What is a DJ?

[TheGoldenMaverick]

After a few months on this board it has become obvious that everyone here seems to have a different idea of what constitutes a DJ. What is your opinion on this?

The idea of being a Disc Jockey in the real sense of the words seems to be losing face these days. All this talk of DJ software seems miles away from my idea of the term DJ. The turn away from vinyl to CD then to Mini Disc and now to MP3 has revolutionised how music is played out in clubs but has it been for the better. Perhaps I'm just into the anorak version of being a DJ. I get a great kick out of looking at thousands of pieces of vinyl on my shelves, I love going through them and choosing a set and then it culminates in producing a set. There is no better feeling than mixing a set, none of this beat counter nonsense, just using your hands, eyes and ears. Have we lost sense of what it means to be a DJ? I'd love to hear everyones ideas on this.

The Golden Maverick

[Bren Long]

You need to split the argument into two there GoldenMeverick.
I see two types of DJ, the radio jock and the turntablist, both of which have some common attributes, both of which also having their differences, but both serving different markets.

I'm in the same school as yourself.
Sifting through the vinyl collection and piecing together a set is as enjoyable now as it was all those years ago. I get a great buzz out of it, and it's a great feeling when you dig out a few gems from yesteryear, throw them into a set, and they still sound as fresh in the set as they did when they were first released. (I did a gig recently and dropped "Al Naayfish" by Hashim into a set to break it up a bit. The crowds reaction was fantastic and a good number of punters approached me asking what the tune was and when would it be released. They couldn't believe it when I told them it was from 1983!)
I also am of the opinion that BPM counters, mixing software, etc, take away 'the essence from the art'.
They do nothing to add to the enjoyment of getting up there and using the hands on approach of building a set.

As for radio gigs, to quote Bill O'Herlihy, "I'm no expert in this matter..", I think that being a good radio jock constitutes being able to relate to your listener, not only with the music, but also with your links.
There's some great examples out there on the airwaves of radio presenters who are exceptional in their delivery and their ability to keep the listeners interested.

[Joe Momma]

for what it's worth, and that's not much, my humble and rather simplistic view is:

A DJ is someone who knows his/her music and plays music.

A presenter is someone who is more 'link-driven'.

For example, I would classify Donal Dineen as a DJ and Ray Darcy as a presenter.

Cue backlash.

[Joe Momma]

now I've just realised that I've totally missed the point of your post GM, because I didn't read it properly.

I'm going home to hang my head in shame.

[Turiel]

Hmmm...

The way I see it, there's two main parts to DJing. The first is picking the tunes, and the second is playing them. To be honest, any gimp can play the tunes. After a bit of practice, said gimp will probably be able to mix them quite well too. The important part of DJing in my eyes is SELECTING the tunes. Knowing which ones will keep people on the dancefloor, which ones will surprise them (while keeping them dancing), and which will make them love you forever ;).

I DJ'd for a year without being able to mix. Yet I still got good gigs, where both the managers and crowd liked what I did. So the ability to mix isn't really that essential.

So what means you use to actually play the music is fairly immaterial. Vinyl, CD, or MP3. If I keep them dancing and having a great time, then THAT is what I get a kick out of.

Having said that, you're right, it still feels good to get a great mix. But whether I do it by CD or vinyl or MP3, that feeling doesnt change. Yes, DJing is an art form, it's still an art no matter what you use!

As it happens, I dont use beat counters, because regardless of what they say, you're still going to have to adjust the pitch somewhat anyway.

I think however, that the balance between the importance of selecting and the importance of mixing is relative to the type and venue of the gig. If for example it's the redbox, or temple theatre, mixing becomes much more important. Whereas in others clubs -fireworks, coyote, club m, etc where the punters couldn't give a toss its actually not all that important.

All the above is IMHO of course.

[V/O Wannabe]

I think anyone who sits behind a mic and follows a playlist is a presenter. Almost every radio personality falls under this category. There are some radio stations however that try to keep the "Dj-ing" side of alive. For example, Red FM follow a playlist but every tune is on a cd which whoever is on air has to find and load up etc.....I think this is something which all stations should adapt.

