DJs over doing it?

what do you guys think of DJs who lean towards the turntable-ism end of techno.

personally i like to look upon and record as a protention DJ tool. but at the end of the day i know that if the track is dull, then no amount of scratching/chopping/FX/etc will make that track sound interesting.

i'm personally find it very difficalt to dance to this kind of set, but a few trance mates of mine i've been trying to drag along to techno gigs have heard DJs like Dave Clarke when he has been on his chopping mission and loved it. (which puzzeled me some what as this kinda of techno is the furthest from trance techno could get)

anyway, i've rambled on long enough.

whats your thoughts on DJs that dont play the records, but play with them.

There's a time and a place for everything.

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Originally Posted by Dustin Zahn

There's a time and a place for everything.

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indeed...

i love it when dj's really push themselves and go for those "i can't believe he just pulled that trick off infront of this huuuge crowd" moves but not all the time though. Dustin hit the nail on the head really. :cool:

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Originally Posted by dustin

There's a time and a place for everything.

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what is time?

"we can not see it, feel it or hear it,
yet it holds us in a relentless grip."

depends if you're playing song based techno or loop techno, one can hold itself and the other needs to be played wif.

years ago in detroit i saw claude young do a set tricking it out more than i've ever seen him before. just really let loose. it ended up getting to the point where people sort of stopped dancing as it was getting really out of control. granted--it was one of the most technically skilled sets i've ever seen (haven't seen another techno dj come close to that night), but, at the same time, it's dance music at a dance event--and if people can't dance to your music...

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Originally Posted by detfella

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Originally Posted by dustin

There's a time and a place for everything.

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what is time?

"we can not see it, feel it or hear it,
yet it holds us in a relentless grip."

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haha i liked that. is that a mills quote?

i get extremely nervous when someone like dave clarke plays it's 180 degrees devided from what i like about techno. It is very clever and some people love it i hate it.

Love it!!!

But I loved Hip-Hop before I got into techno!

Love hearing the turnatbales used as instruments - but like all things it can be over done - I like it when it adds to the over all sound rather than just trick, trick, tricks, then music.

It's like scratching, I like a bit of that on maybe one track in a one hour set, but have heard some DJs ( :twisted: ) and all their set consists of is scratch, scratch, scrrrrr . . scrrrrr , scratch, scratch scratch, with the music comes a poor second!

When I go out to boogie I want to hear something I know I wont hear elsewhere.

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Originally Posted by gary_human

Love it!!!

But I loved Hip-Hop before I got into techno!

Love hearing the turnatbales used as instruments - but like all things it can be over done - I like it when it adds to the over all sound rather than just trick, trick, tricks, then music.

It's like scratching, I like a bit of that on maybe one track in a one hour set, but have heard some DJs ( :twisted: ) and all their set consists of is scratch, scratch, scrrrrr . . scrrrrr , scratch, scratch scratch, with the music comes a poor second!

When I go out to boogie I want to hear something I know I wont hear elsewhere.

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fuk me i thought i had wrote that.

i gotta say i luv seeing trurntables used in a freaky way...ya gotta IMO...have the music flowing for a few mins , then wammbammfankyoupamm some headfuk trickery....

its all about the balance.....

that the style i try to play.... hiphop influenced mixing.

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Originally Posted by Dustin Zahn

There's a time and a place for everything.

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i agree also,but your mixing technique/skills are what separate you from everybody else,so if youve got it flaunt it i say :)

a good dj knows when to put in tricks and when to let the track play

weather it be beat juggling or fader cuts, you have to do it with the right tracks at the right time. usually when you have 2 tracks mixing that are rather loopy and not progressing, or throw in a trick like a bar right before a breakdown to mix out or soemthing

but like i said, a good dj just knows when to do the trick and when to leave it alone. some guys do it every friggen mix and it can get on my nerves but then again i do that sometimes when im playing to a crowd of 10 or 20 just to be a showoff...

a good dj knows when to put in tricks and when to let the track play

weather it be beat juggling or fader cuts, you have to do it with the right tracks at the right time. usually when you have 2 tracks mixing that are rather loopy and not progressing, or throw in a trick like a bar right before a breakdown to mix out or soemthing

but like i said, a good dj just knows when to do the trick and when to leave it alone. some guys do it every friggen mix and it can get on my nerves but then again i do that sometimes when im playing to a crowd of 10 or 20 just to be a showoff...

