Like it or not DJ culture is all grown up. Starting out in warehouses, basements, lofts and clubs in the ’70s and ’80s, and evolving into massive
The mainstream’s heightened interest in DJ culture has once again brought it to the crossroads. Knowing the cyclical nature of pop culture we’ve been wondering how it will all play out. When the pendulum swings back — and it no doubt will (simply reference every musical fad over the past 40 years) — what might the ramifications be?
Hoping to gain more insight we conducted interviews over a three-month period with 90 DJs of varying profiles playing a range of styles based all over the world. Our intent was to get a first-hand, unedited view about the state of DJ culture in 2012 from those who make their living in the DJ booth. We asked each DJ the same three questions: Where do they see the culture? What are its most disturbing trends? How are we going to make the global scene better? The comments (listed in alphabetical order below), like any quality DJ set, were intriguing, enlightening and entertaining.
We would like to thank all of the DJs who participated in this article. It is our hope that their views will open a wider discourse in the community we’ve been a proud member of since 2003.
1. Andrea Oliva
"I am happy we still have an amazing scene here in Europe, like Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Spain and the UK."
Well, everything became so big! I just hope all the young guys, especially the big commercial acts who became famous in one day (in the States), care about the “culture” and try to teach the same young kids about it! There is so much history behind the techno and house scene, and it’s so frustrating when DJs tell the wrong stories… I mean imagine a country that has a history and one day someone comes with his new fame from nowhere and start to tell a total different story, the older guys who know the real story will eat him! So I just wanna say respect the culture… Don’t make everything a huge sell out — we are still a kind of movement so go out and find the real history behind our scene.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
I don’t know why the trance guys say nothing? I mean they made a whole kind of music for themselves which was big! Now trance is like gone with the wind and people today think it’s house…it’s weird! All those melodies, harmonies, big snare roles in the break of the track, etc. this is trance even if it’s more rhythmic now and maybe 5bpm slower but its still trance, but this is not house! Some guys have influenced the kids so bad, they made confusion for their own interests. And the industry is clever — they see a trend if good or bad, they jump on the train and give them (the kids) to eat what they wanna eat, this is the trend… For me the trend goes to the wrong direction… I am happy we still have an amazing scene here in Europe, like Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Spain and the UK…. we know what we want to eat in these places!
How are we going to make the scene better?
Separate those guys in dance acts and don’t call them DJs or producers because it has nothing to do with house, techno or trance! Make only dance festivals or only house, techno and trance festivals! Do you ever see a Big Mac menu at McDonald’s with fresh homemade pasta, bolognese as a side dish, everything on one plate? It just doesn’t match together! Big Mac is big Mac and homemade pasta, and bolognese with fresh basilico are two different things!
2. Andrei Osyka (Droog)
"I think the general quality of DJing has gone down primarily because of the shear quantity of people claiming to be DJs. "
I think the general quality of DJing has gone down primarily because of the shear quantity of people claiming to be DJs. Like a lot of things that come with the digital age you have to dig deeper. But I think for a DJ like myself I’m the most I’ve been excited about music, and I’ve been DJing for the last 11 or 12 years. The volume of interesting music that I find myself playing is really thrilling, and I’m excited about it. I would say it’s both the most exciting time and slightly a scary time because now people like Paris Hilton are trying to be DJs. There’s some problems here, but I would encourage those who feel like they have the knack and feel like they have true ability to definitely go for it. Even though I’ve seen a lot of shit out there, I’m seeing young DJs doing some really cool, interesting things predominantly as a reaction to the crap out there.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
The misuse of technology: Traktor and Ableton are amazing technologies but unfortunately they’re often in the wrong hands. New technology in the wrong hands can really be problematic. There’s also a whole new generation of people jumping on the DJ bandwagon and sniffing around. Cream rises to the top pretty much, especially in our less commercial genre. Those who are truly talented and have their heart in the right place are succeeding. I think in the bigger picture of things I’m not too pessimistic.
How are we going to make the scene better?
We have to be genuine with everything you do. With us we have a slightly bigger platform and more people are paying attention, so we really have to stay true to our sensibility in the same way we were when nobody knew about us as critical as ever while maintaining that quality control and taste level. I think the more we grow and people pay attention, the more we stay true to ourselves and we believe in what we do, then that will be our contribution and hopefully that’s contagious in its own way. You can achieve a greater level of success while still doing what you do.
3. Andrew Emil
"It's a good thing that 'electronic' music is so big, but with that also comes the diluting nature of mass appeal."
DJ culture is, as far as the US is concerned, the largest it has ever been. I mean you have “DJs” that came out of the woodwork a few years ago playing at the Grammys. I grew up in a time where you really had to work for to get your name out there and get gigs. It’s a good thing that “electronic” music is so big, but with that also comes the diluting nature of mass appeal (i.e. loss of individualism, lack of experimentation, creation of more product based things and not art, etc.).
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
Entitlement issues that children have; thinking a music career is a sprint and not a marathon; not respecting the game of making a solid discography and performance resume; just thinking because you can have access to a million songs does not make you a selector. Experience makes you a selector. After many years of perfecting your craft is the only way you get amazing at it. So leave the performance arena to the “amazing ones.” A lot of tracks that come out today are either what I would call “demos” ten years ago or just a total lack of creativity. Loss of art and individualist imprints leave a very uninspired crowd in the wake of that kind of output. Quality control needs to come back home! If you don’t want your music to be disposed of. Stop making disposal music!
How are we going to make the scene better?
First step: Keep making great art in hopes that it will become more successful as there are more fans of house music than ever before.
Second step: Try to educate the masses about the history of this thing called house. If you get inspired by the past you will tend to have more respect for the future and take your time to craft excellence.
Third step: Take you time to create great art. It will have a longer shelf life and will be revered in the future as well as now. Create everlasting pieces so that when the trends come and go, as they always will, your work will stand the test of time. Future classics!”
4. Angel Alanis
"Pre-recorded sets. If you're going to do it at least be honest about it."
It’s gotten much broader and it’s reaching out to so many more people who were not exactly big fans of it or just did not know. The technology has improved so much that being a DJ is more accessible.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
Pre-recorded sets. If you’re going to do it at least be honest about it. Steve Angello and the like should at least try to put some work into it. I’m sure most people don’t care since it’s just a name up on stage. What’s next? Hologram DJs? Anyway, bring a fucking flute or something or juggle while your 60-minute CD plays out.
How are we going to make the scene better?
Better? I have no idea.
5. Ashley Beedle
"It's not about being a superstar on a stage, it's about making a party."
DJ culture is dying as an art form.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
It has become very easy for people to “DJ” due to technology, but technology doesn’t make a DJ. DJs need personality and know how to select and program a journey.
How are we going to make the scene better?
The only way to fix this is looking at who came before us, understanding music and presenting it to those who want to learn. It’s not about being a superstar on a stage, it’s about making a party.
6. Atnarko
"The
most disturbing trend is the idea that you have to stand behind the
decks looking as wasted as possible (while usually playing bad) to be
cool."
I think it’s a really exciting time for electronic dance music in all forms. There are many more possibilities then there were a few years ago as a DJ. I enjoy the challenge.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
Besides the “DJs” that fake it the most disturbing trend is the idea that you have to stand behind the decks looking as wasted as possible (while usually playing bad) to be cool.
How are we going to make the scene better?
We can make it better by working hard and using our creativity to the maximum potential. Make music you believe in. Play music you love. Don’t be afraid to reach out or leave your comfort zone.
7. Beat Assassins
"It would be nice if from time to time if acts broke through because they are totally sick on the decks."
Completely in the hands of the producers.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
No one breaks through anymore for being a great DJ. It’s all about being a great producer. Therefore it would be nice if from time to time if acts broke through because they are totally sick on the decks. I have in the past gone out clubbing to check out a new act because their tracks were amazing, only to find someone behind the decks who can’t DJ or (worse) using software to mix their tracks for them.
How are we going to make the scene better?
Good question. It’s not an easy thing to change but YouTube could play a big part. I’d like to see a magazine or large blog/website have some serious contacts run a DJ competition. Not a DJ competition whereby you send in a mixtape and win a warm-up set at blah blah night. No, I suggest DJs upload a YouTube video of themselves DJing in their bedrooms (not live) and the footage must clearly show the decks. This way DJs can demonstrate mixing skills and scratching (if they scratch) and the format they play off, CDJs, Serato, vinyl, etc. — no software mixing allowed. Plus the competition should be about genres — in this competition we are looking for the best drum ‘n’ bass DJ, in this one the best dubstep DJ, the best house etc., so DJs win on merit and not one what’s the most popular music. Check out this footage of DJ Sleeper, and you will see the kind of footage I’m talking about. The winner should get some proper booking at some events within their genre; I’m sure that could be arranged. Judging (well it’s up to the organization running tings) but I suggest at first by the website — final ten go to public vote (maybe).
8. Berger
Where do you see DJ culture right now?As the music industry’s “It” girl. And future episodes of where are they now? or Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew.”
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
Fist pumping, checking in, tweeting and posting in place of dancing on the dance floor.
How are we going to make the scene better?
Give it a Zooropa meets Tommy meets The Wall overhaul.
9. Break Science
"No trends really disturb us, because all trends eventually die."
DJ culture is now a culture of producers that make their own music, instead of just playing other peoples original tracks. It’s a growing culture of musical composers who are feeding off of each other to create the sound of the future.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
No trends really disturb us, because all trends eventually die. It’s all about timeless music.
How are we going to make the scene better?
All the producer/DJs on the scene have to keep developing their craft to insure a true renaissance in modern, electronic music.
10. Brett Johnson
Where do you see DJ culture right now?The names may change but the party is the same.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
Not dancing.
How are we going to make the scene better?
Depends where you live. Free things….
12. Chuck Love
"Support the DJ whether he's a performer or selector."
Evolving with exciting new technology, soon the idea of two turntables will seem nostalgic.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
Listening to people whine that are nostalgic for two turntables.
How are we going to make the scene better?
Evolve beyond simply beat matching two tracks together. Support the DJ whether he’s a performer or selector. Open your mind to new genres. More slide guitar.
13. Colleen “Cosmo” Murphy
"Many
DJs think turning up the volume as loud as possible is what they are
supposed to do and do not realize those little red lights mean you are
only amplifying a distorted signal. These problems are so easy to
correct."
Sonically inept.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
One of the most disturbing trends of current DJ culture is the lack of interest in or understanding of sound quality. Most vinyl-based DJs are unaware of how to set up a turntable correctly (balancing and adjusting tracking force and anti-skate) and could care less as to whether the cartridges have a compromised and blunt stylus. On the digital side many DJs play MP3s (using 320s is a poor excuse) and are amplifying low res digital files over a loud club PA. Finally, many DJs think turning up the volume as loud as possible is what they are supposed to do and do not realize those little red lights mean you are only amplifying a distorted signal. These problems are so easy to correct.
How are we going to make the scene better?
There are loads of turntable tutorials on YouTube, DJs can download and play WAVs as opposed to low quality MP3s and they can adjust their levels on their equipment so that it doesn’t distort. Very simple and very effective.
14. Creep
Where do you see DJ culture right now?Bigger than ever. Especially since pop music is derived so much from dance music nowadays. It’s a good and bad thing. Everyone considers themselves a DJ, even if they don’t take the time to learn the craft.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
I always find it disturbing when people don’t take the time to learn how to beat match. They either use a program that will do it for them, or worse yet, they will just mix songs without them matched. This is what we call “shoes in the dryer.” The most enjoyable part of DJing is putting songs together properly, teasing the crowd a bit through EQing and then dropping in the next song at the appropriate time. It just doesn’t get old to me, and I’ve been doing it for 15 years. I can’t imagine having a machine do it for me, there is no soul in that.
