I wouldn't know why someone would just jump on the dj boat just to play edm.
Real dj's are out there mixing it up, mixing hip-hop to house with back in the day techniques like real djs do, like the ones you pointed out. Now in days a DJ could be grandpa clicking play on an ipod. I think we should find a new name for real djs,anyone?

i think what you're talking about is classic dj's vs modern djs, the term 'real' djs can apply to anyone that can play records to a crowd really.

^^Just to be clear I think my homeboy uses the term "real" to mean having a larger skill set than beatmatching only... Not so much new vs old. If this was about new vs old it could be said that the disco era djs are the true djs and the hiphop guys came after the fact. I think he's trying to debate the lack of a skill set by the edm guys...but I think they do have a skill that fits there type of music.

lol scratching making you a real dj

That's dumb.

oh god not again.

+10000000000000000000000

Anyone who plays to a crowd, gets paid for it and can make them dance is a DJ... Full stop.

I do however disagree with a comercial radio DJ being termed a 'DJ', i would call them a presenter (the ones who come from a non-gigging background anyway).

I'll agree with that also.



come on... Like we all haven't beat the crap out of every topic in this fourm, it's been about a good four or five months since ive seen this topic, it's time for a reup. LoL

i feel some edm djs who use effects such as echoes, loops, flangers n filters to create builds n breakdowns in their music... that can be powerful djing even better than a scratch dj...
however i feel anone who beatmatches is also a dj... beatmatching is a critical skill for any dj to have n i feel it is becoming a "lost art"

Party rocker is the term your looking for

lolz. If you go by paychecks then your friend would be wrong, you would be right. The big EDM djs make way more loot. Mainly because most of the produce their own music (they don't make money from the tunes, but get bookings because of it).

I honestly rarely if ever scratch, I have been playing out for 10+ years and would certainly say that I have paid my dues and am a dj. There are some incredible EDM djs.

this might be one of the dumbest post i've seen in a while

I think alot of dj's are missing the point of what a dj is. DJ'ing is an art REGARDLESS of how it's done. It's a vibe a DJ creates. There are different dj styles like how we know them, scratch djs, house djs, hip hop djs, mobile djs, etc...We are ALL in it for the love of OUR ART. It's our expression we bring out to people on the dance floor and they are the ones who dance to our style of music.

I may not be a scratch dj, a house dj, a mobile dj but I may be every bit of a dj because I love the art of dj'ing.

A short quick story: I learned dj'ing by my uncle back in the late 80s, he had classic technics turntables even before 1200MKs came out and had a Radio Shack Realistic 4 channel mixer, made his own speakers, at is a mobile dj. Up to now, he's like either late 60s or early 70s still mobile dj'ing with newer equipment and had made a living mobile dj'ing for the past 30 years without "SCRATCHING". Does that make him less of a dj? I respect him because he earns more money mobile dj'ing a it's been his life because he is passionate of it!

+1

just do it! wait... that is a Nike commercial

Why is this a dumb post?? I thought sticking up for our fellow djs would be a good thing...regardless of the music they spin.

Yeah I think he may have misread. You were saying your friend said EDM djs weren't real djs, not you.

+1234567890!!!

Just to put in my 2cents...

Disclaimer: No disrespect to ur friend intended, to each his own, but....

I believe scratching should be used mostly for hip-hop only...there are other genres where scratching shouldn't even come into play (eg...latin, salsa, merengue, etc...EDM...disco) so u mean to tell me whoever spins those genres shouldnt be considered DJs because they don't scratch?! GTFO! thats one of the most absurd things i've heard around these parts! In fact i've seen MANY hip-hop DJs (who SHOULD be cutting it up) and all they do is slam one song into the other all night long!! So in ur friend's believe the only real DJs are hip-hop DJs because they 'usually' scratch (and know or i should say should know how to scratch)?!?! (and i know he didnt necessarily SAY this but he might as well have...) pffffffft...

