The importance of having the "hot new promo track" vs being original and djing.

[wigglesworth]

with a lot of the rave djs on this board, there seems to be so much importance in "having that new cd-r promo!"

now, having new tracks is nice, but how about having good tracks?
how about being original?

do you really think having the new tracks and mixing one record to the next after playing each track for 6 minutes makes you good?

where's the originality in that? a monkey with a hookup at a record store can do that.

what do the djs on this board think about originality? about being different then the other guy (no that doesnt mean you simply play some different tracks from the same genre.)

[stringbeans]

i had a good teacher ;)

[trance4life]

i agree, just because a track is new doesn't mean its the best

[omega_image]

Originally Posted by wigglesworth

with a lot of the rave djs on this board, there seems to be so much importance in "having that new cd-r promo!"

now, having new tracks is nice, but how about having good tracks?
how about being original?

do you really think having the new tracks and mixing one record to the next after playing each track for 6 minutes makes you good?

where's the originality in that? a monkey with a hookup at a record store can do that.

what do the djs on this board think about originality? about being different then the other guy (no that doesnt mean you simply play some different tracks from the same genre.)

originality is great, when i play smaller shows and non-rave events i tend to play more of what i like rather than the floor fillers and anthems.

but when i'm booked to play at most raves, the knowledge of "good music" is so fucking limited. and if i played the same sort of set (that i would play elsewhere) half the room would leave. i look at it as my job to keep that room packed and bumpin, not only for me, but for the next dj coming on as well.

another point though, if you're the only dj in a city who has the new hot tracks (or the first dj to play them out) i'd say there is some originality in that as no one else has played or even has the tracks that you do.

[dabbler]

yeah i think you can come
at this from either angle
and be successful, for me,
it's about having fresh tunes,
purely cause of my addiction to music.
plus, if you get a tune and play it out lots in town
before other people have it, then people on the dancefloor
will remember that you have that tune,
and will make a point of watching your set closely,
hoping to hear their new favourite tune. now in reality,
it's all abouthaving the newest tunes, that are future classics
AND mixing them well.

[jimungle]

Originally Posted by dabbler

it's all abouthaving the newest tunes, that are future classics
AND mixing them well.

totally agreed. everyone in general has such a varied idea of what good mixing is to their own ears and head too so the crowd reactions kind of get to decide if the dj has a booty shakin style

but all of us promo whores know that freshness gets things exciting, for the dj, the heads and the crowd

[Skip EZ]

Originally Posted by dabbler

yeah i think you can come
at this from either angle
and be successful, for me,
it's about having fresh tunes,
purely cause of my addiction to music.
plus, if you get a tune and play it out lots in town
before other people have it, then people on the dancefloor
will remember that you have that tune,
and will make a point of watching your set closely,
hoping to hear their new favourite tune. now in reality,
it's all abouthaving the newest tunes, that are future classics
AND mixing them well.

think you covered just about everything i was thinkin.

[Akeel]

i think we can all agree that djs suck.

[dabbler]

i'll drink to that. dj's really do suck. i hate them. all of them.

[Kraig]

Nicely written Adam and Dabbler.

PS: DJ's do suck. I think there is a sticker that says so somewhere.

[dabbler]

there is, i have one on my front door

[oliver]

^ i have it on my flight case ;)

my understanding of djing was always that its about who has the newest tunes that people havent heard yet. thats one thing that i find curious about electronic music, is that the turnover of the music is so fast. i think that really adds to its evolution.

i think its interesting that when you go to a rock show its all about hearing the old songs that everyone knows by heart... whereas when you go to see a dj, its about who has the stuff that is new, fresh, rare, or at least just different.

[CharlieTuna]

I have no problem playing promos, as long as they're good tracks and I dig them. If it's not good, I won't play it even if I'm one of 5 people in the world to have it or whatever. Otherwise if it's a sick track and it's a promo, whatever, play it!

[decypher]

When i find new mixes its like christmas all over again. Playing the new promo on ur system is also a fun experience. Just because the tracks new doesen't mean its bad. DJs should always make an effort to find the new good tracks, while throwing in some old crowd pleasers, as well as being able to know what style the crowd is gonna like. There is just some old tracks that are soooo played, i only get excited for a set if i hear newish stuff as well as dubs.

[trance4life]

a lot of old stuff was passed on, but when you listen to it again
it still has a lotta bangin quality
gem in the rough

[wigglesworth]

i think you guys mis understood me.
i never said new tracks are bad.
i said that only focusing on new tracks/promo's and the only creativity you bring to the table is mixing from turntable a to turntable b, is pretty damn boring.
look at a dj like z trip. he literally plays everything from a to z. its always fresh and exciting. he'll play some new stuff, some old stuff, and some really old stuff, and mix it all together.
with most of the djs in the rave scene....you know that dj jon doe is going to be spinning all trance that night....or dj no name is going to be playing all tech house.....or something.

i'd just like to see more variation. i can understand having a strong love for one particular genre of music, but spread your wings a little bit.

as for originality....like i said, mixing on two turntables and mixer is pretty damn boring (even if it is a "fancy" djm 600.)

i guess im more of a fan of the hip hop way of djing as apposed to the "house, breaks, dnb, trance" way of playing records.

