Is there such thing as an entertaining DJ performance?

[SimonPHC]

when watching a live show, the musicians these days try to overwhelm you, and we judge them by how overwhelming they are. in other words, they give force their 'act' or 'performance' onto you.

when going to a club where a dj plays it's not unusual to not listen to the music for some time, but it might happen (when a night is good) that the music, or the way it is brought, seduces you into listening and dancing. the 'show' is good when you give your attention and moves to the music. there is no real overwhelming attitude coming from the (imho good) dj. (some Daft Punk/Rock inspired styles do not count here, for obvious reasons)

so listening to a dj is quite the inverse of watching a band play. You give yourself to the groove. there is no rocking and rolling brought from the stage to the audience. You yourself have to invest emotionally in the party. the party is good if you 'lost yourself in the music', not when you got a lot out of the band.

so yeah djs are boring to watch, but if you invest emotionally in the groove and atmosphere you get so much out of it.

Berghain anyone?

[friend_kami]

so how about all these "djs" thats playing back their own/other peoples stuff, and perform ontop of it (be it monster knobtwiddling, beatmashing or whatever, they still perform rather then tweak a knob a little now and then and occasionally select a record)?

[Lazos]

What is no different from being a real musician vs a DJ is creativity. How you manipulating your sounds. How you arrange/ordering them. How you mangling them. What kind of mood you want to set. What atmosphere you're trying to create. These kinds of things are not the exclusive purview of the real musician.

I agree. I'm a musician and not a DJ. One of the main differences I see with the creativity that a DJ exhibits that is VERY different from a musician/composer is that a musician usually constructs their own building blocks (and this is thus, an entirely different creativity) for a song or piece of music. A DJ uses other people's songs and building blocks to construct their pieces.

Of course there are exceptions abound for what I just said: The guitarist that can't make a drum beat to save his/her life, so he just uses Stylus RMX or presets in Microtonic or the DJ who mixes a synth line of their own creation with a drum loop and a jazz standard ripped from vinyl.

[Lazos]

Seriously, all kitsch aside, this MIGHT be moderately entertaining to WATCH:
http://djchef.com/home.html

[Noel]

to me a musician is somebody who creates sound and gives a fuck about the way it sounds or affects those listening to it.

Amen to that

[oblique strategies]

Whether it is a performer, DJ, or traditional instrumentalist, it seems to me that there are three main aspects we are paying attention to:

-The music
-The performance or physical appearance & activities of the presenter
-Technique

All three are occurring at all times whenever one is presenting their work to an audience. A presenter can be proficient or lame in any or all of these areas to varying degrees.

It probably depends on the expectations of the audience just to what degree the presenter is succeeding or failing. It is really in the eye of the beholder. What are you looking for, or listening for in any given situation?

Turntablism can be amazing to experience live (Invisible Scratch Pickles or The Executioners); but recorded it just sounds like some rather loosely synchronized music!

I remember having discussions with a band mate I was working with at the time; he was obsessed with making music that would wow other producers & DJs. While I agreed with him, I also had to note that most of our audience would be comprised of people who did not produce music, DJ, or play an instrument. We were looking at our potential audience in very different ways! Again, it’s in the eye of the beholder.

So, in answer to the original question: I guess it all depends on how you want, or expect to be entertained.

[starving student]

I think it's all in the fact that there are djs who can perform their ass off, there are live remixers who can do so as well and then of course we've all seen those who can't perform for shit. All art being equal would suggest that we should expect the same thing from all of it. if you sell me a ticket and claim to be an artist that makes music and thinks that people should come to your show then you should not be judged any different than a band
nobody judges 1 person playing a guitar , differently than a band so it doesn't matter if you are singing accapellas, just playing congos , a full band, or a dj I expect you to play your great music, perform your great music, and exhibit the technique of your great music, or else whether your a band, solo musician, or dj i can just listen to your cd and I don't need to come to your show.

i mean lets be reasonable, there is a reason why it's called a 'show' isn't there, if it's all about only the music and about me bringing my own show to your show, then why do i need to come see you. i've got access to way better quality listening at home. it is a ripp off for you to claim that you have a 'show' and all you do is press play for people, people can press play for themselves and like i said the proof is in the fact that there are great djs who perform and great djs who cannot perform a lick, the latter in my opinion should not give shows........because they're not giving a show.

