What do DJ's do

MooseJam

Hi what do DJ's do, some will just change tracks right but what about all those famous DJ's, do they write their own music and if so why do they call themselves DJ's they'd be music artists like everybody else.

ntlbell

MooseJam wrote: »

Hi what do DJ's do, some will just change tracks right but what about all those famous DJ's, do they write their own music and if so why do they call themselves DJ's they'd be music artists like everybody else.

some are Dj's some are DJ's/prodcuers

DJ's/singers

DJ#s/porn stars etc

run_Forrest_run

The best source here and here

PhiliousPhogg

Some djs can be very good at recognising rhythms and loops in different tracks and mix them together to great effect. They may however, lack the creativity to produce their own material and they can't be considered artists IMO.

Lots of djs won't try to produce their own music because, A) It takes week/months of work to complete, as opposed to updating a record collection and constantly improvising a dj set, and They're likely to produce sh!t.

The "dance" music industry is horribly commercial. Superstar djs, the likes of which play at big events, may have made their names with good work, but they're milking their reputation to the last. If you're talking about paying a large entry fee to see them play, they are a waste of time musically. The attraction with those big events is that you get a few thousand people dancing together and they all go crazy for the music. It could be any part-time dj with a bit of talent up there imo. I'm talking about Carl Cox, Paul Oakenfold, Paul Van Dyke, Tiesto and many more. Behind all that there's a whole world of underground music which requires a bit of effort to explore.

MikeHoncho

Dj's provide an atmosphere and ambience etc. They are there to make people dance and enjoy themselves. Secondary to that they are there to "educate" people musically by being on the cutting edge and picking the best tracks and sounds for people to hear. Some make their own music, some dont but anyone who is succesfull basically has a knack for playing tunes that make people dance and enjoy themselves.

BaZmO*

Coke & Groupies

Diddler82

Type 1.

The dudes who play in Clubs, 21st etc around Dublin and play R&B and charty stuff are the lowest form of DJ, usually use VirtualDJ to beat match or dont even try at all. They guys are basically guys who see a niche and exploit it for commercial DJ's. Fair play to them, there is half decent money involved. Play in clubs like D2, Coppers etc etc

Type 2.

Guys who can beat match, know their BPM's, know their music and stick to a specific genre when they play whether it is Dance and its many sub-genre's (Trance, Techno, Minimal, Hardstyle etc) / HipHop / R&B etc etc. Will play in the Vaults, Tripod etc. Eddie Halliwell is one of the greatest examples of this, he has not produced or remixed any music but has his own label and usually plays this stuff, throwing in a few loops and scratches to please the crowd. In the past 2/3 years I reckon he has sold out like Oakenfeld a few years before that, but that is only my opinion.

Type 3.

The third type is the producers who make a specific type of music and a lot of their success is based around this. They are like the DJ’s I have mentioned above but take it a step further. They are usually very good DJ’s but are more renowned for their producing, remixing skills. DJ’s like John O’Callaghan, Bryan Kearney are 2 very good Irish examples of this that are extremely talented and can do both.

Type 4.

The SuperStar DJ's - Tiesto, Armin, Van Dyk, Carl Cox, have built up a rep usually through genuine talent and have evolved through the years and adapted to changes in the demand on the Dance Scene. Mixture of producing their own stuff and sell out crowds at big dance events have made them who they are....admittedly sometimes they will lose some of their older fans because they have evolved but they are trying to appeal to the wider market, which although it does not sit well with the purists, it keeps them fresh and making money.

Type 5.

The Virus of DJ's - Cascada, Country Music Dance Remix's etc etc, Scooter to an extent, you get my drift. Vocals, Bass = Formula for 12/13 year olds. They should have their fingers and ears cut off!

Finally..Im not a DJ, I am just into Dance Music and they are my takes on the types of DJ's out there

Jay D

PhiliousPhogg wrote: »

The "dance" music industry is horribly commercial. Superstar djs, the likes of which play at big events, may have made their names with good work, but they're milking their reputation to the last. If you're talking about paying a large entry fee to see them play, they are a waste of time musically. The attraction with those big events is that you get a few thousand people dancing together and they all go crazy for the music. It could be any part-time dj with a bit of talent up there imo. I'm talking about Carl Cox, Paul Oakenfold, Paul Van Dyke, Tiesto and many more. Behind all that there's a whole world of underground music which requires a bit of effort to explore.

