help!! opening for an Indie-rock band don't want to loose my artistic integrity...

DJ Life & Community General Discussion
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1

help!! opening for an Indie-rock band don’t want to loose my artistic integrity…

I am in a bit of a jam… kind of!

bit about me and my style of playing:

I play deep house, tech house and techno

I mix in key

I play only FLAC or WAV files (I am one of those audiophile tool-bags)

I use traktor scratch with timecode vinyl

I use technics 1200

I use an Allen&heath XONE:92

I use NI Maschine to sequence some drums at times

I also use maschine as my controller so back and forth between MIDI mode and maschine mode ( I don’t like it too much… maybe a D2 soon??)

I scratch small samples at times from movies or old school hip-hop classics

I can do some beat juggling I do have a better disposition for juggling then scratching

I use Delay, peak filters and the XONE92 filters (on my mixer not the traktor presets) I’m not too big on the other effects

I use traktor remix decks to play loops this is how I break them down:

remix deck C (drums)
| Deck C Slot 1 | Deck C Slot 2 | Deck C Slot 3 | Deck C Slot 4 |
–Drums/kicks-----------Tops---------Hats---------Perc/Oneshot

remix deck D (Synths)
| Deck D Slot 1 | Deck D Slot 2 | Deck D Slot 3 | Deck D Slot 4 |
—basslines--------- synths ------- atmos--------------FX/VOX-----

=================================================================================

now here is where I need your help!!!

I have been asked to open for an indie-rock band… it will be a young-ish crowd and most likely not the kind of people who wear black and go to a sweaty basement to hear 909 kicks and rides all night!

So without compromising my artistic integrity I want to

A) set a fun happy atmosphere and mood… not party rocking- but also not minimal bleeps and beeps
B) still play my style of music… but bring in some rock/alternative/90’s grunge type stuff
C)not completely sell out and not play commercial pop remixes
D)just have fun and not make it super complicated

Example:
Beat Pharmacy - Time (John Daly Remix) a stripped down track and bring in- Cowboy junkies sweet jane ---- > and then go on to loop tribe called quest can I kick it…

I don’t know if those are in key off the top of my head but you get the vibe I am getting at

I have about 3 weeks to prepare about 2 hours of stage time cause I’ll probably play again for a bit after their set or between bands if another act gets added to the bill

any advice on artists, techniques, tracks, loops packs, maschine packs, effect chains, youtube videos of sets that fit the vibe?

thanks

2

If you feel uncomfortable with the follow-up and they don’t suit your style at all, it makes no sense to bend into that direction and force it. When the crowd is looking forward to the music of the band and you are playing music from a totally different genre, don’t play there. Would turn out as a big disapointment I assume.

3

Well idk but You’ve been asked by someone who knows your style no?

I guess this Person is in Charge for the Line-Up no?

So I guess this Person asked you 'cause she wants/expects you to Play what she’s used to hear from you no?

So why not just Play like you are used to?

4

shouldve used an alias if anything

5

There’s always a happy medium

(real advice: don’t take it if you think it you can’t do it)

6

OK - I’m going to provide a brief reality check. I am not trying to be mean, I am trying to get you to step back and see the forest instead of the bark on one tree.

You are not a household name. You have no “artistic integrity” to compromise. Really. Without a “well established” and “well known” body of work to set expectations, there is nothing to use to evaluate the “integrity” of your collected works.

There is nothing wrong with having a point of view on the music you like. There is something wrong when you think there is something “wrong” with music that is popular and a commercial success. There is plenty wrong with the music business to go after that does not involve insulting the taste of most of your audience.

The phrasing you use indicates a decidedly negative outlook on the DJs who choose to be “mobile entertainers” and provide a service of playing music for the audience that assembled in front of them. There is nothing magical about DJing as an “art” or as a “service” - but your attitude goes a long way in determining how you see your worth in either situation.

There is nothing wrong with creating a fun atmosphere, or with playing music that speaks to you. In two hours, you have time for 40-ish tracks…more if you mix a lot, less if you let songs play out. In either case, this event is not about 10 songs and it’s not about 100 songs.

If you are unable to find 40 songs that fit your style AND are well known enough to be recognized and liked by the audience, then your “artistic integrity” is far too narrowly focused.

Finally, there is nothing quite like a paycheck to validate your choice to be a DJ. I’m more than happy to play Top 40 all night long - and any personal frustration I happen to feel with the music, or the crowd, or the venue vanishes when I cash the check. :tada:

With three weeks to go until the gig…how is learning new techniques, experimenting with new loops & maschine packs, and new Fx chains in keeping with your goal of “not make it super complicated.”

Do NOT try to reinvent yourself in the next three weeks. Practice what you know, add some SMALL embellishments (if you must) and then use the extra time to read the crowd and react to them.

7

Absolutely nailed it. I could not agree more.

8

It’s funny, I read the title and immediately wondered why you took the gig if it’s a big concern that you might have to play some stuff outside of your comfort zone for an audience that’s likely not going to like a lot of the stuff you typically play.

