Which DJs are currently inspiring you?

[supamonsta]

yeah but that's the point - there are SO MANY people making music now, and so many labels putting it out that it helps a lot to find DJs that consistently pick the cream of the crop out of the thousands of mediocre tunes out there

I know for me it takes me a good month to trawl through all the labels and artists I normally like and whittle the selection down to a top ten. That's why there are still full time DJs who don't know the first thing about production - because DJing itself is a full time job.

TBH I'm really surprised that there is still an attitude that DJs are not real artists or whatever

and on top of that, people I know who are the most prolific producers are often the people who were DJs first - because to be a DJ you have to listen to A LOT of music, which means getting a really good overview of what works and what doesn't

right Alex, I didn't see the point

indeed, seen that way, DJs inspire me, yes, and help me discover artists I like, and who then can inspire me in the production way

my problem is still I don't know a single DJ that plays only music I really like, there are allways lots of tracks I totally dislike, then I throw the mixtape to the bin...


well, I used to really like the mixes by STAMBA, I should have an ear to his present mixes...


I don't think DJs are not real artists BTW, I don't know if you were speaking of me... DJs I'm complaining of, are DJs that can't say who produced the tracks they play, I know lots of them... I had a discussion with 3 of my DJ friends last weekend, about this precise point, and they didn't feel bad AT ALL not being able to tell which artist they play, but only labels...

I find it horrible!!! is it only me???

I know I don't speak for all DJs, just the most part around me...


cheers

[SubFunk]

well, then you gonna hate me a lot.

i never know who or what i play at that moment, and i could not care less, i see my 'job' in creating a blast and atmosphere on the dancefloor not more not less.

i agree with you when we talk radio DJs like peel, but club DJs, what is it good to know the creators but the floor is empty and lame???

[alex.the.forge]

yeah but that's the point - there are SO MANY people making music now, and so many labels putting it out that it helps a lot to find DJs that consistently pick the cream of the crop out of the thousands of mediocre tunes out there

I know for me it takes me a good month to trawl through all the labels and artists I normally like and whittle the selection down to a top ten. That's why there are still full time DJs who don't know the first thing about production - because DJing itself is a full time job.

TBH I'm really surprised that there is still an attitude that DJs are not real artists or whatever

and on top of that, people I know who are the most prolific producers are often the people who were DJs first - because to be a DJ you have to listen to A LOT of music, which means getting a really good overview of what works and what doesn't

right Alex, I didn't see the point

indeed, seen that way, DJs inspire me, yes, and help me discover artists I like, and who then can inspire me in the production way

my problem is still I don't know a single DJ that plays only music I really like, there are allways lots of tracks I totally dislike, then I throw the mixtape to the bin...


well, I used to really like the mixes by STAMBA, I should have an ear to his present mixes...


I don't think DJs are not real artists BTW, I don't know if you were speaking of me... DJs I'm complaining of, are DJs that can't say who produced the tracks they play, I know lots of them... I had a discussion with 3 of my DJ friends last weekend, about this precise point, and they didn't feel bad AT ALL not being able to tell which artist they play, but only labels...

I find it horrible!!! is it only me???

I know I don't speak for all DJs, just the most part around me...


cheers

no I wasn't specifically referring to you, although your post did seem to kind of imply that you felt it wasn't possible to be inspired by a DJ.

I know what you mean about these DJs - but at the same time, at least they know the label, and to be frank if the artists have some consistency and longevity then they would eventually know them - just like DJs are a conduit for the best music, so are the labels and it means if a track really gels with you then you know where to find it and can look up who it's by easily

just being the devil's advocate I guess

I know it may seem a little disheartening to think of it like this, but personally I think it is the nature of this kind of music and the ones who stick at it without giving up will eventually be known

I remember hearing recently about the background of the band Queen and how they were going at it for 10 years before they started to get known

even the Beatles were playing for quite some years before they started to become well known

in my mind, the ones who get noticed are the ones who do it for the love of it and probably don't care whether people know the name or not, they are just glad that a DJ picked their track.

I know I felt amazing when I heard my track played at the Ministry of Sound, even though it was 5am and the crowd was made up of New Zealand and South African backpackers so pilled up the DJ could have put on a recording of a washing machine and they would have still kept gurning away at it!

[/0.02c]

[supamonsta]

well...

My opinion must be influenced by fact that I don't DJ, I'm more into "production" but TBO don't release anything

also by fact that I mostly listen to rock and "band music", and in this music domain we mostly speak of bands, not labels, even if some labels may become a favorite source of inspiration too... If a rock friend of mine makes me listen to a track, we ALLWAYS know the artist/band name... so when a DJ says 'I don't know the artist name", it allways terrifies me...

I understand that for a dJ the label can be more important than the artist's name (in fact, I'm often disappointed, when getting an artist name from a DJ, then seaching for music from this artist, and seeing that I only like the track that the forementioned DJ had played...)


