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The TA Worst DJ Poll. (part 2) (pg. 14)
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| srussell0018 |
| quote: | Originally posted by nefardec
No I am saying that there are different ways to mix besides the snoozefest smooth pick two songs that sound exactly the same way to mix. And it works if you play bland music that sounds all the same, like dub techno or minimal techno or tech house or any of this modern deep house muzak with plug and play intros and outros, super repetitive samey sequencing the same instruments and chords and progressions, but that's not what Theo plays.
And no, playing a prerecorded set is not at all acceptable - the point is to play music for the present moment and connect with and move a crowd.
When I began deejaying I used to be totally obsessed with beatmixing. I was practicing all of the time - I would even test out my mixes before I recorded mixes, mix in perfect harmony, pick songs that fit like puzzle pieces, etc. I could do the perfectly smooth mixes, and I did this over and over. And I would spend all this energy picking tracks that would 'mix well' instead of picking the right tracks. And this became really ing tiresome, and I found I wasn't focusing anymore on what I fell in love with originally, which was just playing music for people plain and simple.
It's not that there is anything wrong with mixing smoothly - sometimes it's the best way to transiton. It's definitely not the only way, and it's secondary to good music. If you play ty music with good transitions, you're just going to be one of a million deejays who has spent a couple more hours to learn how to do a simple skill that allows you to mix two equally boring quantized overproduced house tracks into an easy bake house set. If you don't have a unique perspective, taste, angle, bias, you're never going to have anything to say except "i can beatmatch" or "i get beatport emails". |
Right, but really good DJs can mix smoothly between genres, not just fader slam between them. It doesn't matter how eclectic his box is if he's just jumping randomly from genre to genre with no quality mixing in between.
I do understand what you're saying, though. It's true that flawlessly executed mixing between similar sounding songs over and over can become a little monotonous, but painfully slamming between two completely different sounding songs can become a little hard on the ears. |
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| nefardec |
| quote: | Originally posted by srussell0018
Right, but really good DJs can mix smoothly between genres, not just fader slam between them. It doesn't matter how eclectic his box is if he's just jumping randomly from genre to genre with no quality mixing in between.
I do understand what you're saying, though. It's true that flawlessly executed mixing between similar sounding songs over and over can become a little monotonous, but painfully slamming between two completely different sounding songs can become a little hard on the ears. |
The thing is, that's not what Theo Parrish does. Sometimes he slams the mix, sometimes he wrecks. Sometimes he blends it long, some times he eqs two tracks into the sky before he lets the next one rain back down all over the crowd. Some times its awesome, sometimes he makes mistakes. But I go to see Theo tell me something about music and about himself, and he never fails in that regard. And to me this is artistic integrity, and this is why even if I hated one of his gigs, I would always check out the next one.
This is just what he does, and it's the way DJs moved crowds well before the super slick mixing came into vogue, before this somehow determined 'professionalism'. Plenty of people still like it, and plenty of people like me that came of age after it was already ancient still appreciate it for its honesty and unabridged intensity.
You don't have to get it or like it, but to say someone who does this is the worst DJ as SYSTEM-J says just isn't fair. |
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| srussell0018 |
| Well to be fair the OP asked who was the worst DJ they've seen in the past year, not just in general. So if Theo put on a terrible show that night, it could be completely legitimate for SYSTEM-J to note him in this thread. |
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| sg_57 |
| quote: | Originally posted by srussell0018
Well to be fair the OP asked who was the worst DJ they've seen in the past year, not just in general. So if Theo put on a terrible show that night, it could be completely legitimate for SYSTEM-J to note him in this thread. |
Fair enough... I don't have a problem with that at all.
But when I think of what's out there, we could find plenty of really, really far more awful ones for sure.
As I said before Peter Hook when in impersonator mode.
then this woman whose main attraction is to do it with her out. Portia Surreal, whatever her name is.
Lastly Pauly D from Jersey Shore and his fist-pumping army of roid tan boys. Glad for him that he is getting paid, but this is also training a whole bunch of people to think that what he does is DJ'ing. Is it?