How are we going to make the scene better?
Real DJs will always be noticed. DJ culture will remain strong through those that do take the time to learn how mix properly and really know how to work a crowd. Those that don’t are weeded out.
15. Dani Casarano
"The new generation is here now so it is important to know what happened in the past to make better the future of the scene."
For me DJ culture is everywhere. With all the new technology, everybody can play music.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
People love bad quality music more and more.
How are we going to make the scene better?
Electronic music has existed for a very long time. People change – the new generation is here now so it is important to know what happened in the past to make better the future of the scene.
16. Dave Clarke
"There are two sides of this 'culture' but only one side can claim a cultural heritage."
There are two sides of this “culture” but only one side can claim a cultural heritage, the commercial only for money side has completely left the culture side with no one batting an eyelid if they are caught on camera with no cables plugged in or a mix CD on and faking it. Then you have those who care what they are doing because they represent a belief, you have a few clever ones in between the two camps who profess to care and trade on their past but actually only want cash.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
PR people buying fake chart positions on online stores, do the maths….the sales are so low these days that if someone buys a couple thousand of their own track they will get almost half the money back when they get accounted too, so for a thousand euro or so they claim a top online hit.
Then you have the last generation moguls claiming big business is killing dance music, when in reality they are green with envy that they didn’t get where Guetta is, that is utterly laughable and ultimately sad and hypocritical, especially when they laid the seeds to culture not being important in the scene in the first place.
How are we going to make the scene better?
By having journalists that are mot swayed by PR people, by not blindly following trends because you lack the minerals to be self determined. By actually giving a fuck, that might help.
17. David Alvarado
"There
is always a new flavor or trend that grabs the attention of the most
susceptible of dance music lovers, but quality and true craftsmanship
always finds its way to the top of the pile."
I see it trapped in a battle of ideology; it is suffering from a serious identity crisis as well. You have this constant back-and-forth argument about what is and what isn’t DJing: Vinyl vs. digital, CDJ vs. laptop vs. USB stick vs. whatever is next on the horizon. What has made things even more confusing, and has further blurred the line, is the recent advances in DJ software and hardware and the quick pace of its evolution. It’s a bit odd but it’s been more than 10 years since I started using Final Scratch as one of its beta testers, and only in the last few years has the technology finally caught up to our imagination, that and a whole slew of DJ controllers now hitting the market only makes the possibilities that much greater. I look back when I first started and there were DJs that played records but then would drop a remix fresh out of the studio on reel to reel, now that never made them any less of a DJ in our minds — they were just using whatever medium available to stand out from the rest. I think that’s the same applies now as well.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
I think the one that I find most offensive is the creating of social media/YouTube stars that spend more time building a fan base based of their viral marketing efforts and social media rather than their actual skills. Add a gimmick of some sort like a costume, or mask and presto! You know have an Internet superstar DJ!
How are we going to make the scene better?
Whatever the medium or tools have been, true talent and innovation has always won out. There is always a new flavor or trend that grabs the attention of the most susceptible of dance music lovers, but quality and true craftsmanship always finds its way to the top of the pile. I’ve seen many trends and hype up personalities come and go. I also see the true craftsmen and artists still around and relevant — you fix it by leaving it to its own evolution and self regulation.
18. Derek Dunbar
"DJs need to be more creative in what they bring to the table. Entertaining is more than pushing play and fist pumps."
Hungry for something new and different.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
A handful of DJs made a big name for themselves in the mid-late ‘90s. These are the same DJs you still see at the top of charts and booked over and over again at clubs. Very little desire is shown on the part of club promoters and booking agents to expose people to new talent. Afraid of having a low attendance and possibly losing money, promoters and thus agents resort to pushing the same few they know are a sure bet.
How are we going to make the scene better?
Better marketing! Promoters who have a good following need to realize that for the most part their attendees depend on them to expose them to the variety of DJs who are out there. We also need more agencies willing to get behind talent, market them and bring some competition to the agency world. DJs need to be more creative in what they bring to the table. Entertaining is more than pushing play and fist pumps.
19. Detboi
"I'd prefer to go see someone playing their own music right now than a DJ, but there is the odd exception."
It’s never been more popular to be a DJ, so you could say it’s very healthy! But to me it’s in a bit of a mess at moment. I’d prefer to go see someone playing their own music right now than a DJ, but there is the odd exception — Martelo, Jackmaster, One Man, Bok Bok are all incredible DJs and they have a voice.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
Do you really want to set me off on this? Buying a Beatport top 10 to make you more popular, buying 20,000 likes on Facebook, also wanna “DJs” ripping shit from YouTube and then playing it out… so many annoying trends at the moment. But my main hate is just lack of originality in DJ sets — the Internet has given birth to the most original music but not many visionary DJs that have their own stories to tell. In some ways, it’s become monotone and lacking in art.
How are we going to make the scene better?
Sudocrem. It fixes everything. I guess if more people celebrated originality rather then mediocrity that would be a great start. BE DARING. HAVE A VOICE. HAVE A VISION. TAKE RISKS.
20. DJ Dainjazone
"DJs are finding comfort in how they want to represent themselves. Why be limited?"
I see it adapting to the times. Technology is giving opportunities to DJs/producers to deliver their ideas and sound in a multitude of ways. DJs are finding comfort in how they want to represent themselves. Why be limited?
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
Hate. Negativity. There’s a way to be heard, get a point across, etc. without being disrespectful or negative. Negativity comes from an unpeaceful place inside. Those people, typically, don’t know how to control their emotions.
How are we going to make the scene better?
I think the scene is okay the way it is. It’s not great. Originality in production is always necessary. Some guys play pre-recorded mixes at their shows and do things that are frowned upon and although there is no excuse for their lack of ethics and etiquette, those guys will always be around. Things are only frowned upon until everyone does it. Then it becomes the norm.
21. DJ Gospel
"It's time to take the DJ booth back under control."
I don’t really see it as a culture anymore as it is a fad or trend brought on through social networks. You used to never see “celebrity DJs” but with today’s advances in technology you can see any athlete, actor or personality try their hand at DJing. When you look at the definition of culture and compare to what is going on now in the DJ profession it falls way short. Today it’s more of let’s see how many people we can pack in here to be seen. The music has become an afterthought and that to me is not an advancement in the “DJ culture.”
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
I find it disheartening that a club will go for quantity over quality these days, having 5-10 DJs play in a 4- or 5-hour period is like riding a bus that makes too many stops when you are trying to get out of the bad side of town. A DJ just does not get a chance to create a memory with people with such short sets and generally you will hear the same tracks repeated. Instead of the DJs working the crowd they are trying too hard to impress the other DJs and the crowd is feeling left out.
How are we going to make the scene better?
The scene will have to go back to it’s roots before it gets better, there are some great DJs out there that get it and have the ability to create a memorable night without needing a lineup of other DJs to do so, but there are far too many that don’t and will just fall into the vicious cycle of being the puppet for a promoter or club owner. It’s time to take the DJ booth back under control, get rid of the wannabes looking for fame and the celebrities looking to keep their name in the game.
22. DJ Sneak
"Separate the phony from the real, be truthful about what’s going on, when someone is faking the funk, expose them."
DJ culture needs to get back to the basics, back to when a DJ actually played for the crowd and the purpose of being up there was to entertain with music, not lights, looks and fireworks. It’s okay to embrace change and evolution but it’s also very important to remember and respect the art form and its foundation.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
The ones that are running the music business: clowns run the show, corporations cash in on garbage music and no one learns anything. For me the best music was recorded in the ’70s and ’80s — music died after 2000. The new generation falls for the pressure of the industry and its gimmicks to become pop stars, to put their talent aside to make money and fit in with the masses.
How are we going to make the scene better?
Start a musical revolution! Separate the phony from the real, be truthful about what’s going on, when someone is faking the funk, expose them. People need to take a stand and pay attention to what they are listing to and watching, be smart, read between the lines. People should be challenging their talent, respect should be given when respect is due, not when it’s manipulated by marketing plans, money and fake behavior.
23. Dogu of Ancient Astronauts
"DJ culture today is a mixed up thing of people preserving the old art form and those pushing the limits of new DJ techniques."
DJ culture went through big changes within the last couple of years due to new digital DJ equipment, which changed the whole game of DJing. Back in the day you had to carry a lot of vinyl to gigs while nowadays people mostly carry laptops, a hardware box and control vinyl (those that still want to keep that physical vinyl feel). Even a lot of those that kept on DJing with vinyl to keep up that culture sooner or later turned into one of the new DJ technologies. Vinyl sales of all music genres rapidly went down. Then easy to use producer software like Ableton came up and with the help of external controllers a new level of playing music was born. Producers that before would just play their own recorded music from vinyl or a digital file could now spin their own music in Ableton and even do live remixes and add live effects and such. DJs started from being selectors of strictly good tunes/songs to play to a crowd and mix it and cut it together. DJ culture is still present everywhere on this planet but through the easy help of technology nearly everyone could become a DJ. And through the easy access to free music in the internet (legal or illegal) one of the most important parts of DJ culture, the digging for new vinyl, nearly died. Music somehow lost a big portion of value. Especially for the younger generations who were raised in the digital age. In the last two or three years vinyl got a new renaissance and sales went up again, but DJ culture today is a mixed up thing of people preserving the old art form and those pushing the limits of new DJ techniques.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
Through the easy access to digital music people lose the touch to the real value of a song and its background. Digital DJ techniques often make the DJ more an entertainer than a real selector of quality music. I think a real DJ is someone that also teaches people where music comes from and where it can go and not just kicks a fat entertaining show. The music always comes first.
How are we going to make the scene better?
We should keep on spreading the true culture of digging for good music and presenting people the history and roots of the music. The connection of the past and the present is what makes up the culture and progression can only come from fusing these elements. To just rely on technology will not lead forward.
24. Ernesto Ferreyra
"I will keep on supporting underground music and will spin vinyl until the end."
Highly competitive, which is good but at the same time more and more DJs are going too functional, synced and boring.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
The enormous hype that is built around to push some artist or crews and six months later that’s old and there must be some new hot stuff…
How are we going to make the scene better?
In my case, I will keep on supporting underground music and will spin vinyl until the end. It’s not much but at least this way I keep finding special music and feel a bit more human while playing.
25. Escort
"As
DJs turn into performers and producers, they will have to develop a
compelling live experience or else people won't want to go to the show."
Eugene Cho: The production aspect for DJs becoming more and more important and I don’t see that trend ever reverse. The tools of music production and editing have become more easily accessible and now even geared specifically toward DJs which is transforming the role of the DJ from a curator to a creator.
Dan Balis: I agree. The primary role of DJ is to curate a musical environment for a night. There’s some technical aspects that are important, but at the end of the day, I’d much rather hear great records, sequenced in a way that makes me want to dance, over impeccably beat matched poops. An impeccable 2-minute blend of two crappy records doesn’t make those records any better. That said, there are a few DJs — I’m thinking specifically of our friend, Porkchop, who will often drop the odd record that by any measure, blows, but somehow he sequences it in such a way that you’re blown away.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
Eugene Cho: With all this focus on DJs today they are now turning into performers, which is weird because a DJ is traditionally someone behind some gear looking down and not engaging with the crowd. So you end up with a crowd of people watching someone bobbing their head illuminated by a computer, which seems so detached from the crowd and to what you are hearing.
Dan Balis: Yep. DJs with laptops and control surfaces — they don’t even make any attempt to play records; it’s just a half-baked live PA.
How are we going to make the scene better?
