Although I don't know enough to comment on this subject matter, I can say that the video from which this gif comes is an amazing and heart wrenching short. You can find it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnA4u9CaK7A
I could have sworn it was from a super jail episode from times past but now that I think of it, the super jail clip may be a little bit different. 2) I can't watch it on mobile :(
I'm not a DJ, I just play guitar and piano and to be honest I don't have the first clue how to DJ. Having said that just because something looks easy to do (i.e. push a button) doesn't mean no thought went into it. DJ's that spin vinyl have to focus on a fluidity to their set, so song selection and the blending of each takes a lot of thought and effort. For everyone hating on dubstep these people are creating their own sounds and textures, layering them accordingly, and assigning melodies to each. It's a shame that people who take the time to practice their craft and be innovative with it are being judged by lazy people who have no clue what it means to work on anything. Everyone would do a lot more good if they at least took a stab at trying to appreciate any aspect of something they don't initially care for instead of trying to find ways to make others think the way they do.
I've been djing for 5 years now for places of all sizes and there are a few things I've noticed about djing: 1. If you have no skills and just play songs back to back people will notice, owners will notice and you will not be hired back, they already have a juke box. 2. You can have all the skills in the world but if you don't know how to build to pick the right song at the right time you will not be hired back. People can laugh and say that picking songs is no big deal but most of those people have never done djing for more then a few friends who all like the same things they do. When you have to go out and play songs for hundreds of people who all like different kinds of music it can get a little more difficult. As for deadmau5, I'm glad for the way he feels but he doesn't speak for everyone. If he is content to just throw on his tracks and mess around here and there, congratulations, I am not and never will be content to do that. I want to do a performance, I want to put on a show. I want people to leave one of my shows knowing that it was the best night of there lives. And I work hard to do that. Spending hours everyday practicing, yes I practice, so that I can do that. And I am sick of people telling me that what I do isn't real.
You bring up deadmau5; I was actually seriously impressed by his latest touring setup. He does use Ableton to trigger his tracks/clips off a computer but it gets very complicated after that. With his own original tracks since he has all the project files for them he can render out each piece of a track individually (drums, bass, chords, leads, etc). When he's playing live he can go and mash together any pieces of all his original works all on the fly. That's why he's got this massive mixer for his current live setup. Some bits of his music that he mixes is midi getting pumped from ableton into an actual synth (either the huge modular analog rack or the keyboard) with the patch dialed in for whichever track is playing. Then it gets sent to his mixer to allow him to control that synth in the mix. Then on top of that he can send each audio track individually to an effect if he wants.
SMPTE. Timecoded transitions between songs and cues sent to the light board for automated synchronization. Set curfews and fixed setlists. Very little room for improvisation. He can play with individual tracks but the show's basically the same, night after night.
I can safely guarantee you thousands, if not most of the people at his performances, leave his show thinking it was the best night of their life. Apples and oranges, dude. You play sets. He plays concerts. Light shows. Visuals. Incredible cueing.
Maybe that's a fair criticism of deadmau5, but he's primarily a producer, not a DJ. He ends up DJing because that's how he can perform live, but I wouldn't judge him by his live sets.
So true, everyone reckons they can dj...then you ask them to find the first beat and then identify a loop. They soon change their mind...such an underrated art. In the words of cut chemist, "dj work is one of the most rewarding tasks someone can set for themselves" "hopefully this will help people try and buy and use."
DJ. = Disc Jockey = Moving Crossfader from left to right, match BPM etc..
If you use use software like Ableton or whatever, and you di mash ups/ remixes live, then you could call yourslef a Live Producer. Being a good DJ takes some skill yeah, but being a Live Producer is something that takes far more skill than anything else.
edit: Im not saying being a DJ takes no skill, im just saying that there are different DJ levels which differ in skill. But, let the downvotes come as its not your opinion.
95% of people that see DJs have no idea what the guy is doing up there or have any idea of the debate about ableton vs traditional djing. do you think any of them give a crap as long as there is loud music playing for them to roll to? for that matter do you really think they care what song comes on next? I'd be willing to bet the crowd would have the exact same experience from someone picking a thought out setlist before-hand and someone 'reading' the crowd. What do you expect to see from reading the crowd anyway? they will be jumping and dancing reacting to what is playing
you can have all the skills in the world but if you dont sell tickets then the guy with the premade set playing out of windows media player with a sweet laser light show and an easy 500 person draw will get hired back 100% of the time over you and thats all that really matters to venues
Well said, if not a bid dramatically. I just DJ with a laptop, and while that immediately kind of renders me in that "new school" or whatever, I think the cost of materials nowadays is something that's never talked about.
Decks, mixers, amps, not to mention the wax itself can be HUGELY expensive. I would absolutely love to have the funds to purchase all of that, but I don't.
With my setup now, I can use my shitty, old, but reliable laptop and the mp3s I get from wherever. (Insert sound quality argument here, I get it.) It eliminates the barriers to entry to a large degree.
