Thoughts
So Much Panic Amongst DJs
Seems lately, all I see online and offline are DJs in a panic, and I can't understand why.
Socialite DJs, digital technology, Beatport, blogs, DJ Hero, software, computers, midi controls, sync buttons, of course they sound like reasons for some to panic. All this evil "progress" invading it all.
I for one can't understand the panic. Yean I could be considered an "old schooler" by many, but I've never been as afraid of progress as many older DJs out there. I've embraced it all since the start. When the internet became mainstream, I looked for ways I could post a mix online for download. When I first saw Final Scratch, I didn't see it as the end, but a new beginning, and I was ready to get a laptop and move forward. Beatport and sites similar to it only strengthened it.
So now in 2009, I'm able to buy new music for a fraction of what a 12" vinyl would cost. I can remix and rearrange the track easily either at home or even live at a gig, without having to own two copies of said track. I can easily get my hands on promos and new music from bedroom producers, when in the past you had to be a big name in order to get promos. I can even produce electronic music in my home with some very good software AND place it online for distribution. That means not having to spend thousands on machines that take up a lot of space and not having to deal with the politics of the music industry.
Now I listened to the concerns/complaints from the old schoolers, and I tried to keep an open mind. However, I had to go and disparage some of the more popular ones:
"With a sync button, anyone can mix now. Anyone can be a DJ."
Yes and no. When I made Remembering the Rave, I used Torq with the Xponent. Rather than doing it the old fashioned way with traditional beatmatching, I instead used the sync buttons. Most of the reasoning was that half of the songs I used I wanted them to play shorter and even more of them didn't have either a clean intro or a clean break. So I had to improvise with the hot cues and some clever audio effects. I used the sync because outside of trying to press the right buttons at the right time, I didn't want to worry about keeping beats together on top of it.
In the end, the sync wasn't perfect. Many times I had to do retakes and adjust the beatgrid simply because while it visually looked good, it didn't sound good. Even then I still had to do more of the traditional blending tasks - adjustment of the EQs, volume fading, timing, etc. Add to this the skill of programming. Not every two songs work well together, so a good DJ is under the challenge to use the right songs together so the flow of the mix is solid.
In the end, the sync isn't fullproof. Lord knows while it helped for Remembering the Rave, I'll still go back to the old way of doing things on other mixes. It's just easier.
"MP3s don't sound as good as real vinyl. We took a step down by allowing them into the club."
The reality is that a good quality MP3 can do the job vinyl can. Does it contain that warm "perfect" sound of actual vinyl? No. Do most people in a noisy club notice? No.
I'll hear many DJs give me long detailed lectures on how MP3s sound like crap and CDs aren't much better and how we need to get real standards and how they'll walk into clubs and can tell the sound isn't to their insanely high standards.
The one factor these audiophiles never realize is that they are performing a service to the public. They have a right to hold high standards for themselves, but in the end it's the masses that will judge them. I personally believe the public could tell the difference between a 96 kbps MP3 and an analog vinyl, but they would not be able to tell the difference between a vinyl and a 320 kbps MP3, or even a well-recorded 192 kbps MP3. Add to that how many of those same people are inebriated and possibly more concerned with finding some companionship for the night.
I'm not saying we should abandon sound quality, but accept things have changed and MP3 is more viable both in terms of fiscally and availability. In the end I'd rather play an "ok" quality MP3 of a great song than limit myself to some "best of the best" sound quality.
"These young kids can pirate software, download MP3s illegally, and then will play a whole night for $50"
I will say this happens. There are people who live on torrents and P2P programs, and even downloaded pirated versions of Traktor or Ableton Live, and they'll go out later and try to get gigs.
Sometimes an owner/manager/promoter will hire them, thinking they saved a bundle.
Word of advice: These are NOT people you want to work for.
Seriously, if you can see someone is going to short-change on something very important to you, then you can tell he's not worth doing business with. Believe me, you end up getting paid less for what you value, and you know some kid who doesn't have living expenses will play for pennies while you need to make a living.
In the end, the events are badly run, and they never last. A true professional in the industry will pay for qualified help and not short-change in this. They know the difference between an experienced DJ and some kid who is pretending.
"DJ Hero will put DJs out of a job."
This is a very ridiculous statement. DJ Hero is a VIDEO GAME. It contains a nice set of music and a fun environment, but it's LIMITED.
What happens when a guy on DJ Hero gets a request for a song the game doesn't have?
Frankly, stop the panic and be logical for a moment. If a bar or a club were to take out their DJ and replace it with someone on a video game as their music for the night, do you really think this is a place you would want to work for?
It's like a hospital where no one is required to wash their hands.
"The club paid thousands for some celebrity to come out and mime a set while a mix CD was playing. Now they're having some other celebrity come in to play songs off their iPod. Now I have to be a celebrity to play?"
Like it or not, the music industry has permeated the DJ thing. To me this is no different than when big names like Paul Van Dyk or Carl Cox are brought out. The world of a club DJ is generally centered around the question of "How many heads can you bring out?"
In the case of this recent trend of "celebrity DJs" and "socialite DJs" who either aren't mixing at all, but just playing songs off an iPod or two, or some who are faking a set while a CD plays, you shouldn't get angered or panicked, but understand the venue, the promoter, and the crowd.
The venue and the owner just want money. To make money they need numbers of people inside the venue. For them they could care less if it's Pete Wentz or Bozo the Clown in the booth. They are in this game to make money and are not thinking about talent as much as draw.
For the people who go, they just want to party and possibly feel like they are hob-nobbing with celebrities. When venues were bringing out Samantha Ronson to play, they were not booking her for any DJ talent she might have as much as they were paying her to bring Lindsey Lohan to the party. The people came out and paid big money just to feel like they are on the "A-List".
In the end, this is just like the complaints of $50 a night DJs and DJ Hero. If a club is going to partake in practices you're not into, then perhaps this is a big message that it's a venue you don't want to work for.
I know this thought isn't going to make the panic and complaints end, and I'm sure as technology improves we'll still see those clinging on to the past and hating on the new. I just personally think it's ridiculous when we as DJs fight so much amongst ourselves over these ridiculous things when we also face the problems like lack of musical innovation in the club scene and such
Get a grip already.
One Response to "So Much Panic Amongst DJs"
DJ Girish on
Totally agree. Great post. thanks. keep them coming.