To me, all three of the above are giving DJ'ing out there a bad name for different reasons. And in my opinion each of them far, far worse than anyone else whose style, selection or mixing I merely may not like or understand. |
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| shaw |
| quote: | Originally posted by sg_57
Fair enough... I don't have a problem with that at all.
But when I think of what's out there, we could find plenty of really, really far more awful ones for sure.
As I said before Peter Hook when in impersonator mode.
then this woman whose main attraction is to do it with her out. Portia Surreal, whatever her name is.
Lastly Pauly D from Jersey Shore and his fist-pumping army of roid tan boys. Glad for him that he is getting paid, but this is also training a whole bunch of people to think that what he does is DJ'ing. Is it?
To me, all three of the above are giving DJ'ing out there a bad name for different reasons. And in my opinion each of them far, far worse than anyone else whose style, selection or mixing I merely may not like or understand. |
You went to see all 3 of them this year?
There are hoards of unknown and absolutely atrocious DJs in the world. I would hope that members of this forum don't make it a point of effort to see the worst of the worst. I originally posed the question as a way to discuss those who, despite reputations of at least fair enough quality to land gigs at an event TAs would bother attending, fell surprisingly short of even basic expectations. Nobody cares that a drunk guy at a class reunion tried to commandeer the iTunes playlist. |
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| Sand Leaper |
| quote: | Originally posted by Zyklon_Jay
The thing is though, he is right to an extent about not having to mix to move a room. The disco era involved doing this way before there was any pitch control on the turntables.
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Yeah well, the disco era is over. As a DJ who is there to cater to the crowd, going on some crusade to bring back mixing from 30 years ago is completely backwards considering how much dance music has changed since then.
It is also snobby and self-indulgent, as you clearly value your own agenda more than the crowd you're playing for. Your set then becomes one long request to the crowd for pats on the back regarding how good your tastes in music are, how you're "keeping it real" for the people who "get it" and how you're "educating" the ones who don't. I'm not gonna spend any money to go to a club where the DJ patronizes and preaches to the crowd instead of finding out what clicks with them musically and making them dance. |
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| euphoria |
| quote: | Originally posted by nefardec
ps, anyone in this thread hating on theo - check this mix out and then keep hating. |
I had no opinion of him before, but based on that link I don't like him. Thanks! |
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| srussell0018 |
| quote: | Originally posted by euphoria
I had no opinion of him before, but based on that link I don't like him. Thanks! |
+1
The guy seems just downright arrogant. I think Sand Leaper just hit the nail on the head. You're not being paid to "educate" the audience. They don't need to "get" your music if they like how it sounds.
Maybe next time he should bust out the platform shoes, fake afro, and bell bottoms. Disco is over, and mixing new-age disco into a set like that is never going to bring it back. |
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| Zyklon_Jay |
i'm not trying to say guys shouldn't mix, but you guys do realize that classic disco and songs being made by sampling them is probably the biggest trend in the house music genre right now.
you can really see who doesn't listen to more than 2 genres in this thread. |
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| EddieZilker |
Thanks for putting this up, nefardec. |
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| nefardec |
| quote: | Originally posted by srussell0018
+1
The guy seems just downright arrogant. I think Sand Leaper just hit the nail on the head. You're not being paid to "educate" the audience. They don't need to "get" your music if they like how it sounds.
Maybe next time he should bust out the platform shoes, fake afro, and bell bottoms. Disco is over, and mixing new-age disco into a set like that is never going to bring it back. |
If you hire Theo, that is what you are paying for, and everyone knows that. It's not about education though, it's about hearing what someone has to say.
The amount of willful ignorance in this thread is totally maddening. I don't even want to start to respond to your 'disco' comment.
:wtf:
Carry on with your seth troxlers and afrojacks and van buurens. |
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| srussell0018 |
| quote: | Originally posted by nefardec
If you hire Theo, that is what you are paying for, and everyone knows that. It's not about education though, it's about hearing what someone has to say.
The amount of willful ignorance in this thread is totally maddening. I don't even want to start to respond to your 'disco' comment.
:wtf:
Carry on with your seth troxlers and afrojacks and van buurens. |
That's quite a jump to go from someone not liking disco to someone liking Afrojack and Armin.
I think it's more of a "The amount of people who disagree with me and think someone I idolize is a DJ is maddening." |
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