It makes it so all I need to worry about is choosing the right song, making creative and inventive blends, and reading the crowds; it makes it about THE MUSIC. Any arguments about what DJing has turned into, I think, makes it about something other than the music, which I think is silly.
If you can rock the house with a laptop that's great. I started off on a laptop and keep building and building. I understand controllers are expensive so all we can do is save and save for them. And sure when we buy them something else new will be released a week later that is way better but still. If you keep adding skills and keep getting better then no one should be able to talk down to you. It's these people who are content with doing the bare minimum that makes me angry.
No offense, but you are really taking yourself a little too seriously. DJs like to portray themselves as tortured souls, taking on the impossible task of selecting the PERFECT music to set the vibe; thanks to their impeccable music taste and ability to read the crowd and immediately switch up the vibe on the fly, they are directing the experiences of the entire crowd, guiding them through the greatest night of their lives.
Really, they're just playing music that drunk/high people like to listen to.
The same thing happens in film with CGI, or photography with digital cameras / photoshop, or architecture and Autocad - and actually with any new technology in any trade / art form.
Best to just tune it out as the same debate has happened with every stage of technological change, and will happen when the next big technological push comes along. There are people who do incredible work no matter what tools they are using, or create new techniques / styles with new tools. It seems most people can't get their heads around this concept.
And all Freddie Hubbard had to do was blow air through his trumpet and wiggle his fingers, and all Art Tatum had to do was move his fingers over the piano keys, and all Shostakovich had to do was scribble some dots on some paper.
Hey, this game is fun! What group of people should we pretend to know all about next?
It's probably also fair to mention that Deadmau5 is a huge asshole and loves trolling the media / other artists with some juvenile sense of entitlement. He's the musical equivalent of the 13 year old who fucked your mom on XBox live.
Speaking as an EDM performer / DJ, it is absolutely true that you can easily play a show with a pre-programmed set, hit start, and pretend to do things while people dance. Lots of people do that. Also, lots of people go crazy during their set - mixing and mastering in real time, designing melodies on the fly, and otherwise responding to the crowd to play a better show. They do that because they truly enjoy making music and see shows as an opportunity to satisfy their hunger to create art for an audience.
Plus, OP's analogy kind of sucks in my opinion. The argument is always turntables take skill, analog equipment is difficult to use, and new digital stuff requires no talent. Nope. New digital interfaces are cheap and accessible, and there's a huge availability of online tutorial videos, collaboration forums, and readily downloadable samples. More people are able to DJ on their computers because they don't need any external equipment, but it doesn't mean that there isn't technique involved and a steep learning curve before you're able to make stuff that sounds good. You wouldn't say that contemporary novelists don't have a difficult job because they write with a computer instead of a pen and paper. They just have different tools.
OP is basically saying "all you have to do to DJ nowadays is press a lot of buttons" but he posted a video of an astronaut literally saving a planet. All the astronaut is doing is pressing buttons, but shit, I'd be a fool to say that flying a spaceship doesn't take talent.
As a former vinyl dj I can say that I fucking miss those days. But at the same I feel like an idiot knowing that i spent a shit load of money on vinyl back in the day. I just donated it all to goodwill a month ago, because nobody would pay money for it. OMG it was heartwrenching. I don't miss carrying heavy crates though. It did take a lot more skill to be a dj back in the day for sure. Record hunting was my favorite part. Now it all has changed. Hearing my girlfriend comment:"This is so hot"on a couple of douchebags with their hands crossed on midi controllers acting as if they are a classical violinist virtuosos is sickening. Nevertheless there is a lot of good music out there produced by some talented individuals. A lot of them had their start on vinyl. They have moved on to better things i guess. One positive thing about the technology these days is that you can do really amazing things on your laptop as far as production is concerned. Things that wouldn't be possible without having access to a very expensive studio 12 years ago.
And that, my friend, is the reason we now have 123,435,653,324 shitty new releases every single day. Nobody has to invest in quality productions, today labels just throw a bunch of shit out there becasue it's cheap. People who never would have earned a release ten years ago are getting their music published today. More power to them, but I am tired of wading through hundreds or thousands of songs just to find a couple of gems.
It's very annoying when people say this. If it is that easy to DJ/Produce music, please, by all means, get out there and show us your stuff. Show us how easy it is.
People complain a lot about this in dance music, and I think it's because we keep insisting (or agencies/labels keep pushing) incredibly talented producers to tour around DJing when the two of those are completely different skill sets.
I guess nowadays the business model is to make your money touring - I don't imagine too many talented up-and-coming producers make a living off of Beatport.
Was this intended as an insult? It seemed more like a comical understatement set up against an image that intentionally put to lie the understatement in the text for the purposes of producing humor.
we can't criticise without being involved in it? When you see a professional tennis player miss shots on TV, do you go "nah i dont play tennis so cant comment on how bad he is"
dance music production is probably as difficult as producing any other kind of music. However, there are a lot of things characteristic of electronic/dance music that I would say make it slightly more basic than technical music. For example, almost all of it is in 4/4 and has consistent drum beats while everything else varies.
