From gbach Sent Thu, Jul 8th 1999, 03:46
From gbach Sent Thu, Jul 8th 1999, 03:46
Tomas Jirku wrote: > why don't DJs make their own fricken music instead of taking the credit > for someone else's. "man, that dj sure can spin!" what? he can put a > needle on a record and make it go in circles. most of the time the dude > is pickin his nose or smokin a blunt. and if i have to hear anymore > scratchmological waxploitation from those damn Invisible Scratch Pickles > i'll shoot everyone in my school. (who says industrial music is the > driving force behind this trend?) > much respect to greg, andrew and others of your breed that discjockey to > promote the genre and the artists rather than satisfying an ego. Narrowing it down to the community of DJs and musicians with which I am familiar (I haven't spun a rave or club since the early 90s), I think it has little to do with ego (the rock star thing doesn't really apply here) and everything to do with the music. I don't think anyone really thinks that the DJ is taking credit for the wax being spun. But it is about selection: what to choose for an hour-long set among the seemingly infinite variety of music out there, what the DJ wants to share to that particular audience on that particular occasion (the same with radio DJs in many ways). Nothing but respect to the musicians who bust their asses making the music, and nothing but respect to the music itself. Otherwise, we wouldn't bother spending hundreds or thousands a month on that music and those artists (I can think of much cheaper ways of getting my ego stroked). Often some of us take it to the next level by layering and stacking and creating new hybrids, cross-genres, idiosyncratic interpretations, but no one is claiming ownership of the parts. But these concerted efforts, most often in a non-party context, do approach the level of pure collage or soundscapes, so some DJs and their output can be discussed in terms beyond the basic mechanisms of record playing or beat matching. A percentage of the audience certainly appreciates it--those who seek it out, those who pass through and are affected, those whose preconceptions of DJs are challenged by someone spinning something other than dance music. A lot of times I feel more like a coordinator than a DJ, a coordinator of sounds. I'm only exploring other possibilities for myself and others who share my sensibilities, and I certainly have no interest in dissing others who don't. Sure, there are DJs who dick around and cop attitude, but I think the majority are serious and hard-working, focusing on the music they love, the seamless blend of matched beats, or on sampling and scratching . For many DJs I think technique is just that, a means to an end. ISP and other crews who practice every day (and have for years) have pushed technique to the edge, but ask them and they will say it's still about the music. New music is being created, performed, and enjoyed all around us, and with that impressive level of creative experimentation it only follows that the performance, delivery, and experience of all this new music will change as well. Witness the recent discussion on this list, for example, about the merging (or lack of) free jazz and electronic music, about the expanded palette of instrumentation available to the musician Why can't the DJ participate in that process as well? DJs have been around for a long time, and I am by no means in any position to say that DJs need to be defended in the first place. But I'm witnessing firsthand and participating in the creation of some damn cool stuff, and I'm grateful to be a part of such a dynamic and lively process. G.