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TymezUp wrote: |
Djs who made it based purely on dj skills after 1996? That means they didn't have production credit to their name before they started djing and they never played out before 1996. Yes, I would like a list -- and if they are people who have reputation as not really being all that as a dj then they are getting knocked off. |
without spending all afternoon actually trying to compile such a list, here are a few off the top of my head...Dara, AK, Dieselboy, Marky, Patife, Lee, Moshic, Craze, Burner Bros., Mathematics, Aki, Reid Speed, Odi, Swingsett, Dinky, etc...that's not a hundred, but i just woke up, and the point is that there are plenty out there on all levels, from internationally known, making $1000/hr, to moderately known yet still successful, all the way down to the local djs who run their cities...they are as known as they can be relative to that market.
and why 96? that's completely arbitrary and meaningless. people producing their own tunes is not exclusive to 1997 thru the present; and people who make shitty music dont become international stars (generally, not talking preference here). In the end, its not worth debating. you could argue til you're blue in the face over whether or not DJ Krush got his recognition thru his DJing skills, or his tunes. if you're good enough, you'll find your way thru the maze to the top, regardless of whether or not you make your own tracks.
Deviant makes a lot of good points re: this in this thread.
TymezUp wrote: | I'm suggesting that given the fact that many "djs" have gone beyond just playing music and the paths of "dj" and "electronic music artists" are diverging and that in the future "electronic music artists" will no longer be known as djs. While turntablism is mechanical manipulation of existing music, playing with loops and using software to control them is way closer to production (expecially when many "tracks" are built of those same loops).
I think that producers became djs primarily to be able to perform live the music they are known to produce. In addition, this has become their primary source of income in an musical economy who's core audience thinks it all should be free or worth 99 cents. While I think that there is a market for underground artists to be heard - I believe that the mixture of the two roles has had a detrimental effect on progressive (not the music genre of the same misnomer) clubbing.
While there are many many talented djs who have a passion for their sound and art... I believe that we have lost an increasing amount of people to the more familiar "top 40" format because there are very few djs skilled in the art of programming left to pull people into the underground. |
part of the problem you're addressing is that you're in Cleveland, OH, dude. This has never been, nor will it ever be a city where electronic music will grow and thrive. this is a rock and roll town, sadly.
as for the whole demo thing...getting a gig is a combination of talent and being able to sell yourself. Confidence breeds success. Quick story from my time in NYC, the most competetive dj market in the states, if not the world::
After attending parties 3-4 times a week as soon as we got there, not only did we meet a shitload of djs and party goers into the same music we were (techno, house, dnb), we saw that its not that hard to throw a party, so we walked up to the people running one of the clubs that we'd been going to, and without even dropping a demo, had a weekly...albeit a Monday --which was still doable in nyc -- , but it was a start. We did quite a few weeklies and bi-weeklies like that for about the first 8 months we were there, and then one day, in the spring of '99, my best friend who was part of my band was walking back to our place in Chinatown, and passed some work being done inside a barber shop a few blocks from our spot...they were turning it into a bar. So that same afternoon, we walked back over there with a few different demos...CASSETTE tapes, my friend. Not even cds cuz we didnt have a burner....and basically we talked ourselves up and locked down Friday. It quickly became one of the most popular nights in the NYC underground...because it was all about vibes..it was a showcase for local talent, run by 3 guys from buttfuck OH, who didnt give a shit about pretense or any of that shit...it was all about the music, and everyone knew it. Shit was photographed for magazines in Japan, it was reviewed in other publications, full of people wanting to be seen there like Courtney Love, Alexander Hacke from Einsturzende Neubauten, blah blah blah....very successful party that went for a year and a half....it ended up getting us booked at a shitload of other parties, and helped get recognition for our live electronic band.
moral? Shit like that happens in places like SF, NYC, LA, etc...not cleveland, or louisville, ky, or asheville, nc. You'll have no problem getting a gig as a dj if what you play caters to the demand. In Cleveland the demand is rock, 80s, etc...NOT underground electronic. That being said, what little scene there is, you can still do your part and be involved in, and if you're truly inspired by the music, and you are good, then you shouldn't have any problems getting gigs...its just about how many people you want to hear you play.
that goes to why i think you're statement on djs not meant to travel makes no sense. if you don't want anyone to hear you, then stop before you start. If you do want it, then you have to go where the action is. Its really that simple. DJing is about moving people...and i've never met one DJ, big name or otherwise, who told me that they hated to travel, rock crowds of hundreds or even thousands, and get paid for doing it...
dj vodka wrote: | my friends know that i am always bitching about not being able to find djs. as i always say "there's a million djs in this town, but i can't find one to play." this isn't a knock on the local talent, i just can't seem to find people who are diverse and eclectic with their mixes. |
yeah, well most djs get into a specific genre and stick with it, and that kinda sucks...i'll play dnb, techno, old ambient/idm, hip hop, etc...this is one of the reasons our parties were so successful in NYC - they were always a mixed bag. a set of techhouse, followed by a guest playing drumnbass, followed by another guest playing techno, closed out by the residents tagging hiphop. btw, what bar do you own/work at???
deviant wrote: | there are only so many ways that you can stand out. | the best way to stand out is to rock the decks with good skills and even better selection. Track selection is probably the most important aspect of djing. There is no accounting for taste, and most run of the mill djs don't have any. But if you play wicked tunes, and are solid on the mixer/creative, you won't have any problems getting gigs or recognition, if you want it enough.
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