DJs that really earn their money

UFO over easy

online mahjong
Kode 9 plays good tunes, and knows how to structure sets.. but he can't mix! If he could beatmatch, he'd be amazing.
 
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peripheral

Active member
UFO over easy said:
Kode 9 plays good tunes, and knows how to structure sets.. but he can't mix! If he could beatmatch, he'd be amazing.

this is very true, but i think it's quite a deliberately irreverent kode 9 approach, like dropping tunes at the 'wrong' point, playing hip-hop at bash/prince at dmz etc etc. i find his 'platter-pushing' quite charming, and a welcome refresh from technical approach of, say, youngsta.

have to say hatcha is hands down the best dj i've ever heard but, in terms of earning yr money, joe nice is a consumate performer every time.
 

Canada J Soup

Monkey Man
I dunno what they're like these days cause it's been years since I've seen them, but I always felt like I got my moneys worth when seeing Laurent Garnier, Carl Craig, Dave Clarke, Kevin Saunderson, Derrick May or Andy Weatherall circa 1994 - 1997. Carl Craig could sometimes play a duff set, but was amazing when he was on form. (I'd always come away having totally reevaluated five or six of the tracks he played and desperately wanting to know what ten or twelve others were.) Saunderson, May, Garnier and Weatherall always seemed to know what the crowd wanted to hear. Dave Clarke was maybe not to everyone's taste, but if you liked your techno loud, fast and frenetically mixed he never disappointed.
 

dubble-u-c

Dorkus Maximus
UFO over easy said:
Kode 9 plays good tunes, and knows how to structure sets.. but he can't mix! If he could beatmatch, he'd be amazing.

I don't know about that. I think by him putting different types of music together it doesn't sound perfectly mixed but without the aid of computer editing and the like what he does usually sounds pretty well mixed. Its not perfect but it's good enough and it takes some courage to do what he does- in my opinion.


I also believe you have a point though - sometimes I hear some clunkiness in his mixes .
I often think the same of Rupture. I think this is because the musical palates they are drawing from are disparate and by default somewhat dissonant when mixed together.
They are taking artistic risks when they do this and really working- just by trying to do what they do. It also for the most part comes across in an entertaining, educational and engaging way. Wouldn't this be the definition of "a dj earning their money"?
 

dubble-u-c

Dorkus Maximus
Canada J Soup said:
Dave Clarke was maybe not to everyone's taste, but if you liked your techno loud, fast and frenetically mixed he never disappointed.

I heard Dave Clark once in San Francisco. I was very impressed by the energy and speed in which he mixed. Also he did this backspinning trick with the records that just blew me away at the time. This was around 1996 or something.
 

mms

sometimes
dubble-u-c said:
I don't know about that. I think by him putting different types of music together it doesn't sound perfectly mixed but without the aid of computer editing and the like what he does usually sounds pretty well mixed. Its not perfect but it's good enough and it takes some courage to do what he does- in my opinion.


I also believe you have a point though - sometimes I hear some clunkiness in his mixes .
I often think the same of Rupture. I think this is because the musical palates they are drawing from are disparate and by default somewhat dissonant when mixed together.
They are taking artistic risks when they do this and really working- just by trying to do what they do. It also for the most part comes across in an entertaining, educational and engaging way. Wouldn't this be the definition of "a dj earning their money"?

well good djing for me is about 70% selection and 30% skill at beatmatching - to be fair to kode i think his skills are ok, he doesn't use computers, he takes risks with selection and that makes him much more interesting than someone seamless but dull.
 

dubble-u-c

Dorkus Maximus
mms said:
well good djing for me is about 70% selection and 30% skill at beatmatching - to be fair to kode i think his skills are ok, he doesn't use computers, he takes risks with selection and that makes him much more interesting than someone seamless but dull.

