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IPOD Djs....the death of over-rated Djs as we know it?
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| trance_shaft |
Well let me begin by saying...there are several MUSICIANS/Djs who deserve the limelight and all the fame and success.
But...I'll be honest w/ you...and 95% of the club-goers out there will agree
Djing a party is over-rated. Here is the reason why...
While visiting London for work I had the opportunity to visit the latest fad...Ipod Dj parties.
Let me tell you the mixes and tunes emanating from those speakers WERE JUST AS GOOD as 90% of the stuff I've heard from so called "Djs".
Lol! These people knew how to mix...and honestly NO ONE cared. As the night passed away and the crowd got a little inebriated the music SOUNDED THE SAME!
Which leads me to my main observation. The art of Djing is highly over-rated and its w/ great bewilderment that I see people so passionate about some 3rd-4th tier minimum wage moron who spin tunes which one could so at home
LOL!
Please don’t take this as an attack on the Djing world as a whole...like I said there are some true talents who have never ceased to amaze me
But the Dj world has become so saturated w/ "wannabes" it’s pretty sad
The thing is these low-paid idiot Djs think they can sit on some sort of social pedestal
Yet...if you visit the average "pad" of a Spundae or Avalon or Heaven (over-hyped clubs here in LA) resident its pretty much a little dinky apartment. Like the thousands of fools who travel to tinsel town in hopes of becoming the next Cruise or Roberts, these "great" Djs are soooo full of themselves
The sad fact is...someone who actually studies in undergrad and goes to a reasonable grad program will end up making 5x the money.
Well lets give these losers there brief moment of joy on a Friday/Saturday night. Remmeber down the line when they are 40-50 living in the small apartment...wish them the best of luck
Hahaha! |
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| Hypersky |
As usual, you (albeit in a misguided way) have a point trance shaft. Its not really about the mixing skills though is it. Its more about the track selection, which makes the platform from which the music eminates (whether vinyl, CDJs, Ableton, Ipod etc) rather moot. If you can create unique atmosphere through original track selection then you are doing your job. Its not about who is a better mixer any more, its about who can do more with new technology.
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| DJ Kenosis |
You had a few good observations (and yes, at least for me I have a sorta 'dinky apartment'). A lot of people do take it way too seriously.
If you want to think of dj'ing as an "art" at all or think of what you are doing as musical performance you have to do much more than just play tracks that people like and not trainwreck. You have to be able to structure a set, create an extemporanous 'symphony' if you want to call it that, build a mood...generally take people on a musical journey. This isn't always a given even with some of the bigger names. I also think that your technical skills have to extend beyond just beatmatching. Use the flange, reverb, or other fx at the right time or scratch if you can.
Beyond that, people need to realize that as a dj you're largely a circus clown for adults. You entertain people either directly or through what you're playing. If you don't entertain people it doesn't matter how precisely you can mix. Admiring the "art" is fine, but people who primarily go to see someone to admire the art of what they're doing go to Walt Disney concert hall, not clubs. Right now the top dj the world is so *because* he's a great circus clown (well, and good marketing doesn't hurt :P).
If you don't do that, and just stand up there, mix, and not trainwreck then 'being good at dj'ing' is about like 'being good at eating cereal'. |
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| jethro |
| quote: | Originally posted by trance_shaft
The sad fact is...someone who actually studies in undergrad and goes to a reasonable grad program will end up making 5x the money. |
Quite true as with the comparison with most any 'creative' pursuit.
Djing is not a big money maker, just like being a dancer or etc.
There are a rare few who can do nothing but produce/dj and have a good life at it, and they work quite hard to get to that point.
Most still have day jobs, and like me, consider djing albeit fun, a hobby and passion, not a career.
I wish I had the time to do nothing but devote my self to music and music alone, but it aint the case, so I sludge to work every morning bright and early and think about music only in my spare time.
BTW does the ipod actually have pitch control with that proposed numark doowacky? |
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| Shafer8 |
| Hypersky, that photo of the IPOD with a mix look great. Have you rtyed that out yet, or has anyone you know tryed a set up like that yet? |
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| Hypersky |
| Nah.....I've been following it though. I'm in the process of moving to Ableton, which should be complete as soon as the G5 powerbooks are released. |
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| Shafer8 |
| That is on Mac correct? I feel I am in the dark ages still with wax. I need to atleast upgrade to CDJ's |
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| Hypersky |
Yeah, I'm on G5 Desktop right now, which works great for an in home studio setup, and will be purchasing a G5 powerbook for LIVE shows whenever they come out.
If I were you I would strongly consider at least going to CDs since vinyl will be completely dead shortly. We're going to see a lot of traditional labels dropping vinyl over the next 12 months because its just not cost effective to make it anymore with digital downloads taking over - infact a lot of labels will either make their entire catalogues completely available on 3rd party sites like Beatport, or else make their own in house sites where users can download their tracks. Its just much cheaper to do things that way, and all of this is going to eventually feed into Ableton as well. |
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| DJ Kenosis |
| quote: | Originally posted by Hypersky
Yeah, I'm on G5 Desktop right now, which works great for an in home studio setup, and will be purchasing a G5 powerbook for LIVE shows whenever they come out.
If I were you I would strongly consider at least going to CDs since vinyl will be completely dead shortly. We're going to see a lot of traditional labels dropping vinyl over the next 12 months because its just not cost effective to make it anymore with digital downloads taking over - infact a lot of labels will either make their entire catalogues completely available on 3rd party sites like Beatport, or else make their own in house sites where users can download their tracks. Its just much cheaper to do things that way, and all of this is going to eventually feed into Ableton as well. |
I for one am a huge fan of beatport & audiojelly. Instead of waiting a week for a track, paying 20 dollars in international shipping and 10 dollars per vinyl I can legally download exactly the tracks I want, burn them to a cd, and play them in less than an hour for about 2-3 dollars. I've bought maybe 3 vinyl in the last 2 months and an order of magnitude more off of those sites. It's so much easier on the budget. |
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| trance_shaft |
Hypersky
I do not wish to usurp the establishment...all I offer is my opinion on things. If people agree then fine...if not...then all power to you
I just wish to voice my concerns as an adamant EDM fan
I only wish EDMN and trance to progress into a legit artistic form...but in the way it is going forward it isn’t
Too many morons are entering the field b/c they are enticed by the "fame"
This will be the death of EDM culture |
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| DJ Kenosis |
| quote: | Originally posted by trance_shaft
Hypersky
I do not wish to usurp the establishment...all I offer is my opinion on things. If people agree then fine...if not...then all power to you
I just wish to voice my concerns as an adamant EDM fan
I only wish EDMN and trance to progress into a legit artistic form...but in the way it is going forward it isn’t
Too many morons are entering the field b/c they are enticed by the "fame"
This will be the death of EDM culture |
Trance should be a niche, not easily assimilated into popular culture, IMO. Trance loses its soul when it starts to try to appeal to too many people and becomes pop music with a constant kickdrum and a few spazzy synths. I think things started to go into slow decline once the sound of 99 started to get popular. Go back to trance before then (Cm - Dream Universe, LSG - Netherworld & Hidden Sun of Venus, E Razor - Mantra, any Astral Projection track), before it started to split up into "trance" that wasn't trancey at all and "progressive" that was more trancey but not as interesting, and see what trance was really all about. Thank God that JOOF and a few other labels are pushing this kind of trance again. You can be evangelistic about it but don't compromise the integrity of the music. |
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