Eugene Cho: If a DJ isn’t really going to put on a show, then they need to get out of the limelight. I don’t think making the face of dance music someone twiddling knobs or playing with a laptop is a good idea. That’s what MCs and VJs are for.
Dan Balis: I’m not that optimistic that it’s fixable. Your average 16-year-old consumes music in a way that’s completely alien to us — thousands of MP3s and yet they’ve probably never listened to an album end to end.
Eugene Cho: As DJs turn into performers and producers, they will have to develop a compelling live experience or else people won’t want to go to the show. Some way or another it’s going to be fixed
26. Fred Everything
"It used to be DJs made the Jesus pose during an epic breakdown. Now DJs throw cake in the crowd while they DJ. Really Aoki?"
It’s bigger than it’s ever been, no doubt, but it has lost its sense of “special.” The turntable (CDJ, laptop) is the new guitar. (Un)fortunately, the learning curve is so small these days. Having access to a ton of music and software mixing your songs together only increases the quantity of over quality of DJs.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
It used to be DJs made the Jesus pose during an epic breakdown. Now DJs throw cake in the crowd while they DJ. Really Aoki?
27. FreQ Nasty
Where do you see DJ culture right now?DJ culture, and electronic music in general, is in an amazing place where genre boundaries have broken down, the music has a wide appeal and the prejudice between vocal and instrumental music has almost broken down in the scene, if not outside it. It’s an exciting time to make music right now. DJ culture and electronic music will go underground again as it has before after a big wave of popularity, but the idea of what “underground” means has been changed forever.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
The amount of time taken up by social networking in a DJ/producer’s day.
How are we going to make the scene better?
Like everything else the trend will pass. Until then I’ll remain a twittering fool for the kids.
How are we going to make the scene better?
We don’t have to agree with what’s going on in the mainstream and it’s okay. Staying true to our craft and keeping in mind what made us do what we do in the first place should be the main inspiration.
28. Frivolous
"As
electronic music becomes more mainstream and crosses over with more
traditional forms of music, we will see good developments happening
too."
I’d like to think that DJ culture is in a bit of a transition. I know that some traditions are hard to break, and in a lot of ways you could say that old rockers aren’t that different from old DJs, but I think that with the young generation we are seeing some of the boundaries being blurred between the roll of the DJ/live set/performance artist/etc. Mostly attributable to the changes in distribution via the Internet, and the technology used to play music. With products like Beatport’s Mashbox and Ableton Live, Traktor, Maschine, etc. it’s becoming harder and harder to say this is a DJ set, or this is a live set, this is a concert, this is an original recording or edit or remix or whatever. I think that this transition has some negative side effects, but is primarily a good thing for the record industry as a whole (if it ever catches up).
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
This is hard to say. There are different problems that face different countries all around the world. I guess the worst thing is the phenomenon of the super-star DJ. When a name becomes more important than the music that they play. We see it a lot more in countries with a long history of nightlife like Italy. The problem becomes when promoters can just count on a good attendance from putting a well recognizable name on the bill and not giving two shits about the quality of the event. This is when the music suffers and it’s probably what burns me the most. In North America it still seems like the scene is struggling to establish solid footings in places where bi-laws and the general reputation of electronic music is soured on a political level. I think that with this adversity, it makes people really ask themselves, “Why am I really into this scene to begin with?” and thus it can make for some actually quite good parties. When people are dedicated to a vision which is not understood on a mainstream level it’s underground, and that’s where it all comes from to begin with.
How are we going to make the scene better?
As “the scene” grows, there will be more shitty DJs, events, labels, etc., but as electronic music becomes more mainstream and crosses over with more traditional forms of music, we will see good developments happening too. These days I’m really excited about the music and festival scene in South America, where they have such high integrity for having music in their lives that is meaningful and inspiring. I think it’s hard to talk about electronic music in relationship to “a scene” by this point, because electronic music is everywhere, and the metamorphosis is happening on so many frontiers. To talk about “the scene” kind of makes me feel old.
29. Gavin Herlihy
"The once elitist, shadowy world of production and DJing has now been democratized."
A really fascinating place proving that Warhol was correct when he famously proclaimed that everyone would have 15 minutes of fame in the future. That has positive and negative effects on the industry of course but at least the once elitist, shadowy world of production and DJing has now been democratized.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
The assumption amongst fans that everything is free.
How are we going to make the scene better?
Sadly, we’re not going to change that idea but we need to fix other things to ensure artists have a worthwhile income to keep on making music. In an ideal world publishing could pay the bills as technically we should be paid every time our music is performed/played or reproduced but we need to make changes to our laws to make that happen and allow technology to help. For example, if every DJ playing Traktor/Serato had an app in their software that automatically e-mailed their tracklist to a royalty collection society when they played at a professional venue suddenly it might be possible to accurately claim that money back. If every radio station by law had to mail that society their full tracklists (and not just the sample tracklists they’re currently sending which are pointless for helping underground producers). If every ISP had to pay every time a song was illegally downloaded via their networks they would pay a lot more attention to the issue or artists would get some form of compensation for the abuse of their music. If cloud music companies were made to pair a fair amount of money to artists that would be another money door opened. The technology is there to do all these things but what we’re short on is lobbying power to make them a reality. I think it’s about time that the likes of Madonna, Paul McCartney, U2, etc. who currently enjoy the lion’s share of publishing royalties, gave something back to the music industry by funding lobbying groups to see that artists gain the necessary voice they need to stop being ripped off by the industry around them.
30. Hugh Cleal
Where do you see DJ culture right now?We are in the middle of the best time for DJs in the history of dance music.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
Illegal downloads.
How are we going to make the scene better?
Throwing underground events with up-and-coming talent.
"The more other music lovers and DJs get involved the better the scene will be overall."
DJ culture has evolved quite a bit since I was first introduced to it years ago. The really great news is that here in the US, dance music is as big as it’s ever been. If you are a 16-year-old in the US, chances are you are listening to electronic music, which is great. This really wasn’t always the case… even five years ago most people in the US saw dance music as being only for druggies or whatever. The open attitude to this music really has opened doors to a new resurgence, which I am all for. Kids may start listening to more commercial dance music, but eventually they get older and their taste matures.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
When I first started DJing, it took serious time and knowledge to locate new and exciting tracks on vinyl and in many cases promos would be limited for months, so only a handful of DJs would have a certain track. Now that all music is instantly available online, I think it can give a false sense of accomplishment to DJs that are just starting. Just because you found a ripped YouTube version of a track that isn’t out yet doesn’t make you a good DJ! Obviously the real fans of music know the difference, but surprisingly promoters and club owners don’t always seem to get that concept. Luckily, as I said, there are still parties out there keeping a high level of quality, but it’s more the exception than the rule.
How are we going to make the scene better?
I am personally getting involved in hosting and promoting events that focus on quality talent and proper music. The more other music lovers and DJs get involved the better the scene will be overall. On the record side, I think in general labels are moving more toward a model where they don’t give out promos months in advance, they seem to be starting to promo releases on the day they are released to the public. This is very different from the way things used to be, but I think it can work.
32. Jack Stat
"Well
known DJs tend to play the same stuff (hits) all the time and often
don't have the courage to face the crowd with new influences and
interpretations of sound. "
DJ culture changed a lot in the last 15 years or so. Around here [in Germany] kids don’t really pay attention to who is playing most of the time. You have the superstars like Guetta, which serve the mainstream, but I’m not sure if this is still DJ culture or just pop culture. And you have the local DJs, which get a lot of bookings, because they are cheaper, local people know them and for the booker they are a safe bet. Between this two extremes, DJ culture has lost lots of its interesting parts unfortunately.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
Even well known DJs tend to play the same stuff (hits) all the time and often don’t have the courage to face the crowd with new influences and interpretations of sound. So it is harder to keep up evolution of sounds and styles.
How are we going to make the scene better?
Keep on producing, keep on playing, keep on having fun doing this — things will change and we have to go along with this.
33. Jay Cunning
"DJing has been opened right up from the days of two decks and a mixer."
In a very positive place, with the advancement of digital technology the tools for DJing has been opened right up from the days of two decks and a mixer. Unfortunately, there are still very narrow minded views around this among the traditionalists who see this as “cheating,” but the additional tools it gives DJs to be creative is endless and, used right, can produce amazing results.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
Trendy wankers who DJ for fame and not music.
How are we going to make the scene better?
Legalize taser guns.
34. Jazzy Eyewear
Where do you see DJ culture right now?I see it going down, being the media and capitalism controlling trends and Beatport being a complete monopolies ruled by favoritism and associates.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
The best paid DJs using computers and Traktor scratch with the sync bottom engaged and the whole set without even using headphones at all. No wonder you can see DJs mixing four (virtual) decks simultaneously. That’s disturbing.
How are we going to make the scene better?
Being a real artist. Many DJs don’t know music at all, they don’t play instruments, they don’t understand harmony, they don’t write songs, lyrics, they just don’t know anything about music. Now my question is, how can you be a doctor when you don’t know anything about medicine? For DJs: learn, study about sound, mixing, engineering, mastering, music history, all these things are in direct relation with the art of DJing. As far as venues and booking agencies: work harder in exposing real talent who deserve to be exposed. DJ sets: could be more fun if the DJ would also play some live instrument/s or live PA while spinning. Just seeing a guy stand up behind two decks mixing from two CDs or a USB key is not much fun.
35. Jesse Rose
"Turn off the lights, take out the tables, don't sell bottles and invest in sound!"
In TV ads for washing-up liquid.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
Diplo!
How are we going to make the scene better?
Stop trying to make everything as big and cheesy as it can be… turn off the lights, take out the tables, don’t sell bottles and invest in sound!
36. Jesse Voorn
"I think many clubs and promoters these days want more than just a DJ. "
DJ culture has exploded the past few years. It’s everywhere, in every part of the world, in many musical genres. There are a lot of DJs out there and that is also partly because it’s much more accesible then before. No expensive and heavy vinyl, but CDs, USBs or a laptop. DJ culture had gained a full place in the music world. Twenty years ago, house music came up and established itself in music, now DJs have established themselves within the pop star/rock star world the same way. It seems to be going more toward pop music. Dance is blended with many styles at the moment. Though I think many clubs and promoters these days want more than just a DJ. Therefore I think good concepts have good chances to get big!
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
I think one of the worst is actually also one of the best, that all music is available to everyone. For me, I love that my music is available for everyone and that everyone gets easy access to it, but the dark side, is that many DJs play the same records. And on top of that, lots sounds the same as well, which makes it sometimes a little boring too.
How are we going to make the scene better?
Stick to your own sound, what you think is massive. Don’t imitate.
37. Joe Bermudez
"If you're going to charge $100,000 per gig, in my opinion, you should be able to back it up on stage and read a crowd."
DJ culture has never been bigger. I never thought I’d see the day where Urban Outfitters has Deadmau5 dolls for sale. For teens, it’s a way of life. Despite the fact that radio in the US was hesitant to embrace EDM, they instead turned to the Internet to find music they were interested in. They are so passionate about this genre that you often see them singing all the words to songs before they are even released. Dance music is to them is what hip-hop was to the generation before them.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
Because of its massive popularity, everyone wants to be a DJ but few seem to have put in the time to be a proper one. Even some of the biggest “DJs” in the world right now are not very solid behind the decks. They are amazing producers that were forced into it as way to promote their product and bring in extra revenue. If you’re going to charge $100,000 per gig, in my opinion, you should be able to back it up on stage and read a crowd.
How are we going to make the scene better?
