RANT HERE: What is a DJ?

Rx · Post by Rx » Tue Mar 15, 2005 4:02 am

SimonPHC wrote:I'm getting really mixed feelings about these kind of threads ...

so let me do a medley of songtext quotes:

"It ain't what you do, it's the way that you do it! that what gets results"
"There's not a problem that I can't fix, cause I can do it in the mix"
"Won't you groove on out, won't you groove on out of my life?"
"Collapsing new people"
"The answer is yes"
"Past represents the future, next I make them equal"
"Everybody wants to be the DJ, Everybody thinks it oh so easy"
"We are the music makers and we are in control of transmission"

what about "Hang the DJ?"

::mic-minimal:: · Post by **::mic-minimal::** » Tue Mar 15, 2005 4:16 am

I dunno bout that sweetjesus, I just don't see how the laptop is the evolution of the turntable unless you are looking at it from a non-dj perspective, and as further evidence like you say look how after all of these years that turntables have been used as instruments how insane these dj-musicians are, and they're still doing things that you can't even do with a computer. I think the bloodline of the turntable and the laptop are not the same or intertwined, but I can see how some one might feel that way if they were never a dj or experienced a dj, but I look at it this way,
I'm not god i didn't create the titles or definitions I just respect them all.
there was such a thing as dj-ing and it has evolved into turntablism in an astonishing manner, gone way beyond scratching funny enough alot of folks think that scratching is the height of turntablism but thats not true anyway, imho the laptop is the desktop evolved and the desktop and hardware keyboards (synths workstations) are cousins. I have nothing against laptop musicians, I am one myself, i just see no need to take the title of something else that is already so well defined. its not necessary for
credibility in my eyes. djs have had it hard, first being replaced by keyboards and now laptops. I think the cat that brought up the fact that dj craze uses final scratch was a great example.

no one in their right mind is going to call dj craze a dj cause he's using a laptop, its cause he is dj-ing, I don't think the technological advances of the last 20 years should change the definition of what a dj is. evolution hasn't effected what a pianist is, or what a guitarist is or what a horn player is so why are we dropping needles on djs

AdamJay · Post by **AdamJay** » Tue Mar 15, 2005 4:31 am

in the words of one famous DJ (whose name will be left out) whilst travelling from one gig to another on a cold wintery saturday night somewhere in Ohio, getting pulled over (on Acid!) by an Ohio Trooper:

Trooper: "Where are you going sir?"
DJ: "To work, officer."

Trooper: "What's your job?"
DJ: "I'm a performer!"

Trooper: "Well, what do you do?"
DJ: "I Perform!!!"

Pitch Black · Post by **Pitch Black** » Tue Mar 15, 2005 4:35 am

some terms... each with different strengths and associations for your hyphenating pleasure:

DJ

musician

turntablist

producer

remixer

laptop artist

...

Rx · Post by Rx » Tue Mar 15, 2005 4:35 am

i wouldn't say a laptop represents the next evolutionary step of a turntable - it's just another instrument, just like drums, mandolins, pianofortes, didgeridoos and whatnot. i think the use of a laptop represents the next step in dj'ing, but so long as you're not being lame and mixing 2 tracks. if you're going to use a laptop, better do something that is impossible with turntables.

also, the cover band thing isn't that cut and dry a comparison. Bjorn Again plays music of a band that hasn't performed in 20 yrs. popular rock cover bands provide the experience of seeing an act who doesn't tour all the time (and tend to be pretty expensive when they are on the road). djs are not playing music of people who the audience doesn't get to see as much as they want. the producers are faceless. the djs themselves are part of the experience, more than anything else (if they are any good). i've heard two good djs play the exact same song in a set and in each case the song sounded like 2 different tracks. that being said, there plenty of shite djs out there just like crap musicians who will play music than anybody with appropriate intoxicants will appreciate.

after defending the dj, i'll go the other way and say that the 4 best musical experiences of my life did not involve straight dj sets:
1. massive attack - mezzanine tour
2. groove armada - live band tour
3. nasa tour - aphex twin, orbital, moby
4. jamiroquai

AdamJay · Post by **AdamJay** » Tue Mar 15, 2005 4:43 am

Pitch Black wrote:some terms... each with different strengths and associations for your hyphenating pleasure:

DJ

musician

turntablist

producer

remixer

laptop artist

...

which one are you Paddy?

i had a great discussion with a friend of mine while in Adelaide. he's a Brit and we were comparing customs/immigration stories from flying in and out of countries on.... well, lets just say "unappropriate visas", hehe.

he said he always lists his occupation as "Computer Programmer"
because, in the end. thats really what he's doing.
that, and telling the folks at Heathrow that he's a DJ automatically means they're gonna look for drugs.