Like others have said before me DJ'ing is an art that can take many shapes and forms...u can be skilled in scratching...beatmatching/blending (which IMO is about the ONLY MUST HAVE SKILL FOR A DJ along with song selection but this is not a technical aspect of DJ'ing)...u can be good at using effects (although most people here dont like it they can be very powerful when used right)......shit man i think as long as u can rock a crowd/audience without trainwrecking u can be considered a DJ! lol

Now before i go this may be a lil off topic but the only EDM DJ i've seen actually scratching during his set is Laidback Luke and gotta say for an EDM DJ he does it very well and it definitely compliments his set nicely!

listen to a skribble set its pretty dope

listen to a skribble edm set*

thats right my friend has this super onesided view of djing and it took me by suprise!! I've looked at anyone that spins music because they love music as a dj.

foolish.
Il admit the first time I sasha & digweed (circa97) I was watching the booth
expecting to see something amazing...
people were loosing their shit.
playing a record for 6-7 minutes???
but that was the way to play progressive house at that moment.
Often EXCLUSIVE tracks and production made dance DJs stand apart.
now...having that 1 of 25 limited pressing that rocks isnt the norm.
then James Zabiela comes along and slaps bedrock in the face, and we
see it change...
Ive always maintained that DJ'ing on any level is completely relative.
theres things that are the norm in certain arenas, and taboo in others.
things that would get you shanked in one room would you make you the
dj Messiah the next night 3 clubs up the road.

these are the same people who might say Paul Oakenfold, Carl Cox or DJ Dan
arent DJs?
and well, thats just plain foolish.

I always hink of scratch DJs as turntablists, DJs were around before them, I don't see why they should hog the term.

A DJ to me is primarily the guy who picks the tunes to plas. For radio, that's dying out, so I guess many Radio DJs are just presenters now.

play, not plas! why no edit?

REAL DJs sit at home and blog about it......

a real dj plays music.

a good dj mixes = any type of dj

a great dj mixes,all genres,scratches,beat juggles and has a mic game = dj ztrip

idk wat about skribble... n dj enferno... n flipside

onfinite.com

Yes, that girl that just walked up to the booth requesting Jay Sean's "Down" is really interested in hearing your beat juggling skills, her and the rest of the dance floor actually. Do you listen to yourself talk? Anyone who thinks the crowd gives a shit about turntablist trickery is fucking retarded. I personally find turntablism impressive, but when you're playing out at a club.. 9 times ouf ot ten, the skills required are like a fish out of water. Noone appreciates the technicalities. DJ's job = rock dancefloors, Turntablist job = wow DMC judges.

I've seen a gang of EDM DJ's live in Europe and in the US and yes they are real DJ's? That's a stupid fucking question to be honest. What defines DJ'ing? Playing music and mixing and etc. etc. etc. If you really don't think that they're real DJ's then you should probably learn more about the genre and the style in which they play and the musical and cultural and technical norms I mean that's a pretty condescending perspective to have. Step out of your box and explore the world of music. I've seen people play and entire set of fucking surf music in a basement bar in Spain. That dude was definitely DJ'ing. Just saying.

Ever seen/heard of James Zabiela? Eddie Halliwell? Both are EDM DJ's who are very good at scratching. Zabiela is freakin' amazing at it too!!!

IMO, a lot of EDM DJ's are more technologically advanced than hip hop DJ's. They aren't afraid of using non traditional methods/techniques in their sets. Actually, a big deal about EDM DJ's is to stand out more than the other DJ's. That's why if you notice, a lot of them are now using Ableton to remix LIVE into their sets. Often times you'll also see them play some of their tracks live, or you can hear them use the effects very heavily. That's another reason why Traktor is more appealing to the EDM DJ.

One thing you're forgetting too is that EDM is about a FEELING. To the EDM crowd, the flow is HUGE! The next track you play can completely kill the vibe if you're not careful and it can be hard to recoup from it. In the EDM world, playing exclusives/unknown tracks is HUGE! People are starving for new sounds not just your radio stuff. So at the end EDM DJ'ing and Hip Hop/Scratching DJ'ing are day and night. EDM DJing is definitely an acquired taste.

Your friend is an idiot, end of story.

ditto.

I think I'll have to agree with you!!

Even though in the USA alot / most of the House music clubs are really GAY, I still have some level of respect for the EDM DJs with true talent.

I just HATE house music.
(but I can tolerate some electro, techno, and drum n bass at times)

you can tolerate electro, which is basically a sub-genre of house music, but you hate house music. right.

So let me understand this...