Simply go out and have fun! Every event you attend makes it easier for another one to happen. Support the scene and especially your local resident DJs. These guys are on the front lines every weekend educating crowds and building a solid foundation for bigger names like Tiësto and Skrillex to come through and perform in your city. They are working hard to better your overall nightlife experience so please don’t forget to show them some love once in awhile
38. John “Quivver” Graham
Where do you see DJ culture right now?
"In
a way it's great that so many more people are being introduced to EDM
but it also means that now more than ever everyone wants to be a DJ."
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
I think trends themselves are disturbing…. as soon as a sound/genre becomes trendy everyone jumps on the bandwagon and it gets over saturated and loses all the appeal that made it a trend in the first place.
The most disturbing thing I’ve heard lately is about Simon Cowell’s search for the next big DJ show… Just what the world needs! Like I said earlier, DJ culture going mainstream has its negative consequences.
How are we going to make the scene better?
I think from a DJ and producers perspective we just need to love what we do and be passionate about the music we play and produce. The DJs I really respected and listened to the most over the years had (and still have) an obvious passion for the music they play.
39. Johnny Pluse
Where do you see DJ culture right now?It’s in a good place from a musical and production point of view, There is lots of good music and savage producers coming up. The global recession is a key driver in this; like punk in the ’70s and ska in the ’80s that DIY attitude is back. The digital age has helped also with whole Genres of music starting on sound cloud, like ghetto funk and moombahton. It’s cheap to make a tune and pop it up on Juno and get paid for it. Not like a few years back when you were losing your stones on vinyl.
So it looks good on paper but you’re basically playing to low numbers at gigs because no one has any money. I think this is good in a way because it will get rid of the superstar DJ and people will want to DJ for the music and not for ladies and moolah.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
The refix, remix, mash up trend is getting a bit out of control. I’m very of guilty of this myself, but we need to push original music a bit more. People ripping tunes from YouTube and playing them out, that’s not putting anything back into the scene and the audio quality is muck.
That R&B-Euro dance trend….I’m just so sick of it and I’m sick of everyone asking me to play it. The sad thing is people follow names not music.
How are we going to make the scene better?
I’m gonna try and push original music more, cut down on the refixes and not give out as much as I just did.
40. Jonty Skrufff
Where do you see DJ culture right now?Very healthy overall, though in a state of radical change in virtually every way. From a technical point of view, the possibilities offered by the likes of Native Instruments, Pioneer and Ableton are revolutionary. And just as cheap synths spawned acid house (and before that cheap guitars punk and indie rock), I’m sure new waves and new scenes are inevitable. Combine that with the Internet, mobile phone innovations and apps, and we’re facing a perfect storm of incredible momentum.
In terms of superstar DJ culture, it’s also a wonderful thing in terms of finally normalizing rave culture which should open all sorts of new doors worldwide.
On the other hand, there’s also a real split between pop-dance music and “underground” dance music (a.k.a. house and techno), with the two worlds having less and less interest and connection with each other. Sure some crossover (either way) but I see this gulf continuing to widen.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
N/A
How are we going to make the scene better?
By supporting and encouraging innovative bold producers and DJs and those who are doing it for love and (hopefully, though not necessarily) money. And by going out dancing and making friends regularly.
41. Joshua Heath
"We, as performers, creators or listeners, must keep our standards high. Quality never goes out of style."
I think electronic music in general is going through a transitional phase. The lines between genres have become blurry, which is a good thing. With the vast amount of music and technology available to us, the concept of a performance is evolving — for the performer and the audience. If both sides embrace the change it has positive potential for everyone.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
The unfortunate flipside to advancements in technology and social media is that it breeds laziness. It’s become easier to DJ and easier to produce. We, as performers, creators or listeners, must keep our standards high. Quality never goes out of style.
How are we going to make the scene better?
Spend your energy supporting what you believe in, rather than hating what you don’t. Make quality control a priority. Buy your music. Be yourself!
42. Juan Maclean
"Deep
melodic house has come back into fashion full force, and for me, as
someone who has played that style for years, it is the greatest time of
my career to be out playing in clubs all over the world."
DJs are truly the new rock stars. Dance music culture has exploded and is infecting even the Top 40 commercial radio crowd. Instead of buying a guitar and starting a band, kids are wanting to DJ. And let’s face it, you get paid more and get more girls as a DJ.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
I’m wary of ever resurrecting this debate, but as a DJ who mostly plays vinyl, I find the advent of laptop DJing have been a very damaging trend in terms of quality control. I should preface this by stating that I know some amazing laptop DJs, but the fact is the medium lends itself to laziness and has made DJing too accessible. If you take DJing seriously, it is a craft that needs to be learned from more experienced people in the field over time. I played in my living room for two years before I ever dreamed of getting in front of people.
How are we going to make the scene better?
In terms of pure volume, the scene has exploded over the past few years. This has lead to an awful lot of mediocrity. I think the bar needs to be raised once again, somehow. There was a built-in standard before digital mediums, because playing vinyl is a very difficult thing to learn. However, I am optimistic. It is a very exciting time; deep melodic house has come back into fashion full force, and for me, as someone who has played that style for years, it is the greatest time of my career to be out playing in clubs all over the world.
43. Junior Sanchez
"House, techno, EDM, electronic music, whatever you call it! It's dance music."
DJ culture has exponentially grown so vast and huge as far as the art (or some might say lack there of) and music. I think it’s vibrant and healthy, some might disagree and say the art form is lost because of whatever reasons that might be, but I look at it that it has evolved. Turntablism will always be a art form but with technology today. DJing has become a perspective per on how one grows in the culture in there generation; I grew up mixing records, never even touching the platter because that’s how I saw some of my luminaries do it. So I mimicked like any kid would. That’s my experience. Now today kids are exposed to Serato, Tracker, SD card, USB sticks, CDJs… there are so many options to how one DJs and I think it’s a personal discovery and if people decide to look back in reflect on what the origins are, like most kids do, as they get older they like to find out facts and history. About DJing and its craft, then that’s amazing in a nutshell. DJing is a generational thing now, you cannot approach a 14-year-old kid with a laptop, tap him or her on the shoulders and say, “Hey kid, you’re doing this all wrong, you need records and a turntable!” They’re gonna look at you like you have two heads and four eyes. The kid will discover it for his or herself as he or she’s knowledge will grow and if it doesn’t…so what! Because if all he or she knows is a laptop and a program then so be it! that’s whats real to him or her!
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
We need them, trends, you need them to write about them… whatever the kids or media need to classify things. It’s a vicious cycle that will always be here. But at the end of the day, they all fall back to good music — house, techno, EDM, electronic music, whatever you call it! It’s dance music.
How are we going to make the scene better?
We don’t! We just live through it and remember it like disco, speed garage, dutch hardcore, hair metal, glam rock, death metal, happy house, trip-hop, ambient…and the list goes on!
44. Kate Simko
"I think there's potential for the culture to grow, but only if the music evolves faster than the lifestyle/party aspects."
I’m finding that it’s really different depending on the place. There’s still a stigma against DJ culture in the states, most people don’t take it very seriously. In Europe I love seeing older people at clubs, [hearing] tasteful dance music in cool shops, etc. I think there’s potential for the culture to grow, but only if the music evolves faster than the lifestyle/party aspects.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
DJing using sync with no decks or mixing.
How are we going to make the scene better?
Support good music and keep music at the forefront of what this scene is about.
45. Ken Christensen
Where do you see DJ culture right now?DJ culture is at its height in terms of the amount of people actively blending music. It has broken fully into the American mainstream as it did with the rest of the world a decade ago. Dubstep being the leader of the pack. When someone is paid $75K to play one gig, you know the tables have shifted.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
Traktor and Pioneer changed DJing permanently. When I started you either had the natural or practiced talent to not only beat match but to blend in key. Now auto key and sync make DJing possible to the masses. We went from a few thousand [DJs] to millions over night. There are not enough clubs and active dancers to follow the trend. DJs with talent are dismissed. The fact that my 69-year-old mother can DJ says a lot.
How are we going to make the scene better?
N/A
46. Kevin Saunderson
"Whenever you put the music last and yourself first that’s what I have a problem with."
DJ culture has evolved. When I think about when we first started, we started with people like Larry Levan and Ron Hardy — DJs who did edits of tracks and who had very good mix skills. Back then they played marathon sets for ten hours or more whereas today it’s more hi-tech — from the CDs to the digital to the technology of Serrato, Traktor, Ableton — and the sets are shorter. The technology has made it a lot easier to DJ but at the same time as someone who appreciates technology — as much as I like vinyl — the technology keeps me going. My youngest asked me to teach him about music and [my kids are] practicing and playing around with it because it’s almost natural progression being they’re my kids. But it’s something they do because they love music too. I’m not sure if they will ever be serious with it. But it’s gotten to the level where anyone can do it, and it’s much easier than 20 or 25 years ago.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
I think when a DJ is all about showmanship and not skills or music, well, that annoys me. We have DJs who just dress up in an outfit and look cool to the crowd, or they dance and make moves, and the DJing isn’t important. Whenever you put the music last and yourself first that’s what I have a problem with.
How are we going to make the scene better?
I think technology kind of dictates this. How do we use it to create tracks and bring them into your set and how it can inspire you to get an idea for the dance floor or whatever changes you need to make. Technology will help us better put the parts and pieces of the puzzle together.
47. King Yoof
"DJs that play a mix CD — WTF?"
I think it’s constantly growing what with new technology available now to people who are trying to progress the culture. Nowadays kids are becoming more technical and this also helps with them getting into production and at a very affordable prices.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
DJs who rely on the sync function in laptops…that is not DJing! You are a human jukebox. It was only the last couple of years I started using CDs before it was vinyl and dubplates but that because the music was starting to only be released on digital and I have no problems what format you want to play on but please at least learn basic beat matching. Also, DJs that play a mix CD — WTF?
How are we going to make the scene better?
It’s simple…education!!!
48. Kissy Sell Out
"Everyone's
making music now and the strict conventions of electronic music have
been completely forgotten it seems. You can make a drum step triple time
techno tune now and no one will bat an eyelid!"
Things are in a state of accelerated evolution at the moment. When the electro boom happened five years ago it was the first time that blogs dramatically changed the way people found out about music. But now such Internet phenomena are so over-saturated that things are moving in all directions with geeky computer people having more to offer breakthrough musicians than record labels can now.
It’s definitely exciting! The EDM explosion in the US is proof of that! Everyone’s making music now and the strict conventions of electronic music have been completely forgotten it seems. You can make a drum step triple time techno tune now and no one will bat an eyelid!
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
Some people are becoming millionaires very quickly in the music industry, but meanwhile smaller club nights and labels are going bankrupt which isn’t a very stable breeding ground from which music can be spawned and nurtured.
I think there’s perhaps a danger that many of the big success stories are coming from the same handful of powerful websites. The reason that’s a possible negative is because it seems to be a regression from the people powered blog movement that did so much good for niche music scenes a few years ago.
Only a few years ago people were going to number one in the charts over in the UK accidentally. This was because the major record labels started to lose their grip on consumers due to file-sharing and, most profoundly, because people suddenly embraced the sense of “choice” and bought music they liked rather than music they were told to like. This rebellion era has gone a bit quiet for now. Social networking sites are now full of big money campaigns which scream louder than the competition.
Yeah sure, a musician’s Facebook fans are real, but it’s no accident that a certain big name appears at the top of your Twitter page or at the side of your Facebook profile. People have to make a living of course, and selling advertising space on social networking sites seems a very logical step, but let’s not dumb down the infinitely versatile resources we are all wired into.
How are we going to make the scene better?
Embrace cynicism again and don’t forget where things come from. The top selling artists on iTunes are the end product and don’t represent the nursery of musical ideas that the end product evolved from. Be a fan of the scene not the individual. It’s so much more fun that way!
