DJ's work is half the effort, twice the pay.

I love a good DJ
Wolfman Jack was a good DJ
You know who else? Alan Freed
Oh, you mean the other kind of DJ
Man, I hate those guys

Waaaaaay too many of them are deluded into thinking they're actual musicians


sorry, but no.

Anyone see "It's All Gone Pete Tong" ? Good movie.

I've seen armless guys rolling smokes on the street before. It never gets old. When I make my millions, I'm not going to have a TV... I'll have a troupe of armless people doing things we take for granted.

HappyHarryHardOn: Waaaaaay too many of them are deluded into thinking they're actual musicians


sorry, but no.

The good ones generally aren't on an ego trip. They also don't think they are musicians, although almost all of them produce, usually the same stuff they are spinning.

Also noted that the good ones are generally doing a lot more than just mixing one track after another.

I like a lot of what Jeff Mills, Robert Hood, Frankie Bones, etc. have to say about DJing. Bonus with Frankie is the dude's got a pretty damn funny sense of humor and posts all the time on Discogs.

During a small-talk conversation, a DJ who was sitting next to me on a plane said "oh, I'm a musician, too."

Me: "What do you play?"

"I DJ"

It was all I could do to not slap him, 'cause if I did, my journey would have ended.

Godscrack: DJ's work is half the effort, twice the pay.

Not only that, but none of the education, and they're notoriously cheap with their gear. I've got more into one of my keyboards than 90% of the DJs around here have into their entire rigs.

Unimpressed.

Charlie Freak: During a small-talk conversation, a DJ who was sitting next to me on a plane said "oh, I'm a musician, too."

Me: "What do you play?"

"I DJ"

It was all I could do to not slap him, 'cause if I did, my journey would have ended.

Godscrack: DJ's work is half the effort, twice the pay.

Not only that, but none of the education, and they're notoriously cheap with their gear. I've got more into one of my keyboards than 90% of the DJs around here have into their entire rigs.

I think there is a big difference between people who "DJ" at a club once a week, and people like Deadmau5 or say Girl Talk, who are probably best described as DJs despite being pretty damn talented, educated and invested in what they do.

HappyHarryHardOn: Waaaaaay too many of them are deluded into thinking they're actual musicians


sorry, but no.

I am a musician, and there are some DJ albums that are masterpieces:


Still one of my absolute favorites, and still holds up after 13 years..

TeamEd: I think there is a big difference between people who "DJ" at a club once a week, and people like Deadmau5 or say Girl Talk, who are probably best described as DJs despite being pretty damn talented, educated and invested in what they do.

I've never listened to Girl Talk, and probably never will. However, I do know a thing about Deadmau5, and he is the very same "DJ" that most of the people here are talking about.

Deadmau5 can't DJ on the same level as the guys I'm talking about. His production is weak as hell too.

He's yet to be sussed out on the same level as Justice for faking their live sets, but Deadmau5 is the stereotypical DJ tosser.

Just sayin', mate. Bad example.

Also old news too but

There have been a couple DJ's I know of that have experimented with Concertos for Turntable and Orchestra. DJ Yoda and DJ Radar.

Glitchwerks: TeamEd: I think there is a big difference between people who "DJ" at a club once a week, and people like Deadmau5 or say Girl Talk, who are probably best described as DJs despite being pretty damn talented, educated and invested in what they do.

I've never listened to Girl Talk, and probably never will. However, I do know a thing about Deadmau5, and he is the very same "DJ" that most of the people here are talking about.

Deadmau5 can't DJ on the same level as the guys I'm talking about. His production is weak as hell too.

He's yet to be sussed out on the same level as Justice for faking their live sets, but Deadmau5 is the stereotypical DJ tosser.

Just sayin', mate. Bad example.

Fair enough, I can't say I know a heck of a lot about recent DJs. I basically mentioned those two because the seem to have a decent live set and are fairly popular, but like I said, i don't pay a ton of attention to new DJs. Most of my sample-based stuff falls between the Avalanches and Steinski, which is way too old to be relevant to that guy's comment.

Glitchwerks: HappyHarryHardOn: Waaaaaay too many of them are deluded into thinking they're actual musicians


sorry, but no.

The good ones generally aren't on an ego trip. They also don't think they are musicians, although almost all of them produce, usually the same stuff they are spinning.

Also noted that the good ones are generally doing a lot more than just mixing one track after another.

I like a lot of what Jeff Mills, Robert Hood, Frankie Bones, etc. have to say about DJing. Bonus with Frankie is the dude's got a pretty damn funny sense of humor and posts all the time on Discogs.