I would agree with this for the most part. I mean -I am absolutely perfectionistic about beat matching/ phrasing and being in the the proper key when I DJ myself - But some of the best Dj's in the world can bring the walls down without beat matching or mixing at all.


http://www.andwedanced.com/venues/loft.htm
 

dogger

Sweet Virginia
dubble-u-c said:
I would agree with this for the most part. I mean -I am absolutely perfectionistic about beat matching/ phrasing and being in the the proper key when I DJ myself - But some of the best Dj's in the world can bring the walls down without beat matching or mixing at all.


http://www.andwedanced.com/venues/loft.htm

yeah i would tend to agree with this position rather than mms'....although a rapid-fire, rough around the edges style (like kode 9's) or a so-eclectic-it's-beyond-smooth-mixing style (like kieran hebden when he plays at the end) can be effective too. i've always enjoyed the 9 live...especially his set at fwd in berlin in april. the last twenty minutes had everyone absolutely losing it....

other faves (from the smoother school of mixing):
akufen (when in weird, crunchy micro house mode)
philip sherburne (seriously - his set at maria in berlin is one the best minimal sets i've seen...not a dud record in sight)
wighnomy bros when they're on form
luciano - all about the pornstar tash and white vest (didn't weatherall have this look for a while?)
cassy - only seen her once (on an artificial beach in germany on a blazing hot sunday afternoon)...she trod a perfect line between perlon-type minimal and funky chicago
 

UFO over easy

online mahjong
dubble-u-c said:
I don't know about that. I think by him putting different types of music together it doesn't sound perfectly mixed but without the aid of computer editing and the like what he does usually sounds pretty well mixed. Its not perfect but it's good enough and it takes some courage to do what he does- in my opinion.


I also believe you have a point though - sometimes I hear some clunkiness in his mixes .
I often think the same of Rupture. I think this is because the musical palates they are drawing from are disparate and by default somewhat dissonant when mixed together.
They are taking artistic risks when they do this and really working- just by trying to do what they do. It also for the most part comes across in an entertaining, educational and engaging way. Wouldn't this be the definition of "a dj earning their money"?


Oh, Kode 9 earns his money, no question. He loves what he's doing too which is nice to see :)

And yes, it does take courage to drop Prince at DMZ... but he didn't mix into or out of Sign of the Times, and other than that, everything he plays is "138 shit". The musical palates he draws from aren't that disparate at all - he plays grime, and he plays dubstep. Occasionally he plays a crunk vocal or something, but he doesn't play anything which couldn't be mixed smoothly if he practised a bit, which is a shame. If his blending was a bit less dodgy, he'd be the best DJ out there. By miles.

mms said:
well good djing for me is about 70% selection and 30% skill at beatmatching - to be fair to kode i think his skills are ok, he doesn't use computers, he takes risks with selection and that makes him much more interesting than someone seamless but dull.

I agree to a certain extent. But certainly not with dubstep. Part of what I love about dubstep, and about hearing someone like Youngsta play, is that you'll hear a load of great tunes, but they'll all work together as a whole. Like a good techno set or something. Hearing someone beatmatch a tune badly is the easiest and quickest way to jolt me out of that awesome meditative state the DMZ lot talk about so much.
 

peripheral

Active member
UFO over easy said:
Oh, Kode 9 earns his money, no question. He loves what he's doing too which is nice to see :)

And yes, it does take courage to drop Prince at DMZ... but he didn't mix into or out of Sign of the Times, and other than that, everything he plays is "138 shit". The musical palates he draws from aren't that disparate at all - he plays grime, and he plays dubstep.

I agree to a certain extent. But certainly not with dubstep. Part of what I love about dubstep, and about hearing someone like Youngsta play, is that you'll hear a load of great tunes, but they'll all work together as a whole. Like a good techno set or something. Hearing someone beatmatch a tune badly is the easiest and quickest way to jolt me out of that awesome meditative state the DMZ lot talk about so much.

yup true no mixing of prince went on. would have been all the more impressive if he'd done that, agreed. I think it depends what you're looking for from your dj - technical skills but no risk-taking at all with the selection (albeit a good selection anyway - youngsta) or ambitious, original selection (certainly in terms of dubstep) with the occasional bit of dodgy mixing. kode 9 sets feel to me like he's always striving for something new - some new thing that happens when 2 unexpected tunes are dropped together in a traditionally wonky (I'm all out of adjectives) way. doesn't always quite get there but I love listening to him try.