i think my biggest gripe is that a whole set of this stuff just sounds incredably samey. i like my music to progress, but its a bit difficault to progress scratching. its the kind of set that looks like the DJ is having more fun than the crowd trying to dance to it



another irritation is over use of FX units. sure the flange filter sounds great, but not every 10 seconds please :nono:

that all said, i'd give my left arm to have the kind of tallent it takes to beable to mix like that

tricks that actually lead to something r cool. :cool:

A good soup needs some salt, but too much of it can ruin your soup. ;)

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Originally Posted by basslinejunkie

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Originally Posted by Dustin Zahn

There's a time and a place for everything.

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i agree also,but your mixing technique/skills are what separate you from everybody else,so if youve got it flaunt it i say :)

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I think your track selection should be what seperates you from everyone else, that's the most important thing after all.

...but there's nothing like seeing a dj who's got some skillz (as long as they play good records).

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Originally Posted by DJAmok

A good soup needs some salt, but too much of it can ruin your soup. ;)

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a soup man eh? ;)

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Originally Posted by DJAmok

A good soup needs some salt, but too much of it can ruin your soup. ;)

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my visual arts lecturer kept sayin that about our art work. It's good philosophy :cool:

leave the scratching to hip-hop i say. think it soudns eak with techno. would much rather see tight mix after mix. Watching som1 who can beat match in under 20secs and then leave the records in mix for mins without touching the pitch is far more entertaining to me. If the mixes are done in the right place in the records it sounds great when things are going right, things stopping and starting at the same time. Just stand back and let the records do the work. :clap:

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Originally Posted by serox

leave the scratching to hip-hop i say. think it soudns eak with techno. would much rather see tight mix after mix. Watching som1 who can beat match in under 20secs and then leave the records in mix for mins without touching the pitch is far more entertaining to me. If the mixes are done in the right place in the records it sounds great when things are going right, things stopping and starting at the same time. Just stand back and let the records do the work. :clap:

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man you just aint seen me dj yet ;)

some djs like jerome hill use tricks very cleverly ...

others like dave clarke or claude young have overused them, though for both ive always thought they were quiet with it when i had the chance to witness them.

concerning me, i tend to be tricky when i am drunk. and actually when i re-listen to the set in a "dry" set im quite happy of some tricks i dont even know how i did them

i think the best tricks are the ones that sound liek they were part of the record. anything more is showing off

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Originally Posted by MangaFish

i think the best tricks are the ones that sound liek they were part of the record. anything more is showing off

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i disagree. if you think you can enhance a record by doing whatever you like to it, then that can only be good.

in saying that though i still consider programming to the most important side of a dj's performance.

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Originally Posted by gumpy green

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Originally Posted by gary_human

Love it!!!

But I loved Hip-Hop before I got into techno!

Love hearing the turnatbales used as instruments - but like all things it can be over done - I like it when it adds to the over all sound rather than just trick, trick, tricks, then music.

It's like scratching, I like a bit of that on maybe one track in a one hour set, but have heard some DJs ( :twisted: ) and all their set consists of is scratch, scratch, scrrrrr . . scrrrrr , scratch, scratch scratch, with the music comes a poor second!

When I go out to boogie I want to hear something I know I wont hear elsewhere.

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fuk me i thought i had wrote that.

i gotta say i luv seeing trurntables used in a freaky way...ya gotta IMO...have the music flowing for a few mins , then wammbammfankyoupamm some headfuk trickery....

its all about the balance.....

that the style i try to play.... hiphop influenced mixing.

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I was waiting for you to jump in on the one mate ;)

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Originally Posted by DJAmok

A good soup needs some salt, but too much of it can ruin your soup. ;)

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Well well well look who it is.
Hope you enjoyed new york chief. :rambo:

Was at Dance Valley last week, caught Dave Clarke 4 the first time, there was at least half his set (which I saw) when he was only beatmatching pushing tunes in..... At the speed of me djing.... I was a bit disappointed not to see he pushes 7 buttons and fly his records all over the place... I only hold that expectation after hearing his I Love Techno 99 mix, which every mix is on ****ing fire.

