The Art Of Knob Twisting?

[ImNotDedYet]

I heard DJ Sneak in an interview state that it's a nervous habit of his to just touch the knobs all the time. He doesn't actually move them, just touches them, which is kinda weird, and funny.

Obviously there's what many have pointed out, and the few that really twist things that are on a dead channel to look good.

But the single most important thing is twisting with style. You've got to really over-exaggerate your knob twists if you'll ever have any chance of making the DJ Mag Top 100 list.

[Powertripper]

I heard DJ Sneak in an interview state that it's a nervous habit of his to just touch the knobs all the time. He doesn't actually move them, just touches them, which is kinda weird, and funny.

Obviously there's what many have pointed out, and the few that really twist things that are on a dead channel to look good.

But the single most important thing is twisting with style. You've got to really over-exaggerate your knob twists if you'll ever have any chance of making the DJ Mag Top 100 list.

Haha alright I see. Being somewhat entertaining instead of just standing there bobbing your head until the next track comes in makes sense. In a way its like when watching a band, no one wants to see 4 guys standing still on stage boringly playing their instruments. A band moving around on stage and head banging and all that stuff apply in the same sense as knob twisting and exaggeration. Its part of the show nowadays, whether they're just messing around with dead channels are actually doing something to the mix

[astromech]

I heard DJ Sneak in an interview state that it's a nervous habit of his to just touch the knobs all the time. He doesn't actually move them, just touches them, which is kinda weird, and funny.

Obviously there's what many have pointed out, and the few that really twist things that are on a dead channel to look good.

But the single most important thing is twisting with style. You've got to really over-exaggerate your knob twists if you'll ever have any chance of making the DJ Mag Top 100 list.

I do that too, sometimes. It's like, I'll just make sure it's zeroed correctly, without realising I'm doing it.

[mostapha]

I do that too, actually. And it turns into this big thing where I check every single knob on my X1s and mixer to make sure they're where they're supposed to be.

[ImNotDedYet]

I think Sneak did a session for DJSounds on youtube. (which is a cool channel BTW because they actually show the mixer in a screen-in-screen kind of view with the DJ) It's hilarious actually. I think afterwards he got interviewed and talked about it being a nervous habit.

[JaF]

Mostly, it's DJs puttng their "performance" and ego above the music they're playing because they don't have the balls to just stand there and enjoy the music they're supposedly curating

I don't agree with this. People don't want to see somebody just standing there doing nothing. When I used to go to the barber (before I was bald) there was a whole lot of needless scissor work going on as well, cut could be done in 8 minutes but they make it last 20~30. Meeting the customer's perception is an important part of the job. There is a point of passing silliness but just standing there enjoying the music is on the other end of the extreme.

[JaF]

But the single most important thing is twisting with style. You've got to really over-exaggerate your knob twists if you'll ever have any chance of making the DJ Mag Top 100 list.

The elbow should be no less than 90 degrees out.

[mostapha]

I don't agree with this. People don't want to see somebody just standing there doing nothing. When I used to go to the barber (before I was bald) there was a whole lot of needless scissor work going on as well, cut could be done in 8 minutes but they make it last 20~30. Meeting the customer's perception is an important part of the job. There is a point of passing silliness but just standing there enjoying the music is on the other end of the extreme.

Honestly, I think we're just going to have to agree to disagree on this one.

If you're standing there like a zombie, you're probably doing it wrong (other than john digweed, Sasha, Mr. C to an extent, and a handful of other "old guys"). Frankly, they're all better than basically any DJ that I've seen who looks busy. Sasha walks around and talks to people. Mr. C dances a bit. But they're not constantly playing with stuff.

If you touch a knob or turn on an effect just to be doing something, you're way off on the other side. You should probably be dancing and watching the floor instead.

It's kinda like....we have all this technology (even just CDJs with pitch that doesn't fluctuate), and the reason people always give is either "I'm not carrying hundreds of pounds of records" or "it gives me more time."

And we still haven't figured out what to do with all the extra time. So we make ourselves busy because we know that all were doing is playing with a really nice stereo system, and we feel bad about it for some reason.

I've done it too. I used to own a Xone, and I kind of never want to hear those filters again. Same with all of pioneer's color effects. I almost always wish they weren't there.

I've heard both used well, but never more than about once an hour.

I'd rather not watch a boring-looking DJ and focus on the music and the party than have everybody staring at some guy who mixes right after the drop and never plays a track dry.

One is DJing, the other is wanking around with equipment.

[ImNotDedYet]

If you're standing there like a zombie, you're probably doing it wrong (other than john digweed, Sasha, Mr. C to an extent, and a handful of other "old guys"). Frankly, they're all better than basically any DJ that I've seen who looks busy. Sasha walks around and talks to people. Mr. C dances a bit. But they're not constantly playing with stuff.

I saw Oakenfold last year. He's quite busy behind the decks, but dancing not twisting knobs. And I loved the dude back in the day - even this set was really good. He obviously has some sense of rhythm, but I'll just say his body doesn't express that rhythmic sense very much. But he was having a blast DJing and really into the tunes, which made the show all the more fun. I mean, Paul Oakenfold can dance however he wants to - even like a white 8th grade boy that has no rhythm, cause he's Paul freakin Oakenfold.

[JaF]

we know that all were doing is playing with a really nice stereo system, and we feel bad about it for some reason.

I don't feel bad about it, guilty yes, but not bad.

I look at djs who are just touching knobs differently than those who fake stuff. But usually I'm a little off center and triple check everything. Lock the door and pull on it hard to make sure type of guy. I'm touching the knobs because I'm checking that I'm not a dipshit...plus....the added bonus is that people actually think I'm doing something other than just being a dipshit.