THE BEST DJ'S?

muscleandhate · Post by **muscleandhate** » Thu Sep 14, 2006 7:23 pm

That opinion is from a person who does both.

djadonis206 · Post by **djadonis206** » Thu Sep 14, 2006 7:24 pm

Why are all scratch dj's 4 foot 9 inch Phillipinos from San Fransisco?

i never did figure that out

I've seen countless dj's (including myself) go out and hunt down all the same records Dan, Donald and Carl play - drop them in the club and have about 10% of the reaction they did...if that even.

that's why I like Dan and Donald so much though - mainly cause they're from here and give at least 145 million percent when they play Seattle (they bring the heat) - it's pretty unreal - but if you've never experienced it, you just dont know and that's that. No debate, no argument no nothing - you just don't know what people are talking about - especially when it comes to them talking about THEIR favorite dj's - or who they think is the best

I know a couple cats on here remember Donalds closing sets at NAF Studio's back in the day - people would show up at 5am to to catch his sets - they were that off the hook and pretty much made MUSIC what it was for me during that time in my life...

The AM ONLY parties in Miami are pretty unreal as well - all the top talent back to back to back to back to back

I guess you have to be into that kind of music and clubbing experience to get it...

hyerstay · Post by **hyerstay** » Thu Sep 14, 2006 7:27 pm

djadonis206 wrote:
ProducerDJ wrote:DJ Jazzy Jeff! When you see and hear him you'll know why!
Actually I second that - not saying he's the best dj in the world but he's hella fun and really good at what he does

In 2002, I was in a Denver-area Guitar Center, about a week after making a purchase of Live 1.5, and now buying Logic 5, when a professional-looking black cat came in with his crew. He saw my copy of Logic and mentioned something about having tested the upcoming OS X release, which was welcome news to me. He was there to buy a copy of Final Scratch for some upcoming gigs in Denver and Boulder, so I started telling him about this great new program Ableton Live, where he could do all sorts of cool stuff for performing live with loops and a mic, etc. He was intrigued and told me he would check it out. When I went into another room there, the salesman approached me and asked if I knew who he was, and I said no. He said, "that was DJ Jazzy Jeff!" When I went back to a GC a week or two later, the salesman said that Jeff had come back the next day and bought a copy of Live 1.5, because of what I said!

Pretty cool, huh?

Jason

Patch · Post by **Patch** » Thu Sep 14, 2006 7:53 pm

kabuki wrote:Yoda and Greenpeace's Radio One mix is INCREDIBLE.

Whoooops! Forgot Dan Greenpeace! "Unthugged" is the most fun you can have with a CD!

Yoda & Greenpeace - two of the funkiest ass Jews you'll ever meet!!!

hyerstay wrote:the salesman approached me and asked if I knew who he was, and I said no.

Unimaginable! JJ has skills like you cannot imagine. Hands up if you LOVE Jeffs Bob Base/Easy Rock juggle routine???[/quote]

DeadlyKungFu · Post by **DeadlyKungFu** » Thu Sep 14, 2006 7:54 pm

djadonis206 wrote:Why are all scratch dj's 4 foot 9 inch Phillipinos from San Fransisco?

It's all Q-Bert. He was the first turntablist to drop the ego and show other people exactly how he pulls off his tricks, so the culture developed.

:: ...and wonders if acoustic instrumentalists look down on computer-based producers as much as producers look down on DJs ::

Talent-wise, DJs are at the bottom of the food chain. There are some exceptions, some DJs are incredible technicians. Check some footage from the DMC competitions at youtube.

No musical talent and a big ego, great combination.

Tiesto (DJ Testicle) wouldn't be fit to carry this guy's vinyl
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8l9FU6nv ... ed&search=

Patch · Post by **Patch** » Thu Sep 14, 2006 8:01 pm

DeadlyKungFu wrote:It's all Q-Bert

Damn skippy. Take the 2nd best turntablist in the world, multiply his skill and understanding of scratching by 10, and have his ass trained by Shaolin Monks for 50 years, and he'd still not be able to touch Q-Bert.

Q-Bert and Mix Master Mike are not of this world, I tell you. Watch "Scratch" and you'll know what I mean.[/quote]

djadonis206 · Post by **djadonis206** » Thu Sep 14, 2006 8:14 pm

DeadlyKungFu wrote:.

:: ...and wonders if producers as much as producers look down on DJs ::

Hey Producers - you need dj's and personally I believe DJ's should be at the top of the food chain

Without radio and club dj's playng YOUR music - who's going to hear it?
Without radio and club dj's charting your shit who's going to know who you are?
Sure you could promote yourself but if no one's playing your music (on the radio ((internet or otherwise)) or in the clubs) you've got little to know credibilty - I mean if you make a hip hop track and no one has ever heard it - except you and your friends is it going to go much further than you and your friends

now if you made a hip hop album and it got play on Hot 90 something in New York and all the club dj's were rocking it from Atlanta to LA do you think you'd get a little bit more love?

Producers needs dj's and dj's need producers - that's pretty much how it works in the Hip Hop / Dance world from what I hear?