On the other hand, I was thrown by Technasia's chrunchy beats and skills on 3 decks.... Well worth the trip for that one.

And Seeing Carl Cox playing at the speed of a trance dj, for the last set at Dance Valley 10th Anniversery, fireworks going off half way through his set.... Reassures me that he is sucessful, and he doesnt have to try.

Oh and Jeff Mills I caught. A full 5 mintues of it. The same record the whole time... Isnt he suppose to able to play 140 records an hour?

So another word, just how over the top you need to be when you get your gigs regardless your performance?

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Originally Posted by Col

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Originally Posted by MangaFish

i think the best tricks are the ones that sound liek they were part of the record. anything more is showing off

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i disagree. if you think you can enhance a record by doing whatever you like to it, then that can only be good.

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but surely if you do it well, it sounds like it was ment to be recorded that way.

just as if you do it badly or too often, it sticks out like a sore thumb

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Originally Posted by MangaFish

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Originally Posted by Col

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Originally Posted by MangaFish

i think the best tricks are the ones that sound liek they were part of the record. anything more is showing off

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i disagree. if you think you can enhance a record by doing whatever you like to it, then that can only be good.

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but surely if you do it well, it sounds like it was ment to be recorded that way.

just as if you do it badly or too often, it sticks out like a sore thumb

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of course. i did say "enhance" ^

saw jeff mills last month and he was very technical. constantly had 2 tunes in the mix while he was digging thru his box for the next one. nice use of eq, nothing over the top. really enjoyed it

first time i saw dave clarke was at turnmills for split v atomic jam back in may. wikid set. he put alot of effort in and it was technical. good beat chopping and effects and it sounded lush on the turnmills system.

dj rush is a good one for letting the records do the work, but he drops them in the right place to make it really go off in every mix. doesnt need to over do any effects cos he chooses the records that work well together.

at the end of the day its all down to personal taste. i like it all. variety, spice, life etc

saying that i saw dave clarke lastnight at atomic jam and he was a bit hit n miss. perhaps he's been over doing it, too many gigs and that but who knows. ben simms played a nice set though

ben sims played the best set ive seen in years last night!

phenomenal,all action performance! :clap:

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Originally Posted by Frank Dogshit

ben sims played the best set ive seen in years last night!

phenomenal,all action performance! :clap:

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what was jam like???

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Originally Posted by Frank Dogshit

ben sims played the best set ive seen in years last night!

phenomenal,all action performance! :clap:

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rub it in ya bastard ;)

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Originally Posted by Frank Dogshit

ben sims played the best set ive seen in years last night!

phenomenal,all action performance! :clap:

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ben sims is THE MAN when it comes to technical skill behind the decks :twisted: ! his programming is top notch and he knows exactly when to cut it up without it being too much. his set in detroit this summer was pure banging tribal goodness......best techno set i've EVER seen :clap: !

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Originally Posted by mattboyslim

dj rush is a good one for letting the records do the work, but he drops them in the right place to make it really go off in every mix. doesnt need to over do any effects cos he chooses the records that work well together.

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I agree, I love listening to a DJ who can pull a set off the whole way like that.

I think if your going to play looped based techno then you have to mess around with it, I find it keeps it much more interesting and gives it that bit more energy. When I look up at a DJ behind the decks and he's all over them it just makes me want to dance more. But yeah its got to be good tunes and not to much of the same thing, bit of a DJ ying and yang... a good balance!
Dave Clarke played here in Dublin years ago in a small club called the Kitchen (before he was huge) and he ripped it up with double copys, scrathing etc etc, the man was on fire, why he gave this up I'll never know?

yeah,i think dave clarke plays now without much heart in it at all and turns up just for the money and not to entertain. it saddens me that as this is one dj who in previous years has never failed to amaze me each time ive seen him. id get excited before a night out about the prospect of him doing a another brilliant set but now its just 'ohhh dave clarkes on' and you pretty much know hes not gonna make you stand back in awe.

we all know he can be class but thesedays it looks as though he cant be bothered. :dontevengothere:

he was class at turnmills though and that was only a couple of months ago, so maybe he's jsut havin a stressful summer. who knows

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Originally Posted by Frank Dogshit

ben sims played the best set ive seen in years last night!

phenomenal,all action performance! :clap:

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I think Sims is probably the best Dj around at the moment, he played here in Dublin a couple of weeks ago in a 200 - 250 capacity venue and he wrecked the place! It's one of the best sets I've seen this year along with Jaime Bissmire, Oliver Ho, DJ Bone and Chris Liebing.