LOL, He actually said that!!

Diddler82

Jay D wrote: »

LOL, He actually said that!!

Was thinking that myself!!!

MooseJam

some very interesting replies there, so who actually writes all the music, and is it released under their own name - I'm not well versed in electronic music at all , could anyone mention a few big names, maybe I've heard of them , it just seems whenever I see it on telly or on the radio it's a dj doing it, or maybe I'm mistaken about how often it's a dj because it's just something you'd remember. Also I'd assume those famous dj's would have to pay everybody for the music they use right.

jtsuited

Diddler82 wrote: »

Type 1.

The dudes who play in Clubs, 21st etc around Dublin and play R&B and charty stuff are the lowest form of DJ, usually use VirtualDJ to beat match or dont even try at all. They guys are basically guys who see a niche and exploit it for commercial DJ's. Fair play to them, there is half decent money involved. Play in clubs like D2, Coppers etc etc

Type 2.

Guys who can beat match, know their BPM's, know their music and stick to a specific genre when they play whether it is Dance and its many sub-genre's (Trance, Techno, Minimal, Hardstyle etc) / HipHop / R&B etc etc. Will play in the Vaults, Tripod etc. Eddie Halliwell is one of the greatest examples of this, he has not produced or remixed any music but has his own label and usually plays this stuff, throwing in a few loops and scratches to please the crowd. In the past 2/3 years I reckon he has sold out like Oakenfeld a few years before that, but that is only my opinion.

Type 3.

The third type is the producers who make a specific type of music and a lot of their success is based around this. They are like the DJ’s I have mentioned above but take it a step further. They are usually very good DJ’s but are more renowned for their producing, remixing skills. DJ’s like John O’Callaghan, Bryan Kearney are 2 very good Irish examples of this that are extremely talented and can do both.

Type 4.

The SuperStar DJ's - Tiesto, Armin, Van Dyk, Carl Cox, have built up a rep usually through genuine talent and have evolved through the years and adapted to changes in the demand on the Dance Scene. Mixture of producing their own stuff and sell out crowds at big dance events have made them who they are....admittedly sometimes they will lose some of their older fans because they have evolved but they are trying to appeal to the wider market, which although it does not sit well with the purists, it keeps them fresh and making money.

Type 5.

The Virus of DJ's - Cascada, Country Music Dance Remix's etc etc, Scooter to an extent, you get my drift. Vocals, Bass = Formula for 12/13 year olds. They should have their fingers and ears cut off!

Finally..Im not a DJ, I am just into Dance Music and they are my takes on the types of DJ's out there

nail on the head. good post.

Hagakure_irl

Missed out on Turntablists, true to the artform themsevles

brianc27

djs are musicians :pac::pac::pac:

Diddler82

MooseJam wrote: »

some very interesting replies there, so who actually writes all the music, and is it released under their own name - I'm not well versed in electronic music at all , could anyone mention a few big names, maybe I've heard of them , it just seems whenever I see it on telly or on the radio it's a dj doing it, or maybe I'm mistaken about how often it's a dj because it's just something you'd remember. Also I'd assume those famous dj's would have to pay everybody for the music they use right.

Depends really, DJ's like Armin for example with play a lot of music that is produced by different artists and in some cases different remixes of certain songs.

http://web.libimseti.cz/trancemaniak/armin-only-08---imagine---playlist_529292.html

If you look at the link above you will see tracks by different producers but then there is also the remixes done by other DJ's and Vocal Remixes on top of that.

The thing is with this is that if their tracks or remixes are played by Armin their rep is going to be increased. For example John O'Callaghan's rep has increase tenfold since "Big Sky" was released last year and then the Agnelli & Nelson remix was released which was played by all the big Trance DJ's...as a result O'Callaghan's rep and demand increased..thus more bookings, more demand to produce and also in his case to remix tracks. Which then brings me to Timmy & Tommy Full Tiltin (for example) the Joint Operations Centre (which is John O'Callaghan - note the initials!) Remix was massive so because of the job he did on this and the track itself being quality and being played by all the big DJ's at all the big events last year both their reps/demands have increased.