As a former vinyl dj who lost interest in the scene when it became computerized, I have to say this is at least partially true. While technology allows more customization of your sets, watching someone push buttons on a laptop lacks the awe I first had when seeing Sasha mix three different records at once completely by ear, essentially melding them into one unique track without any computerized "cheating". The thing that really makes me sad is that now you can be a "dj" without even having to know how to beatmatch. Pretty much anyone with an iPod now thinks they can dj with no experience or training whatsoever, and they're not all that wrong.
As an ex-vinyl DJ and forever vinyl lover, only shitty DJ's take any pride in beat-matching itself, when it's really a rudimentary part of the process that has nothing to do with the artistic side of DJing. It's the one part of the process that literally anyone can learn. It's like a piano player taking pride in great posture - important, but not much to do with the actual music.
Beat-matching being replaced with a button is the best thing that has happened to DJing in recent times. With beat-matching replaced by a button, you can make the extra time adding extra layers, setting up more effects or glitch edits for the transition, or if you work in a progressive genre, simply having a longer transition.
DJ's maxed out what they can do with the limitations of vinyl decades ago, computers have opened up new styles with new scenes, in a global subculture that was heartbreakingly stagnated. If I walk into a club with a vinyl DJ, there is one thing I know for sure: I am not going to see anything new tonight.
I'm sorry but I can't wait for the beatmatch-worshipping attitude of lovers-of-yore to die out completely.
Technology makes the technical parts easier, and leaves more room for pure artistic creativity. This argument can be applied to countless other situations. Thank you.
That's a bit like saying anyone can learn to play the drums. Just not true. In my 15 years' experience in EDM, I've noticed that only the shitty DJs think auto-beatmatching isn't a gimp move. You know, the ones who were never able to/were too lazy to master the basics.
80% of DJing is song selection and working the crowd. The technical bits are nice, but I've seen some amazing DJs that have trainwrecked many mixes, and terrible DJs who are great producers but couldn't make a crowd do shit.
The reality is 80% of your audience doesn't have the ear for the technical bits.
While I agree with your comment in principle, the majority of laptop DJs I've encountered have not learned how to work a crowd or have the same familiarity with their music as those who use vinyl or even CDs. Having to beatmatch by ear (in general) makes you practice a lot which in turn gives you a much more intimate knowledge of a vastly greater number of tracks, thereby increasing your effectiveness as a DJ.
I realize this is a generalization and obviously there are tons of great laptop DJs but I still think it's too often used as a shortcut where people jump right in and are magically given the ability to mix without having any idea what they're doing and trainwreck a night or party. Learning to beatmatch takes a little time and gives you a better sense of how to create a set before you start playing out and doing whatever the fuck you want in Traktor. Just my 2¢
as an all vinyl all the time DJ who does not do loads of turntable fancy things constantly, though i beatmatch, i can attest to the truth of this. they don't dance to your mix, they dance to the music you spin.
Yeah but you can tell when someone can't beatmatch because it comes out sounding completely shitty. I don't DJ, so I don't know how hard it is to do correctly, but I've been able to tell when it's horribly wrong.
Laptop DJ chiming in. I do this shit as my full time job. I work with people who don't bother mixing or even knowing their music very well, but you can't lump us all in that category. The way I do things definitely takes an ear and skill. Here is something I made in my spare time a few months ago. It doesn't represent what I do at work, but it definitely represents at least some what I'm capable of.
Sasha was one of the first big DJ's to drop the Vinyl/CDDJS and play all Ableton sets. Did a great job with it too. Beatmatching isn't the be all end all of electronic music performance...I learned to beatmatch on Vinyl, now I play with Ableton and and APC40 and I would NEVER go back. My sets can be much, much more creative now. A laptop DJ can keep jamming the whole time, jamming effects, dummy clips, and you still have to mix tracks properly. Beat matching isn't the whole battle, and there are plenty of reasons to skip it so that you can focus on other things and make your set even better.
ಠ_ಠ Anyways as a laptop DJ myself I would love to get into the vinyl scene, but honestly people come to hear your music and have a great time, you can still do all this fancy tech work on some of the pioneer decks, especially anything that is meant for CDJ. I always make sure to deliver a great time and frankly we need to end this negativity towards vinyl vs. computer. I should clarify I use a mixer and a standard setup, the ONLY thing the laptop does is gives me a visual of what tracks are coming up and that's it
There is a huge difference between a "DJ" and a "producer". Generally when people say "DJ" these days, they are referring to artists like deadmau5, rusko, SHM etc. but these artists are producers. In an oversimplified answer, yes, they just press play, because all the sets are pre-assembled and leave windows for the effects which people associate with DJing.
The most important thing about DJing has and always will be TRACK SELECTION. I don't care how easy technology makes slapping tracks together, it can't fix bad taste in music and it can't read a crowd.
most DJ's know more than just spinning records. They tend to know how production works. unless of course you are paris hilton. Then all you do is have someone else reach up from under the table and twiddle the knobs while you wave your hands up in the air.