49. Kris Menace
"Through
the power of social media, the barrier between my audience and myself
is broken down. We communicate better and have made a hell lot of new
friends."
DJ culture has become a mass by product of the industry and our time. It’s not about art or ability anymore, unlike the early days where folks did it for sheer pleasure, joy and because they believed in something. I might come off as being overtly sentimental but those were the halcyon days. These days, a lot of guys I know start DJing because they want to be famous, make out with a lot of girls and make a ton of cash. It’s all pretty fickle and without any staying power. Lots of kids get blinded by the hype and today’s technology pretty much allows everybody to be a decent DJ even if there is no talent lurking in there at all. The word “DJ” has become part of our throwaway lifestyle and fast technological development.
The vibe is that there is no more real value to music anymore, especially if you’re just starting out. It’s pretty much impossible for a new artist to make any sort of money off their recordings. It’s an entitlement attitude the modern music listener has and they want it all for free. Why pay? Technology allows us to download whole album from a blog within seconds and maybe you even don’t even listen to it, it just gets lost in your hard drive. Back in the day — God, I’m old — I recall waiting in great anticipation for a favorite record of mine to drop and driving all the way to the record store to get my hands on a copy after saving up for it. It was something personal and special.
Today as a producer of electronic music, you need to start DJing to be able to make a living. but not all producers are good DJs. There are many producers who started doing fake live sets or fake DJ sets to be able to get income and thats another point why the value of music gets lost. However, it’s not all doom and gloom. There are many positives to be gleaned from our current state of affairs. I think the world’s become smaller and more connected. In a way, my music gets heard by more folk now than before and through the power of social media, the barrier between my audience and myself is broken down. We communicate better and have made a hell lot of new friends.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
The trend is that fresh creativity and quality is fast disappearing. Everything’s really trend based at the moment, the press is always ready to jump on a new genre or hot act, but we overlook the long term development of quality artists and DJs. I get sent a ton of promos all the time but rarely discover tracks where you can feel that they are made with love, where you can feel that the artist really had fun to make the track.
Currently, the market is teeming with free music from thousands of producers and services like Spotify, Last.fm, SoundCloud, etc. It’s something that anyone can do and can give it away for free to promote themselves. Of course, it’s also great, as amazing new talents have the chance to produce music, but it also makes it hard for the real musicians who have to make a living out of it.
Also, major labels these days only pick up on hype, music which is already made big by independent labels, as they don’t have the balls to sign new music anymore. A&Rs for the majors don’t take risks anymore and everything is geared toward making a profit. I’m just waiting for someone to develop a “hit machine” app, where you say what you want and it creates the track by for you with random hit patterns. If that comes out I definitely stop making music, and I’m sure it will come!
How are we going to make the scene better?
To be honest, I don’t think that’s possible anymore. It’s the natural evolution and a normal progression of time, growing abilities, globalization, and development of technology. there will be better and better apps, more upgrades, more and cooler software, making it easier for the normal user. More people will start making music and this will overload and finally crash the market in a post apocalyptic sense.
We are all so used to free music now that there won’t be any turning back. the priorities are different nowadays. its about having an iPhone or other trendy gadget that has value. if you buy a CD, it’s worthless. My new album just got released and I found approximately 50 links after an hour of going online in stores all around the world, spread by bloggers. Well, of course you can say that this is PR, but if you are not going on tour you won’t make any money out of your work and that’s sad when you invested over a year of hard work, investment, love, sweat and heartache.
I personally don’t have a problem to share my music for free, as I´’m happy when my music gets spread around, and people have the chance to discover it, but i also do have two kids I got to take care of. Honestly, if it wasn’t for my inherent love of music, my rational mind should have told me by now to stop writing and producing music when all this Napster stuff started but I might be wrong and the problem will be naturally fixed by itself. Fingers crossed!
"Let's
never forget that while trying to define ourselves by our interests in
specific genres, events, eras, technology, etc. that this scene started
out on a code of love and respect for each another. "
50. Lea Luna
Where do you see DJ culture right now?I love the fact that EDM is taking the main stage. I have been into pop music since DJ culture rejected it, and into DJ culture before pop labels even knew it existed. I also love the fact that it has become anyone’s game. It’s no longer just for whoever has a load of money to spend on analog studio time like it used to be. The technology is getting more fun and easy. It makes it harder to shine through the masses, but more fair. I see that a lot of purist DJs are worried about the blending and blurring of all music cultures, the plasticity of EDM’s popularity and “celebrity” DJs, and the implementation of laptop technology where beat matching skill used to be mandatory. All I have to say to that is listen to how much better the breakthrough music has become instead of your own mouth, grandpa! Pop stars like Madonna who embraced dance music early on unlocked the door for the major success and growth of our culture, and then in came artists like Skrillex and Swedish House Mafia who kicked the door clear off the hinges. I think it’s awesome, but I understand that not everyone likes popularity and genre-bending like I do. Those people are in an empty warehouse somewhere growing old.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
I embrace all trends. Let art be art, and let people be diverse. As long as your trend doesn’t contain some kind of cruelty, I’m cool with it. Just respect that I’m only into blonde-bass personally (just kidding).
How are we going to make the scene better?
Let’s never forget that while trying to define ourselves by our interests in specific genres, events, eras, technology, etc. that this scene started out on a code of love and respect for each another. I don’t know how many times I’ve had to protect my fellow artists and myself from Internet slander and harsh criticism. Everyone is entitled to an educated and eloquent opinion, but if you aren’t doing anything for the scene but being rude, you might consider trying to produce and release a track, throwing a successful event yourself, inventing your own EDM fashion, etc, before you dig into the people who get their hands dirty and put forth effort in our scene. Know what you’re talking about and how the industry works, and keep the criticism constructive. Otherwise you are the antithesis of what this scene is, and therefore have no true part in it.
51. Lenny Dee
"It should be about the music and talent, but too often promoters and big booking agencies control what people get to hear."
I think it’s great that its getting a lot more attention, especially in the USA.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
Corporate money influencing the music. It should be about the music and talent, but too often promoters and big booking agencies control what people get to hear. Record labels are not taking chances and being more musically creative.
How are we going to make the scene better?
Get back to the music. Electronic music has a great depth to its history and lot of different flavors and genres are not taken into account. There’s a lot more out there than the commercial form of electronic Music people in the USA are getting to hear. It’s also really important to give new talent a chance. Have some vision so people get to hear what’s next, not just what’s popular right now.
52. Luke Solomon
"The animosity toward the mainstream pop DJ is creating a fierce reaction, which is not a bad thing. "
It’s in a really odd place. There is the old-school approach of being a music selector that can beat match, program and take people on a musical journey through genres, and then there is the new “DJ.” Or the well skilled Traktor or Ableton user that adapts their own music with other peoples to create a new interpretation that happens to be the length of a DJ set. And then you have the celebrity DJ that happens to play music on his laptop as an added bonus. This is more geared toward pop stardom, and has adopted the term DJ as part of a general description of their job. I think these three instances have mutated the term disc jockey and created a series of divides amongst the purest, the new school, and those that are refusing to adopt the accolade “pop star” as “DJ” is way cooler.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
The pop star DJ is definitely the most disturbing and upsetting. I can understand musicians that become pop stars based on vocal skills and or/actual musical talent. Even if you can’t equate with it, at least you know that there is a level of effort and learning that has gone into the end product. Turning yourself into cash collecting machine that literal presses play on a computer and stands with your hands in the air, is just plain embarrassing. I cannot equate with it one bit in the same way as I had a problem with Milli Vanilli (manufactured ’80s duo) that were simply a face to someone else’s music.
How are we going to make the scene better?
Ultimately, I have always seen it as “us against them.” That’s pretty much my mantra for life. I think that cultural extremities need to exist in order for a reaction to happen. Without them every thing and every one would be middle of the road. Punk occurred because people couldn’t stand mainstream pop any more, or what it stood for. The same cultural blip is happening now to an extent. The animosity toward the mainstream pop DJ is creating a fierce reaction, which is not a bad thing. Although I do think that negative media chastising is not the best approach. I think the better approach is to make yourself greater at what you do so that you may be recognized for having an actual skill that can educate those that know no different.
53. Mark Farina
"Focus on having good sound systems at parties/clubs and, whatever genre, it will help."
Ever changing, evolving and devolving.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
The loss of the art of true DJ mixing.
How are we going to make the scene better?
Focus on having good sound systems at parties/clubs and, whatever genre, it will help.
54. Martin East
Where do you see DJ culture right now?Way too easy to be a DJ now. No learning curve. Relationship between practitioner and laptop is way to central at too many gigs.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
R&B and hip-hop singers making house tracks. They wouldn’t know house if it bit a chunk out their ass and spat in the hole.
How are we going to make the scene better?
Copy South Africa. Place is alive with love for house music. Most exciting place to play right now
55. Martin Eyerer
"Now
it's easier to produce and release but the amount of releases increased
so much that it takes probably the same time to become more famous."
DJ culture is on a high level right now. It’s really popular becoming a DJ and they are kind of the new rock stars. You can see that on the fact that there’s the first DJ casting show on TV soon. Of course this commercialization rings also negative sides with it but that’s usually the case when things become more popular.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
The biggest problem today is the overflow of music. As it’s getting easier and easier making your own productions with pre-produced loops and software what is good on the one side is that DJs and upcoming producer flush the market with stuff that sounds not bad but on the other hand it all sounds the same. So it’s harder and harder to cause attention and also it’s harder to find good stuff. The result of this development is that most customers buy productions from label or artists they know already and this is not good for the development of music.
How are we going to make the scene better?
Spending more time in productions skills in order to deliver better quality and outstanding music. If we work in media we should give unknown producers and labels a chance by giving more attention. Last, but not leas,t being patient and not expecting a huge career after two releases on smaller labels. A few years ago it was maybe harder to release music so it took longer to become famous. Now it’s easier to produce and release but the amount of releases increased so much that it takes probably the same time to become more famous.
56. Matt Edwards (Radio Slave)
"At the commercial end of DJ culture I would say we're at the point where things are at their worst."
This really depends on which part you’re looking at. Overall, I would say there is a huge interest in electronic music right now and the industry is at a point where it’s full of powerful, money hungry people who know exactly how to exploit this situation. So, at the commercial end of DJ culture I would say we’re at the point where things are at their worst. The music is bad (if you can even call it music). The DJs aren’t even doing anything on “stage.” And I say “stage” as it’s very rare you will find any commercial DJ performing in a club where they would have a DJ booth and why do they need a booth? They just need props like pyrotechnics and maybe even a cake. Basically it’s a horror story, and I hope it’s ends as quickly as it started.
But saying that, on the flip side I would say that the underground is having a great time right now. DJs are finding that playing records is actually fun and leaving their computers at home and there’s still a demand for vinyl. I’m extremely lucky and privileged to be based in Berlin where DJ culture and the club scene is built around good music and amazing clubs. It’s not so driven by fads or the latest trends and the DJs who are residents at say the Panorama Bar or Berghain are real DJs with a great knowledge of music and they know how to rock the party for 6-12 hours.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
That dance music and DJ culture is now becoming just a commodity.
How are we going to make the scene better?
I’m not a violent person, but I would say if you killed a few key people things might get better!
57. Memory9
"the
fact that anyone can carry around thousands of tunes and pop them into
Serato, is creating a kind of DJ hyperculture in which musical ideas
travel really fast, sub-cultures merge and morph freely and loads of
great people get exposure."
