for the question "is a DJ actually needed anymore?", surely you're suggesting that DJs are needed more than ever?

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Mixes:
> Maximum Elevation [Progressive House]
> DI.FM 26th Anniversary Guest Mix [Progressive House]
> Live @ Dance:Love:Hub London, 11.10.2025
> Higher Peaks [Progressive House]
> Dance:Love:Hub Afterparty (The Return) 23.11.24

Like these sets? Come see me play live at Kibosh in Manchester: https://www.instagram.com/kibosh.mcr/

quote:

Originally posted by Rodri Santos on true edm clubs you can find great talent, Digweed,Sasha ,Danny Howells or a good dj in short, may be consistent but djs playing on edm clubs are there for a reason, it's not like the kind of mainstream big club where Pauly D plays once a year headlining an event. In this clubs is all about contacts because the crowd is 100% ineducated and if you tell them "this dj is amazing" they'll be thinking the same after a flat track selection and ear piercing mixing.

I would agree with you, but I guess that's why I don't go to a lot of those shows hehe. I wouldn't even consider someone like Pauly D to be a DJ in the first place unless DJ stands for Douchebag Jackass

he's got nice hair and a big dick. that's ok by me.

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Freak Out Tóng Zhì

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Originally posted by RapidFire you need the human element. a computer can't read a crowd or tell a story with its track selection

I often thought the DJ didn't read us even in the early 90's, and the track selection often wasn't that great either.
That story telling thing I never really understood, even in my early days when I wasn't drinking.

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quote:

Originally posted by Trance-MB I often thought the DJ didn't read us even in the early 90's, and the track selection often wasn't that great either. That story telling thing I never really understood, even in my early days when I wasn't drinking.

In the Top 40 clubs, I'm pretty sure whatever DJ there is reads the notes from the management.

"These people are dancing too much. Play something boring so they buy more booze."

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Everyone has an opinion. Mine just happens to be a little more informed than most.
Electronic Music Critic: Near-Daily Ruminations Of Music I Own, In Alphabetical Order!

there is actually some truth to that, sadly

Guide to succes in top 40 clubs:

-Download the top 40
-Play for the girls.

Profit. Thats the art of djing here, but as said this is jukeboxing, the figure of the dj is simply because it's cooler to have something clapping and saying "i love you guys, we gonna rape this club" than a cold pc.

quote:

Originally posted by SYSTEM-J Right, so you went to Shambhala (and what a world-class line-up it looks like, I might add). I remember you once memorably berating me for lecturing on things I hadn't experienced (namely scenes in other cities). Now you're passing judgement on the entire state of DJing based on one annual excursion to some shitty second-rate Canadian music festival...

I guess you've never been to Shambhala, so perhaps you should relax on passing such judgements on something you know very little about.

The Western side of Canada has a thriving and vibrant music scene. It doesn't need a "world class line up". What is that even supposed to mean anyways? More big names is better?

"Shitty-second rate" are words that only people who know nothing of the festival could try and use to describe it.