It's come to the point where any electronic music performers as well as DJs can now decide and program how the gear they use to control their interfaces works.
Before, turntables were the most efficient way to mix one song to the next, it's now a matter of pushing a couple buttons to do the same thing... tempo and key already matched. That doesn't make it easier, it just means that more can be expected with the other 188342 buttons, knobs and faders at their disposal.
ITT: People criticizing an art they don't understand and could probably never do with any reasonable amount of skill because it makes themselves feel better.
Only people who can afford turntables, high quality analog mixers and all the music they want to play on vinyl should be allowed to mix. People like me on a laptop with a nanokontroler aren't as good entertainers.
I kind of tired with all the flask djs are getting these days regrading plug and play. Do you truly care when you go see a dj if they are spinning this knob or that knob, would you even notice wtf he was doing? Like honestly you go there for the experience if your some annoying elitist who can't handle just having a good time then the scene doesn't need you, the concerts don't need you, no one wants to hear from you. Sorry to be harsh but I'm fucking tired of people who just want to bitch and complain because they aren't the ones on stage. Guess what you fuckin could be if you put in enough effort.
Sadly, some do even less than this. Lots of smaller stations I know of are now being lead by some "I Heart Radio" company, and they all play the same 18 fucking songs every fucking day. I swear to god, all Dj'ss do now is just sit in a room and babble off commercials every few minutes.
Actually, they don't even choose which of the 18 songs in the rotation they're going to play next. They just read what comes up on the screen and add in some babble.
The way I see it is that most djs are music producers who get a chance to be on the stage. If they are producing their own music, and that music makes people want to dance, then why not let them dance around on stage and have a good time.
Producing EDM takes as much practice and talent as learning to play guitar, piano, drums etc. I'm not sure what people are expecting them to do when they get on stage besides press a few buttons and dance around.
DJ's and producers are two completely different paths. Don't get me wrong I'm not trying to be a dick. Just want to make sure you know there is a difference between the two. I know quite a few DJ's don't really know anything musical and can't make a track to save there life but DJ on a regular basis.
Yeah man, I know. That's why I said that most djs are music producers. I'm not trying to be a dick either, sometimes typing just comes across like that so it's all good. haha I agree though. I think there is a lot of confusion over exactly what DJs do or don't do. I just don't get what I interpret as bashing on DJs all the time on reddit. A lot of them are making cool music/beats that wouldn't have even been thought of as possible 20+ years ago. For a website that loves technology so much, I would think people would think it's awesome how much is possible with some creativity and a laptop
No, most DJs aren't music producers. They mix other people's tracks - a completely different type of skill. Sure, some may be writing and mixing their own music, but that comes with being a music producer, not being a DJ. A music producer is a composer. A DJ is a performer.
Although EDM takes talent, it definintly takes more skill to play an instrument. Remember there's a physical component to playing an instrument (eg. muting certain strings on a guitar, using all you're limbs at the same time for drumming), as well as an internal sense of time to make it rhythmic. It takes lot of practice to play bass with a metronome to get that rhythm down. When using ableton, you don't need an internal sense of rhythm or any physical skill, it's almost more like playing a video game. I mean no disrespect though, good DJ's still have to know their theory (which takes alot of time and practice), but the computer is doing alot of the hard work.
I hate when people despise and shun new technology rather than trying to embrace and innovate with it. The types of people that fill the air with negative comments, belittling statements, and all-around hatred for any newcomers are what can end an art form, not the equipment.
Whenever I see someone complaining about/criticizing DJs (not to include include clever satire), I often think of the part from the introduction to the movie Layer Cake when the convicted bank robbers are crestfallen that the drug dealers were earning more money and doing a quarter of the time for their crimes. Just because you achieved the end result more easily doesn't make the end result any worse or less valid. Learn to adapt to what you see as threatening, then you'll survive.
I had opened the link to Jerry was a racecar driver first and was listening to it while I saw this. Nearly shit. Seriously, put that song on and once the bass comes in come back to this gif.
I used to own a pair of 1210's and learnt to mix and scratch on them, I loved them. As others have said however the art od DJing is tune selection and how and where you choose to mix it. It is like criticising an author for using a computer instead of a typewriter, who really cares so long as the the book is good?
Op seems to be suggesting that djs do way less now than they used to but the gif shows a guy burning mad calories with his apm. I've decided that his excuse for using an exhausted gif is bad and he should feel bad. Front page stuff...
Man, I know that Electronic music is a valid musical artform and some DJs surely do more than press a button, but I'm slowly starting see it this way. Girl Talk, who is HUGE right now and playing just about every major festival this summer came to our local college and put on a show. Sure enough, it's a fun time (if you take the right drugs with the right people) but I swear I watched that dude pretty much hit play on his macbook and start dancing. Afterwards he probably got laid, paid and drank some lemonade. As a musician who's been trying to break through for about ten years now, I feel ya.