With regard to what constitutes a Dj, i will use the words of Seb Fontaine:

"There are only 10 points a Dj can get, 2 for mixing, 2 for crowd interaction, and 6 for tune selection....."

[Peadar]

I still think tho' that if there's too much automation even in places like Fireworks it'll detract from the whole experience. Last summer i worked in a retail outlet with a high power sound system coupled to a auto-mixing cd player the aim of which being to simulate a live mix with any CD's you'd thow at it - and to be honest it did a pretty good job of entertaining the teenyboppers who'd come in. However, if you're paying good money into a club i think the least a DJ can do is mix a few 'real' tunes from CD or vinyl.

[Turiel]

There's possibly some misunderstanding as regards to how you actually DJ with MP3s. Yes, you can get programs which will automix etc. But the serious DJ software is only part of the system, there's also the hardware part which acts exactly like a cd player unit. So you still have to mix everything the same as you would a CD, the only difference is you select the song on a screen rather than put a cd in the drawer.

I more than agree that it would be disgraceful to use any sort of automation in a club rather than a DJ actually playing songs. Which, funnily enough, is actually what happens in ehh... a particular club on grafton street (no prizes for guessing which). A certain DJ there refuses to play R&B so instead Raduga is used for the night.

[TheGoldenMaverick]

Originally posted by Joe Momma
now I've just realised that I've totally missed the point of your post GM, because I didn't read it properly.

I'm going home to hang my head in shame.

No far from it Joe. All ideas welcome. When I read back over my initial post I realised that it was somewhat tainted by my experiences as a DJ. I didn't want it to seem that way but I guess even when I'm asking a question I can't help volunteering an opinion.
It's just interesting to see what makes a DJ. For me it's always been about the music but I'm sure for other people it's just about the buzz of being on radio i.e. some people express themselves via their music and others via their personality. Sometimes it appears that for personality jocks the music is irrelevant, it doesn't matter what they play cos that's not why they're on the air or behind the decks. Is this a fair assumption?

The GM

[Bren Long]

Can I throw a third type of DJ into the loop and mention the Mobile DJ?
Possibly the middle ground between personality jock and club jock, because not only is the tune selection important (and a broader genre range) but also there's a requirement for some sort of personality in order to fulfil the MCing needs.

For me, the music comes first. It's what got me DJing in the first place and it's what keeps me DJing now.
The gigs I get are there because of demand for the music I play. My radio show was because I specialised in a certain type of music, not because of how I could present my links (thankfully).

[KJ]

Interesting you should mention Mobile Jocks Bren. I think anyone interested in doing mainstream/chessy clubs should do loads of mobile gigs as its probably the best training ground you'll get re: reading a crowd at future (commercial) gigs.

Re: Radio - as already been mentioned, for the likes of John Peel the songs take precedence whereas someone like Chris Moyles would be looking way beyond the music and looking at inserts etc as been more important

A "DJ" is several things IMHO and anyone in the industry (especially club jocks) should read "Last Night A DJ Saved My Life" when you get a chance for the history of our profession - there's lots of radio stuff in the early chapters, particularly on early Rock N Roll American jocks like Alan Freed


KJ

;)

[Iano]

A customer tonight asked for a track and i told her ,''sorry , we dont play that on a friday'' . Her reply was as follows ''I thought the concept of a DJ was to play what the punter asks for regardless of what night it is . i paid in here so i expect to hear my favourite kind of music , most of what i have heard is rave and it it's for druggies . [im thinkin , shit i better not play missy elliot again ] ..

So lads , What is a DJ ? A dj is basically a performing monkey who's expected by customers to drop what their doing to immediately cater for their selfish needs ..........

Quote Bob Monkhouse '''I dont know the secret of success , but i do know the secret of failure is trying to please everybody ......

Ianoooooo

[DeargDoom]

I love the punters that come up to you and say things like "I ORDERED a song twenty minutes ago". Would you like fries with that madam? Actually not, you're fat enough already honey.

But what IS a DJ?

District Judge

or

Dinner Jacket

was always the gag that went around Radio Dublin when I was getting into the business (the other big joke was that Eamon was innocent, but sure that was totally unbelievable!)