I think for many the DJ game has become that of constantly sifting through immense quantities of very good and interesting music literally being released on a weekly basis, and tracing a coherent trajectory within that to define a sonic trademark. It’s fair to say that DJ culture as a whole has been immensely accelerated in recent years, and relies massively on the Internet as a means of constantly sourcing new tunes as well as the main arena to establish a rep. That, with the fact that anyone can carry around thousands of tunes and pop them into Serato, is creating a kind of DJ hyperculture in which musical ideas travel really fast, sub-cultures merge and morph freely and loads of great people get exposure. I imagine there will be differences between various genres of music, but I think that it’s a fairly consistent fact, especially for younger DJs. It’s and evolution of sorts.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
I do find that the downside to the super-connected DJ world is that it is making music more and more disposable. Sometimes, a new musical fruit is dangling off the internet tree and it gets eaten up before it’s ripe, faster than it would have done before this combination of insatiable thirst for innovation and global access information became a thing. In the short run more people will definitely hear the stuff, spin it, be influenced by it in their productions, but this also makes it difficult for music to stick, for people to really want to engage an artist’s vision, or to develop that special relationship with a record, a tune. I don’t know if I find this quite disturbing, but I do think this can be a problem for producers wanting to sharpen their vision as well as for DJs trying to define their own sound. Subcultures just come and go really fast.
How are we going to make the scene better?
The best way to make sense of all this is for a DJ/producer to think of him or herself as something of a designer, not just as an artist. If you can develop a method by lateral thinking, then you make the rules and join the dots as you see fit. I love the way the way architects, industrial designers or fashion designers are comfortable with the constant re-definition of their aesthetics within some sort of cloud, always aware of their surroundings and the state of the art. I think that’s the way forward. I am not saying to embrace disposability, or to just follow trends. But I do think that Philippe Starck is a better model than Beethoven for musicians these days.
58. Midnight Magic
Where do you see DJ culture right now?There are so many great DJs the world over — especially in New York and everywhere we hear eclectic selection. DJing has remained one of the best, and most fun, ways to expose people to new musical ideas.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
Common among Serrato/Traktor DJs: playing 20-30 seconds of a song! That’s got to stop.
How are we going to make the scene better?
We like to play whole jams when we DJ. The outro can sometimes be the best part.
59. Mike Huckaby
"Don't get caught up in the hype of only playing the newest music you can find."
Growing at an ever increasing rate.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
The disrespect for the past regarding technology, buying music and musical research.
How are we going to make the scene better?
Don’t get caught up in the hype of only playing the newest music you can find.
60. Morten Trust
Where do you see DJ culture right now?DJ culture in general seems to be doing better than ever. It has an enormous audience compared to just a few years ago. However superstar DJs with MTV videos, stadium gigs, etc. come at a cost.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
That the underground scene is so fragmented. Some only listen to minimal, others are deep house purists, etc. instead of everyone getting together and enjoying good music. I personally like a lot of different genres.
How are we going to make the scene better?
Good question! By making and playing good music I guess. And by doing it with love!
"The
social media tools finally created the momentum and thrust the genre
into the forefront where it should have been 10 years ago."
DJ culture is where it should be — embraced by a large audience and recognized, not relegated to radio graveyard shifts and grimy backrooms (which are cool, too). The social media tools finally created the momentum and thrust the genre into the forefront where it should have been 10 years ago.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
I think it’s time for the whole glowsticks and personal light show thing to end. It’s time for something more original and cool to emerge. Don’t give outsiders a chance to generalize a scene based on items associated with drug use. I’d rather see something like T-shirts that react to the music — or any way to make things more interactive.
How are we going to make the scene better?
I’m not really sure if there’s a dire need to improve anything other than underage drug use — which can be reduced by better security, age limits and event planning. I do think that the U.S. needs to step up the production and get better sound systems in the clubs, so we are on par with European venues.
62. Neighbour
Where do you see DJ culture right now?Amazing cross-pollination going on across all genres, re-purification occurring as a result of this. [I’m] loving it all, picking the best of new trends and combining them, then enjoying nights of pure old school goodness which are popping up as a reaction to all this. [Right now it’s the] best of both worlds.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
Old schoolers getting their panties in a knot and being bitter cause they’re not handed everything on a silver platter anymore.
How are we going to make the scene better?
It’s already better, just choose to look outside your comfort zone and accept new ideas. It allows you to enjoy what’s fresh and doesn’t destroy what’s come before it. You got room for both, don’tcha?
63. Maayan Nidam
"There's
nothing more than annoying to see how many people are trying to fill up
a DJ's shoes without any experience, a message or a record collection."
Mainstream and underground are holding hands but probably not for long. Soon, as more and more DJs go toward the commercially acceptable areas, other artists will do their own thing and a new underground will grow, bringing us back to the lines of “us and them.”
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
Being a DJ. There’s nothing more than annoying to see how many people are trying to fill up a DJ’s shoes without any experience, a message or a record collection.
How are we going to make the scene better?
Go to a club and expect to be surprised.
64. Mason
"Make your own weird edits, try different technical setups, play live shows and, above all, follow your own path."
In western Europe we notice that after 20 years of house music the crowd is less attracted to big name DJs as they used to… there are big names every week everywhere, and weird theme parties or other sorts of entertainment like live shows take the benefit of this as they still pull big crowds. However in the US it seems to be the other way around and EDM is getting bigger by the day — hence all DJs moving there!
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
Nowadays everyone can buy every release everywhere around the world. The downside is a lot of DJs sound the same as it’s harder to stand out. In the past every territory had their own distributors who had a selection of releases to offer, which led to US DJs sounding different than European DJs, etc. — which was a fresh thing.
How are we going to make the scene better?
We can only encourage everyone to try and be original and not trying to sound like someone else. We are always blown away by DJs that play stuff that’s exclusive and unfindable. Make your own weird edits, try different technical setups, play live shows and, above all, follow your own path and don’t pay too much attention what’s trendy or hot at the minute.
65. Mendo
Where do you see DJ culture right now?In Eastern Europe.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
Each trend has its audience! What could become disturbing is that people stop dancing and having fun?
How are we going to make the scene better?
Just by not being all about commercial music, rather than mixing the music style the Electric Zoo Festival has done so well.
66. Minikin
Where do you see DJ culture right now?It’s pretty cool that over the past ten years DJ culture has become an integral part of pop culture. I think that partying will stay in style for quite a while. Its format will change though with DJs and the show itself coming into the spotlight. Basically physical carriers are doomed. Even though a year ago I played records, I’m not sorry that digital won. The digital era provides us with tons of benefits beginning with a possibility to play the hottest tracks and remix them right in the middle of a set, and erasing the problem of needle jumping, etc.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
I’m worried that people became indifferent to anything, including music. Music fans are hard to find these days, or at least people who have an idea of what they are listening to. Young people remember by heart a million of clothing brands, but don’t always understand what’s in their playlist. The bottom line is no matter how popular dubstep has become now, most of its fans don’t even know who Benga or Skream are!
How are we going to make the scene better?
It’s hard to overcome the longstanding propaganda of such lifestyle. For me it’s another push for working hard to keep the audience interested.
67. Mumbai Science
"It’s sad to see a lot of cool clubs struggle to get by in a time where dance music is more popular than ever."
It’s exciting times for electronic music. It’s getting more popular than ever, especially in the USA. Dance music gets so much attention right now. All of this gets amplified by the rise of social media. For example, a lot of big events are popping up and getting huge in the US. Whenever something like that takes place in the US, all of Europe knows about it as well through Facebook and Twitter.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
Clubs in Europe suffer a lot. They can’t compete with the big festivals anymore and a lot of the action is happening in the USA right now. A lot of cool spots are closing down because they can’t book bigger acts anymore. Some DJs have gotten so popular that they have become too big and too expensive to be booked in clubs. Also, people save their money up for bigger events. It’s sad to see a lot of cool clubs struggle to get by in a time where dance music is more popular than ever.
How are we going to make the scene better?
Maybe it will fix itself somehow. Whenever something gets popular, there always grows a new underground scene… and the underground always starts in the clubs. I also heard stories that some big DJs give up a huge portion of their normal fee to be able to play in smaller venues again. Somehow they will survive, I’m sure.
68. Nic Fanciulli
"I
think the way DJ culture has expanded into the mainstream reflects
really positively on everyone involved in electronic music. It filters
through from the mainstream to the underground and, in the end, everyone
feels the benefits of having a larger audience to play your music to."
I think DJ culture is always expanding and changing and it’s really interesting to see. House music as a concept is constantly changing and different generations have different views on what constitutes the genre.
DJ culture is certainly more mainstream and well known than when I started playing over 10 years ago; electronic music has such a large audience these days. The pace of the scene is also a lot quicker, as a DJ you find yourself playing completely stylistically different than you would have done say 5-10 years ago. This is because the audience has changed — some DJ shows are so big now that there isn’t as much time to build a set as it has to be big records.
I think the way DJ culture has expanded into the mainstream reflects really positively on everyone involved in electronic music. It filters through from the mainstream to the underground and, in the end, everyone feels the benefits of having a larger audience to play your music to.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
I don’t really think there are any disturbing trends. Everyone has their own opinion of what is good and what they like and music is evolving every day. The more music evolves the more interesting it becomes. It’s great when you see really different artists collaborating as it creates something new and unique — this, for me, is really exciting — to be able to push boundaries is great and if it connects, even better!
How are we going to make the scene better?
I don’t think there’s anything to fix — it is what it is. Music itself and the music industry constantly evolves and this has always been the case, and I think it’s important to evolve with it.
69. Nutritious
Where do you see DJ culture right now?We’re in the middle of a renaissance. There are amazing things happening within all creative cultures the world over, with frequent overlapping and collaborating across cultures. Innovative DJs are doing more than pushing fresh tunes these days, they’re becoming part of the entire fabric, if not designing it.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
Reckless consumption. We’re neglecting the future. Living for the moment and being in the present are all good, but there’s a planet at stake here and other people’s livelihoods. A prime example is consumers stealing MP3s and almost entirely eroding the economy of music for future artists.
How are we going to make the scene better?
We have to think big. DJs are leading and influencing lots of people, and yes, the name of the game is to party and have a kick-ass time, but we should also aspire to raise the collective level of awareness and help society achieve higher states of consciousness. People are supreme beings with so much intelligence. We can fuck off on the weekend but let’s also use our power to promote peace and respect for other people and the earth; make the entire world a better place to live.”
70. Phace & Misanthrop
"We believe an evolution of things usually is never something disturbing."
“Controllerism” is definitely defining a new culture at the moment, digital devices connected to MIDI controllers of any kind give a new creative playground to perform your music in new and interesting directions. Especially combining synced visuals with audio gives your audience a perfect possibility to experience an integrated concept of an artist.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
The trend of trying to keep things as they were in the past; endless repetition of what have been around for years…. We believe an evolution of things usually is never something disturbing.
How are we going to make the scene better?
Change and move on!
71. Photek
"The
most interesting part is that due to technology, the art has moved from
turntable skills to more selection and sequencing a set."
It seems like it’s more about marketing and promotion than it used to be. It also looks like there’s been a switch from creativity and credibility — to glorified mobile disc jockeys playing Top 40 hits. The most interesting part is that due to technology, the art has moved from turntable skills to more selection and sequencing a set.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
Stage diving [Laughs].
How are we going to make the scene better?
Judo floor mats and chiropractors.
