What is it about this type of question that makes me irritated? Is it the fact that pure Serato DJ’s don’t respect where DJing came from? Is it the fact that someone else is getting paid for just being able to do simple, sloppy, compilation mixes? Is it the fact that the lack of basic turntable skills ruins the image of talented DJ’s to the general public? Yes, yes, and yes.
It wasn’t that exciting to me, and as I found out – mixing gets you paid, scratching gets you bragging rights. I think integrating scratches/juggling on top of mixing is the ultimate in DJ performance, which is something that always makes you stand out and gives you your own style. This doesn’t happen overnight and it takes a lot of practice to get your scratches clean, learn new scratches, and plan some well thought-out sets to rock the crowd. After all of these years, I believe that I’ve carved out my own style in terms of my sets that I still create and practice. In this digital age, what really defines your style and make you different as a DJ? From what I’ve seen for the "club" DJ’s today – nothing really. A lot of DJ’s have the same pool of music, people are copying each other’s entire libraries, and no one seems to showcase juggling/scratching anymore. Many newly conceived DJ’s have become cookie-cutters and charge cheap to simply just mix. If you aren’t going to utilize the advantages of vinyl controllers, why even use turntables? You might as well just have MIDI controllers to literally press buttons to mix. I’m not the best turntablist, but I try to utilize some of these skills into my sets to make it different – regardless if I’m using Serato or not. It’s hard to do and takes a lot of practice, and unfortunately, Serato has made mixing pretty easy to do now. It’s even easier with the digital record pools forking out pre-mixed songs (i.e. like Wicked Mix, Lethal Weapon, etc…). I’m not saying that DJ "Press Play” would totally suck – he/she can definitely do it right given that the DJ knows how to read the crowd – I just think it really lacks originality. Further, I really think DJ "Press Play” is the one that sort of ruins the image of what it means to be a DJ, insulting the years of digging and practicing. I just don’t see how you can think you can feel cool about being a DJ if you can’t even do basic scratches (e.g. baby scratch, transform, or chirp) on beat, cleanly, and out loud to the public audience. The bottom line of it is: dig deep to define your collection, try and showcase some of your skills, and plan a killer set every now and then showing off your new found gems. This is irrelevant of Serato or not. Onto libraries…
*[I know it’s hard to play unfamiliar songs when the entire club is wanting hear Top 40, but there’s always a way to work other songs in – be creative! Think of yourself like a performing artist – say you were Estelle and for every time you performed, you realized the audience only wanted to hear American Boy. Wouldn’t you be irritated if you’ve been working on a new song that you know is fresh – and no one is asking about any of your new material? I wouldn’t wanna go down as a one hit wonder, would you? You’re performing, you have the stage, you make the decisions – so I’d take the risk to play my newly written song. But how would I transition it to the audience? For starters, I’d do it right after performing American Boy because everyone will be on the floor and hyped from that song. I’d have the band play a very familiar mainstream beat and just sing my new lyrics over it – halfway into it I’d have the band transition into the original score. Does this sound familiar at all in DJing terms? If not, then you better ask somebody. It just might be refreshing and the most memorable night for some fans – you’ll never know ‘til you try it.]
I’m not going to go into the debate of Serato DJ’s Vs. Vinyl Purists. There are thousands of forum threads that have beat that horse to death. In short, I love vinyl and grew up spinnin with it. I wish we can have it like the old days. However, technology will always be forced down our throats, and we can either choose to embrace it and allow it as a tool for us to be more creative, or live in the past constantly pointing fingers because we don’t understand it, losing creative energy to a younger generation. There are a lot of good DJ’s out there that have blown my mind with live performances using Serato (see video below) – possibilities we could have only done in the past using a multi-track recorder and never performing live. I give that mad respect mainly because I know this DJ is showing all of the principles I’ve outlined earlier, utilizing the technology of today. To me that is a good DJ, representing all facets of rhythmic cool.
-Bamboo
DJ Enferno at NAMM 2010, showcasing the Rane 68
5 comments:
Jackie and Homer like vinyl.
Kittykins likes to scratch.
technology has diminished the value of the "Disc" Jockey and the art of music archeology. it has given birth to the "Digital" Jockey and a blinking search box.
"I think integrating scratches/juggling on top of mixing is the ultimate in DJ performance, which is something that always makes you stand out and gives you your own style." Well said, my friend. You and I have already touched upon this and other classic DJ discussions in our handful of talks in the clubs in San Francisco and Seattle (i.e. yelling at each other over speakers blasting). I agree and think that the tracks don't make the DJ. Rather, they're the tools of the trade, like tubes of color to a painter, and though you might give a a group of painters the same stash and subject matter to paint, each will come out with something different. It's all in how much work, heart, and experience you put into it. Although some of the "microwave"/"Press Play" DJs might get more, higher profile gigs for playing all the hot, current tracks, it's the purist DJ that flips the art in his/her performance that will be rewarded by the sometimes few & far between party goers/spectators that appreciate the art and heart of that DJs performance that night. The classic Jukebox DJ vs. the DJ as an Artist. Looking forward to more of these debates/conversations when I go up there in April, fam!
the original DJ flexes the diggin' of the hot shit before/when it comes out to tantilize the crowd. they get recognized as being 'the one' to play the good shit before anyone else has, and continues to have that rep as being THAT DJ to depend on.
diggin' and DJ'ing come hand-in-hand because if you don't have the good shit to spin, you settle for a loss crowd and no one to flex your skills to.
the element of serato is the connection to mimimize the efforts of the old-skool-fashion way of diggin' with existing digital sounds.
i believe with the efforts of a great ear and depending on your skills evolves your connection to access to even GREATER sounds that are more accessible to even the music junkie for the REAL hip hop heads to tantilize the DJ sound in a cool 22nd century way.
serato is the present and right now, the future of the business of being a DJ, whether your roots are back from the golden era to the present... respect and revolutionize your talent, just don't forget where you started from, that respect is naturally within with no questions asked!
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