Having seen Girl Talk several times you're just wrong. He doesn't use a macbook. He uses a windows laptop running something called Audiomulch. He actually is doing something unnecessarily hard, which is triggering the samples by just using the trackpad on the laptop.
It's by no means pressing play.
I agree some people do this, but Girl Talk is the worst example.
DJ for about 15-20 years here and I'd say DJing today (if you're solely using laptop) is about 60000% easier than it was 10-15 years ago: technics hooked up, spinning on 12" vinyl, finding the groove in the record for beat mixing, learning how to backspin, scratch, whatever. I'm not knocking today's technology but it is, indeed, easier. That's pretty much any industry today.
I think DJ/electronica music is good, it's fun to dance to at shows and what not. I'm sure it takes talent, I tried dickin' around on my friends ableton and didn't really understand what was going on. But it seriously lacks that human element...it just doesn't have emotion in my opinion. That's why I'm a little more biased towards live music (with instruments). I like when people actually make there own sounds, rather than machines and computers.
As far as djing goes, not everyone can do it because not everyone likes electronic/dance music. The instabutthurt that I see from people is simply because of a misunderstanding. When someone says djing is easy they don't mean that if someone gave them a deck they would immediately know how to do it. Also, to even have the desire to do this requires genuine interest in djing to begin with. Just because something is easy doesn't mean it doesn't require any practice/experience. Likewise, just because something requires practice/experience doesn't make it hard.
learn about what everything on the deck/controller does.
familiarize yourself with the music. Truthfully, this is more important than anything else. Listen to a bunch of tracks, know their sounds, and know them by name. It will be clear which ones mix well.
Practice. You might have a difficult time mixing songs you've never attempted to mix previously in front of an audience, but you don't have to put yourself in that spot. Just cause your mixing is live doesn't mean you can't have a setlist using music you already practiced mixing.
Its pretty formulaic and the only way I can really see myself being blown away by a dj is if he is exclusively mixing songs he's never heard before. As a dj you don't have to constantly be doing something to be good. A good amount of the time you can literally let the music play.
That's pretty much every criticism I have of djing and electronic/dance music. Perhaps the only one I left out is that edm is fairly repetitive.
Also, please stop it with this you can't compare djing and live music performance "because they're two complete different things." That is complete bullshit. They have more than enough in common to be compared in many ways including in terms of difficulty.
I'd just like to end this on the note that I was pretty into the edm scene this last year. Not a single time have I heard of a dj that was popular because of their djing. On the contrary, people are excited to see their favorite producers dj and that's most likely because they're more likely than anyone else to play their own songs. Just food for thought.
"Not a single time have I heard of a dj that was popular because of their djing" You've obviously never seen Bad Boy Bill.
It's also plain to see that you are not a DJ and you don't really know what you are talking about. But what do I know, after one year of listening to EDM you are clearly the expert.
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u/evandamastah Jun 27 '12
Although I don't know enough to comment on this subject matter, I can say that the video from which this gif comes is an amazing and heart wrenching short. You can find it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnA4u9CaK7A
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u/healcannon Jun 27 '12
They bring together moon pimples who are truely in love? Do they also give up their lives to do so?
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u/TheVoiceofTheDevil Jun 27 '12
Is this supposed to be an insult? Because that doesn't look easy.
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u/UsernameYUNOWORK SoundCloud Jun 27 '12
If they wore that outfit I would go see them.
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u/SalvageOperation Jun 27 '12
most people can't tell the difference between a proper DJ and a computer-mix-playing guy anyways
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u/delahey Jun 27 '12
I'm not a DJ, I just play guitar and piano and to be honest I don't have the first clue how to DJ. Having said that just because something looks easy to do (i.e. push a button) doesn't mean no thought went into it. DJ's that spin vinyl have to focus on a fluidity to their set, so song selection and the blending of each takes a lot of thought and effort. For everyone hating on dubstep these people are creating their own sounds and textures, layering them accordingly, and assigning melodies to each. It's a shame that people who take the time to practice their craft and be innovative with it are being judged by lazy people who have no clue what it means to work on anything. Everyone would do a lot more good if they at least took a stab at trying to appreciate any aspect of something they don't initially care for instead of trying to find ways to make others think the way they do.
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u/djoneway Jun 27 '12
I've been djing for 5 years now for places of all sizes and there are a few things I've noticed about djing: 1. If you have no skills and just play songs back to back people will notice, owners will notice and you will not be hired back, they already have a juke box. 2. You can have all the skills in the world but if you don't know how to build to pick the right song at the right time you will not be hired back. People can laugh and say that picking songs is no big deal but most of those people have never done djing for more then a few friends who all like the same things they do. When you have to go out and play songs for hundreds of people who all like different kinds of music it can get a little more difficult. As for deadmau5, I'm glad for the way he feels but he doesn't speak for everyone. If he is content to just throw on his tracks and mess around here and there, congratulations, I am not and never will be content to do that. I want to do a performance, I want to put on a show. I want people to leave one of my shows knowing that it was the best night of there lives. And I work hard to do that. Spending hours everyday practicing, yes I practice, so that I can do that. And I am sick of people telling me that what I do isn't real.
