Ok, without this turning into an online slagging match about using the sync button; I’ve noticed a rise in sync button debates of late. People saying things like " doesn’t matter about whether you sync or not, the only thing that matters is rocking the dance floor". Yes having a happy dance floor is the aim of the game, but you could put a mix CD on, jump around like an idiot and still rock a dance floor. Of all the “DJ’s” I’ve seen using Traktor and having their tracks sync’d up, they have literally been one step away from putting a mix CD on. The only difference being they are in control of the line faders that control the transitions between tracks. Not very impressive in my opinion.
Now, I am not against sync’ing tracks. But I do see a lot of “DJ’s” prancing around making it look as though they are doing a lot more than what is really going on, when really all their shit is sync’d up and they look deep in concentration in the same way someone beat matching would look as they ride the pitch.
I personally like to stand out with a few rehearsed tricks such as scratching, cue juggling etc. Someone like Ean Golden for example I think has earned the right to sync his shit (which I’m sure he probably does and doesn’t throughout his sets) as he pushes the boundaries of conventional mixing tracks back and forth by using rehearsed tricks.
Now, for all the people that are obviously passionate about defending the use of the sync button, show us all something impressive that demonstrates you earning the right to use it.
Remember, let’s please not let this turn into online warfare by starting sync button debates!
Yep. I predict the same old shit.
Still, it’s my turn to start a thread on this next Sunday. I need an imaginative way to stealthily shoehorn it in. Ideas?
Would scratching and cue juggling disco tracks impress you? I’m not sure I quite follow what you are inviting other than what seems a loaded debate with with no incentive to participate.
If sync Dj’s are one step away from putting on a mix cd, then “non-sync” dj’s are only the required 5 seconds it takes to beatmatch a record behind them.
Don’t know if you realise or not, but your arguments about “sync” dj’s, are actually arguments about all dj’s.
Some of them prance around behind the mixer and do nothing, some don’t. shrug
It’s not about the medium or the technology, but about expression and delivery.
Does anyone just go out to dance anymore? Over the years i have seen a lot of great DJs & some straight up legends (grand master flash, Carl Cox, Fatboy slim, Scratch Perverts) plus countless others & while i may have been facing the stage/dj booth a lot of the time most of the time was spent dancing and enjoying the music. Apart from when Scratch djs are showing there skills all i care aboiut is what is coming out of the speakers, not what gear or method is being used. I sometimes think people forget that a DJs jiob is to make people dance first of all & the rest is just gravy. If you think back to all the clubs that became legendary like The Paradise Garage, The wharehouse, The Hacienda, they were known for there atmosphere created by the music played & the track selection far above the DJs tricks. If you want the sync buttons to work perfect there is also a lot tweaking/nudging to do anyway. I wouldn’t care if the tracks were even beatmatched if they flowed together well & didn’t take the energy away from the dance floor.
All the first DJs & pioneers didn’t use 1210s because they were old school or keeping it real, they used them because they were the best tools in those times to get the job done. So why shouldn’t DJs these days use the tools available. People should go out to be entertained not take notes & if they don’t like the DJ on the night, don’t pay to see them again. In fact i think the first words Grandmaster flash said when he hit the stage were “if there is anyone here that thinks they are too cool to dance to certain records or have a good time & party they need to get the f**k ot of here before we begin” to massive aplause from the crowd.
Not me, the only responses that I was really looking for where links to impressive shit.
Ha haa, funny!
Yes, agreed, but you can also do that by hitting play on itunes.
When I say earn the right I mean there’s a lot of people who gun down “old generation DJ’s” saying beat matching is almost a “redundant skill”. So show us what you do instead that requires practice. I think that’s a fair comment.
I’ll quote someone here, sorry I don’t remember who it was… edit: DjProben
juggling, scratching whatever else are boring when badly done… not impressive either for someone on the dancefloor as they don’t give a LALALALALA about what the DJ’s doing.
IBTL
Only if, by some cosmic flukery, you’d made a mix CD of all the exact songs people wanted to hear, in the right order. Have you forgotten that DJing is about watching the crowd and reacting to how they react?
So easy to do. Seen it done by big name DJ’s before. And the right order? Nobody on the dance floor would know what’s coming next anyway.
Does this apply to bedroom DJ’s too? Someone playing to themselves sync’ing up their shit and mixing back and forth seems pretty boring to me. This is time that could be spent practicing something impressive
Because for 100 bucks a 7 year old could call itself a DJ…and that pisses a lot of folk off. much of the mystique behind DJ’ing is dispelled by hobbyists wanting to find creative venues to unzip their pants in public and get laid.
People who care about and love music are left scratching …their head fearing a dilution of talent by zit-faced bloggers and epeen gear whores who jizz themselves over LEDs.
***I may not really believe what I wrote but kinda get the impression there is a cynical paranoia from many who came during the good ole days of CDs this is the case
??? What I mean is that you’ve got to adjust your set and play the right song for the moment, which would be pretty impossible to do if it was all pre-recorded.
Why does this come into it? You were talking about people playing to a crowd and dancing about and stuff.
It wasn’t a joke. If you think DJing is mainly about mashing buttons or ‘wicky-wacking’ on your TT then your life is poorer.
You could if you were people like Norman Jay or Rodigan or Mancuso. DJs who don’t mix their music at all, yet still manage to be awesome.
Just go onto Soundcloud, find a mix that has great music, doesn’t traincrash and makes you feel good. It could be a vinyl mix, it could be a controller mix. It doesn’t matter. Maybe you’re not sure. Even better.
Have a little ponder on where the mix came from. Of the knowledge that went into making, the years of listening to music, deconstructing music, the experience of matching vibes, the feeling of the music, the narrative of the arrangement. That is what is important. That is what makes a good mix.
Now think about what it would mean if you thought the mix was a vinyl mix and it turns out to be the other, or vice versa. It would mean fuck all.
So what I’m basically saying is, that the qualities that make a good DJ is every single aspect of DJing apart from ‘Sync/No Sync’. If you think otherwise, you are just a dinosaur railing against the dying of the light.
I agree with you there. The bit about being able to spend how ever many bucks and call yourself a DJ. What I am getting at is that DJ’ing does and always has involved some level of practice. If you disagree with that then well, fuck you! Cos is does! So, if we are all in agreement that in order to call yourself a DJ you must have put some hours in practicing something. So… show us what you have practiced. Cos if you just mix back and forth with the use of a sync button all the time then sorry, but you aint practiced shit!
The good ole days of CD’s? Jeez you make me feel old… I started on vinyl.
The cd thing was a joke,
Thinking you take yourself a little too seriously.
I’m a 40 year old fart and came up on vinyl too…and belt drives…and crappy radio shack gear going thru speakers my dad bought in nam. Does that make me more legit?
