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Good Markus Schulz read...
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| modthispny |
so his new album came out today, and some old-school fans from the forum have been complaining. Below you will find Markus' response - I agree with him, even though some of the releases sound poppy, he still does it right when he plays for 10.5 hrs at Avalon, etc. EDM is changing, and for dj's like Markus, Armin, etc to remain relevant, you need to adjust your sound a bit or else you won't get booked.
http://www.markusschulz.com/forums/...t-31-2012/page3
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Hey everyone,
I am glad to see you guys are still actively discussing topics here on the MS forums. I have kept away from forums for some time now because I dont think they accurately represent what is going on in the EDM scene. Nonetheless I check them regularly just to get the pulse of what the oldschool-dare I call you guys...elitist fans, are feeling.
Let's clarify some things about this album.
First the elephant in the room....the commercial vocal tracks.
Here is the plain truth of the matter. The main promoters are now only booking based on an artists radio plays. DJ mag is irrelevant in most situations, although it is still an important part of the overall picture. I get messages all the time from people...When are you coming to my city?? Well...the honest answer is, I won't be coming to your city unless a smaller promotor brings me to a smaller club or I get radio support and the main promotors book me. What I mean by radio support is regular rotation on the radio station's playlist. Guys like Dash Berlin, Avicii...etc have all blown up seemingly overnight just because of radio play. Many of these "producer" type DJs are playing mainstage sets ONLY because of their radio presence. Whether or not they can even mix is irrelevant. This has made me evaluate where I am as an artist. I love the music and the scene, and I also know that the gigs will dry up if I do not evolve as an artist. I started reaching out to singers and songwriters and the demos I got back were amazing. When they sent me the rough demo of "Until It's gone" I was blown away. But I also knew it was much more commercial than I have ever done. But how do you let a song like that which is perfect for radio get away? Seriously? If you want to see me playing on the mainstages and in the big clubs in your city then I need songs like that. The challenge now was making the track into something that I could be proud of, and I am 100% proud of the result.
I think the one thing that bothers me the most about everything is that, ok the more commercial tracks are not your thing, but even the tracks that I was 100% sure you guys would love get negative reactions. Meanwhile when I play these tracks out, in front of 20,000 people....or in the intimate settings of the rabbithole of clubs like Stereo in Montreal, crowds lose their mind. Their is an obvious disconnect between what is happening out there and what is happening in here. So what should I do? Keep making music for the message board fans who are slowly fading out of the scene and are so picky that they will complain about the volume of a snare drum while listening on laptop speakers or focus on the fans who come out and stay for an entire 10 hour set enjoying the moments we spend together? There is no cooler feeling than when I play CARRY ON and watching the crowd go crazy as the track builds up and climaxes, or the screams when the riff from LOOPS AND TINGS comes in. When I play FINISH LINE at the end of my sets I hear people singing the riff as they walk out of the club. Things like this is what make me smile, and get me excited to go back in the studio. Things like that are why I am making music. How can you not realize the magnitude of how music touches people lives when you get messages about people getting the lyrics to NOTHING WITHOUT ME tattoo?
I realized that not every track will be for everyone. That is why I made an album diverse and with 23 tracks. most albums are 10 tracks. I am sure you guys can find 10 tracks on here you would put on your ipod and enjoy. Let me try for you:
Carry On
Loops and Tings
Silence to the call
Deep in The night
Nothing Without Me
Triotonic
Soul Searching
Don't Leave Until the Sunrise
Digital Madness
Finish Line
What if the album was only those tracks? Instead I made a diverse album that will help me continue grow as an artist.
Another frustrating thing is that all summer long, on GDJB we have brought you some of the most amazing deeper tunes I have heard in a long time. Artists like Guy J, Wellenrausch, Styller, Tarkan...etc are amazing. Rex Mundi is on fire again. Nobody else supports these artists like we do, yet if you ask someone from an any of the message boards, I am David Guetta now. Like common people...lets be serious!
I don't know. I guess I will stay active here in this thread and debate/discuss whatever you want about this. I still do respect you guys and your knowledge and passion for the music. But I think the message boards have become totally disconnected with reality of the scene.
Markus
*going to get some popcorn. |
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| jonmitz |
| Damn, I thought he made this post on TA and then i reread it :sadgreen: |
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| 72hrpartyanimal |
it's very true what he says. i guess some artists need to ignore the jaded old farts such as myself and continue to please masses BUT when the time is right, go back to your roots and show em how it's done.
kudos to Schultz for posting this. Makes me realllyyyy want to attend one of his shows at Avalon now. |
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| modthispny |
| quote: | Originally posted by 72hrpartyanimal
it's very true what he says. i guess some artists need to ignore the jaded old farts such as myself and continue to please masses BUT when the time is right, go back to your roots and show em how it's done.
kudos to Schultz for posting this. Makes me realllyyyy want to attend one of his shows at Avalon now. |
you need to man!