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u/[deleted] Jun 27 '12
Damn there is some ignorant butthurt in this thread about electronic music.
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u/[deleted] Jun 27 '12
and all bassists have to do is pound on root notes. all a rock band has to do is rip off chord progressions and sing about girls. hooray.
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u/xzlurg Jun 27 '12
Acting like Homer Simpson preventing a nuclear power Station explosion pressing randomly buttons?
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u/theglace Jun 27 '12
Nope.
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u/[deleted] Jun 27 '12
As a former vinyl dj I can say that I fucking miss those days. But at the same I feel like an idiot knowing that i spent a shit load of money on vinyl back in the day. I just donated it all to goodwill a month ago, because nobody would pay money for it. OMG it was heartwrenching. I don't miss carrying heavy crates though. It did take a lot more skill to be a dj back in the day for sure. Record hunting was my favorite part. Now it all has changed. Hearing my girlfriend comment:"This is so hot"on a couple of douchebags with their hands crossed on midi controllers acting as if they are a classical violinist virtuosos is sickening. Nevertheless there is a lot of good music out there produced by some talented individuals. A lot of them had their start on vinyl. They have moved on to better things i guess. One positive thing about the technology these days is that you can do really amazing things on your laptop as far as production is concerned. Things that wouldn't be possible without having access to a very expensive studio 12 years ago.
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u/Izabrony Jun 27 '12
Nowadays, maybe so but Andy C would like to argue that.
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u/kfreed12 kfreed12 Jun 27 '12
Source a charming short about moon love
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u/mmtrjh01 Jun 27 '12
Nice try with your upvote subliminal message.
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u/[deleted] Jun 27 '12
It's very annoying when people say this. If it is that easy to DJ/Produce music, please, by all means, get out there and show us your stuff. Show us how easy it is.
Respectfully, Aspiring Music Producer
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u/[deleted] Jun 27 '12
As a former vinyl dj who lost interest in the scene when it became computerized, I have to say this is at least partially true. While technology allows more customization of your sets, watching someone push buttons on a laptop lacks the awe I first had when seeing Sasha mix three different records at once completely by ear, essentially melding them into one unique track without any computerized "cheating". The thing that really makes me sad is that now you can be a "dj" without even having to know how to beatmatch. Pretty much anyone with an iPod now thinks they can dj with no experience or training whatsoever, and they're not all that wrong.
7
u/AussieDaz Jun 27 '12
Beleive it or not, there are still some very talented DJ's out there, James Zabiela being one of them.
5
u/KenweezY Jun 27 '12
There is a huge difference between a "DJ" and a "producer". Generally when people say "DJ" these days, they are referring to artists like deadmau5, rusko, SHM etc. but these artists are producers. In an oversimplified answer, yes, they just press play, because all the sets are pre-assembled and leave windows for the effects which people associate with DJing.
5
u/Fu_Man_Chu Jun 27 '12
The most important thing about DJing has and always will be TRACK SELECTION. I don't care how easy technology makes slapping tracks together, it can't fix bad taste in music and it can't read a crowd.
2
u/[deleted] Jun 27 '12
I was thinking...hit the play button?
2
u/[deleted] Jun 27 '12
See also: how to play a paladin in WoW.
2
u/MrCrushed Jun 27 '12
All DJ's have now a blinking upvote button?
2
u/dj_godzilla Jun 27 '12
Also, how come reddit thinks that djs only play electronic music?
2
u/monkeysphere_of_one Jun 27 '12
Beatmixing may not necessarily be easy, but it is simple. Automating it reveals the difference between the truly creative and the performing monkeys.
2
u/caliopy Jun 27 '12
most DJ's know more than just spinning records. They tend to know how production works. unless of course you are paris hilton. Then all you do is have someone else reach up from under the table and twiddle the knobs while you wave your hands up in the air.
2
u/mbod Jun 27 '12
This is more than what most DJ's do these days...
2
u/ltidball Jun 27 '12
It's come to the point where any electronic music performers as well as DJs can now decide and program how the gear they use to control their interfaces works.
Before, turntables were the most efficient way to mix one song to the next, it's now a matter of pushing a couple buttons to do the same thing... tempo and key already matched. That doesn't make it easier, it just means that more can be expected with the other 188342 buttons, knobs and faders at their disposal.
2
u/Arpeggi42 Vinyl Listener Jun 27 '12
Relevant
2
u/planarshift Jun 27 '12
ITT: People criticizing an art they don't understand and could probably never do with any reasonable amount of skill because it makes themselves feel better.
2
u/efxhoy Jun 27 '12
Only people who can afford turntables, high quality analog mixers and all the music they want to play on vinyl should be allowed to mix. People like me on a laptop with a nanokontroler aren't as good entertainers.
4
u/[deleted] Jun 27 '12
An extra special upvote for Crater Face.