as for the lack of disparate kode 9 selection - i just saw diplo in ny, and the day that kode 9 similarly 'proves' his eclecticism by dropping a hip-hop version of going 2 the chapel is the day I...well, something quite terrible anyways...
 

stelfox

Beast of Burden
UFO over easy said:
That awesome meditative state the DMZ lot talk about so much.

why would you want to go out to feel like this? surely meditative states are best enjoyed at home?
this sounds absolutely horrible to me and completely against the point of going out in the first place.
i want to hear music that makes people lose their shit whn they go out, not nod and say"hmmm, good mixing, intricate sonic architecture, makes me want to doze off..."
almost as bad an idea as the big chill.
 

peripheral

Active member
stelfox said:
why would you want to go out to feel like this? surely meditative states are best enjoyed at home?
this sounds absolutely horrible to me and completely against the point of going out in the first place.
i want to hear music that makes people lose their shit whn they go out, not nod and say"hmmm, good mixing, intricate sonic architecture, makes me want to doze off..."
almost as bad an idea as the big chill.

but not quite. youngsta sets bring this on though. and ppl do lose it - with ne'er a mention of sonic architecture...
 

stelfox

Beast of Burden
but they don't lose it, that's the point! i've never ever seen this happen and not for want of trying! i want to believe it but just can't because all evidence points to the fact that it doesn't occur!
i mean, people dance, but they don't go fucking nuts, like they do to any other music i want to hear.
the only good record to have come out of the dubstep scene in the past few years has been the burial album and that's because it actually has the guts to admit that it's home-listening music.
 
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peripheral

Active member
stelfox said:
but they don't lose it!!!! i've never ever seen this happen and not for want of trying. i want to believe it but just can't!
the only good record to have come out of the dubstep scene in the past few years has been the burial album and that's because it actually has the gut to admit that it's home-listening music.
not to labour a previous theme, but i think it's a while since you went to fwd, no?! ppl lose it all over the shop, in a variety of different ways. anyways, well off-topic now...dubstep hate thread, any1?!
 

stelfox

Beast of Burden
peripheral said:
not to labour a previous theme, but i think it's a while since you went to fwd, no?! ppl lose it all over the shop, in a variety of different ways. anyways, well off-topic now...dubstep hate thread, any1?!

no it was a few weeks ago, actually, so unless there's been a massive sea-change in the past month or so, i'm standing by what i've said. and i don't hate dubstep. i just don't think it's very interesting.

besides, english people have always been the worst dancers in the world and crowds here just don't "lose it" much to anything!
 
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peripheral

Active member
stelfox said:
no it was a few weeks ago, actually, so unless there's been a massive sea-change in the past month or so, i'm standing by what i've said. and i don't hate dubstep. i just don't think it's very interesting.

my bad then. fair enough :cool:
 

stelfox

Beast of Burden
well, it is my job to check this stuff out. i don't just make sweeping random statements without any basis in fact, or at least what i've seen to be the case. i admire the passion and enthusiasm of dubstep fans a lot and there is certainly good in it as a genre, but the future of british club music? i sincerely hope not.
 
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UFO over easy

online mahjong
stelfox said:
why would you want to go out to feel like this? surely meditative states are best enjoyed at home?
this sounds absolutely horrible to me and completely against the point of going out in the first place.
i want to hear music that makes people lose their shit whn they go out, not nod and say"hmmm, good mixing, intricate sonic architecture, makes me want to doze off..."
almost as bad an idea as the big chill.

Well now you're just making stuff up.. and it sounds like you have a fairly simplistic view of meditation. It doesn't mean being completely still, eyes closed, whatever..

You make it sound like it's a very forced experience, when nothing could be further from the truth. It's not something I can be bothered trying to write about either, as it would be totally hopeless. That makes it difficult for journalists and forum people, but that's not the end of the world..

And the point of good, seamless mixing is not that it makes you stroke your chin and go "hmm that's very nice mixing there," .. you barely even notice it's happening. Again, like a good techno set.
 
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