What is a DJ?

[Linear Phase]

Frank Zappa:

"The most important thing in art is The Frame. For painting: literally; for other arts: figuratively—because, without this humble appliance, you can’t know where The Art stops and The Real World begins. You have to put a ‘box’ around it because otherwise, what is that shit on the wall? If John Cage, for instance, says, “I’m putting a contact microphone on my throat, and I’m going to drink carrot juice, and that’s my composition,” then his gurgling qualifies as his composition because he put a frame around it and said so. “Take it or leave it, I now will this to be music.” After that it’s a matter of taste. Without the frame-as-announced, it’s a guy swallowing carrot juice. So, if music is the best, what is music? Anything can be music, but it doesn’t become music until someone wills it to be music, and the audience listening to it decides to perceive it as music. Most people can’t deal with that abstraction—or don’t want to."

if you (or, for that matter, anyone else around you) consider what you are doing as "dj'ing," then you are doing just that.

That is a choice quote btw.. well posted

[starving student]

Really this is just a case of complaining that the talented people are often overlooked while the less worthy get all the respect and the big bucks. It's not just the music industry, the whole world works like this.

I'm an engineer (mechanical design). During the industrial revolution, our lot were the celebrities. They wore top hats and monicles and were the toast of the town. Now, in the UK at least, we're the least well payed profession.

If I were bitter about it, I could point out that the likes of me designed and built the modern world. All of it. The rest of our civilisation grew up around what we do so the rest of you fuckers can all use our shit.

But you know, that's life. So there's no point worrying about it. If you enjoy what you do and do ok out of it, then be happy you don't have shit job. Or no job.

What is a DJ? Does it matter?

I'd say it matters as much to a dj as being a mechanical design engineer matters to an engineer, not really sure how you feel about it you might be the exception but in any case it's not really about that at all, it's as simple as the context it's framed in,, this isn't even the typical dj vs musician discussion around here, this is other professional djs calling other fake djs out on their non-musicianship and even calling themselves out on their own laziness, frankly it's refreshing because the public, laymen and practitioners alike want all other forms of musicians to respect the artform but djs are excluded and it looks like even djs are getting tired of it. if we were talking about yoyo ma right now……. we wouldn't even be having this conversation because with in our double standard we hold him to a different standard….. that's the bs part.
you didn't get to be an engineer by calling yourself an engineer it's not that simple I take it,

[andydes]

In many professions you can't call yourself by that name until you have the qualifications and accreditation.

Anyone can call themselves an engineer. The guy who comes round to replace a valve on washing machine is a service engineer. Hell, binmen (refuse collectors?) are now disposal engineers or something like that. Not to mention those art school drop outs -sound engineers.

So yeah, I understand that side of it. Just stopped feeling bitter about things like that.

Wasn't trying to get on my high horse about what I do, by the way. Just a job, afterall. I'm pointing out that just about everyone could do a similar rant.

[starving student]

@similar rant….. and we have

[andydes]

Maybe the difference is no one ever gets anywhere by saying "I'm an engineer, now suck my cock"

Oh I do actually agree with the arguments. I like seeing good DJs with skill and ones doing the unexpected.

[RAGTAGSWAG]

The fact that this even came to be an arguement is something of a remarkable feat. Hundreds and hundreds

of years of performing original music in a traditional sense, is starting to move on to different things,

different ways of looking at music, and taking music in places it has never seen before. Maybe moving

away from these traditional methods of presenting music is a bad thing or maybe it is a good thing,

either way just like any new thing in human history there will always be the ones who fight it and the

ones who will embrace change. With the deep love for music we all share, we can't help but be excited

for what is to come. There has never been a better time in history, than to be apart of something this

great.

[starving student]

no pun intended but the only thing we're moving on to is swag
there was a time when we had to be fresh, the difference is that
when we had to be fresh it was skill that made us fresh, now we
have to have swag , the rest is really self exlanatory isn't it?...

[H20nly]

/thread.


next nebulous topic:

Pop vs. Blues

continue...

[docprosper]

The piece of the original post that disturbs me the most is that the music is getting watered down in favor of more experience; such a shame IMO. My all-time favorite club was (now-defunct) Red in DC: no sign, just a staircase to a lower level that was nothing but a bouncer, a room, and awesome (house) music. No lights, no VIP, little/no seating, no drama (apart from very mean-spirited bartenders...). The music was tops, everyone was there for that and little else. DJs reacting to the crowd and all that...

[starving student]

/thread.


next nebulous topic:

Pop vs. Blues

continue...

will this do?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_xT9fhtWPU

[RAGTAGSWAG]

The piece of the original post that disturbs me the most is that the music is getting watered down in favor of more experience; such a shame IMO. My all-time favorite club was (now-defunct) Red in DC: no sign, just a staircase to a lower level that was nothing but a bouncer, a room, and awesome (house) music. No lights, no VIP, little/no seating, no drama (apart from very mean-spirited bartenders...). The music was tops, everyone was there for that and little else. DJs reacting to the crowd and all that...

That's tight yo.

[starving student]

this is not a dj


but this is dope

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LT19GQVVtYY

[starving student]

now this is how you rock a show
dope dope dope dope dope dope

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgTCQ6Md0SA

what i really love about daedelus is the fact that he's into his shit, he doesn't try to pawn off some shit he's not even into on the people he's performing for. no knobs no turntables no guitars just some buttons and tiny buttons at that hahaaa

he looks like prince would look if he played a monome

[starving student]

and this is a fucking DJ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ArSb3lCc28

[cmcpress]

now this is how you rock a show
dope dope dope dope dope dope

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgTCQ6Md0SA

what i really love about daedelus is the fact that he's into his shit, he doesn't try to pawn off some shit he's not even into on the people he's performing for. no knobs no turntables no guitars just some buttons and tiny buttons at that hahaaa

he looks like prince would look if he played a monome

Liked it - some great tunes, but the crowd were just stood there for most of it.