[landrvr1]

The funniest shit in the world are the loads of vids on YouTube in which some stadium or huge indoor venue is packed to the gills - with everyone's eyes glued to the Big Stage watching.....

a DJ.

Or two of them inside some giant pyramid. Or whatever.

Yeah. It's all about the music


...

[smutek]

This is why most real musicians fail to see DJs as even creative at all.

Good point.

I think once people on both sides realize that a dj is not a musician then we will all be better off. A dj is not supposed to be a musician. A dj is a dj.

Not saying a musician cannot dj, and that a dj can not also be a musician.

But...

Once the cocky fucktard christ pose "hide my tracks from the train spotters" want to be super star dj's understand their role, to play tunes and keep the dance floor moving..

and once the gloomy musician types stop lurking in the corner sucking their own dicks stop and wishing they could have 2,000 sweaty kids in a warehouse going apeshit to their interpretation of obscure kraut rock...

Once everyone understand their place then maybe we can bury this dumb as shit argument once and for all.

See, I dj. I use two turntables, I mix tracks together. I realize that some people are better than others, I realize that some people have a natural ability to get a crowd going nuts.

I also realize that it isn't necessarily high art. I realize that marketing is what packs football stadiums with thousands of sweaty frat tards holding their lighter aloft at a tiesto "concert"

And it makes me just as sick, possibly sicker than it does the musician types.

Because I also understand the high that comes from being on a dance floor in a warehouse at 4 am when some kid is behind the decks and drops a remix of french kiss at just the right time and the whole joint goes ape shit on the drop...

I understand that it has just as much to do with the dj as it does with the crowd, that everything is one and perfect and fun, and the party is good, and the vibe is right.

I understand that it isn't supposed to be about dj worship. And I hold the wanna be superstar dj ego kids in just as much disdain as I do the dick face musos that smirk at me when I tell them I dj.

See, because I play tracks. I mix them on two turntables. I don't get fancy myself, I just play music that people will hopefully dig and keep dancing to.

I've never had a problem with that.

[oblique strategies]

Because I also understand the high that comes from being on a dance floor in a warehouse at 4 am when some kid is behind the decks and drops a remix of french kiss at just the right time and the whole joint goes ape shit on the drop....

Love those moments! BLAM!!!

[beats me]

Oops, I stopped watching this topic before I just saw that everybody is yelling at me.

Yes, guitar was my first instrument and I had a lot more fun on stage musically and physically than I ever have playing keyboard or DJing, but maybe that's just me. I'm sure you guys will get it all sorted out.

[leisuremuffin]

Hey, great post.

just one thing:

musos

this word is not acceptable for use by americans. you can continue to use it, but you must also refer to your cell phone as a "mobile" as part of the deal.


.lm.

[funknotik]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntND2JhS ... re=related

I come from a traditional music background guitar and drums. But this shit is more impressive to me than a lot of what I hear/see in a performance by a musician/dj. Dj tucker...

[smutek]

Hey, great post.

just one thing:

musos

this word is not acceptable for use by americans. you can continue to use it, but you must also refer to your cell phone as a "mobile" as part of the deal.


.lm.

[kpa]

in clubs people don't look too much at the DJ booth unless you are another DJ, they are dancing, drinking, talking, is not a rock show, is more interactive than that.

totally agree with that. in a busy club, you are too involved in having a good time dancing, chatting etc. except for music geeks (myself included) who watch the dj's (unless inebrirates are involved) its more about the atmosphere that a performance. with the exception of turntablism, dj performances have been pretty much similar since the 1st block parties.

all i can suggest is that unless you have a light show (which isn't really under the performers control anyway), all you should aim to do is be into your performance and enjoy playing. i've seen dj's/electronic performers who move about and those who dont. make it fun for yourself and the rest will follow.

kpa