What are the qualifications to be an EDM DJ?

I play house music all the time.

edm is an umbrella term to cover a handful of Genres.

genre.
that word has a complete different meaning that it did even 5 years ago.

alot of djs have taken to "cherry-picking" the genres.
especially now, people are playing some sort of house variant, and probably dont know it.
if your playing any pitbull, you are certainly getting your fill of it.
his last XXX songs have all been reworks of popular dance anthems.
with him spitting on it.
so is it dance? or is it hiphop? it is both right?

In the dance scene I developed a reputation for playing breaks and funky house.
that leaves alot to interpretation for someone who KNOWS genres, and even
more-so for someone who DOES NOT know genres.
theres like 10 varients of house; disco, french,hard,tech, vocal, tribal ect ect ect
theres like 8 for breaks, Old skool, nu skool, funky, electro ect ect.

does anyone REALLY stick to just one? it'd be rough.
never mind trance, techno, drum & bass, and the 50 sub genres of all those...

But Im guilty of the same ignorance.
I HATE country. I couldnt tell ya the sub-genres...or pretty much anything.
I used to think hard-dance/gabber/uk hard house was absolute shite.
then Id see these shows in europe with 7000 people goin ape-wild for it.

these days electro has morphed into something completely different than its
most recent edm form...I really dont what to call it.
maybe pop-electro or something...not a digg
but most of what Im hearing is simple synth riffs with party-break accapellas over them.

^^ I think some of the straight up hip hop guys are having a hard time understanding that some people find music other than hip hop appealing. Furthermore, when blending music deemed to be EDM, scratching is often not required, so these lame ass posers who have mastered the art of the baby scratch consider themselves more talented than the djs who spin a genre they just don't understand. That about sums it up.

on the other side of the coin...
Ive seen some people cutting over edm that was nails on a chalkboard.

that big-room-euphoric-trance...

I saw this young buck basically doing nothing but faderless cuts during those
2 minute long blissful beatless breakdowns...(hows that for aliteration)

it was like watching someone beat an innocent child.
you just want to run over grab there hand and go STOP STOP PLEASE
leave it alone!

agree 100% of your post
i do both EDM(trance,house,progressive) and hip hop

Yeah you could argue that for EDM you just beat match it, but you really have to get your hands dirty with EDM to really appreciate the mixing that goes on.
Hip hop is more straight forward with just matching 16 bars in and out, but for EDM i find it more challenging to know when to cut out the bass, mid, treb, etc to achieve a very very very subtle and smooth transition.

Beat matching with EDM is a bit harder too; if you dont have a great ear, tracks will easily go out of beat, esp when your trying to mix it over 32 bars or even sometimes longer.

But scratching...hmm, anyone can scratch, but the hardcore scratchers...I thought they were associated with being a "turntablist" rather than your generic "hip hop DJ"

Not saying your friend is ignorant, but I bet you not all EDM DJs are clueless on scratching, just like not all hip hop DJs can scratch well.

So take it as you like - but you have to really enjoy EDM to understand the beauty of it. =)

Gay

Homophobic :)

What was this thread about anyway?

ah ok, well the skill sets for edm jocks differ to that of hip-hop jocks simply because the music styles are so different and require different mixing techniques. edm mixing is all about blends, phrases and flow, and most importantly track selection over a number of hours to create a 'journey', whereas hip-hop is about quick mixing & creative use of 2 decks. to be honest with you comparing both is like comparing an apple to an orange :)

Love of the music?
Considering that is 90% of peoples reason they say if asked "why do you DJ"

Hello horse, meet flog.

music is music. i respect all djs.

what is a dj if he cant scratch :)

not a cat or a women

?

So does and EDM DJ ONLY play EDM?

i think any1 that can mix well all night is a dj

I want specifics of being an "EDM" DJ. What are the qualifications?

Until they realize that in order to play in the big clubs in the city, they have to play top-40. Then they switch after years of bashing hip hop and top-40. :P I've seen it happen over and over again.

