~*~Wanna be a Dj~*~

[esa]

So after some conversation this week with a good friend "X", the comment was brought up about not telling any of our other musical friends about this persons Dj job. "Musicians hate Dj's...they'll hate me." This friend does the whole band scene thing but also makes a living Dj'ing. Does a helluva good job too. "X" doesn't sit still, everyone loves "X", "X" mixes great tunes (okay..it's rap, but it makes me dance none-the-less and "X" tries and slips in some heavy songs for me and dmfj at the beginning...so dmfj can shake his groove thang ::shiver:: ) and the light show is impressive.

So that got me thinking...do we as musicians really treat Dj's like shit? I mean, I know several of us rant and rave about how Dj's are taking over our clubs, cutting down our show times because of their convenience of set up and tune mixage and because they are sometimes often cheaper than paying a band. I know we also complain about the nights we go out to hear a band and the only thing out there is a Dj...

So what makes a Dj "okay"? This friend is one of the great ones..."X" makes living doing music they love, mixing this and that to make the evening high beat and an experience. DMFJ's stepdad is a Dj. He and his two other partners seem to have a relaxed setting and just chill behind the booth. (Okay, the one is a smart ass with the mic, but it's all good).

So, when we talk about Dj's, what makes a Dj okay in your books? What makes one suck? What do you feel about them?

[JeffLeeper]

I'm too old and used up to hate DJ's....

Seriously , I've got nothing against them....That's all a matter of taste. Do you want your music fresh-made or out of a can ?

[tonefight]

I personally don't prefer a DJ but I don't think they are the demise of the band scene either.

I do get ticked off when we have a friday off and the only entertainment in town is a DJ but thats because I prefer a band.

As far as a good one I have yet to see one that entertains me.

[ToonaRockGuy]

I just get annoyed when a DJ moves into a room that normally books a band, especially when it happens on a Friday or Saturday. Anyone can DJ. It takes talent to play music in a band.

[moxham123]

I would rather hear a bad band than a good DJ.

[songsmith]

I know someone who does both. It's a supply/demand thing, I think. I personally feel that DJ's are actually preferable to a band for weddings. I never liked bands playing weddings, because most by far do not understand that they are NOT the center of attention in that situation, the bride is. And, a good band can play a hundred songs well. A DJ is limited only by the size of his CD case, thousands of songs, all by the original artist. Worst of all, brides ALWAYS want you to learn some bogus-ass song you'll never play again, and the equation of Drunken Bunghole Family plus Open Bar divided by Ego, equals Homicidal Johnny with a mic stand and a deathwish. I actually had a guy tell me he had a .44 in his pocket that said I was going to play until he said "stop." (I told him, in front of his chromosomally-challenged family, that a .44 is too big a hogleg to not leave a bump in his polyester pants, and that he should attempt to go f**k himself.) This is where DJ's excel... push a few buttons, pass the hat, happy family. Win-win.

All this, plus, IT'S NOT FREAKING KARAOKE. Karaoke is a punishment from God for humanity's transgressions, like pollution, the Holocaust, and American Idol.----->JMS

[Jim Price]

I think deejays have their place in the scheme of things. As Toona said, I don't like to see them displacing live bands and musicians (because a venue operator decides to go 'bargain basement' with entertainment and pays some schmuck off the street to spin CD's for 3 hours), but for smaller facilities and some clubs where dance crowds are the objective, I think they serve their purpose. I think just like anything else, there are deejays who know what they are doing and deliver a quality product (state of the art sound system, light show, deep music library, etc.), and those who just spin CD's and don't offer any real entertainment value. I also think deejays are more appropriate for most wedding situations, because a deejay can jump from Sinatra to polkas to pop/rock to country to satisfy the wide demographic of a given wedding audience; most bands don't have that flexibility. I won't pay to see a deejay myself, but as Tonefight said, live musicians are my preference.

There was a time when I was bitter about deejays displacing live music, but I eventually realized that they have a niche and serve a need; they wouldn't be successful if they didn't. It doesn't pay to be bitter about deejays; instead channel that energy into devising strategies to improve your own product (presentation, marketing, promotion) to serve as a viable alternative to them.

[tonefight]

IT'S NOT FREAKING KARAOKE. Karaoke is a punishment from God for humanity's transgressions, like pollution, the Holocaust, and American Idol.----->JMS

I'm sure this will get ya going but ................ I can never keep my mouth shut ............... so let me apologize first " Sorry Johnny " Actually I find karaoke much more entertaining than a DJ ( not a live band though ) and up this way I have seen some very talented singers that would fit well in a local band and probably do an extremely good job. However they choose to not go the band route and just go out and have fun with it. I think it should be a reality check to some of us that there is talent all around. Now............ given the situation of drunks coming up and butchering things thats funny in a karaoke situation to an extent and its not funny as it happened in your acoustic situation about a year ago, that I can definatly understand. I think the reason people like Karaoke is because it lets them participate rather than be entertained.

[songsmith]

Point taken, but I still say it blurs the line between entertainer and audience, and in most cases, that line should stay sharp.
We who take this seriously, who have sacrificed and learned and practiced maybe thousands of hours, who have endured empty rooms and 4am commutes, we who put music and performing it ahead of so much else, DESERVE some status beyond that of someone who tortures a song and then blames it on the booze.
Compliments are often hard for me to understand, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't like getting them... still, I'm not naturally talented, so if someone thinks I play harp, or lap steel, or sing, or whatever, it's because I busted my hump. I didn't hit the music biz fully-formed, it took a lot to get me to,"one, two, one-two-three-four."

