2010 - a random assessment

[Jay Pace]

Some thoughts from Kirk Degiorgio

Planetary Folklore: 2010 - a random assessment. (http://planetary-folklore.blogspot.com/2010/01/2010-random-assessment.html)

[SlavikSvensk]

shit, he hit the nail on the head here:


In this new world of easy access to once arcane skills, promoters, distributors and labels have become lost and confused. It has become near impossible to find uniqueness in a scene now so laden with content.

Unable to keep up with the ever-increasing pace of new producers and divergences within multiple dance music genres, consumers and promoters alike mostly settle for ‘representations’ of a scene.

A privileged few DJ’s have worked long and hard to become the ‘representatives’ of this modern dance music scene. In a fragmented culture where confusion reigns, they are the safe bet to fall back on – hence we have a situation where a select few DJ’s headline at every club night and festival with a decent budget.

Without the safety net of the headline representative, paying customers cannot be found in sufficient numbers as ignorance and confusion reigns over expectations from the sheer number of lesser-profile names.

The high fees commanded by the headliners is offset by the large number of DJ’s and live acts willing to fill the remainder of the bill for bare expenses or those who will even pay their own way to gain some profile.

The club and festival format is therefore that of the compilation album. Frontloaded with an expensive high-profile name or two and the remainder filled with cheaply available material the majority know or care little about.

[Jay Pace]

yeah, loved the compilation album point. Spot on.

[baconstyle]

Awesome find.

[SlavikSvensk]

i will say, though, that big draws often become big draws on the strength of their productions, and not their DJing or live sets.

[djshiva]

i will say, though, that big draws often become big draws on the strength of their productions, and not their DJing or live sets.

Which is something I have always found more than a little odd.

Most punters in the crowd don't know DICK about the production of the DJ on the bill. They wanna hear a DJ who is gonna rock their heads. But the skills of the person in question mean less than their ability to make records that 99% of the crowd won't know anyway.

Interesting how things work.