Why would they need to play in "Big Clubs"? I thought EDM DJ's were getting the fat checks, based on what was said in this thread....

in general, a lot of DJs would likely be better off if they learned to play both styles and incorporated both styles of mixing into their sets.

just my 2 cents.



the cream of the crop make the bank (generally more for their production skills than their djing skills). The locals usually makes jack shit and the residencies are few and far between (at least in north america). You think the undercutting, shady promoters, and lack of respect is bad in the top40 realm, you should see the EDM scenes in most cities

IMO, a true DJ incorporates all aspects (mixing, beatmatching, scratching, turntablism) regardless of genre. However, theres no doubt that EDM DJ's tend to do less of the turntablism. Here's a fun fact that had me scratching my head last week....

I played a EDM show here in town with 2 rooms and I was literally the only person who did any sort of turntablism all night. No one else even attempted anything outside of straightforward mixing. It was a trip, but at a show like that (OHM 15 year) people dont really care about that stuff as much as the beats, its just a bonus if done well.

I think EDM DJ's (what we in Jersey call House DJ's, unless somebody can establish a distinction between the two...), have the BEST chance in this new world of DIGITAL DJ'ing to make an impact to turn this thing around.

Remember how it used to be a "coo" for a DJ to have a track that NOBODY ELSE had?

Remember how you HAD to go to the DJ's club or party JUST to hear it? Being totally exclusive to that particular DJ?

Well, if EDM DJ's stepped up their game, and created their own tracks in whatever software is available now, and there's TONS of it, vs. what was available to the average DJ back in the day, it would reinvent the game.

Those NJ (Baltimore) DJ's have the idea, and have been doing it for YEARS. All those whack "B-More" versions of songs caught on, and in order to get a copy, you HAD to contact the actual DJ that "created" it.

Now, how do I LOOK going to MY competition to "Purchase" his song? Stop playin, but if it was hot enough, you wound up getting it.....somehow.

This isn't like making a whack HipHop song, from a no-name, this Genre (House) is much more appreciative of original beats or hell, nicely sampled arrangements.

EDM cats nowadays could really cash out if they played it right.

You've got all the tools you need.

you make it sound like it's easy to make a good or hit song house or otherwise. It's like anything else, making a successful electronic tune is equal parts skill, talent, knowledge, and luck.

Ok, I don't want to oversimplify what it take to make GOOD music, I agree with you on that front.

But on the other side of the coin, have you heard these B-More Mixes? That's nothing more that using the same recycled DikkControl beat, and mapping samples to it.

And people EAT IT UP.

My feeling is that an EDM DJ (by today's standards), should be able to show up with a computer, midi sampler or whatever trigger device you desire, and create a musical atmosphere, no necessarily on the level of Inferno, but good enough to establish a Trademark Sound, all his own, and put the market control back in the DJ's hands.

I dunno where in the US you are, but here in LA, EDM DJ's been doing that for years. They remix live all the time. It's nothing new.

photo.rukes.com

umm HappY Labor Day Everyone!

relax

i do agree that a lot of bmore is pure garbage - especially from a production standpoint. Although the same could be said about a lot of EDM and house nowadays. Just like djing in the digital realm, there are so many easy and cheap ways for people to get into music production and also get it distributed, there's a *lot* more garbage to filter through and with the ease of distribution on the internet, there's no more labels to filter out the crap (and on top of that, a lot of the record stores used filter out more). Even the tunes that have potential, a lot don't have the production polish that some of the older ones have because the knowledge isn't there now that it's opened up to the masses...

On top of that, especially EDM djs used to be a *lot* more picky about their tunes... there weren't too many record pools dealing in the more underground stuff (most you could get was commerical house) and with imports being the price they are, DJs had to be sure they only chose the music they loved or felt would perfectly fit their sets.

we also neglected to mention the fact that EDM crowds are a lot more energetic than your average top 40 and/or hip hop crowd.. save for maybe spanish crowds.. those fuckers get the fuck down to their music.. gotta respect it. Also, I think we should start calling hip hop EUM (Electronic Urban Music) because all that crap is produced with drum machines, protools and not real instruments.. so enough with the derogatory EDM connotation. It's become obvious that that many people posting about hip hop djs and turntablists do not understand the appeal of dance music, because, well... it's the exact opposite of hip hop.. one is fast, one is slow, one is lyrically driven, while the other places more importance on song structure and melody. This thread has clearly turned into a bunch of ignorant asses making comments about a genre they don't understand. I play both, but I'd much rather play house music to a crowd that appreciates it than spoon-feed a top 40 / hip hop audience all night..

