Depends what kind of a DJ you are talking about, take a look at this guy, the 45 king, cutting up 7" 45's on portable turntables....


Or some scratch DJing from Japan's DJ Kentaro


But you're probably right that most DJ's you see billed are basically glorified juke boxes, spinning CD's or a laptop, doing a bit of beat mixing and playing with their headphones so that it looks like they are actually doing something...

Hey don't get me wrong BTW. I am not saying DJs aren't entertaining. Cover bands are fun and entertaining when your half-cut but nobody makes the mistake of thinking a muso covering someone else's song is talented right?

If you have to ask you'll never understand...

All but the best DJs are busy for pretty much the entire time they're playing - maybe a 30 seconds break here or there, but the rest of the time is concentrating.

Super quick rundown from bedroom dj-ing:
find next record (needs to flow from current)
find correct track on record
find first beat new record, and 16th or 32nd beat of playing record
beatmatch (adjust speed of new record by ear)
adjust eq (every single song is adjusted bass/middle/treble for best sound)
find point in the record that you know will mix to point of outgoing record
Bring in new record in sync at the right point
adjust to keep in sync, eq, maybe do some tricks here or there
drop old record out (slow or fast)
remove old record, put in cover, box
breathe for 5 secs
repeat

Most of the record control is done by touch, and one bad touch on a 'live' record will stuff the whole thing up.

I agree about the egos... and the crowd. Can't stand either, generally.

I have to disagree about talent or musicianship, when I was young I used to play bass and I can assure you that the bass player of AC/DC, for example, has to hit about 10 notes in most tunes. You could do it brain dead and it's so much less work than what I've described above.

There is some physical and mental skill in it, and really good dj's know an incredible amount of music - really really well. That's what makes the best dj's - the tunes they pick, over the whole set.Like it or not record decks are instruments too, because they're live and if you touch them wrong the whole show comes to a screeching halt - literally sometimes.

How can you say no talent? Up themselves yes, but no talent ???

I have the similar respect for proper performing DJ's as I do for:

RC helicopter stunt pilots (watch some 3D stuff on youtube)
Poledancing champions (the proper sport)
Street luge (sicko's)
Motorcross
F1 / rally etc drivers
Ladder racing

etc etc


Anything that is hard, takes time to learn and is watchable ord creative. Even if you don't like the music you surely have to respect the difficulty when watching world champs do their stuff........

Yeh - as Mark says there are those at the pinacle that are impressive, but some folks can make even stacking dominoes an awesome thing to witness. I guess i was generalising and particularly talking about local DJs but also plenty of international DJs too.

If a 'name' DJ appears on a show it almost doesn't matter what goes down almost doesn't matter as most of the crowd have 'geared' themselves up (in many ways) to be goin orf anyway. They even get away with flogging cheese at times that would see a local DJ shamed.

The creative energy involved in producing an original song/bassline etc and performing it is (IMHO) far greater than using admitedly great knowledge of other people's creativity to mash some toons together. Even if the song is never heard by more than a handful of punters down the local pub. Each to their own tho.

I am not a muso BTW but I have worked with pretty much all ends of the spectrum from DJs - Classical/Rawk/Punk/Folk etc. Am yet to work with a throat singer so can't comment on that.

Mix Master Mike, Q-Bert and Shortkut aka Invisibl Skratch Piklz



Check out the DVD "Scratch" for a great history of turntablism-

???? know your aussie music?
some disc jockeys play original music..

greenleader said...

kiteboy dave said...
when I was young I used to play bass and I can assure you that the bass player of AC/DC, for example, has to hit about 10 notes in most tunes. You could do it brain dead

dude, playing bass with a band in front of a live audience with original material with a well rehearsed band is electric, you have obviously not experienced the buzzz!
brain dead.....pfffft.

Heh I was too crap to play in front of people.. except in the school band
I didn't mean there wouldn't be a buzz.. just meant like here's Back in Black on bass. Awesome tune, but how easy is this... (or any 3 chord tune on lead). Look at that Solo!!

Verse
G|----------------------------------------------------------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------|
A|-7----5-5-5----------7----5-5-5---------------------------|
E|-------------5-5-5---------------5-5-5---7-5-7-5-7-5-7-5--|

Chorus
G|----------------------------------------------|
D|------------------------5----------5----------|
A|--------------------------5----------5--------|
E|--5-0-7-5-7--5-0-7-5-7------5-3-5------5-3-5--|

Solo
G|-----------------------------------|
D|-----------------------------------|
A|-7----5-5-5------------------------|
E|-------------5-5-5---5-5-5--5-5-5--|

It's all suddenly a lot clearer:

"Right about now" Fat Boy Slim

henry the angry man with no neck has some valid points too

yeah rollins does love shouting from the soapbox, but i think many yanks need to be screamed at to make them think a little more.

and you have to admit he was a great performer in black flag and the rollins band