Chris BIO Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 When ever the term DJ is used it's automatically assumed its connected with DANCE music and its many many derivatives.....don't forget that there are many other genres than also have DJ's, ie ROCK, INDIE, REGGAE, etc, and all have their own methods and styles. Ok so rock DJ's tend not to use dubs or backtracking that much, or even vinyl at all anymore, but that does not mean it's any less of an art form...... How is rock DJing an art form? What do - or even CAN - you do to be creative? It's not like you can create something new whilst 'mixing' - or am I mistaken? Can you put a Foo Fighters acapella over a Led Zep instrumental? I appreciate like any DJ there's track selection, crowd reading etc but being creative isn't something I can imagine. You said yourself it's just pressing the play button and is a piece of pish. I do a funk, disco and soul night every weekend and it's sooooo limited as to how creative I can be, since the music is so varied, different keys, tempos, vocals clashing etc. You get a few records you can cut together but mainly it's just a case of starting one record when the last one ends (thus putting the emphasis on track selection). It ain't no art form though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldenfleece Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 How is rock DJing an art form? What do - or even CAN - you do to be creative? It's not like you can create something new whilst 'mixing' - or am I mistaken? Can you put a Foo Fighters acapella over a Led Zep instrumental? I appreciate like any DJ there's track selection, crowd reading etc but being creative isn't something I can imagine. You said yourself it's just pressing the play button and is a piece of pish In the same way that an artist plonking a pile of dirty bricks into an art gallery and calling it a "work of art" can. Remember, the cult of the DJ is all about the NAME......top Dj's are not always technically perfect, but their name commands the crowds!!!!! No you cant mix rock tracks like you can trance, for example, its a totally different style, but that is not to say it is not an art form. Its not just about mixing and scratching, that is a common mis conception of the DJ......a rock DJ is performing his 'art' if he can keep the dancefloor (mosh pit) buzzing, the crowd happy, deliver the right tunes in the best sequence for the event, etc. THAT part is the art of the DJ, not technical skills...that is not art, that is a learned technique....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris BIO Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 a rock DJ is performing his 'art' if he can keep the dancefloor (mosh pit) buzzing, the crowd happy, deliver the right tunes in the best sequence for the event, etc. THAT part is the art of the DJ, not technical skills...that is not art, that is a learned technique....... I disagree then, that part is what ANY DJ has to do, even "Dave's Mobile Disco" at a wedding - selecting and playing tracks isn't the artistic part in my eyes, that's just the very bare minimum requirement. Art is creative, I see no creativity in choosing records and pressing play. Like I say, I do exactly this on a Saturday - yes there's a certain skill and intuition in making the correct selection, but I don't think I'm being creative or artistic in doing so. However when I play house music I CAN be creative; loops, acapellas, samples, even just two tracks on top of each other to make something new for a couple of minutes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WYEXILE Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 In the same way that an artist plonking a pile of dirty bricks into an art gallery and calling it a "work of art" can. Remember, the cult of the DJ is all about the NAME......top Dj's are not always technically perfect, but their name commands the crowds!!!!! No you cant mix rock tracks like you can trance, for example, its a totally different style, but that is not to say it is not an art form. Its not just about mixing and scratching, that is a common mis conception of the DJ......a rock DJ is performing his 'art' if he can keep the dancefloor (mosh pit) buzzing, the crowd happy, deliver the right tunes in the best sequence for the event, etc. THAT part is the art of the DJ, not technical skills...that is not art, that is a learned technique....... Why don't you just come out and say that you think all dance DJ's are ****. I think that's what you're getting at. The art in DJ'ing is crafting a set that will fill the dancefloor and keep it moving. The best way to do this is by moving seamlessly from one track to another to keep the crowd locked in. This can be by simply mixing from one track to another or creating loops/using acapellas to get you from A to B. Therefore, the art of DJ'ing is not only in the tune selection but in the technical ability of the DJ as well. I'll admit, not all the big names DJ's are great at doing this. But I think one reason fro this is the technology has moved faster than some of the original guys have. Some have embraced it, and some haven't. Therefore some of the people who were pushing the boundaries in the late 80's/erly 90's now don't sound as good. But they still have the basic ability to mix. I have never heard one 'big name' as you put it who can't at least beat mix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris BIO Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 Remember, the cult of the DJ is all about the NAME...... That's not true either, you're making assumptions. I'd rather go to a tiny venue and see an obscure DJ who's records I buy, regardless of whether or not anyone else likes them. Give me that over Carl Cox et al anyday. There's many a time I've enjoyed the residents more than the headliners, the likes of Krysko at Sankeys or Scott & Scooby at Shindig. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DelMonte Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 Totally agree with Chris on this one and the cult of the dj certainly is not just about the name. Fair play there has been some examples of this over the years, I remember reading an interview with Boy George in the mid 90s when he'd been djing a while and he was saying he'd only just learnt to beat match!!....an essential skill for a house dj and yet he'd been headlining clubs throughout the country! However, thankfully this is not the norm and the djs that have made a name for themselves within the genres of music that I'm into, such as Z Trip, Paul Nice, Andy Smith and countless others, have done so on skill alone. Slightly off topic, but those off you into cutting, scratching, blending....however you wanna mix those tracks together, do you ever think, 'I wonder if anyone else has ever done this mix before?' I always buzz of that!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinnacle Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 Its sounds a bit cheesey - but I'd recomend the book "How to DJ Properly" by Bill Brewster & Frank Broughton - which is a great sensible (and funny) run through of the essentials (ie not just the technical bits) of DJing - its about a tenner in Waterstones or from Amazon Excellent book, id recommend that too Jody Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discodown Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 a rock DJ is performing his 'art' if he can keep the dancefloor (mosh pit) buzzing, the crowd happy, deliver the right tunes in the best sequence for the event, etc. THAT part is the art of the DJ, not technical skills...that is not art, that is a learned technique.......Thats any DJ. A good Dj knows how to play a set not just records. A set is sum of the records and is greater than the sum of its parts. A set is taking a room full of people on a journey via the music. Its directing the emotions and the atmosphere in the room and causing the music to peak and trough while keeping the crowd happy and attentive to the music. Its a valuable and rare skill and it needs a decent amount of time to do it. At least 2 hours and more than that is better. This is the dance DJ's greatest skill. I don't really see how a rock DJ can do the same. If you aren't really allowed to be creative due to the volume of requests and the music by its very nature doesn't flow its not really possible to be as creative Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jake Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 Rock Djs tend to be constrained by their crowd wanting to hear tunes that they know - so putting together a great but obscure set isnt really an option available to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DelMonte Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 A few hip hop djs have done interesting things with rock in their sets....If you can be bothered, check Z Trip's Live in LA set and the KROQ Radio Show here: http://www.djztrip.com/downloads.html The fella mixes and scratches the likes of Nirvana, Led Zep, Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd...with incredible ease. Its probably your traditional rockers worst nightmare, but when I've heard sets like this its torn the roof off! Caught The X-Ecutioners in Leeds a couple of years ago and when they played Smells like Teens Spirit amongst the hip hop the place went bonkers!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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