Traktor ban... Start of a new trend?

[backtothefront]

I'm a fairly new mixer/beginner into production, so what I say holds little to no value, but isn't the issue here not the software but the DJ itself?

I hear a lot of people say that it isn't the equipment/software that makes you good, but your ability to analyze the crowd, put on the right tracks with the right emotional levels, and your ability to alter mainstream sounds into your own catering.

No I wouldn't say that at all, it doesn't matter whether you're new to the scene or not your opinion is just as valid and has value, it's good for healthy debate! Welcome onboard!!

Ref 2nd point, yep I agree, it's not the kit but playing the right tunes is definitely the best basis to be a good DJ.

[petrockone]

user "backtothefront" stated this earlier....."DJ's also need to understand their responsibility" and I think that this statement sums up the problem, IMO. I'm a traktor user, and I bring and use my S4 when I play out. However, when I do play out, I don't just show up with my S4, laptop and usb cable...no. I have to understand my responsibility to the establishment and the customers, which means the hardware and music MUST work AND I must know how to use it. On the hardware and music MUST work note, this means having backups in case my system crashes, having rca, xlr and 1/4" cables with me in case one doesn't work or based on the club's system requirements...etc., etc., etc. For some of us, these means may sound redundant, however is it possible that we agree that it is our (the DJ) responsibility to make sure that our equipment works and that we know how to use it?

I ran into a "Traktor hater" establishment myself one night...and in hindsight, gave me the opportunity to flip the script on everybody. (And I am by no way trying to pat myself on the back with this story, merely pushing my position that as DJ's, we need to understand our responsibility). So I was the new guy at this club, and there was also another new DJ on the same night. (Mind you it was this club's Dubstep night, and my genre of choice and comfort is House/Electro House). The other new DJ went on first, she was nervous, and to put it nicely, her set was rather lackluster, and not a single person was dancing...no big deal, during her last song I tell her she did great, and step up to my kit which I had already had set up. Since I realized the floor was not moving AT ALL, as the DJ I felt I needed to switch the vibe for a few minutes before it all goes to hell, so I decided to open up with this new "button mashing" routine I had been working on with Daft Punk's "Technologic"/Congorock "Babylon"/Wolfgang Gartner "Undertaker". Now the promoters of this Dubstep night were also a clique of 4 of the DJ's for the night (I had gotten my foot in the door because my friend was a promoter of the club for other nights, not the Dubstep night). As I started out my set with this little routine I had been working on, this clique of promoters/DJ's, from the very beginning of my set, started yelling from the back "TRAKTORRRRRRR!!!!!" I was taken back for a second, for I've NEVER yelled at, mocked, or jeered ANY other DJ no matter which kit they were using nor how bad their set was. But as we all know, time goes by 10 times as fast when you're playing out, so I threw that in the back of my head and just started smiling, as it gave me reason to throw it back in their faces (and yes, I know how to throw a warm up set, so although the forementioned songs seems as though I may have played an entire set of "bangers", this is not true, and since it was dubstep night, yes, I played dubstep for 85% of my set, and left all the "bangers" for later DJ's). Next thing I know, seriously, within 10 seconds of the first "TRAKTORRRRRR" yelling, all of those guys's girlfriends started moving to the dancefloor...then more people joined...then more. I had this funky fresh house music going, and the entire bar moved to the dancefloor. A few more "TRAKTORRRR" calls filled the air during this, let's call it 15 minutes of house music I was playing, but the dancefloor didn't care, just me smiling back at them as I locked eyes with them each time they yelled it. As soon as I saw these "promomters/DJ's" themselves come onto the dancefloor to find their girlfriends and dance with them, I grabbed an 8 bar loop of the song I was playing, cut it to 4, 2, 1, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, hpf, then brought in some 70 bpm hpf'd down that was already running on an 1/8 loop, cut the loop and let the f***ing beat drop HARD...The entire club went BANANAS! Then on it was just an onslaught of awesomeness and it was one of the best nights of DJing that I've ever had...and I don't even really like to play dubstep. But the main thing that stood out in my mind...All of the mocking "TRAKTORRRRRRRRRR" yelling had stopped, and each and everyone of them were dancing...HARD. So their first DJ comes up and tells me I have 10 more minutes, so I'm like "OK cool, by the way, my name is so and so" I introduce myself, and asked (since I had 10 minutes left) if he wanted me to start changing the feel of the music for him (for I did not know his style), or if he wanted to just come in on what I was already playing...he gave me a blank stare. When 10 minutes was up, he just faded my song out, and then started his song...and the entire dancefloor went back to the bars...and stayed there. I went to the bar to grab some beers with some friends of mine that had come out to see me play. The entire club stayed at the bar through his set...and their clique's next DJ...and the one after that...even though they were now bringing out their "bangers". I went up to each one of them after their sets, remembered a specific song or transition from their sets, told them that was nice, and told them they had a good set. During their last DJ playing, I guess it was "the main dude" of their clique (and yes, definately one of the "TRAKTOR" yelling guys) came up to me, told me I had an awesome set and that he wants to stay in contact with me and join up with them for more parties.