Especially Jeff Mills. That guy is a master.

/A DJ
//not a musician by any means
///not a rock star, either

TeamEd: Fair enough, I can't say I know a heck of a lot about recent DJs. I basically mentioned those two because the seem to have a decent live set and are fairly popular, but like I said, i don't pay a ton of attention to new DJs. Most of my sample-based stuff falls between the Avalanches and Steinski, which is way too old to be relevant to that guy's comment.

Okay, I see where you are coming from. Yeah, not a lot of people will have heard of Steinski nowadays, which is pretty sad. He's definitely one of the cats that started all of this.

You can download free mixes from Resident Advisor to try and keep tabs on things. The mix available right now is from Stephen Hitchell, and he is one of my favorite producers right now. His music is fantastic.

I was really hoping this was about DJ Dovan, a Seattle one-armed DJ legend. Skoochies kids, stand up and be counted.

(take it from a guy who's paid his bills by DJing for 15 years... Most are total tools, few understand the basics of audio, fewer know squat about music beyond their own micro-genre, but a good one is straight friggin' money. DJ Harvey, the Wicked guys, LCG... I could name a few more.)

Glitchwerks: HappyHarryHardOn:
The good ones generally aren't on an ego trip. They also don't think they are musicians, although almost all of them produce, usually the same stuff they are spinning.

Also noted that the good ones are generally doing a lot more than just mixing one track after another.

I like a lot of what Jeff Mills, Robert Hood, Frankie Bones, etc. have to say about DJing. Bonus with Frankie is the dude's got a pretty damn funny sense of humor and posts all the time on Discogs.


I Agree with everything, as usual... I remember reading a thread a while back where you got in a thing with this dj, you said some good stuff on the whole topic. I totally agreed with your building with Lego bricks analogy



Kali-Yuga: HappyHarryHardOn:
there are some DJ albums that are masterpieces:




There you go. I think that's a statement we could all agree on

LewDux: =

Hmmmmm... not quite.

Is that Carl Cox?

HappyHarryHardOn: I Agree with everything, as usual... I remember reading a thread a while back where you got in a thing with this dj, you said some good stuff on the whole topic. I totally agreed with your building with Lego bricks analogy

It is a talent. I don't think I could spin a set that would make thousands of people dance.

That said, I see various videos of big name DJs and all the crowd is doing is nodding their heads or shuffling a bit. I don't go to any events anymore, as I'm too old and out of step with the whole, so that's just a vague observation on my part.

What is once was, isn't what it is now. It's different. I can't get into the whole superstar DJ worship thing. There are DJs who I think kick ass and I definitely put them on a pedestal, but I usually know the tracks they are playing so I can hear what they are doing. If someone doesn't know "M4.5" or "Snowflake 5" then they can only take it as they hear it.

The only mixing I ever hear in popular genres is one track being segued into the next. Funny enough, those are the DJs who are usually the biggest names making the most dosh.

I respect it for what it is. I don't like musicians who act like pompous arseholes, same as I don't like DJs who act the same.

This is an old video, I saw it years ago. Interesting stuff though.

As a pianist, synth player, producer, bass player and DJ, all I can do is disagree with subby and some of other people in this thread.

Any halfway decent DJ would put in the same [if not more] effort as a guitarist or anyone. A DJ these days has to be a lot more than just a guy who picks out CDs -they have to be an event coordinator, organizer, host, lighting controller, or even Video Jockey.

I understand that there's a culture emerging of "anyone can be a DJ" with programs like iDjay and the works - but really I don't see how its any different from a punk-band knowing only 3 chords.

A good DJ does as much work as any good real musician for a live show.
The only difference is - most event-goers can't tell a bad DJ from a good one.

Check out people like Dieselboy or Moldover.

/also, doing a DJ gig is SO much more fun than doing a band gig.
//theres more control
/// i hate freebird.

Just adding to my last post:
I don't believe that a DJ is a musician.

A DJ is like a conductor in an orchestra. They don't play any instrument - but they need to know the music they play as well as any of the musicians under them.

Also, good DJs should ALSO be musicians. Whether they're computer musicians, guitarists, pianists, cellists, whatever. Any music theory knowledge goes a long way.

How does this dude wipe his ass?

Cellist fakes being a DJ

She can't do it at first but nails it after a month of practice.

/Seems appropriate for the topic

ya know what's a pretty darn good movie?
"it's all gone pete tong"

in a landscape: Dieselboy

He's nothing special. He has good taste in tracks and is pretty darn good at the technical side.

