DJ snobs are ruining amateur DJing

A new Spotify integrated DJ App has been released on the iPad. The idea is gathering steam; however it will no doubt be raising the tempo on the already high level of snobbery surrounding disk jockeying. DJ’ing already seems to have its fair share of snobbery:  turntablists shunning dance beatmix artists, Electric Dance Music undermining Indie DJ’s and of course the Vinyl, CD and Digital three way fight.

The ridiculous amount of snobbish dick-measuring drones on like a broken record. However from my experience at University, there is an intolerable amount of snobbery coming from amateur DJ’s who justify their belief by abandoning any form of software/laptop aid.  

Wacka wacka.

When I was 18 I tried DJ’ing out for free, then got offered paid jobs at house parties, clubs, bars and even a few ends of year proms. I enjoyed making sure my mixes and track lists created a good vibe and got the people going, and they enjoyed it because of the music. What didn’t they care about? That I used a laptop, USB hardware controller and virtual DJ software.

However these modernised tools were slated by the “real deejays” primarily because of auto-sync. Because, with auto-sync a quick press of the button quickly syncs the bars and tempo of two tracks and can instantly be mixed at the command of the DJ. This is in contrast to the many amateur DJ’s who slave away trying to match the tempos by ear, frantically sweating over their decks whilst the time on the track is running out.

DJ snobs are ruining music. Here’s one being a prick.

But is all that work worth it? Nope, in fact, it usually comes out as rough as a Quad-Vods. Do the good drunken people in Sheffield night clubs give a damn that you jiggled the tempo bar all night…? Nope, about as much as they do for the Corp DJ’s ramblings. 

In fact the only people who do seem to care are these circles of DJ’s who congregate and bad mouth the use of such heretical technology. If one is lucky to get a gig at university for example, if the DJs or managers who helped set that up knew that you were using “laptop-shortcuts”, chances are no matter how good your set will be, they’ll be happy to proclaim “but anyone can do that”. Wrong. A DJ is an entertainer, and especially at the basic amateur level, entertaining is what is most important and is most definitely not what “anyone” can do.

If snobs had their way we’d be back to cassettes. Photo: JF1234

Enter the new DJ-Spotify apps. There is no doubt that an app which allows you not only to auto-sync, but also renders the time and money spent on burning heaps of CDs to mix as useless, will also be met with criticism. Yes, I am referring to the fact that the new app is Spotify integrated, allowing you to use your Spotify playlist whilst Dj’ing. 

So what? Well this means that a lot of people, especially students, will now be able to have a hand at DJ’ing from the world’s biggest music library, for a price. Combined with the ease of the interface and software shortcuts bring, more people will now be encouraged to get into DJ’ing. This will bring back what is truly important:

1. The Mixes – Emphasising the creativity of DJ’ing, to choose tracks that go together well and to have the tracks flow when the time is right. 
2. Experience – No matter how much time a deck DJ spends on practicing to smoothen mixes and tempo-synchronisation before playing live, a DJ who embraces new technology will be able to get the leg-up by acquiring all important experience of playing live quicker. 
3. Creativity – Experience in live shows will teach you what works and doesn’t work. For example manically shouting into a microphone, may or may not be to your style. It will therefore push you to be creative, play around with loops, FX and presence.  

Since when did these points become so undermined? Why should a traditional DJ with about as much stage-presence as Ed Miliband wield more respect than a tech-DJ? I’m sorry guys, buying your night-wear from the bargain bins of an ‘urban’ shop and wearing a hat with a picture of the stars on it will not help. Creativity and the mixes should also be heavily emphasised, especially in a time when a lot of the music just sounds exactly the same. Sorry deep-housers.

Absolutely unnecessary.

A DJ with a creative edge should be able to transform his mixes from sounding like a continuous drum loop to a playlist which orchestrates the vibe of the night. There is nothing worse from my experience then seeing amateur DJ’s obviously struggling with mixes, having to constantly play ‘safe-bet’ popular songs in the hopes of salvaging a set doomed from the start. It’s hilarious, that these DJ snob are now not only looking the same and talking the same, but are also sounding the same in their playlists.

In the past, those “deejays” haven’t really bothered me, I carried on DJ’ing for the reason I enjoy most, which is playing my mixes live. But this snobbery  that will no doubt attack this future of tech-DJ’ing, will put people off who otherwise would have wanted to experiment playing live. DJs can all relate to the dirty “r” word (requests), I hope that “tech” or “laptop” doesn’t get tarnished with the same pretentious brush. The app isn’t perfect, but it will no doubt resonate to a large audience, push for better software updates and even competition from other large DJ companies to also pick up a licence. 

Break the snobbery, spin the tracks and entertain.