So you were surprised when you went to see two DJs and they were actually DJing with DJ gear?
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What were you expecting, have you never been to a show before? It is usually understood you are seeing a DJ set and if it's a live set they will tell you and it says it on the ticket/flyer/marquee which one it is. This has been how it has been done for years. Some producers do both and the distinction is made what the show is up front.
I also disagree about live sets being superior. I saw deadmau5 a few years ago in NY and he was pretty boring. He just stood there, bobbed his mouse head, and launched clips in ableton and his set was not exciting and just seemed to drone on and on and we left before he finished. I've seen much more exciting DJ sets from big producers than live sets, and I appreciate the skill that goes into a good DJ set. If you would rather stay home and listen to music on your computer than see a DJ set I wonder what you're doing DJing if you don't appreciate it.
I appreciate a good live set but to be honest I wouldn't want to see most producers do a live set. The line between DJ set and live set these days is so small I would hardly call most "live sets" live sets in the original sense. "Ableton live set" might be more appropriate in which case I would usually rather just see a DJ set instead of trying to pretend it's something it's not. Deadmau5 says it himself there are segments in his shows where there will be 20 minute blocks where 100% of everything is prerecorded to go with the light show, it's just not as live as you think and he's very far from recreating his songs live.
There are still some people who put on
real live shows and I would love to see Plastikman Live 1.5. Richie Hawtin also doesn't think he is above DJing and even his regular DJ sets which are more live than most "live sets" with Maschine, two laptops, ableton, and traktor he still calls it DJing like it is.