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Modern DJ's, New Music
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| Guest |
I think one of the flaws with the modern dj is their obsession with playing only new releases.
My statement generally includes mix CD's, Essential Mixes, Live Sets. I think everyone would agree that there's a greater quantity of music being released today than there was in dance culture 10 or 20 years ago. That has led to an overall tification of the music (throw it all against the wall and see which one sticks mentality) and thus for jocks who only want to play cutting edge music, the chances of them choosing brand new boring tracks is greater simply because the selections have not had time to age or build a reputation in the scene. 2 weeks after the release 99% of the tracks just fizzle out into obsurity never to be cared for again. Some tracks sound great the first few times you hear them but I think it takes awhile for the classicness or brilliance of a tune to shine through. So if you're tasked with creating an Essential Mix, and you as the dj think its only going to be good if you play a bunch of new releases, how can you be sure those tunes will still be relevant even 6 months later? I know if I spent weeks or months building an essential mix I would want it to be one that hung around for awhile in minds of listeners. It's pretty hard to accomplish this if you accidentally pick a bunch of throw away tunes.
Damian Lazarus is an example of a dj who will play old and new. See his Soma mix cd for an example of this. I'd like to go out and hear someone drop some some early prog or house tunes from the 80's and 90's in their sets and find a way to make it work with the newer music as well. It would probably be a lot more interesting for everyone involved. |
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| stealthman |
This is why I've lost interest in even attempting to gather any sort of motivation to play Trance/Techno/Deep-House (insert other "obscure forms of EDM" to the public lately.
Too many people (weekly "ravers") have been ed in the ear with Armadas proverbial dick along with other #trancefamily head supporting artists/DJ's flogging out the beatport top 10 to even allow any sort of room for open-mindedness towards playing at least 50% of old-school material. Well, in my case...we're looking at 99% but that's a different story based on the fact that I can distinguish between audiable garbage and creative productions.
It is true. I've thrown out nearly have of the crap I've purchased online. Ironically, most of them would've been "new". They didn't retain any value of replayability. |
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| SYSTEM-J |
Thanks for repeating the same rant that has been trotted out countless times in the last twenty years. This has nothing to do with digital releases - it's always been the case that focusing on brand new music drastically limits your selection and consequently your chances of playing great music.
The important part of playing old music is that people don't recognise it. If you're playing classic/timeless/proper music that just consists of well-known classics then you're reducing your set to a pop concert. There's always a place in a set for a classic record, but DJs who have nothing to offer but rehashing classics are no better than DJs who only play up-front tracks. |
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| stealthman |
| quote: | Originally posted by SYSTEM-J
Thanks for repeating the same rant that has been trotted out countless times in the last twenty years. This has nothing to do with digital releases - it's always been the case that focusing on brand new music drastically limits your selection and consequently your chances of playing great music.
The important part of playing old music is that people don't recognise it. If you're playing classic/timeless/proper music that just consists of well-known classics then you're reducing your set to a pop concert. There's always a place in a set for a classic record, but DJs who have nothing to offer but rehashing classics are no better than DJs who only play up-front tracks. |
In my case however, I'm not referring to familiar anthems that everybody knows hence "The important part of playing old music is that people don't recognise it" (and yes that includes old classics), only as long as it is obscure. That's what makes it interesting.
PS. Most digital releases are and it's a fact. |
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| idoru |
| quote: | Originally posted by SYSTEM-J
Thanks for repeating the same rant that has been trotted out countless times in the last twenty years. |
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| stealthman |
| I'm sure though its a bad tale we'll all be telling our grandchildren (unless it becomes a forgotten genre by then which hopefully does so all the bitter critics could have something else to rant about). There really is nothing else exiciting to talk about in regards to the development of the scene anyway. |
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| idoru |
| quote: | Originally posted by stealthman
PS. Most digital releases are and it's a fact. |
This is a phrase that I am fast growing weary of hearing. Sure, most digital releases are , I'm not going to argue with that. The problem is that most people who throw this phrase around nowadays seem to think that all music that was coming out before the rise of digital stores was vastly greater. This is not true.
I have been digging through records bins since well before CDJs started making their way into the scene. Time after time I would have to wade through the same ratio of crappy music to good music that I find myself going through on Beatport, WPP, etc. today. Music being pressed to vinyl really didn't have much of an impact on the quality. There's more music, in general, being put out today, but the ratio of crap to great will always remain about the same. |
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| idoru |
| quote: | Originally posted by stealthman
I'm sure though its a bad tale we'll all be telling our grandchildren (unless it becomes a forgotten genre by then which hopefully does so all the bitter critics could have something else to rant about). There really is nothing else exiciting to talk about in regards to the development of the scene anyway. |
Alright, so then why are you here? |
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| kuollutrunkkau5 |
It's because they're contractually obligated to let their labels select what they play who in turn are paid by other labels to let their artists play their tracks, silly.
Anyway, since I don't really pay money to see a person basically chop off the beginning and the ending of the tracks I like and sew them together live while distorting their original tempo and pitch. I can't caaaaaaare, you're problem, not mine. |
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| stealthman |
| quote: | Originally posted by idoru
Alright, so then why are you here? |
Sometimes, I like to stalk the cor. |
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| idoru |
| quote: | Originally posted by stealthman
Sometimes, I like to stalk the cor. |
I wasn't talking about the forums, I was asking why you would listen to something that's not really doing anything exciting. |
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| stealthman |
| quote: | Originally posted by idoru
I wasn't talking about the forums, I was asking why you would listen to something that's not really doing anything exciting. |
I listen to Trance (subjective) and attend a regular techno event every now and then, but sorry, I dont do unicorn flavoured meat. |
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