72. Punches
"There
does not seem to be one genre that is dominating the scene right now,
so everything is on the table in a very post modern way, which is really
exciting. "
DJ culture is in a very interesting place right now. There does not seem to be one genre that is dominating the scene right now, so everything is on the table in a very post modern way, which is really exciting. It is giving people a lot of freedom to create tracks that might feel that they could not make before or play a set that would have been off the table in years past. It’s a bit of a crap shoot, but that’s what makes it fun.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
The most disturbing trend is the loss of the middle class DJ night. Right now people are picking two types of nights to go out to: giant blowouts (i.e. Swedish House Mafia at Madison Garden) or underground parties (i.e. local DJs at dive bars or literal house parties, hello suburbs!). Only a few years ago there were a lot of DJ nights supporting the middle-weights of the DJ world with ticket prices between $15 – $25 (we miss you Studio B!), but these nights are few and far between. This is tough since it takes time to make the jump from the basement to the big stage.
How are we going to make the scene better?
It’s going to come down to if people start getting money back in their pockets and want to take a chance on a smaller night with great DJs and a medium ticket price. I think you see this happening with Soul Clap selling out the Music Hall of Williamsburg, but again, these nights are not the norm.
73. RalfStar
David Guetta, Calvin Harris, Rusko, etc. are creating an invisible bridge between modern pop music and EDM that
I see the DJ culture getting way more recognition than it did as little as a year ago. DJs like David Guetta, Calvin Harris, Rusko, etc. are creating an invisible bridge between modern pop music and EDM that’s grabbing the attention of many that weren’t always interested in this sort of sound. Before I would never hear the local radios play anything close to EDM, now I’m hearing everything from dubstep to progressive house.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
This idea that we need to be negative toward this EDM movement we are seeing to seem like true dance music fans. It’s really such a shame that most of our scene is very much against our music being introduced to the world in a large scale. Every time I see a DJ collab with an artist of a different genre, there is an army of angry hipsters that constantly bash the idea of mainstream artists taking part in any EDM track. Even artists like Skrillex or David Guetta are “too mainstream” to be listened to by this group. It is as if they want to keep their music to themselves and don’t want it to progress at all. The minute someone discovers this great music that’s not them they categorize it as “trash” when in reality its the same as before.
How are we going to make the scene better?
We won’t be fixing it. Time will. Once the scene has progressed and hit its prime, the “hipsters” will dwindle and electronic music will finally have the attention and respect it deserves.
74. Reid Speed
"It's a very exciting time for DJ culture in the U.S. — dance music has finally broken through to the mainstream in many ways."
It’s a very exciting time for DJ culture in the U.S. — dance music has finally broken through to the mainstream in many ways. This, and the ease of acquiring and mastering the new technology, has allowed exponential amounts of new artists to come up and start earning a living off their art faster than ever before. It’s also exponentially increased the amount of people “doing it for the wrong reasons” and bad music, which are both unavoidable with so much growth.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
The fact that the DJ is now expected to be a rock star and expected to put on a hype stage show whether or not he or she is actually even DJing, and the fact that the crowd could often care less if the DJ is or is not technically doing anything at all besides jumping around.
How are we going to make the scene better?
By supporting true talent and allowing real artists to rise to the top, and by not allowing purchased social media hype to control the public perception about what’s good!
75. Slakah the Beatchild
Where do you see DJ culture right now?As with every other facet of the music scene, it’s morphing. With technology (especially digital) constantly changing the possibilities are endless. It’s a great time to get innovative and expand the experience.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
The fact that the new crate is a hard drive of thousands of MP3s. This affects the quality of music that’s being exposed to the crowds. When the DJ had to carefully select a limited amount of vinyl to bring to a gig, he or she made for certain that it was the absolute illest selections. That heart and brain work is no longer there in my opinion.
How are we going to make the scene better?
I think that DJs should never forget that they have so much influence. I feel it’s important they take charge and be leaders in introducing quality new music and not just play what labels want to hear, or what they think the crowd wants to hear.
76. Showtek
"F*ck genres and let's go crazy!"
The way we see it, these days it’s more a pop star/rock star thing. For example, at Ultra Music Festival in Miami, there where a lot of celebrities walking around ’cause EDM is the hottest thing on the moment and it will be for the next generation probably. Is there any DJ that uses the word DJ in front of his name: Tiësto/Afrojack/David Guetta/Showtek? [laughs] Not anymore. It’s all about being a star instead of being the DJ only, but in the other way, you still gotta mix those records on stage.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
Genres! We hate people who categorize shit. People sometimes have too much of an expectation of what you should do and if you don’t do what you used to do or normally do they don’t sometimes understand. The fact that we are artists means that we are sometimes also very experimental, like a painter. You don’t want to paint the same shit your whole life, you get inspired by other things in life and we translate that back in our music. The good thing is that there are enough people who are not narrow minded. So f*ck genres and let’s go crazy!
How are we going to make the scene better?
One track at a time! In fact, we have a very cool release coming up, it’s a collaboration between Tiësto & Showtek called “Hell Yeah!” It will be released for summer and it’s gonna be a festival smasher. This is not the only collaboration we are doing, lot’s more to come. We want to show the world what we are capable of so we are doing some very interesting thing totally outside the box! So that will make the world better!
77. Soul Clap
"We need to encourage established DJs and kids just getting into the game to buy vinyl again!"
DJ culture is bigger than ever and has finally taken over in the U.S. Unfortunately it’s a super rock star mentality and much of the art of DJing has been lost. The biggest DJs these days don’t even mix, they just have a premixed track that cues their light show. The important thing is that we keep getting the message out that DJing is an art form with 40+ years of history to learn about and tons of important skills to master.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
While digital DJing is a powerful tool that we’ve embraced at times, it also makes DJs lazy. Jocks don’t spend time in the record store or even online digging for music anymore they just get promos or the top 100 Beatport chart. Kids just getting into DJing feel entitled to just download whatever they want for free and don’t need to learn how to mix or the importance of finding a diverse range of unique music. The outcome is that almost everyone sounds the same and opening DJs don’t know how to keep it deep and build an atmosphere.
How are we going to make the scene better?
We need to encourage established DJs and kids just getting into the game to buy vinyl again! This gives everyone a more unique sound and gives back to the industry that we love.
78. Stacey Pullen
"Technology
has helped us but it has also been our enemy because it has taken the
soul away from us who do it for the love of music."
Everybody wants to be a DJ now and it’s a shame because I’ve put in my heart and soul in DJing and now anyone can buy a DJ-in-a-box starter kits. Technology has helped us but it has also been our enemy because it has taken the soul away from us who do it for the love of music.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
Any gimmick is the most disturbing trend, like Steve Aoki throwing cake at his audience when he is supposedly DJing. WTF is that? How can you do that to anyone for that matter but especially to your fans?
How are we going to make the scene better?
There is no fixing it, we will just have to wait and see if the beast self destruct.
79. Technasia
"With
the industry being so full of DJ posers, cake thrower clowns and money
sharks, I simply don't see how it can get better at this point."
Form takes over content. It’s very confusing at the moment, with lots of commercial DJs pretending to be the underground hype shit while still playing their cheese crap, and countless of other underground DJs swapping music style as often as they change underwear, by fear to lose their precious bookings when that particular hype genre is over. The general public is very confused as for what belongs to what today in our industry. Add the fact that focus is primarily on what artists look like and how they are marketed, and we get that current general state where music production becomes a completely secondary factor to the popularity of an artist.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
DJs actually don’t know how to DJ anymore. It’s just press and play, leaving the rest to the computer automated tasks. It makes the experience with most of the actual DJs feel very insipid, tasteless, and with no character at all. They all sound the same! Just guys with nice hair cuts and tattoos playing the same track for 10 minutes and feeling over satisfied about it. would you like a rock band that has all their guitar solos made by a computer? Super lame.
How are we going to make the scene better?
With the industry being so full of DJ posers, cake thrower clowns and money sharks, I simply don’t see how it can get better at this point.
80. Tim Healey
"The
big change since the '90s is that the hype needs to be backed up by
Facebook likes, YouTube views, Google Analytics and proven music sales."
It will never disappear, as there is a need to have someone select the music for nightclub and festival dance floors across the globe, but it is becoming increasingly polarized. I get approached by several agents, and many more artists, a week requesting I take on their acts onto my roster, I have to turn them all down.
Selling artists into venues is becoming harder, as there are more DJs than ever before. Filling nightclubs around the world is becoming increasingly difficult. International flights, hotels and fees often prohibit promoters from booking artists, and yet, the big names sell for multiple-annual salaries per appearance. One has to question the value of a “mid-range” artist when a good promoter could probably fill the club using a local DJ, let alone the DJs that sell for huge fees.
There will always be hype around the new, but the big change since the ’90s is that the hype needs to be backed up by Facebook likes, YouTube views, Google Analytics and proven music sales. With Facebook likes available on eBay for £5 for thousand, one has to wonder how long this will last. Also the links between Facebook likes and YouTube views and club attendance can be spurious and often fall short of expectations. Your Facebook digital fanbase may be based in Mexico, which is no comfort for a promoter in Osaka, Japan.
DJs need to be producers — they didn’t in the ’90s. I remember being told by a very famous DJ in 1999, that “producers would never make good DJs” (!), but now, thanks to cheap technology and software like Garage Band and its equivalent, everyone is a producer, which has in turn cheapened the term. And the kids make the music in their bedroom on PCs with no outboard or studio attached. Kind of genius, kind of sad in equal amounts.
What amazes me is that names from the ’90s still get sold into festivals. In the last year I have played on lineups with some of these dinosaurs; they haven’t released a record since 1997, they haven’t evolved their music style and they appear to ignore current trends in sound: the crowds and promoters and event crew are invariably disappointed, but these artists still cost mega bucks. Why?
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
At the forefront of what is rotting DJ culture has to be manufactured DJs fronting a business plan and worse: those that have turned DJ culture into a spinal tap like farce. No names mentioned but check this.
How are we going to make the scene better?
Great talent producing great music playing great sets. Simple. No filler, all killer. Move over the old school and let the new kids in.
81. Tommie Sunshine
"There
are so many lies being told and half truth pictures being painted by
the biggest artists in this movement. The best part is that it will all
come back to those people; karma's a bitch."
The music has elevated at the cost of the culture being left behind. This happens in all music scenes. Don’t get me wrong, there are still some people doing it right, sticking to MDMA and avoiding the darker drugs but most of the core that EDM was born out of has vanished. This is necessary for it to go mainstream. Name one movement that gathered a mass audience without being severely watered down. Despite all that I believe it necessary for people to experience dance mMusic in any way shape or form so if this is where it is now, so be it. It will always remain what it was to the people who were into it before the big boom.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
Total lack of honesty and transparency. There are so many lies being told and half truth pictures being painted by the biggest artists in this movement. The best part is that it will all come back to those people; karma’s a bitch. All the charity tours and YouTube tutorials do not erase the shady backroom lies and calculated manipulation of a fan base through a thin veil of “art.”
How are we going to make the scene better?
The truth. No more ghost producing, no more pre-recorded sets. Instead, how about millionaire promoters donating money to good causes like further MDMA research to dispel all medical lies about what it does to kids’ brains and proper charity events that focus on the cause, not the megalomania of the artists involved. I hope to see a return to form where the kids who seek out this music want a lot more than paying hundreds of dollars to hear the same ten guys play each others records like a musical circle jerk. It is all in the hands of the kids. Promoters follow them, not the other way around.
82. Treasure Fingers
"This
culture is so new to most people in America that I believe most club
and festival goers don't even know what goes into a DJ set or a live
electronic performance."
It’s at its highest peak in popularity that I’ve ever seen it. There’s plenty of good and bad that comes with that. You have a lot of outsiders who want to get into it solely for the money aspect, but at the same time the people who are in it for the right reasons and have been doing it for years, can actually make good money with it now.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
A majority of the crowd generally doesn’t really care if the DJ is actually mixing, or performing live, or doing anything that involves any technical skill, as long as there’s music playing then the crowd seems happy and into it.