DeadlyKungFu · Post by **DeadlyKungFu** » Thu Sep 14, 2006 8:27 pm

djadonis206 wrote:I believe DJ's should be at the top of the food chain

That line could only come from a DJ, seriously. I'm talking about musical talent. Concert pianists, shredding guitar players, violin players (if you think playing records is tough, try violin LMFAO!), drummers, accordian players, any one of those disciplines is 1,000 tougher than playing records. Even *basic* scratching can be learned with proficiency in a month, easy.

Funny thought: Software programmers are more important for getting music out and heard, more important than DJs. Who listens to the radio anymore? If you hear a slamming track at the club you can't ask the DJ what it was. Napster, file sharing, mp3 encoders, mp3 players, that's how music gets out.

I think it goes without saying that everyone on this board has lost their shit to a DJ set on the dance floor more than a few times. As I was walking to lunch the song 'Last Night A DJ Saved My Life' popped into my head.

djadonis206 · Post by **djadonis206** » Thu Sep 14, 2006 8:47 pm

DeadlyKungFu wrote:
djadonis206 wrote:I believe DJ's should be at the top of the food chain
That line could only come from a DJ, seriously. I'm talking about musical talent. Concert pianists, shredding guitar players, violin players (if you think playing records is tough, try violin LMFAO!), drummers, accordian players, any one of those disciplines is 1,000 tougher than playing records. Even *basic* scratching can be learned with proficiency in a month, easy.

Funny thought: Software programmers are more important for getting music out and heard, more important than DJs. Who listens to the radio anymore? If you hear a slamming track at the club you can't ask the DJ what it was. Napster, file sharing, mp3 encoders, mp3 players, that's how music gets out.

I think it goes without saying that everyone on this board has lost their shit to a DJ set on the dance floor more than a few times. As I was walking to lunch the song 'Last Night A DJ Saved My Life' popped into my head.

it's all a matter of what you set your goals to be

there's only so many Carl Cox's or Q berts like there's only so many Mozarts and Gerry Bohnams (the drummer guy from zeppelin I don't know how to spell his name, I just know he's really good) the rest of us, you and him are just bedroom hacks who hope to be as good as those people are

Not everyone has the interest to be a violinist or a dj - but that doesn't mean you can't be if you tried...I learned to play the piano when I was kid but didn't like church music

I competed on a pretty high level in golf of all stupid sports (scholarships and all) but now I hate talking about or really even playing it for that matter - but I don't go around and say playing golf is harder than baseball or football or one takes more skill than the other

to be the best at anything it takes alot of talent no matter how you see it

plus

it's just a matter of what you want to do and how hard you're willing to work to get to where you want to be

I'm not going to be a Carl Cox any faster than that one armed drummer from Rush or whatever - but I can try and I think that's all alot of people are doing - trying

You can do anything you put your mind to, seriously you can...

kabuki · Post by **kabuki** » Thu Sep 14, 2006 8:57 pm

DeadlyKungFu wrote: Tiesto (DJ Testicle) wouldn't be fit to carry this guy's vinyl
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8l9FU6nv ... ed&search=

This doesn't even look real. Damn that is bad ass.

Good song, too.

Nod · Post by **Nod** » Thu Sep 14, 2006 9:01 pm

djadonis206 wrote: Gerry Bohnams... that one armed drummer from Rush

Cheers Adonis - that's the first time I've smiled all day

You can do anything you put your mind to, seriously you can...

And don't listen to folks that tell you otherwise...

DeadlyKungFu · Post by **DeadlyKungFu** » Thu Sep 14, 2006 9:08 pm

Adonis is clearly one of those guys who does whatever he wants and does it well. The guy's 30, going back to school and kicking ass. The golf stories are great.

djadonis206 · Post by **djadonis206** » Thu Sep 14, 2006 9:18 pm

I guess my point is no matter if you're djing or playing the flute you're worthy of respect because you're trying -

but to be the best at anything it takes some serious talent

we're all more or less in the same boat - otherwise we'd be winning grammy's, our names would be ringing out in big circles in big cities and we wouldn't even care about this debate

we'd have a hot tub of bitches and Cristol waiting for us when we touched down

DKF - unfortunately my hey day was in the ealy 90's but I found this somewhere on the internet for you click here
doesn't really say much, just how much I hated being forced to go to golf course everyday after school - my parents will burn in hell for that shit!

KU · Post by KU » Thu Sep 14, 2006 9:38 pm

I do not like when people bag on DJ's

When you spend time in front of a system with a DJ like Mark Farina, or Bad Boy Bill, you know you are seeing a master within minutes. You don't learn to be a master, you either have it or you don't. Training only enhances it.

If you are doing a Live PA, or some laptop music, or fusion then great. But it is such a common thing to hear people who are doing live PA/fusion to bag on DJ's. Just shut the hell up.

dm_hawk · Post by **dm_hawk** » Thu Sep 14, 2006 10:05 pm

what a funny discussion this is...
"who's the best dj" isn't really a functional question, it's too open-ended because "dj" can mean a lot of different things.

in terms of virtuosity, i'd say the turntablists have it over everyone. these guys are to club djs what Emmanuel Ax is to Yanni.

as a classical musician, i can attest that to be accomplished in the learning of software, production techniques, and dj mixing requires every bit as much time, devotion, energy, talent, creativity, heart, and musicality as any classical performer would put into conservatory training.