The good news is, the artistic integrity and credibility you’ve built up won’t be ruined by playing this show. Most of the people that enjoy the music you play and the way you mix won’t know you’re going to play something outside of that strike zone, and even if they do find out, they’re not going to care. As long as the next time you’re playing in a club or posting a mix online, it’s in the same zone as what you typically play - your integrity is still intact.

So, do the right thing and be a DJ at this gig. Play what the people want to hear and provide a great opening for the band. You’ll probably have a lot of fun doing it.

9

Couldnt disagree more with the post above, “artistic integrity” doesnt come whit a check.
Integrity comes when you refuse to play something you dont feel right or you absolutely dislike just because “OMG IM GETTING A CHECK” THATS exactly the point where you lose your integrity and your soul, its what people in the music business know as a “sell out” just in for the money.

THats exactly the point of no return where you just want a check and you dont care if you have to dress kike a clown and play some charleston.

Now on topic, if the venue is going to get filled with people in their teens, for them the only electronic music theyre familiar with should be things like Skrillex and Deadmou5. So, unless you are familiar with that genre i dont think they are going to like the music you mention in your post.

So you have two choices:

1.- You play what you like and stay in the safe zone.
2.- You play music youre not familiar with, for an audience youre also not familair with.

Dont you have the latest top 50 hip hop hits? thats like vanilla ice cream, everyone knows it and most people like it.

10

Well He writes “I have been asked to open for an indie-rock band…”,

Sorry but when I read this I simply consider that the Person that asked, knows that he Plays “deep house, tech house and Techno” like he says.

So I still don’t know where is the Point…Play your fuc*** Style…They asked you, they booked you If they make an error in the Line-Up by booking you and your style not Fitting an “Indie Rock”-Audience why do you have Problems with it.

Maybe just an advice for the future: Next time you are booked for a Gig which seems not to be your “Cup of Tea” just ask the Booker “You know this isn’t the style of Music that I Play???” and let him then decide whether it is what he wants or not.
The best way to “Preserve your Integrity” is to clarify this Kind of Details with the Person who books you before accepting the booking.

One more time we have a good example that DJ-skills isn’t all you Need to be a good DJ, having a good “Common Sense” is at least as important.

11

History is full of “starving, misunderstood artists” and “corporate sellouts” and tons of people who are in between. Nonetheless, the OP is still a step or two away from being the DJ equivalent of a franchise fast food joint.

DJs can be artists. DJs can provide a service. Both are viable routes to follow. Most people are somewhere between the extremes (except when posting on chat boards, of course). Successful DJs take the route of “running a small business” regardless of the content they choose to provide.

I refuse to play all sorts of music because I find it offensive or objectionable. There is another huge pile of songs that are on “Do Not Play” lists because of the context of the venue and the event (e.g. gangsta rap at a wedding reception rarely fits the vibe).

Thinking of “commercial pop remixes” as “overplayed” is one thing. Thinking of that music as “lose your integrity and your soul” is a bit over the top. Insulting the taste of your audience is rarely a successful business model.

Which is why I said this too:

"…There is nothing wrong with creating a fun atmosphere, or with playing music that speaks to you. In two hours, you have time for 40-ish tracks…more if you mix a lot, less if you let songs play out. In either case, this event is not about 10 songs and it’s not about 100 songs.

If you are unable to find 40 songs that fit your style AND are well known enough to be recognized and liked by the audience, then your “artistic integrity” is far too narrowly focused…"

How far into your underground sub-sub-sub-genre do you have to get before you can not find 40-ish songs that you like AND are relatable for a “general” audience…???

12

Would you say that a rock band’s artistic integrity is far too narrowly focused if they didn’t want to play hip-hop songs to open for a hip-hop act? There is nothing wrong with a DJ wanting to play music that fits their typical style range. There is also nothing wrong with a DJ who typically plays for a more “general” audience doing that as well. I see “general” audience DJ’s and genre or style specific DJ’s as different types of artists. Both take talent but they are different roles.

In response to the OP I would say play what you want. You’re the DJ and you have your own unique style. If the crowd likes it then great. If the crowd hates it well then it wasn’t the right venue/show for your style. It’s not like you begged to get the spot, you were asked to take it.

13

Bands are, by their very nature, less flexible than a DJ in terms of the range of songs they can play. I would say that a band has no way to change up the mood or tempo within their existing set is too narrowly focused. I would say that a band that has 20 songs rehearsed for a 20 song set is too narrowly focused.

I agree.

The key idea here is “typical style range.” Yes, DJs can focus on different kinds of things. I prefer DJs who have a clear point of view on the music they are playing. My contention is the OPs language that implies something “wrong” or “lesser” about the general audience DJ who plays “commercial pop remixes” as a service.

The skills and artistry of the DJ is (or should be) clearly evident independent of the songs. It’s not WHAT you play that makes you unique (at least not in an era of smartphones and Shazam), it’s HOW you play it. The OP has a fairly unique workflow and tools to embellish the basic tracks. That is where the artistry lives, IMO.