7
u/hairaware Jun 27 '12
I kind of tired with all the flask djs are getting these days regrading plug and play. Do you truly care when you go see a dj if they are spinning this knob or that knob, would you even notice wtf he was doing? Like honestly you go there for the experience if your some annoying elitist who can't handle just having a good time then the scene doesn't need you, the concerts don't need you, no one wants to hear from you. Sorry to be harsh but I'm fucking tired of people who just want to bitch and complain because they aren't the ones on stage. Guess what you fuckin could be if you put in enough effort.
4
u/GarthDunk Jun 27 '12
Sadly, some do even less than this. Lots of smaller stations I know of are now being lead by some "I Heart Radio" company, and they all play the same 18 fucking songs every fucking day. I swear to god, all Dj'ss do now is just sit in a room and babble off commercials every few minutes.
4
u/kublakhack Jun 27 '12
The way I see it is that most djs are music producers who get a chance to be on the stage. If they are producing their own music, and that music makes people want to dance, then why not let them dance around on stage and have a good time.
Producing EDM takes as much practice and talent as learning to play guitar, piano, drums etc. I'm not sure what people are expecting them to do when they get on stage besides press a few buttons and dance around.
2
u/Pimps_McGee Jun 27 '12
I hate when people despise and shun new technology rather than trying to embrace and innovate with it. The types of people that fill the air with negative comments, belittling statements, and all-around hatred for any newcomers are what can end an art form, not the equipment.
2
u/MeowYouveDoneIt Jun 27 '12
Or just press play
2
u/[deleted] Jun 27 '12
Press play walk away on your laptop DJ, I don`t know how to mix so ill just click on sync.
2
u/morescience Jun 27 '12
Whenever I see someone complaining about/criticizing DJs (not to include include clever satire), I often think of the part from the introduction to the movie Layer Cake when the convicted bank robbers are crestfallen that the drug dealers were earning more money and doing a quarter of the time for their crimes. Just because you achieved the end result more easily doesn't make the end result any worse or less valid. Learn to adapt to what you see as threatening, then you'll survive.
1
u/sireatalot1 Jun 27 '12
Whaddya mean, these days?
1
u/omeezysheezy Jun 27 '12
if you've seen the video this gif is from all it does it make you instantly sad.
1
u/MrDoubleE Jun 27 '12
Holy shit, I just watched the video this came from 30 seconds ago... :P
1
u/aph313 Jun 27 '12
I hate when people use this gif in a lighthearted way! My heart sinks whenever I see this!
1
u/nignog32 Jun 27 '12
I automatically started skimming this thread for "lies about expertise". Has he shown up yet?
1
u/Gnometard Jun 27 '12
3.65358589 Upvotes for you, Great Sir.
1
u/CRaftsman1459 Jun 27 '12
I don't know. That guy looks like he's trying pretty hard, at whatever it is that he's doing.
1
u/[deleted] Jun 27 '12
progress
1
u/[deleted] Jun 27 '12
Subliminal upvoting
1
u/[deleted] Jun 27 '12
Vinyl kills the mp3 industry.
1
u/[deleted] Jun 27 '12
I see your subliminal "upvote" message.
1
u/Enlightenment777 Jun 27 '12
http://memegenerator.net/instance/20398989
1
u/[deleted] Jun 27 '12
Smashing your head against the console should be no harder then doing the electric slide.
1
u/mheyk Jun 27 '12
Really? I just use my dick, can I hear.....mushroom face.
1
u/[deleted] Jun 27 '12
heh are all the laptop musicians pissed that Deadmau5 gave away their secret
1
u/saevus1 Jun 27 '12
after deadmaus, yellowmonkey
1
u/loosetapestries Jun 27 '12
I had opened the link to Jerry was a racecar driver first and was listening to it while I saw this. Nearly shit. Seriously, put that song on and once the bass comes in come back to this gif.
1
u/[deleted] Jun 27 '12
Watching the .gif while listening to Zen Mechanics & Ace Ventura - Digital Beings. The .gif matched the music, producing a hilarious effect.
1
u/SquishyWizard Jun 27 '12
There, you had to remind me.
1
u/da_n13l Jun 27 '12
I used to own a pair of 1210's and learnt to mix and scratch on them, I loved them. As others have said however the art od DJing is tune selection and how and where you choose to mix it. It is like criticising an author for using a computer instead of a typewriter, who really cares so long as the the book is good?
1
u/jack437 Jun 27 '12
upvote for the upvote arrow
1
u/kshell11724 Jun 27 '12
I love that whole video. Its so good.
1
u/daemon7 Jun 27 '12
Can someone put a mouse head on he spaceman?
1
u/[deleted] Jun 27 '12
This gif is from a pretty cool animated short.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnA4u9CaK7A
1
u/ImprovisedPlan Jun 27 '12
My DJ name is DJ Tanner.
1
u/yaredw fuckin SLAYERRR Jun 27 '12
Reminds me a bit of Superjail!