How are we going to make the scene better?
It comes down to people just learning more about the culture and music and educating themselves or being educated by other artists, labels, producers, etc. This culture is so new to most people in America that I believe most club and festival goers don’t even know what goes into a DJ set or a live electronic performance, maybe they are content with dancing to a pre-made set but I’d like to think they expect something more out of DJs.
83. Trus’ Me
"The scene is fragmented and this for me is a good thing."
The joke these days is “does anybody not know a DJ?” Kids from the age 6-7 can now select tracks from iTunes and throw them into an iPhone App and, hey, presto I’m a DJ. With this immensely clever technology at everyone’s disposal it was only a matter of time for the DJ culture to become saturated. DJ culture is now for the masses and with this, it morphs to become what we know as pop.
This for me is where we are at right now — an audience will always prefer accessible, pop music and now we have pop house with its grand master David Guetta. Back in the day one would have to invest in vinyl and build a reputation and a following with the audience through skill and expertise. The sorry state today is that if you are part of a hip collective or social group you quickly make a name as a DJ. I’ve been doing this for 10 years, and even if I stayed with this for another 20 years I may not be paid £250k for a 30-minute set like Kate Moss, a DJ/model who has played twice so far. We now have groups and solo DJs using the word “underground” in their label, music or even DJ name to try and make a statement and also separate themselves from the common DJ. If you have to use underground in your name are you really that underground?
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
K (ketamine) house, social cliques and elitist groups taking over the scene. How can you dance and socialize on these downer drugs? We all know drugs are the backbone to most movements in the dance scene but the scene today is all about being hip and hyped up without music being the focus.
I was once playing at a famous hotel cum club in Brooklyn where the owners kept pushing my records down to -6 demanding I play slow. I mean it was almost a foot tap every two seconds ha how can you dance to that? I wanna shake my ass and move to the beat, is that not what house music is? I’m tired of playing to people sitting on a floor and monging out in the DJ booth. They are obviously not here for the music. Cant they go do that in a house? I came here to make you dance! Rant over!
How are we going to make the scene better?
The scene is fragmented and this for me is a good thing – real music will always come through and last the test of time. Time is a healer and trends will pass. When all the ‘K’ dust has settled, the die-hards who are here today will be dancing and wanting more. I always enjoy the last 30 minutes of a set as you see the zombies leave and the dancers stride to the front — never fails to bring a smile to the face each time. So for now, nothing needs to be done except to wait it out till the masses move on to the next trend. Till then, I will continue doing what I love most, making music that moves my booty.
84. Urban Knights
"These
days production is your edge, and the part that separates you from
everyone else who has access to CDJs and a crossfader."
DJ culture over the last decade has been revolutionized by technology, it’s completely altered the industry and how it operates. It’s now, more then ever, never been easier to involve yourself in the DJ world. From accessing music to even having programs that beat sync for you, you don’t even have to learn to mix anymore if you don’t want to!! Anyone can become a DJ in today’s world.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
It’s just interesting how the DJ world has shifted. I think due to the fact that now everything is accessible to everyone, anyone can become a DJ, all music is available to download for anyone We’ve seen this move away from record shops and white label culture which used to dictate who had access to the biggest tunes and who had the edge in the scene. It’s not a bad thing; times change, and today we’re presented with a world where everything leans toward the DJ being, the producer. These days production is your edge, and the part that separates you from everyone else who has access to CDJs and a crossfader.
Sometimes though I feel that this has moved us away from actual DJ skill, the ability to mix well, double drop, scratch, the ability to take you on a progression through sets, and has been met where artists are required to just turn up and press play, like human props. Sometimes it’s nice to see people actually doing some live performance.
How are we going to make the scene better?
I think by taking an approach where you’re there to entertain your audience, rather then just pressing play and holding your hands in the air till the next track kicks in.
85. Wally Callerio
"When EDM gets pushed out of the mainstream the underground will be waiting patiently for them."
I see the mainstream being overrun by vanity and fake DJs [with] big business developed artists. Just like they ruined mainstream music, they will ruin dance music. But the underground sound will win in the end [because] what really made this music is that it was not mainstream. This simple point made is more personal to the listener/dancer. It was something the listener/dancer would seek out. It was not shoveled to them. When a sound is pushed into the mainstream it loses its strengths and weakens, it loses the target audience’s interest which in turn gets pushed out by the next trend. In the end, when EDM gets pushed out of the mainstream the underground will be waiting patiently for them. It will be doing what it has always done and always will, creating good music by people that truly love what they do while not caring who they are.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
The fact that Live Nation and Clear Channel are buying up everything EDM for ridiculous amounts of money. This scares the shit out of me. These companies will sanitize creativity and decided what happens for EDM instead of letting it naturally evolve from within like it always has. Organic growth and creativity is being fertilized by this corporate filtering system. People need to stop going to these massive events for $500 dollars and support 25 smaller events for the same amount of money. People need to stop being lazy and search for their own music again don’t wait for the corporate masters to shovel it into your throats like a McDonald’s cheeseburger cause in the end they will both make the system sick .
How are we going to make the scene better?
I think there needs to be a union created of EDM artists that have put their time in from multiple genres, that have the EDM best intentions at hand. I think there needs to be a DJs union as well to set rules for the promoters and clubs that works off a ladder system so new DJ don’t just jump into headlining spots… that promoters book people that have been vetted… that clubs pay per play to the producers of songs that are entertaining their customers with just as the radio has to. With some set fees for DJs depending on time put in and accomplishments. There has to be a way for DJs to survive at all three levels — beginning, middle and end just like any job. If you don’t give the DJ/producers a chance to grow, learn and achieve, then the only thing left are cookie cutter DJ/producers that these big corporations create.
86. William Breakspear
"Bass
music culture has really opened up the opportunity for DJs to play more
than one genre and mix up their styles, which I feel is really healthy
and positive!"
DJ culture is in a cool place right now. There seems to be a big influx in club nights and everyone has a radio show making all styles of electronic music more accessible. Bass music culture has really opened up the opportunity for DJs to play more than one genre and mix up their styles, which I feel is really healthy and positive!
What is the most disturbing trend?
The lack of dynamic performance coming from lots of laptop DJs.
How are we going to make the scene better?
The current trend in DVS systems, and more and more advanced controllers mean DJs can reclaim the performance element associated with vinyl performances. With new, more intuitive and programmable controllers coming out all the time, DJs really have a chance to make their stamp on their performance style. This trend has got to continue!
87. Xenia Beliayeva
Where do you see DJ culture right now?It changed a lot and rapidly within the last eight years…since 2004 it went new ways. DJ culture right now is easy to access. Many people from 17-25 trying to be a DJ for a while and no specific reason, just to see what happens. That‘s fine with me and there is nothing negative about it. It’s just logical and that’s what the time and technology has brought us. I had to save about €2500 when I was a teenager for turntables, speakers, amplifier, headphones and records before I could record my first tape. I had to decide if I wanted to invest my money in a driver’s license or change my old turntable from the flea market for a second MK1210. Today you pay €99 to Native and then you can start. No hurdles in the way, everybody has the same chance.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
The most disturbing trend is the amount of weird thinking people. They been always there, but now they are visible and I can’t hide! Sometimes I just put my hands over my eyes when I log into Facebook in the morning.
How are we going to make the scene better?
Who said the scene is bad? It‘s always up to the viewing if something is bad or not. DJs who have a stable amount of gigs every month don‘t say the scene is bad; it‘s quite the contrary. They write every weekend on Twitter and Facebook how much fun it was. DJs who have been successful and aren‘t requested that much anymore use to niggle around and blame…. Looking at it musicality the scene has been restructuring itself every decade. People in the ‘80s missed the spirit of the ‘70s, people in the ‘90s missed the spirit of the ‘80s and so on…I don‘t like to look back! If you want to make something better, you need to find out what’s wrong or what you‘re missing.
88. Yogi & Husky
"Get out there, go to shows, buy some music and open your minds."
It’s an ever changing thing, some for the good and some for the bad. We are excited for our future as we are constantly finding new ways to perform/produce and there are always loads of new artists inspiring us to improve on what we do, so it’s a very interesting time. Sadly, we feel the art form of DJing is slowly being phased out by a generation of “button pressers” though. We are not opposed to technology in any way shape or form; in fact, we actually use Traktor and various controllers when we perform live. However, we just feel that there are too many options for the younger generation to skip over some of the skills that really make a good DJ great. Reading a crowd, learning to layer multiple tracks and mixing various styles are things that we love to see in a DJ, and this seems to be overtaken by DJs just playing “safe records” to appeal to the masses and relying on their technology to mix their music in time.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
Less is the DJ being booked on skill and more on their perceived reputation and social media/marketing representation. We see way too many great artists being overlooked and forgotten due to some new artist who has a track in the Beatport Top 10 and 300,000 followers on SoundCloud. This doesn’t always equal a great performance. Don’t get us wrong, we are very excited by the rising of fresh talent and new faces to the scene, as this only enhances the music’s reach and adds more flavor to it. We would just like to see more bookings for people that are less known commercially.
How are we going to make the scene better?
We think music is a personal journey. People really need to just listen and appreciate with an open mind. Of course some people just wont like what others do, but just be open to exploring new sounds and enjoying a performer for what is essentially their art form. We love discovering new sounds and new artists, it may not be something we play or produce ourselves, but we always love to experience something different. So get out there, go to shows, buy some music and open your minds.
89. Zombie Disco Squad
"New
scenes and electronic music has finally hit the American mainstream
which will hopefully mean more kids will be lead to the underground
stuff too."
I think it’s very healthy and vibrant. Loads of new scenes and electronic music has finally hit the American mainstream which will hopefully mean more kids will be lead to the underground stuff too.
In your opinion, what is the most disturbing trend?
DJ X Factor.
How are we going to fix it?
Kill Simon Cowell.
90. Z-Trip
"We don't need more DJs, we need more great DJs."
I see it finally being recognized by the masses. Not that we ever needed it per se; we’ve always kind of done our own thing and the right people knew what was up. It’s just finally caught up with everyone else. I’m curious to see where it goes now though. I’m hoping the actual art doesn’t get lost in it all. Some DJs “play music” live, others DJ’ “play with music.” Big difference to me. As more people get on board, I’m hoping they’re able to notice the difference and see the artistry when it’s being done. I’m also hoping new DJs learn that art before they learn how to market themselves. We don’t need more DJs, we need more great DJs.
What is the most disturbing trend?
Laziness. With some, the actual DJ work is slowly being replaced by the comfort of technology and the smokescreen of a big production. I see fewer people playing or mixing live. Most play it safe and let technology do the heavy lifting/mixing while their hands are in the air. I see a lot of pre-planned and even pre-recorded sets that play all the way through! The crowd is usually none the wiser (or, sadly, just don’t care), as long as the music is pumping and the visuals are awesome. People cut corners to get to the top. But, true DJs will always rise above. There will always be a crowd who needs substance over trends. True music lovers know what’s up. A lot of fans want a live performance from their DJs and know when it’s faked.
How are we going to make the scene better?
Don’t fall into trends, create them. Flirt with what’s hot, yes, but don’t fall in 100% just to stay popular. We should try to keep it counter culture. Always moving. All scenes get over saturated. It happened with hip-hop, alternative, punk and disco. It’s happening with EDM right now. Things tend to get watered down by everyone wanting in who weren’t there from the beginning. Be a fan, yes. Ultimately, if you want to be legend, you must take chances and push boundaries. And by all means… write, play and listen to ALL TYPES OF MUSIC!
Credit : BigShotMag.com
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