Money/Time/skill/investment

[DubluW]

Right. Tackling an issue im sure most of you know/hate/love. However, i'd still like to hear it from some of you guys.




Purchasing DJ top 10's/Set lists/Top 100 from beatport. It lay's out some top tunes from the worlds recognised DJ's. We, as DJ's, can appreciate the subtle nuances and overall feel of the tunes selected. There's been the argument many, many times that most top 40 is for sheeple. People who listen to nothing other than the Top 40.

With Beaport/download sites etc (and i'm in no way knocking any of them. i find some good stuff there) isn't there a certain aspect that panders to a DJ's Top 40 within their respective genre?

At the end of the day, most clubbers who dont got to Top 40 style (IE us/serious clubbers) event's couldn't name a quarter of the songs played anyway. So what difference does it make to the crowd if you haven't personally selected some of the tunes you are playing (often as not some tunes selected by top DJ's with a few others/oddballs you have chucked in rather than not) unless you are a superstar DJ? what does it matter what you play within you're respective genre if you think it (you think anyway!) make a good mix?


I can pick out tunes that go together well, and most people i play to dont give a flying hoo-haa what it is despite it's Key/BPM/mixing compatibility and the hours spent re-arranging playlists and mixes. I think whilst it transcends the top 40 in what you play (despite the fact they are shite tunes!) it's as forgettable in the underground genre's with the main point being that people wont remember what you played from one month to the next, as there as many tunes being pumped out as there are chart music and are just as readily available as Top 40 stuff, if you know where to look.

Im no DJ that exist's outside his bedroom, except with a keen hobby for music and clubbing, so on the working DJ's circuit i have no say. From the Dancefloor however, i can see that most people dont have a clue what they are listening too and certainly couldn't name the tunes they are listening too, until they go to beatport etc. find out the setlist and download it. Much the same as the Top 40 from the radio.


So, where is the stance on track selection and making a set in the here and now?

[mostapha]

At the end of the day, most [serious] clubbers...couldn't name a quarter of the songs played anyway. So what difference does it make to the crowd if you haven't personally selected some of the tunes

It's a matter of priorities.

In the beginning (there was jack...) DJs were more often popular/big because of the tracks they played than the way they played them. Mixing, as we think of it, evolved later. All the next level junk came pretty recently along with technology that made it easy.

If you're into the effects, the routines, the show of it, then no...picking music doesn't matter as much. But that's not traditional DJing in any sense.

I get that finding good music in the sea of garbage that Beatport et al. release tons of every day is hard. But if you're not willing to do it, then why are you DJing? What's the appeal?

I'm not the end-all, be-all of taste in DJs or music or anything else. But that's what I see.

So, take a good look at why you're doing it. And do what makes the most sense for you.

I've made my choice. But, I don't remember the last time I really liked an effect and my favorite DJ still spins vinyl. The only reason I don't spin exclusively vinyl is that it's not worth the cost.

[Nicky H]

If everyone played the same tracks then why bother with a dj?

[Patch]

In the beginning (there was jack...)

Hell yeah there was Jack.

[Destiny]

As someone said earlier, it's a matter of priorities. I'm also a bedroom DJ with no (short-term) ambitions to play out. I get joy from crawling the web, forums, local music store for tunes. Finding those few gems nobody seems to know but absoluty seem to bang out. Well, at least to my lil' crowd of 2 DnB-minded friends.

It's all about the places you go & the music they play there. We have some local student friendly clubs that rinse the same TOP-40 every single night of the week, and people seem to go bonkers on it. Then there's the only underground club in Belgium where the real DnB-heads go. There's where you feel that people care about the tune selection & the overall mix & match.

You just have to find the balance where it's justified to spend a certain amount of time/money etc in your hobby. If it's your big passion, and you don't mind actually investing all those resources into it, then I'm sure there's no limit to it. Just don't regret it.

On a Beatport note, there's some DJ lists I check out every few months. Mostly because they're close to my style & interest. A great way to spot good tunes. I tend to stay away from the actual TOP100 lists. Not because of the tracks in them, as I'm sure there's some really good ones aswell, but mainly because they don't match my music preference.

Hope my opinion gives you some insight.