and it's Schulz. ;) |
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| jasyn |
| classy and well written. |
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| Cool1g |
| kinda funny where he called out his MS board members... which by extension is prob us here on TA as well lol. |
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| fupaking |
| The fact that Markus cares and gets this, yet still struggles with it because of us old farts, is why throughout about 10 years+ of this, it's a no-brainer for me to catch him live whenever possible, more than any other producer/DJ. |
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| sensorium |
he has a point. edm is rapidly evolutionazing.
it seems as if there is a hidden resentment from the classic-lovers who cringe when they hear a dubstep song in a commmercial. just let it go guys, your favorite DJs no longer play only for you. some trance purists out there still look at one of the new commercials and think to themselves a song like Sahara would fit way better and represent EDM more adequately. |
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| moretechplease |
| quote: | Originally posted by fupaking
The fact that Markus cares and gets this, yet still struggles with it because of us old farts, is why throughout about 10 years+ of this, it's a no-brainer for me to catch him live whenever possible, more than any other producer/DJ. |
+1 |
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| moretechplease |
| I'm sure plenty of people responded (or will) to his post but I made sure to leave a reply giving him some kudos...this guys is one of the main reasons I'm even in the scene so I feel I at least owe him some encouragement when this negativity is obviously bothering him |
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| omega1n |
Love how he handles like a boss!
| quote: | Quote Originally Posted by topereq
first of all i would like to thank your respose.
well, i don't fully agree with that statement. scene is not only ppl who go for Your gigs, but also ppl who listen to Your music & radioshow at their homes. over last few weeks i realize that number of people that are active on various trance forums (not only schulz.com, but also di.fm, trancefix etc.) is only a tiny % of your fans but we also represent the scene. we just expressing our opinions, which happen to be totally different from the response u get from the fans at Your gigs. the thing is, that people like me (any many others) expect something more from music than simple melody and catchy vocals (that works great @ big clubs and events). we love the tracks that have a soul, this special thing that makes you forget about the world and puts you in 'a state of trance()'. im sure that everybody agree that your previous albums had this special thing, this dark & melodic vibe. I've been supporting Your productions for many years, i listen to GDJB every week (i have the entire collection of the episodes, some of them are back from 2003). your previous albums & compilations were very isnpirational for me. and i hate to admit it but this album is just like any other album. there is nothing special in it, some of the tracks sounds very soulless and unispirational. i thought i will never say this, but in my opinion You lost your magic.
I understand that those tracks works great at the gigs. but home listeners are simply getting really tired of stuff like this. and its not only You , who make tracks for the clubs, but almost every other big name in the bussines.
as i stated before GDJB is one of 2 best weekly shows (the second is Mistique Music Showcase). You are probably the only DJ who really gives a damn about what you play. track selections, mixing & the flow make your set really special. Thank You for this.
and maybe that's the reason why we have so harsh opinions on the Scream. this album sounds very different from what 'home listeners' are used to.
peace. |
| quote: | Originally Posted by MarkusSchulz
#1 If I do not have a big enough presence in the scene, you can forget about listening at home because the radio show will be cancelled. You can look at Sirius as the first example of that. They have cut the GDJB down to only the first hour to make room for guys who have radio hits right now. There is now big pressure to keep up or be pushed aside. The sad fact is 90% of the tunes I play on a normal GDJB (which are amazing), flop in a live set. When I say flop, I am talking nobody moving on the floor, people leaving, people flipping you off and yelling to play harder. I have seen it all. This is a pretty uncomfortable feeling when you have the promoter who books you standing in the booth with you. You either realize quickly that you better rock the club or you will not be booked back.
#2: When you say "lacks soul" that is pretty vague because to some people this music has soul. I am going to make an assumption that you are talking about production technique. In my older productions (and in most older prog/trance tunes) the melody is hidden behind layers of sweeping synths, delays and efx. We produced like this back in the day and yes we had a strong core of fans but as they aged out of the scene new fans came in looking for something more bold. Now you take the strongest melody/lead and you put it right in the front for everyone to hear. The cutoff filters are usually opened up all the way and the subtle build ups have given way to a giant pitch bend. Again it goes back to either keep up or be pushed aside. The melodies in my tracks are the same style as before, just bolder and up front. The percussion elements are still the same, I use many softer claps and rides to leave room for more layers in sounds. Maybe you are not into this modern style of production, but when I listen to the older stuff I cringe at the production. If I would have known then what I know now!
#3: It is a shame that you say the radio show is one of your favorite shows on the radio, yet you judge me only on an album I have produced that was never intended for the message board people. I am going to keep doing what I am doing. And I will quote something I heard in a movie last week while on the airplane: "When are you going to realize that things will never be the way they used to be" (Finch to Stifler in American Reunion) |
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| Koolaid74 |
| One of the best and honest explanation of the dilemma that DJs or artists face these days. I give him credit for not only addressing the comments on the forum on his website but also being open about the dilemma he faces while not pandering to his fans. |
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