[Mr.Wrong]

dj clue made a career out of gettin shit first

[wigglesworth]

Originally Posted by Mr.Wrong

dj clue made a career out of gettin shit first

he also made a career of talking over tracks with the echo on, ruining the song.
dj clue aint shit.

[Moon]

Originally Posted by wigglesworth

with a lot of the rave djs on this board, there seems to be so much importance in "having that new cd-r promo!"

now, having new tracks is nice, but how about having good tracks?
how about being original?

do you really think having the new tracks and mixing one record to the next after playing each track for 6 minutes makes you good?

where's the originality in that? a monkey with a hookup at a record store can do that.

what do the djs on this board think about originality? about being different then the other guy (no that doesnt mean you simply play some different tracks from the same genre.)

i think you're overgeneralizing here...

its nice to have new fresh shit to be ahead of everyone else. you can be original by playing brand new music, mixing it up well and being original. not every promo hunter just plays em out and mixes to the next track. its the combination of both that makes a set really stand out vs. just hot new promos and just being original and showcasing dj skills.

[Lenny]

These so called "good" tracks would never get heard if some DJ didn't bang it out for six minutes somewhere and make it popular. With that in mind, don'y you find it easier to mix a tune you aready know in a slightly more interseting fashion? Where's the originality in playing something that's already been played and is a "safe" bet. Some DJ's are good for their tunes, some are good for their skills, hell some are even good for both!
I don't see how any "music" lover couldn't apreciate what different DJ's bring to the table, even the monkeys.

[Wood]

too many dudes playin promos just because they're promos... not because they're good tunes.

in rave/dance music circles, where a club or a party is usually all about 1 genre of music and several DJs vying for supremacy in that genre, promos & exclusives are very important. But when you break away from that and play music for people who just want to dance, and aren't obsessed with one particular sound, all the promos in the world won't amount to a hill of beans. In that type of situation, not only is it much more important to have your crate loaded with classics, but mixing & selection become more important as well. more challenging, too.

1-genre DJs have it easy, 'cause basically if you can hold a mix half decently and have some up-front tunes, you'll be hailed as a massive party rocker. Of course there are a lot of DJs who are highly skilled & do pretty intense things within their 1 genre, but there are just as many (or more) who are mediocre and recieve the same amount of praise.

[wigglesworth]

good call wood. thats exactly what i mean.

Originally Posted by Wood

too many dudes playin promos just because they're promos... not because they're good tunes.

in rave/dance music circles, where a club or a party is usually all about 1 genre of music and several DJs vying for supremacy in that genre, promos & exclusives are very important. But when you break away from that and play music for people who just want to dance, and aren't obsessed with one particular sound, all the promos in the world won't amount to a hill of beans. In that type of situation, not only is it much more important to have your crate loaded with classics, but mixing & selection become more important as well. more challenging, too.

1-genre DJs have it easy, 'cause basically if you can hold a mix half decently and have some up-front tunes, you'll be hailed as a massive party rocker. Of course there are a lot of DJs who are highly skilled & do pretty intense things within their 1 genre, but there are just as many (or more) who are mediocre and recieve the same amount of praise.

[soma]

Originally Posted by wigglesworth

what do the djs on this board think about originality? about being different then the other guy (no that doesnt mean you simply play some different tracks from the same genre.)

i think that being predictable is the last thing I would want my sound to be

tracks can be old or new but you have to keep things changing...

If you stop growing as a dj how are you to improve ?

[dapimpstress]

Originally Posted by soma

i think that being predictable is the last thing I would want my sound to be

tracks can be old or new but you have to keep things changing...

If you stop growing as a dj how are you to improve ?

i agree entirely.. i see alot of really good dj's going downhill because they get stuck on doing the same thing,... and yeah maybe people wont LOVE it at first, but thats not the point, because no matter what there are some people who will hate on it, and the point of dj's is to push the music and create something new, or something that represents their ideas about music. you can't just spin other people's records all the time, you have to produce a few traks of your own, you have to put things together that might not have been put together before.. basicaly you just have to keep CHANGING and doing DIFFERENT things.

[Mr.Wrong]

Originally Posted by wigglesworth

he also made a career of talking over tracks with the echo on, ruining the song.

hahha cant argue with that/annoys the shit outta me.

as far as "dj clue aint shit", being one of the front runners on the mixtape circuit and accomplishing what he has i dont agree with that at all.
to each his own//.