On the flip side of that you have the likes of David Guetta and Fedde Le Grand who have had their brand of commerical productions make advertisments on television etc and this has increased their rep and get paid quiet well for it too, although personally I dont like their live sets or think they are particularily good performers live.

Does that make sense?

Progger

MooseJam wrote: »

some very interesting replies there, so who actually writes all the music, and is it released under their own name - I'm not well versed in electronic music at all , could anyone mention a few big names, maybe I've heard of them , it just seems whenever I see it on telly or on the radio it's a dj doing it, or maybe I'm mistaken about how often it's a dj because it's just something you'd remember. Also I'd assume those famous dj's would have to pay everybody for the music they use right.

A lot of DJ/Producer's Collaborate. One such DJ is John Digweed. Fantastic DJ but rarely Produces on his own. He is one half of Bedrock with Nick Muir. Nick muir is a musician/Producer but does not DJ. Also most producers will pay vocalists to perform on tracks. This is mostly a set price before the tune is made and is not a percentage of sales. Depending on the depth of work of course. It is quite hard to find specifics of monetary issues reguarding music of any type as this is all classified within a contract.
James Zabiela is another fine example of a DJ/Producer, I cant wait for his masters series CD to be released. Got mine on back order.

seannash

Progger wrote: »

A lot of DJ/Producer's Collaborate. One such DJ is John Digweed. Fantastic DJ but rarely Produces on his own. He is one half of Bedrock with Nick Muir. Nick muir is a musician/Producer but does not DJ. Also most producers will pay vocalists to perform on tracks. This is mostly a set price before the tune is made and is not a percentage of sales. Depending on the depth of work of course. It is quite hard to find specifics of monetary issues reguarding music of any type as this is all classified within a contract.
James Zabiela is another fine example of a DJ/Producer, I cant wait for his masters series CD to be released. Got mine on back order.

its not really a collab when only one guy puts there name to it.like pete tong,carl cox and im pretty sure zabielia isnt doing his productions all by himself.sashas another one who in the begining had a producer make his tracks and slapped his name on them.
they just pay a guy to make them the tracks and they call it there own.its getting more common which is a shame.people are realising that djing talent isnt enough these days to get you anywhere and you need to have your own tracks,hence getting people in to make tracks for them coz they couldnt be arsed to learn how to do it themselves

pallepille

MooseJam wrote: »

Hi what do DJ's do, some will just change tracks right but what about all those famous DJ's, do they write their own music and if so why do they call themselves DJ's they'd be music artists like everybody else.

Its all about looking ridiculously cool, ohh yea and a david guetta style haircut (you seriously need gel)

VinylJunkie

Good Electronic music belongs in the underground you will notice anything that hits radio has a lump of melted cheese stuck to it or is 160bpm with a horrible german tranny vocal on top!

To experience electronic music take yourself to a self promoted night of drum and bass or techno/electro and enjoy it.

BTW a DJ is the guy or girl who knows what the next tune has to be to take their audience on the next step
Fixed

Jev/N

VinylJunkie wrote: »

BTW a DJ is the guy or girl who knows what the next tune has to be to take their audience on the next step of their journey

:rolleyes: ffs

seannash

Jev/N wrote: »

:rolleyes: ffs

ha ha agreed,the journey phrase should be done away with all together IMO

VinylJunkie

its just the way I see it maybe the wrong word :P

VinylJunkie

Diddler82 wrote: »

Type 4.

The SuperStar DJ's - Tiesto, Armin, Van Dyk, Carl Cox, have built up a rep usually through genuine talent and have evolved through the years and adapted to changes in the demand on the Dance Scene. Mixture of producing their own stuff and sell out crowds at big dance events have made them who they are....admittedly sometimes they will lose some of their older fans because they have evolved but they are trying to appeal to the wider market, which although it does not sit well with the purists, it keeps them fresh and making money.

In some cases {

Tiesto

} lake of genuine talent

L1011

seannash wrote: »

its not really a collab when only one guy puts there name to it.like pete tong,carl cox and im pretty sure zabielia isnt doing his productions all by himself.sashas another one who in the begining had a producer make his tracks and slapped his name on them.