I'm trying to remember who it was I saw a long, long time ago that was a straight-up technical wizard. The guy had either 3 or 4 tables going at once, had one track going on the right channel and another on the left. Depending on where you were in the venue, you got a different sound, but it meshed seamlessly. That's actually creating new material from what you have in front of you.

The stuff Rabbit in the Moon does transcends DJing and is on into performance art.

"Scratch" A cool documentary on the history of DJing. (new window)

GriffXX: Cellist fakes being a DJ

She can't do it at first but nails it after a month of practice.

/Seems appropriate for the topic

Hey, thanks for the link! I watched all 6 clips and was really entertained. It was so nice that the established dj girls were nice to her, and actually helpful.

People who work in radio also fade songs in and out, and choose the order they play in.

They must be musicians as well.

J. Frank Parnell: People who work in radio also fade songs in and out, and choose the order they play in.

They must be musicians as well.

Musician:

Glitchwerks: Is that Carl Cox?

That's what file name says

DJ Shadow is a whole different subject. What he does for his albums is basically playing samples. A good example is this. That's the very underrated Onra playing a cut from his classic album "Chinoiseries." I can't recommend that album enough. Dude basically went to Viet Nam and raided some crates from a flea market there and brought them back and made an album. It is a very unique album and belongs in your music collection.

Here 's Jeff Mills with a symphony orchestra.

I wish Groovetech was still around. They had a video of one of my favorite DJ performances of Scion, Rene Lowe and Paul St. Hilaire.

One turntable, effects, and one vocalist. Massive. However, it had an amazingly small crowd, and the amount of people dancing was pretty much one very high white dude. :p

LewDux: That's what file name says

Oh. I didn't check the file name.

Occam's Chainsaw: in a landscape: Dieselboy

He's nothing special. He has good taste in tracks and is pretty darn good at the technical side.

Actually Dieselboy is probably one of the best technical DJs in drum n bass. His mixing is flawless. I hate what he spins though. He's consistently pushed the tempo of drum n bass (most of his mix albums were constantly playing the tracks faster than they were supposed to be played at) to the point that it's lost a lot of it's funk and depth and just becomes an ever present grinding wall of noise. That's not even something that's danceable in my opinion. I've seen videos of his partner in crime Technical Itch playing live and all people are doing is head banging to it. Hey, if it works for them, cool, but it's not for me.

in a landscape: Just adding to my last post:
I don't believe that a DJ is a musician.

A DJ is like a conductor in an orchestra. They don't play any instrument - but they need to know the music they play as well as any of the musicians under them.

Also, good DJs should ALSO be musicians. Whether they're computer musicians, guitarists, pianists, cellists, whatever. Any music theory knowledge goes a long way.

Um, ALL conductors play instruments, ALWAYS at least the piano.

You guys have no idea of the musicianship level of the few guys who get those huge-paying positions.

Glitchwerks: Occam's Chainsaw: in a landscape: Dieselboy

He's nothing special. He has good taste in tracks and is pretty darn good at the technical side.

Actually Dieselboy is probably one of the best technical DJs in drum n bass. His mixing is flawless. I hate what he spins though. He's consistently pushed the tempo of drum n bass (most of his mix albums were constantly playing the tracks faster than they were supposed to be played at) to the point that it's lost a lot of it's funk and depth and just becomes an ever present grinding wall of noise. That's not even something that's danceable in my opinion. I've seen videos of his partner in crime Technical Itch playing live and all people are doing is head banging to it. Hey, if it works for them, cool, but it's not for me.

The thing with Dieselboy, Tech Itch, and the rest of that group in Counterstrike, Noisia and (old) Pendulum is the shared idea that Drum & Bass is closely related to heavy metal in terms of power and speed.

Its pretty cool when the mixes are consistent, but I think that a lot of people just want them to go back to their old styles where they focused on just mixing tracks that were easy to dance to instead of being in the middle of a mosh pit.

I went to go see Dieselboy in Dallas before my birthday and I saw a ton of metal fans there moshing and headbanging, whereas during his Project Human debut phase in '03 during the POtD tour it was all jungle fans.

What in a landscape said.

in a landscape: Any halfway decent DJ would put in the same [if not more] effort as a guitarist or anyone.

please. and

in a landscape: /also, doing a DJ gig is SO much more fun than doing a band gig.
//theres more control

then youre doing gay gigs.

in a landscape: really I don't see how its any different from a punk-band knowing only 3 chords.

i guess we agree on this. both are retarded.