This is a great topic because it show's the division in thinking between people. In the "Good Old Days" people could dance and if you just strung records together in Detroit you would clear the floor.

The crowd was just more demanding back then, and still culturally diverse.

If you played a dud record you could lose a crowd so you had to constantly change records to keep things moving. That is how the quick mixing style evolved.... just more musically sophisticated crowds back then i guess. Better dancers for sure.

Now it seems to be a bit more snobbish because a few guys have Reaktor, Traktor, Reason, Live, etc. so they think they know what it's all about but it's actually pathetic compared to the late 80's early 90's. Why is it we never hear people talking about enjoying themselves anymore?

We seem to get all the know it all's who never had to play themselves or think stringing 40 similar records together is a great set. Those records are made that way for a reason.

Anyway just thought I'd try to explain and give you something to think about....

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Originally Posted by CY2

This is a great topic because it show's the division in thinking between people. In the "Good Old Days" people could dance and if you just strung records together in Detroit you would clear the floor.

The crowd was just more demanding back then, and still culturally diverse.

If you played a dud record you could lose a crowd so you had to constantly change records to keep things moving. That is how the quick mixing style evolved.... just more musically sophisticated crowds back then i guess. Better dancers for sure.

Now it seems to be a bit more snobbish because a few guys have Reaktor, Traktor, Reason, Live, etc. so they think they know what it's all about but it's actually pathetic compared to the late 80's early 90's. Why is it we never hear people talking about enjoying themselves anymore?

We seem to get all the know it all's who never had to play themselves or think stringing 40 similar records together is a great set. Those records are made that way for a reason.

Anyway just thought I'd try to explain and give you something to think about....

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spot on that...although i do like a bit of trickery myself... true though about nobody enjoys themselves like they used to in the good ol days.

true though about nobody enjoys themselves like they used to in the good ol days.[/quote]

I dont think thats 100% true, I love going out and hearing a good DJ play and hearing great tracks, I often find my self giving it socks on the dancefloor all night and shouting like an idiot :lol: , I doubt I'm the only one?

aye theres certainly not enough who go out there and go berzerk.

there were a few poncing about at atomic jam on the weekend,thankfully im not one of them! :lol:

then why did u get awarded "biggest ponce in Atomic Jam" at the end of the night danny?

you should come to Dublin, the atmosphere is brilliant at a good Techno night.

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Originally Posted by Luke Logan.

true though about nobody enjoys themselves like they used to in the good ol days.

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I dont think thats 100% true, I love going out and hearing a good DJ play and hearing great tracks, I often find my self giving it socks on the dancefloor all night and shouting like an idiot :lol: , I doubt I'm the only one?[/quote]

so do i ;)

but its nothing like it was... I'm not saying i dont enjoy myself and im not saying nobody else does either..but its nothing like it was 14 - 15 years ago.... they were propper atmospheres.. its all too chin strokey now...

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Originally Posted by oldbugger

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Originally Posted by Luke Logan.

true though about nobody enjoys themselves like they used to in the good ol days.

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I dont think thats 100% true, I love going out and hearing a good DJ play and hearing great tracks, I often find my self giving it socks on the dancefloor all night and shouting like an idiot :lol: , I doubt I'm the only one?

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so do i ;)

but its nothing like it was... I'm not saying i dont enjoy myself and im not saying nobody else does either..but its nothing like it was 14 - 15 years ago.... they were propper atmospheres.. its all too chin strokey now...[/quote]

ever boogied in scotland......

we go totally metal.....and have loads of fun/nonsence on the dancefloor.....i dont agree with whats just been said...maybe down your way but not here.

anyway djs over doing it-----FUK OFF....djs being wak ------aye...thers a differnence..................

...... ill agree that a shit dj caining it is HORRIBLE tho....

i might even get of my lazy arse and post a dj video...see if you think its too much or not..