I know that was long and drawn out, but my point being, just like backtothefront stated, "DJ's also need to understand their responsibility"...I was prepared for any meltdowns, I understood I was 2nd warmup DJ and not the main DJ, I understood the first warmup was tanking hard and had to revive the floor, and I also understood to keep whatever bangers the next DJ's were most likely going to play, out of my set. SO WHAT if I was using Traktor and an S4...it's still my responsibility to keep the people moving and to keep the club owners happy.

On the contrary, I can see and have seen how a noob running traktor can just be downright awful. I think that a lot of them just think that they can use the sync button and everything will be ok (and no, I don't use sync...except for maybe some 4 deck live cue point juggling SOMETIMES). For me, it seems as though this jilted generation (yeah prodigy reference) of youth are just inherently lazy (at least a very large portion of them) and don't practice enough...that there's this "magical sync button that will make everything ok", and there's nothing more to it. THERE IS MORE TO IT....practice, practice, practice. I wouldn't go into a board meeting to make a presentation without researching first, and figuring out what my talking points would be, thus it boggles my mind that I have to feel like a lot of DJ's don't practice enough. It doesn't matter if you're running traktor, cdj's, tt's, double x1's, midi controllers, ipads, whatever...it matters if, as the DJ, you understand you're responsibility and practice a ton.

For the noob's, it's WAY different making a 15 minute mix of bangers and putting it on youtube, than it is rocking a full house for a 2+ hour set. Practice. And when ya feel like you've practiced enough, practice some more. It's kinda like eating some box...you hear her getting louder and louder and you think you're job is done, but stay down there for 5 more minutes and she'll then do whatever you want.
And for the promoters, yeah, listen to more than that 15 minute mix of bangers someone has given to you, if you're putting someone up on the decks cuz they have a million facebook likes, find out why they have so many likes and listen to them play first. Sure, as a promoter you're gonna have you're hit and miss nights on the DJ's you pick, but when it happens once, shame on the DJ for misrepresenting themselves. If it happens twice, then shame on you for not taking the first part of your job seriously enough to do even a miniscule amount of research.

[keeb]

user "backtothefront" stated this earlier....."DJ's also need to understand their responsibility" and I think that this statement sums up the problem, IMO. ...

That said, here's a story of mine; I use traktor and used it in DVS mode with vinyl at my first gig. I had a DJM 900 but didn't have a Traktor soundcard yet aside from it so had to set that up in the booth (thankfully this was at a club I frequented and promoted for shortly, so I knew I could accomplish this in the booth). I showed up early and set everything up myself into the house mixer, requiring no extra effort from the staff to accomodate me. I'd been to the event several times so I knew what music went well there; I mixed my set well, with few mistakes, and was told afterward by several people (including management) that they loved it.

Going on after me were two other Traktor DJs with a VCI-100 (I smiled since that's what I started on). They even brought vinyl with them so they could leave the turntables plugged in while setting up their computer, which gave me some freedom to start moving my kit out of the way. Kudos - well done. The resident DJ transitioned from my last track into theirs for them (I guess they asked him to do it for them? or maybe as a courtesy; I don't know). They then set up their gear and after a while transitioned poorly out of the vinyl track into their Traktor set. I thought, "okay, well the VCI isn't great for beatmatching... I guess that's fair enough." They then played a set of bangers to a lounge-like atmosphere room with gaters, beatmashers, and the like butchering the music. They seemed like nice guys and were even playing my preferred genre; Electro-House. However, they didn't know how to read the room, they apparently couldn't beatmatch, and their set was lackluster at best (this was not just my opinion, but that of several of the people there).

Had management ruled out Traktor DJs, neither of us would have played; they would probably have gotten two DJs with average skill who could use turntables or CDJs and would probably have gotten two average sets. That said, they'd be getting the same result on the whole with less hassle by ruling out Traktor DJs because while they wouldn't have gotten a great set from me, they also wouldn't have gotten a mediocre set by the other DJ duo. From a business perspective, it makes non-Traktor DJs a "safer bet." I do see where the club is/was coming from, though it's clearly shortsighted.

[ad357]

In your mind, how do club promotions work? You obviously have absolutely no experience in it, but what do you think? You seem to have the idea that they're run like a festival, with a lineup that's crafted in entirety months in advance. Id really love to see how you can apply the "not lazy" method to around 10 sets a night, every single night, indefinitely.

What clubs are you talking about & in what country? You're basically saying that you need to put on 20 hours of music (you're going to come back & say they don't all play for 2 hours, why not? If the club is open that long & you're not just interested in turning the unknown DJs into psuedo-promoters & bringing all their friends, then why would you need to cram so many DJs on to each nights line-up?), all of it performed by an actual DJ (none just playing as background music like in most pubs where no-one cares what the music is, or if there even is any at all) every single night of the week, every single week of the year? Sorry, I don't believe you.

Edit - I made a daft mistake there & overlooked the fact that you could have more than 1 room. Fair enough. Clubs like Space in Ibiza do this, by "this" I mean have that many sets a night (for the summer), but they will have a massive team of promoters (edit - in fact, they will have entirely different promoters on Saturday compared to Sunday, most clubs I know of are the same. Maybe you or the club you work for needs to hire more promoters?) - not one dude who can't take the time to listen to a DJ before booking him to play. Either you need to do your job better, get help, or stop. Like someone else said, if you don't have the time to listen to someone before booking them then you don't have the time to be a promoter.

[DubluW]

I like the Loop to loop idea petrockone! Yoink!