***Who really mixes anymore? DJ’ing is becoming a farce!!

[tombruton69]

he can beat match most people who spend 2 weeks learing can

look at the 2 vids above, do u see craze, clever shiftee making those sorts of mistakes. Plus dance music is so much easier to mix than hip hop in so many ways

[LIVEMAU5]

What do you want them to do? Not saying this in a rude "Wut deh fuck u want dem to do?" way, just give some examples of how you'd improve it.

[dafe]

i've gotta admit that i'm incredibly surprised out how many people in this thread appear to care so very little for the performance side to dj'ing, especially seeing as this is...a dj'ing forum... which has its roots in mappings and controllers designed to allow dj's to be more expressive and experimental with their performances.

phrasing, programming and reading the floor are par for the course. They are, in my opinion, the bare minimum expectation for any dj worth their salt..

I'm quite amazed to find that my expectations are so out of line with others on here o_o;

[PK44]

I saw Tiesto 4 times since 9/09 and every single set was different and raw. Yes his style changed and played a lot from his last album but always switched it up. With that said I think it's ridiculous to think he doesn't mix or even is lazy, however I completely understand what the op is saying about some DJ's feeling premixed and it annoys the crap out of me as well. I also feel like this may a result of the lights and video that is used in these big show setups as well. I like the raw feel where someone is going off their crowd, I mean isn't that what DJing is, reading your crowd? This can't be achieved by a premixed set....sorry.

The reason I still love seeing Tiesto to this day is because he knows how to make people in my area (East Coast, US) happy and changes his music as he travels the world. He plays a different style of EDM when he's in Europe.

Now, I get that premixed feeling myself when seeing PVD, there's just nothing raw about him anymore and everything feels like it's prearranged/Ableton... too perfect if there is such a thing. I usually end up saying this to my wife during the show, then she'll say exactly what all of you are.... who care's just enjoy it. Prearranged sections of sets and using songs you know mix perfectly good together are ok.... prearranged sets where the DJ is jumping around the booth pretending to be doing something they are not and just messing with the levels and effects.... lame.'

[DJ Nada]

I can't believe this forum sometimes... What's the difference between a DJ and a Itunes playlist with good music on it? Who would pay to listen to an Itunes playlist? What if it was Tiesto's favorite Itunes playlist? Nobody sensible would pay for that... A DJ is much more than a person that pushes play on a deck, a DJ is a straight-up ENTERTAINER. The job is to entertain people, put on a show, dazzle them. However if we default to the lowest common denominator of "as long as they pick good tunes" we destroy the essence of DJing. It's in the performance, any dumbass can push play on a mix CD.

[popoff44]

This is a very entertaining thread... I'm just going to say one thing, I've been into dj'ing and EDM (specifically, Techno) for a long time and I remember people having these exact same conversations in the 90's I guess some things just don't change. Pretending to mix while playing a pre-mixed record is awful. There is no doubt about that. However, it also depends on the crowd. If people really don't care what the dj is playing and how then dancing to a pre-mixed record serves them right. If they do care, on the other hand, someone will notice and the dj is unlikely to become a big "star" any time soon. Most big name dj's worked hard to get to the top and are usually good at either mixing or producing or both. It's a natural selection. There may be some exclusions, of course.

As for Tiesto, I've been living in US for about 5 years now and I couldn't help but notice how when I tell people I like Techno the first response is usually something to the effect of "Oh yeah... You like Tiesto?" or "Nice! Have you seen Tiesto last [week/month/year] at [insert venue name here]". I usually just smile and say that I'm not a fan, but can someone tell me why is it that Tiesto is somehow associated with Techno? I'm genuinely baffled by this because where I come from Tiesto and alike are usually (and I think fairly) viewed as more of a mainstream radio/pop-type phenomenon. I can hardly imagine anyone calling Tiesto a big Techno dj back in Russia. If anything, I would describe him as a highly successful multi-genre crowd pleaser with some amazing PR skills

[Tha Gooch]

i've gotta admit that i'm incredibly surprised out how many people in this thread appear to care so very little for the performance side to dj'ing, especially seeing as this is...a dj'ing forum... which has its roots in mappings and controllers designed to allow dj's to be more expressive and experimental with their performances.

phrasing, programming and reading the floor are par for the course. They are, in my opinion, the bare minimum expectation for any dj worth their salt..

I'm quite amazed to find that my expectations are so out of line with others on here o_o;

I've been a bit puzzled myself. With this thread and the tune into the Jersey Shore guy on the radio thread I've been wondering wtf? Everyone has their own taste's. I guess I just didn't really expect it from people who I assumed had a love for music and enjoyed performing. Maybe there's more truth to the 5 dolla holla/where's my bitches joke than I thought, or maybe it's not a joke at all?

[lethal_pizzle]

I've heard 'performers' who've completely ruined the music they were playing with their 'performance'. It's no good being experimental if your music sounds like you're experimenting with being shit.

If you're a good DJ then you've got good songs to play. By all means mix them together in a pleasing way but do remember that they're essentially good to go before you started mashing buttons with them; respect them.

Remember: phrasing, programming and reading the floor are the fundamentals of deejaying. I've seen too many deejays construct an aural blancmange mashing together bits of good tunes, where the only point of it all seems to be 'look at me, look at me'.

Sometimes the best deejays, like the best footballers, make it look simple.

[lethal_pizzle]

I can hardly imagine anyone calling Tiesto a big Techno dj back in Russia.

Last time someone tried to play me some it sounded like big ol' trance. But that was a few years back.

[dafe]

I've heard 'performers' who've completely ruined the music they were playing with their 'performance'. It's no good being experimental if your music sounds like you're experimenting with being shit.

If you're a good DJ then you've got good songs to play. By all means mix them together in a pleasing way but do remember that they're essentially good to go before you started mashing buttons with them; respect them.

Remember: phrasing, programming and reading the floor are the fundamentals of deejaying. I've seen too many deejays construct an aural blancmange mashing together bits of good tunes, where the only point of it all seems to be 'look at me, look at me'.

Sometimes the best deejays, like the best footballers, make it look simple.

That just makes them bad performance artists.

The truly memorable moments in my clubbing lifetime have not come from good track selection and phrasing alone.

I'm not saying anyone is wrong or right here, you dig what you dig, I'm just a little surprised is all given the medium that we communicate through.