Rx · Post by Rx » Tue Mar 15, 2005 4:53 am

i guess this 'computer programmer' doesn't carry records?

Pitch Black · Post by **Pitch Black** » Tue Mar 15, 2005 4:55 am

AdamJay wrote: which one are you Paddy?

Musician, I can't DJ and never have. BUT it is very disconcerting to play right on the dancefloor with the crowd 12 inches away from you, and at the end of the night some girl comes up to you and says "I really dig your DJ styles" (!!!)

Sheesh! what I gotta do?? do you see any decks here? no... crazy...

I know a Big Name DJ/Producer who now only travels with a CD wallet because of immigration hassle. Both for the visa and the "drugs" issue.

SimonPHC · Post by **SimonPHC** » Tue Mar 15, 2005 5:09 am

Rx wrote:what about "Hang the DJ?"

funny you should mention it.

it used to be a show on our local belgian radio Studio Brussel where the djs would make prerecorded mixes in pure mash up style. a friend and I made one 'episode' of this show. great times ... They discontinued the show because it got 'outdated' or something.

we crammed more than 60 recognisable tunes into 58 mintues. (We did'nt mention any of the drums and other not so indentifiable hits)
It has become a mental illness. anytime we hear any of the songs from that mix, we instantly hear all others too ...

sweetjesus · Post by **sweetjesus** » Tue Mar 15, 2005 5:12 am

a few guys misunderstood me, in no way was I saying that the laptop is the evolution of the turntable.

just saying in late 1970's early 80's, the turntable was a ubiquotos device and people turned to that to express themselves.

now turn the clock to 2000's and the laptop is a common device, so people are using that to express themselves.

So yeah I wasn't saying it's an evelotion, more like a paralell..

drush · Post by **drush** » Tue Mar 15, 2005 5:32 am

sweetjesus wrote:a few guys misunderstood me, in no way was I saying that the laptop is the evolution of the turntable.

just saying in late 1970's early 80's, the turntable was a ubiquotos device and people turned to that to express themselves.

now turn the clock to 2000's and the laptop is a common device, so people are using that to express themselves.

So yeah I wasn't saying it's an evelotion, more like a paralell..

all art is a function of the available technology.

yes, i've said this before here.

drush · Post by **drush** » Tue Mar 15, 2005 5:35 am

SimonPHC wrote:
Rx wrote:what about "Hang the DJ?"
funny you should mention it.

it used to be a show on our local belgian radio Studio Brussel where the djs would make prerecorded mixes in pure mash up style. a friend and I made one 'episode' of this show. great times ... They discontinued the show because it got 'outdated' or something.

we crammed more than 60 recognisable tunes into 58 mintues.

this is exactly what jeff mills' show as The Wizard was on Detroit's WJLB radio station in my ~formative years.

computo · Post by **computo** » Tue Mar 15, 2005 6:17 am

Here's A difference...

DJ's do it for the attention.

Artists do it for the art.

argue about that.

Oh, and Laptops and turntables are in almost no way similar, other than both have the unfortunate feature of enabling wankers to play other peoples music.

now, laptops being the next progression in music composition?

Yes.

sweetjesus · Post by **sweetjesus** » Tue Mar 15, 2005 6:22 am

computo wrote: now, laptops being the next progression in music composition?

Yes.

Other than a smaller form factor, what's the difference between a laptop and a desktop for composition? They are identical except in their form factor... unless you are planning on strapping one around your neck and doing fly touchtyping solos...

noisetonepause · Post by **noisetonepause** » Tue Mar 15, 2005 6:25 am

sweetjesus wrote:a few guys misunderstood me, in no way was I saying that the laptop is the evolution of the turntable.

just saying in late 1970's early 80's, the turntable was a ubiquotos device and people turned to that to express themselves.

now turn the clock to 2000's and the laptop is a common device, so people are using that to express themselves.

So yeah I wasn't saying it's an evelotion, more like a paralell..

So it's the ancestor of the turntable in the same way that the electric guitar spawned the non-modular synthesiser?

-Paws