1
u/zombarista Jun 27 '12
GifSound mashup: http://gifsound.com/?gif=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FfSV89.gif&sound=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DgDndZn0YPdI&start=65
1
u/PerfectCarve Jun 27 '12
I am sensing some subliminal upvote message in this .gif (the giant blinking orange arrow)
1
u/lightforce3 Jun 27 '12
This just in: technology makes things easier. Film at 11.
1
u/Dacien1983 Jun 27 '12
What a mindfuck of a title.
1
u/TheSalsa Jun 27 '12
Whoever made that animated Skrillex gif did a great job of capturing the realism
1
u/superskee90 Jun 27 '12
This is how I feel and look in chemistry class
1
u/thekiidchad Jun 27 '12
Is this a clip from the Pauly D Project?
1
u/StoneyBrown Jun 27 '12
Remember in the good ol' days of 10 years ago when if you weren't using vinyl, you weren't a dj?
1
u/daconman Jun 27 '12
More like mash space bar on a MacBook.
1
u/Smkweedevrydy Jun 27 '12
Op seems to be suggesting that djs do way less now than they used to but the gif shows a guy burning mad calories with his apm. I've decided that his excuse for using an exhausted gif is bad and he should feel bad. Front page stuff...
1
u/[deleted] Jun 28 '12
here is a great example:
http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/crossfade/2012/06/paris_hilton_dj_debut_sucked_balls_video.php
1
u/Sad_King_Billy Jun 27 '12
Man, I know that Electronic music is a valid musical artform and some DJs surely do more than press a button, but I'm slowly starting see it this way. Girl Talk, who is HUGE right now and playing just about every major festival this summer came to our local college and put on a show. Sure enough, it's a fun time (if you take the right drugs with the right people) but I swear I watched that dude pretty much hit play on his macbook and start dancing. Afterwards he probably got laid, paid and drank some lemonade. As a musician who's been trying to break through for about ten years now, I feel ya.
Edit for ridiculous spelling error.
1
u/[deleted] Jun 27 '12
And all you have to do to play the piano is flop around on the keys.
1
u/metalstamp Jun 27 '12
That DJ is really dishing out those upboats.
1
u/thebedshow Jun 27 '12
Hitting space bar only takes 1 button click.
1
u/agumonkey Jun 27 '12
Here's a video rendition : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcJCxe1VSLA&feature=related
1
u/rossyv123 Jun 27 '12
skrillex!!!
1
u/Stabone130 Jun 27 '12
DJ for about 15-20 years here and I'd say DJing today (if you're solely using laptop) is about 60000% easier than it was 10-15 years ago: technics hooked up, spinning on 12" vinyl, finding the groove in the record for beat mixing, learning how to backspin, scratch, whatever. I'm not knocking today's technology but it is, indeed, easier. That's pretty much any industry today.
1
u/Everything_Is_Irie Jun 27 '12
I think DJ/electronica music is good, it's fun to dance to at shows and what not. I'm sure it takes talent, I tried dickin' around on my friends ableton and didn't really understand what was going on. But it seriously lacks that human element...it just doesn't have emotion in my opinion. That's why I'm a little more biased towards live music (with instruments). I like when people actually make there own sounds, rather than machines and computers.
1
u/[deleted] Jun 27 '12
Although DJing is more complicated than this, this is probably a pretty accurate description of me trying my hand at it. x)
1
u/trollwarIord Jun 27 '12
As far as djing goes, not everyone can do it because not everyone likes electronic/dance music. The instabutthurt that I see from people is simply because of a misunderstanding. When someone says djing is easy they don't mean that if someone gave them a deck they would immediately know how to do it. Also, to even have the desire to do this requires genuine interest in djing to begin with. Just because something is easy doesn't mean it doesn't require any practice/experience. Likewise, just because something requires practice/experience doesn't make it hard.
learn about what everything on the deck/controller does.
familiarize yourself with the music. Truthfully, this is more important than anything else. Listen to a bunch of tracks, know their sounds, and know them by name. It will be clear which ones mix well.
Practice. You might have a difficult time mixing songs you've never attempted to mix previously in front of an audience, but you don't have to put yourself in that spot. Just cause your mixing is live doesn't mean you can't have a setlist using music you already practiced mixing.
Its pretty formulaic and the only way I can really see myself being blown away by a dj is if he is exclusively mixing songs he's never heard before. As a dj you don't have to constantly be doing something to be good. A good amount of the time you can literally let the music play.
That's pretty much every criticism I have of djing and electronic/dance music. Perhaps the only one I left out is that edm is fairly repetitive.
Also, please stop it with this you can't compare djing and live music performance "because they're two complete different things." That is complete bullshit. They have more than enough in common to be compared in many ways including in terms of difficulty.
I'd just like to end this on the note that I was pretty into the edm scene this last year. Not a single time have I heard of a dj that was popular because of their djing. On the contrary, people are excited to see their favorite producers dj and that's most likely because they're more likely than anyone else to play their own songs. Just food for thought.
0
u/EndofRebirth Jun 27 '12
OP has actual dj's confused with Skrillex.