I do understand that karaoke is a completely different dynamic, fun instead of music is the focus, but how about I hand a guy a guitar and let him bang on that onstage, no lessons, no experience, no talent... would that be entertaining for long?
Alcohol is nearly always part of the karaoke experience. It lessens social inhibitions, and is the excuse when somebody doesn't deliver the goods. I liked it better when it only lessened sexual inhibitions, then I could blame it when I didn't deliver the goods! --->JMS

[lonewolf]

So, when we talk about Dj's, what makes a Dj okay in your books?

One that is sitting in a radio station studio blasting it out over the airwaves.

What makes one suck?

Any one who sets up in a nightclub that could otherwise have live entertainment.

What do you feel about them?

Is too easy to buy a cheap Carvin PA system, a few cheesy lights, steal a bunch of mp3s and call yourself a DJ (or a musician). I abhor Rap, hip-hop and other crappy dance music and if I have to hear it, I'd rather it was below conversation level. When I look at ads for places to go out, places with DJs are not even considered.

[bassist_25]

.

There was a time when I was bitter about deejays displacing live music, but I eventually realized that they have a niche and serve a need; they wouldn't be successful if they didn't.

Ahh, the good 'ole functionalist perspective; I'm more of a conflict theorist myself. But I guess that has more to do with me being cynical than anything else. *LOL*

Seriously though, I agree. DJ's definatley do serve a purpose. Are DJ's really hurting bands? I don't know. Most larger clubs that I know of have live entertainment on weekends. There are a few that have DJ's on Saturday nights, but most of them are rather small places that problay wouldn't be able to afford the overhead of a band and still make a profit anyways.

I'd always rather see the most shitty garage band over a DJ, though. There's just something about watching/listening to a group of people create something on stage; to see them communicate with each and the audience; to display a craft that they've been honing for years.

[bassist_25]

I do understand that karaoke is a completely different dynamic, fun instead of music is the focus, but how about I hand a guy a guitar and let him bang on that onstage, no lessons, no experience, no talent... would that be entertaining for long?
Alcohol is nearly always part of the karaoke experience. It lessens social inhibitions, and is the excuse when somebody doesn't deliver the goods. I liked it better when it only lessened sexual inhibitions, then I could blame it when I didn't deliver the goods! --->JMS

The part I dislike are the "Karaoke Stars". You know: The people who actually take it seriously and walk around like they're Whitney fucking Houston or Mick Jagger. Give me a break.

[songsmith]

Exactly. Some of us devoted our lives to this... I'm trying to stay out of the "my sh*t don't stink" frame of reference, but there really is more to it than hitting the notes.
Also, we old-school, more, um , experienced cats can remember when DJ's truly DID go head -to-head against bands... I called the "manager" and I use that term loosely, of a certain then-popular-now belly-up nightclub whose name started with a "C" and ended with a "isco's," a cat who used to bilk (book, i mean book) bands and now builds shopping malls, and he told me," Why would I ever want to hire a band for $200, when I can get a DJ for $90?" It happened frequently in the mid 80's, when the traveling disco shows were the rage. They weren't satisfied playing weddings and sock-hops, and suddenly we longhairs had a target on our back. Thank goodness for the clubs that stayed with live music, it wasn't easy.---->JMS

[no surrender]

i'm no big dj fan...

there's no soul to it

[gymnast]

I prefer a band over a DJ, but lots of times I end up going to a DJ because I am just not in the mood to see the bands playing in town (I am either going to see them the next night, or they didn't really impress me). Of the DJs out there I find that DJs that are in a band are ashamed of having to spin discs for money (Trust me they'd rather be playing it, but the live music market is dying in J-town). I would rather see a DJ that is currently in a band or had been in the past. They are more vocal with the crowd, and they move around on stage. Heck they even talk over the music to get the crowd active. I find this much more entertaining than a person that stands there like a statue.

[Punkinhead]

I prefer watching bands. Although when you get the DJ that really knows his shit (like scratching records, mixing, and all that that I know nothing about really) it can be enjoyable to see them work. I have 2 friends at college that do this and it takes some hand speed to mix at a good rate. Those DJs I dig. The one's who come in with a WinAmp full of songs and just push a mousepad, I don't really care for.

[f.sciarrillo]

I would think that if you owned a nightclub, or small lounge, having a DJ during the week an da live band one the weekends would be exeptible ??

I always had a vision of owning a night club with a "In house DJ" for the week days and live bands on the weekends .. That is just me though ..

[Brian of the Clan Plush]

I DJed a wedding for a friend of a friend tonight, as a favor. I made more money in one night than I make in a month playing in a band. AND I HATED EVERY MINUTE OF IT WITH THE RED HOT INTENSITY OF A THOUSAND IMPLODING STARS. I'm going to take the money I made and buy enough Jager to wash the whole terrible experience from my memory - which is alot of Jager for me, btw. With the rest I think I'll get a new tattoo and some new heads for my drummer, cause he ROCKS!

the worst part is, two people came up to me during the night and asked if I'd DJ THEIR weddings! I feel like a dirty whore!