PUSH PLAY DJ

shane9689

opinions on the whole push play thing thats a big debate these days? especially with the rise of edm...yes i said edm...and the change in technology....
honestly i think most of it comes from ignorance and jealousy combined with the odd lazy dj....most people i feel dont understand djing, so they just spout ****....while on the otherhand, other seem just jealous to see big acts being lazy about how involved they are in their set and so decide to just point fingers instead...its really not that hard to walk away from your decks during a set, but at the same time the best djs should probably be always busy with something, because anyone can do your typical set, which is what most of the big names seem to just do...a typical set...i dunno, just thinking here about the whole thing

mordeith

Seems to me that most of the 'EDM' shows these days are just that, shows. In fairness I think that's to meet the demand of the majority of the audience members at people like Garrix, Guetta etc. They have no experiences of going to a gig where it's just a darkedened room and one guy with this decks pumping out quality techno for 2-3 hours, skilfully blending tracks with his ear rather than a sync button.
I've nothing against digital DJ'ing as long as the Dj is using the technology to create something different and unique there and then. If it's just a 30 sec synced beatmatch from one 'EDM banger' to the next, then you might as well have any lager up there who can throw his hands in the air.

Beakflakes

Funny thing about Guetta syncing all his tunes. But I remember listening to a free mixed cd I got in mixmag around 10 years ago from this new guy called David Guetta that got me moving. Had some pretty decent house and techno from Renato Cohen and Josh wink and the like on it... apparently he did have some bit of taste at one stage and did actually mix well live. The guy gets a bit of a doing I know so I won't bother to go at him, his music is not my thing, but once all the champagne and celebrities wash away, will he wish he hadn't turned his back on the underground?

copeyhagen

hopefully he gets aids or something off a groupie

ghostdancer

is it a "big debate"?
you'll have to clarify what exactly "push play" means. pre-recorded sets? synch button?

99% of people going to "EDM" shows couldn't care less how anything is being mixed, or even whether it's live or the whole set is pre-recorded.
as long as they get to have a piss-up with some amazing light show, take a few selfies, and hear some sh1t Avicii tunes, they'll go home happy and stick on a Beyonce CD.

kunst nugget

If you're going to a big outdoor EDM event where there's an amazingly well choreographed light show with confetti cannons and fireworks, then you're going to see a chap stand behind some equipment pretending to DJ while a pre-recorded set is playing. Now, if make-believe is your thing and you like flashy lights and listening to sh¡t, generic music created with no subtlety or nuance specifically to be played as part of pre-recorded sets, then those events are going to be manna from heaven. If you have slightly less adolescent taste, you might be better off going to see someone pumping out some quality tunes in a decent club with a good reputation for booking great acts.

I've nothing against people playing or listening to tripe and whether it's a pre-recorded set or not is irrelevant, it's still going to be tripe but as long as I can go to a club where I don't have to listen to it, I'll be happy out.

ThirdMan

I find the whole syncing issue very interesting. You regularly here DJs and fans speaking about the 'art' of DJing, how it's about 'creating moods', 'telling stories' and 'playing the right song at at the right time'. Yet those same people slam digital DJs because they're not manually beatmatching. To me that reduces DJing to a mere technical skill, because that's all beatmatching is. It takes skill to master, but it's not a musical gift.

I love beatmatching. I love that feeling I get when I know I've lined up two tracks correctly. It's a little celebration in my head. I love knowing that one wrong move will fcuk it up. Fair enough, I'm not in Room 1 at Fabric. I'm at home in my living room, either on my own or with a few mates rolling around in front of me. So there's nothing at stake. But I'm using vinyl. I need to be able to do it. I have no choice. It's part of the culture.

But digital DJs have a choice. They don't need to be able to do it. And for a lot of young DJs it's not part of the culture. It has no relevance. How can you expect a young DJ, armed with a Macbook Pro and a state-of-the-art midi controller, to learn a technical skill that was developed in the 70s. Yeah, it will teach him loads about structure, timing and patience. But I bet he could teach you a thing or two about improvisation, spontaneity and composition. Ultimately it comes down to different genres, different styles, different technologies and different eras.

I think everyone should concentrate on themselves. Become better DJs or better fans. Become as good as you can on your set-up, and know as much as you can about your culture and your preferred genres of music. Why are people so concerned with bad music? Why get so enraged by David Guetta's music? Wishing he contracted AIDS? Cop on. He's a pop artist. To me it's just background noise. The people that think he's a DJ and that he represents DJ culture are people that will never respect this music ether way. The same goes for those EDM guys. I have no ill will toward them, but they have no bearing on my life whatsoever.

ThirdMan

Beakflakes wrote: »

Funny thing about Guetta syncing all his tunes. But I remember listening to a free mixed cd I got in mixmag around 10 years ago from this new guy called David Guetta that got me moving. Had some pretty decent house and techno from Renato Cohen and Josh wink and the like on it... apparently he did have some bit of taste at one stage and did actually mix well live. The guy gets a bit of a doing I know so I won't bother to go at him, his music is not my thing, but once all the champagne and celebrities wash away, will he wish he hadn't turned his back on the underground?

It was Ibiza Terrace Anthems. It was a typical Mixmag CD but there was a handful of good tracks on there. It was the first time I'd heard of Black Strobe. That Josh Wink track is a cracker as well. Will he regret it? I'm not so sure. I'd like to think I wouldn't 'sell out' if I was a successful DJ, but everyone is different. He played some good tracks back in the day, but he always had that popular appeal. The only thing surprising about his career trajectory is that other people seem surprised.

Beakflakes

ThirdMan wrote: »

It was Ibiza Terrace Anthems. It was a typical Mixmag CD but there was a handful of good tracks on there. It was the first time I'd heard of Black Strobe. That Josh Wink track is a cracker as well. Will he regret it? I'm not so sure. I'd like to think I wouldn't 'sell out' if I was a successful DJ, but everyone is different. He players some good tracks back in the day, but he always had that popular appeal. The only thing surprising about his career trajectory is that other people seem surprised.

Perhaps my use of the word "underground" was a little too strong...

ThirdMan

Beakflakes wrote: »

Perhaps my use of the word "underground" was a little too strong...

Yeah, it's a little commercial alright, but it's like Mongolian breakcore compared to what he's playing now.

Detest

Music always comes down to sincerity for me; if the artist is playing from the heart you'll know.

If not; get drunk, try enjoy the show and don't go to another show again.

Stab*City

What is a push play dj? All dj's push play whether it be an LED back-lit button or a silver rectangle on a 1210. I use a macbook pro and ableton and a controller does that make me a push play dj?

See the difference with me and the vinyl playing dj is he only pushes the button once to play, i push it many times throughout a track to create. Play vs create that where the real argument is.

Do you play music or do you create an atmosphere with your beatmatching, mixing, crowd reading and tune selection. This is the sign of a real dj. David Guetta and the EDM massive are not dj's anymore they are performers performing scripted sets to match the scripted show.. But as was already said these people are real dj's with a long history of actually dj'ing long before the digital revolution.

I think some of them may have earned the right to stand back press play and point to the sky (even though its not my cup of tea).