So I'm not gonna hate anyone, I love music, so I can't hate on people that love music too

don't worry sub'

thanks for your inputs, and trying to understand my misunderstanding!!


cheers

[beats me]

People gave me tons of shit a year ago for starting a post on here about Hip Hop listeners being shady. I guess I should have polled the world's bar and club owners to prove my point.

well i did not agreed with you, but yes they are (the majority) and also extremely stupid (the majority, especially the listeners of hip hop, as well)

there used to be times of real clever and intelligent lyrics, school of hardknocks, etc. or fun stuff, digital underground and the lot, michael franty one of the intelligent guys as well, to name a few, but those are minorities in that genre, definitely.

worst are the none english mother tongue hip hop listeners, they just go mad about the beats and image, i always wonder, but they defo don't understand a word of the shite most hi hop artists saying. otherwise they surely wouldn't listen to this crap.

but what i said earlier is really true, the end (in london) as well, they had great hip hop nights, until a shooting in front of the club with a casualty, stopped promoting hip hop altogether. in europe definitely that happened across all major cities.

I once had a venue owner in Oakland tell me he wouldn't have any more hip hop nights because it attracted the element and the associated problems. In Oakland. No hip hop. You'd think part of that problem would be Oakland attracting the element more than just the hip hop, but he switched formats to more of a lounge and down tempo vibe and the problems stopped, and the crowd was still culturally diverse.

My point was prolonged exposure to hip hop, especially with alcohol involved, turns a lot of people into assholes and divas regardless of cultural background, lifestyle, or class more so than you would get at a house, jazz, etc. night. And it sounds like this is the same situation the world over.

But yeah, I'm the asshole in this argument on the forum.

[Big V]

@ beats me,

still minimal / minimal techno played in flatline ketamine sets.

Interesting. Clubs in Germany are SERIOUS BUSINESS, no time should be wasted on groove or soul.

Nah, we have weekly Deepfunk und Rare Soul nights here in Berlin. Already lost a great DJ to South Africa.
Also within the last months I noticed that more and more people start to spin classic Souljazz, Jazz, Funk, Soul and movie scores (-> http://www.youtube.com/user/tuberider1976 )...Niiiiiiiice!
Then there exist quite a few Indie, Rock etc. parties as well. Not to forget Reggae and Baile Funk stuff.
Plus you have to remember one thing: We're the urban gate to Eastern Europe. So quite a number of Balkan Beats parties around here, too (like Russendisko).
That's what I like about Berlin. A hedonistic party lifestyle embedded in a clash of diverse cultures.
Despite living close to Berghain, Tresor, Bar 25 and so on, I've never been there. I - frankly - don't give a shit about this kind of lifestyle and people. Nonetheless, it's the thang that draws most attention from the masses and I'm fine with that. Only sometimes - mostly on friday and saturday nights in this area - it's hard to escape from the mighty monotonous Boom Boom Boom Boom. Whatever..

I think Diplo is pretty ace!

[Donnie]

DJs I'm complaining of, are DJs that can't say who produced the tracks they play, I know lots of them... I had a discussion with 3 of my DJ friends last weekend, about this precise point, and they didn't feel bad AT ALL not being able to tell which artist they play, but only labels...

I find it horrible!!! is it only me???

I know I don't speak for all DJs, just the most part around me...


cheers

Honestly, I feel just the opposite, I find that people who know too much about the artist they are playing to be very biased. They tend to play tracks more based on name than quality.

Back when I cared about djing I made it a point to ignore names and labels while picking out tunes. It led to a more diverse selection of higher quality tunes, which I constantly got positive remarks for.

As far as dj's who inspire me, I havent had a real favorite dj in probably 5 years or more. Its part of the reason I stopped djing, I felt that the industry had set the bar so low that it no longer was a culture I wanted to spend my time in. To much hype and not enough quality, especially when it comes to mixing.

[SubFunk]

Honestly, I feel just the opposite, I find that people who know too much about the artist they are playing to be very biased. They tend to play tracks more based on name than quality.

Back when I cared about djing I made it a point to ignore names and labels while picking out tunes. It led to a more diverse selection of higher quality tunes, which I constantly got positive remarks for.

As far as dj's who inspire me, I havent had a real favorite dj in probably 5 years or more. Its part of the reason I stopped djing, I felt that the industry had set the bar so low that it no longer was a culture I wanted to spend my time in. To much hype and not enough quality, especially when it comes to mixing.

i am totally with you, i do still play, but i am usually really annoyed going out, no real excitement (DJ wise) anymore.

and don't get me started on the disability of mixing these days. AAARRRGGGHHH!!!!

[UKRuss]

DJs don't inspire me. At all. I rarely know who they are and care even less.

[LoopStationZebra]

DJs don't inspire me. At all. I rarely know who they are and care even less.

THIS.

[dhilsabeck]

For club-like music???

Felix Da Housecat has been releasing some really cool mixes lately, way more aggressive than his "older" stuff. Every now and again you get a really "soulful" or "cheesy" house track, but lately it seems like only once in a while (which is good, as I'm not really into that kind of thing). His djing and his production skills just keep getting better and better in my opinion.

And Green Velvet is the shit.

[dhilsabeck]

And for hip hop DJ's, I'd have to say Gaslamp Killer and Buddy Peace are pretty cool.

[beats me]

and on top of that, people I know who are the most prolific producers are often the people who were DJs first - because to be a DJ you have to listen to A LOT of music, which means getting a really good overview of what works and what doesn't

Sometimes part of the problem is the DJ can't tell the difference between a dance track and a head bobbing track because they spend most of their time bobbing their head in the booth and very little time on the dance floor. You should never think a great head bobbing track is by default a great dance track.

[djsynchro]

DJ This

[dhilsabeck]

That.