Theres a borderline - and not a fine one - between 'putting your name on someones else track' and having an engineer for your tracks thats getting harder and harder to discern these days. Without knowing the exact details its hard to tell; but there are definately John O'Callaghan and Sean Tyas tracks doing the rounds with other peoples names slapped on them as well as people for whom they are just engineers/producers (in the old sense); there would examples in all genres I guess.

Neurojazz

The superstar DJs also can help the scene.... you get PVD presenting many other artists with the Vandit radio/label - so there's help there for up and coming artists - But then goto Tiestos site and it looks like Idol worship and every single thing has Tiesto next to it - he'll be pressing limited edition records with his DNA in it for his fans at any moment.

VinylJunkie

I agree that the so called superstars attract people to electronic music such as when I seen sasha for the first time..I still love his music but some people are attracted by say Tiesto then suddenly realize that there is much more to electronic music than people with trance aids.

FLYNN-DOG

Exactly, every1 remembers Timo maas - techno and minimal are on the up again -he gets Santos (of "Camels" fame) to produce the tune, then releases it as "subtellite" by Timo Maas, knowing people are gonna be more inclined to listen to it on the back of his previous tunes and rep. Scandalous.

Diddler82

VinylJunkie wrote: »

In some cases {

Tiesto

} lake of genuine talent

I think Tiesto is a talented DJ, he has produced some good stuff, is brilliant live most of the time and is the epitomy of what all DJ's want to be regardless of their genre.

However I do firmly believe he has sold out, especially listening to anything he has produced in the last 5 or 6 years and some of the tracks he plays in his sets.

VinylJunkie

Diddler82 wrote: »

I think Tiesto is a talented DJ, he has produced some good stuff, is brilliant live most of the time and is the epitomy of what all DJ's want to be regardless of their genre.

However I do firmly believe he has sold out, especially listening to anything he has produced in the last 5 or 6 years and some of the tracks he plays in his sets.

Do you honestly believe ALL DJ's want to be like Tiesto? Not everyone likes the limelight and stardom of becoming a so called superstar DJ.

Id love to just get gigs in small underground clubs and play to a crowd of people who appreciate good electronic music. Plus not all DJ's want to get trance aids

Zascar

I'm sure most dj's would not want to get to tiesto status. He's the crazy frog of dj's.

Trance Aids - LOL

hannah-j

nothing

they play cd's on a fancy podium and bob there heads as if they are doing something difficult...a few twists here and there on a crappy tiesto mix

jonny68

VinylJunkie wrote: »

Good Electronic music belongs in the underground

Absolutely, dance music started as an underground scene before the corporate wan*ers like Ministry Of Sound,Cream,Gatecrasher,etc (insert corporate crap club/promoter here)seen the ££££££££ that could be made and milked it for all it's worth.

With this recession getting worse every day i think we will see an explosion of illegal Raves,especially during the summer, look forward to it as well.:cool:

VinylJunkie

hannah-j wrote: »

nothing

they play cd's on a fancy podium and bob there heads as if they are doing something difficult...a few twists here and there on a crappy tiesto mix

I see your a fan of peter hook so!:pac:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m01g4XnC_qU

UnderpantsGnome

Stage 1: Become DJ

Stage 2: ???

Stage 3: Profit!!!

L1011

hannah-j wrote: »

nothing

they play cd's on a fancy podium and bob there heads as if they are doing something difficult...a few twists here and there on a crappy tiesto mix

Here, want to actually try it?

I enjoy nothing more than watching people who think DJing is 'easy' crashing and burning...

And I don't think I've ever played a Tiesto track, let alone reusing someone elses mix.

DarkJager

hannah-j wrote: »

nothing

they play cd's on a fancy podium and bob there heads as if they are doing something difficult...a few twists here and there on a crappy tiesto mix

Oh how ill informed you are. Come back when you even slightly understand whats involved in dj'ing.

jtsuited

jonny68 wrote: »

With this recession getting worse every day i think we will see an explosion of illegal Raves,especially during the summer, look forward to it as well.:cool:

I highly doubt it.

FLYNN-DOG

jtsuited wrote: »

I highly doubt it.

Yeah, the Gardai may be the most incompetent workers in Ireland, but they'd still clamp down on these things asap.

BaZmO*

Plus amidst the big R, clubs will be falling over themselves to allow promoters to host nights.