Are scratch DJs real DJs? They can't even play a whole track, all the time, it's wiki wiki this and wiki wiki that. It's like they can't even stand the music they're playing so they have to screw it up...

From the other side.

Regarding the wikki-wikki-then out mixing technique, hip hop dj's often have to do this because their audiences often have the attention span of gnats. If they don't mix quick enough, no less than one hundred 22 year old girls will twitter and facebook "OMG.. THIS DJ SUX, HE PLAYS SONGS FOR LIKE... EVER.. OMG.. I'M SO BORED. HE WON'T EVEN PLAY THE 64 BPM RIHANNA SONG I JUST REQUESTED.. WHAT A LOSER!"

www.fivefinest.net

I'm in Jerz, the mecca of the Original Jerzey Sound, home of Tony Humpries, and Club Zanzibar.

And unfortunately, there isn't a following of House music like there was in the past.

It's a shame, but it is what it is. The production quality nowadayz is garbage, because of lack of knowledge.

Isn't there some DJ License across the river that DJ's need?

Wouldn't it be cool ( or not) to have a REAL REVIEW BOARD that you have to submit a mix to, following a certain criteria, to be considered a DJ?

I know there would be censorship and all that, but there is no level of control now...

You really think so?

I thought this thread was pretty entertaining.

Give it another year, then most of the Urban DJ's will cross over to our side, most of their 'scratch' hero's already play house or electro sprinkled with very little hiphop anyway, hell even 'Urban' artists are making House tracks LOL. ;)

Didn't you know EDM DJ's are douche bags, shit we are too cool to even scratch and we just stand around doing nothing but letting the music just play.

I seriously doubt that. House music is more "Intellgent" than most people can comprehend, and actually, it's really the DJ that needs to comprehend it, as he has to play it.

To tell you the truth, if that DID happen in a year, I'd love to be behind it.

Wow... look at the crybaby cunt EDM guys coming out of the woodwork slinging shit about lowlife hip hop DJ's.

Elitism much faggots?

again, under the EDM umbrella you have everything from Zabiela/badboybill/carl cox to
armin van buren, sasha & satoshi tomiie.

some guys do some crazy ass shit.
playing 3 & 4 tracks at ones, crowd saavy scratching, and keeping a flow
and applying perfect dancefloor psychology..

and others... theyre sub genre doesent want all that,
Chris Fortier, cass... alot of the proggy guys mix 2/3 tracks for 3 and for minutes at a time...and its so perfect youd never even relaize if u werent a fan of the genre.

to say "edm" djs, is like saying all hiphop djs are amazing at scratching
its generalizing all kinds of djs.

Its not much different up here in Boston, Johnny
we had a thriving dance scene in the late 90s early 2000s
I was managing a thriving record store and being booked from miami to maine
for dance gigs. now the dance nights have receeded back into the underground
(as some will remember the early 90s is where house really gained steam)
now that alot of guys who might call themselves hiphop/top 40 jocks are playing
dance music.
sure its not straight "house" for sure.
but its 122-130 bpms with a 4 on the floor arrangement with synths, builds, and
acid....so go figure.
I was so on the fence for years I almost considered pulling a cool keith and creating
an alternate DJ identity, for a while EDM promoters would say arent u hiphop dj.
and hiphop rooms would say...isnt he a house dj?
now it works out, becuase the ADHD generation has taken to the floors.
sure, I cant rock my Ill plump dj records... and I cant do a power set of brand nubian, Jurassic five and Rakim.
again its cherry picking now.
picking the top crossover songs from a handful of genres and keeping the
crowd moving.

Ive seen, with my own two eyes.... at LEAST 2 DOZEN times someone who is a dance
dj rock a top40/hipPOP set and keep a floor packed and sweaty.
Ive also seem a hiphop dj (who I booked at a wmc event, who went on and on
about how he kills any crowd... just to let him have the slot) get boo'd
first it was the track selection, the it was the 8 beat mixes (each tim with the bass eq'd out) it was like trying to run on a treadmil that someone kept unexplainedly turning off and on for no good reason
But Ill tell ya this, from record store.
75% of the guys who came in thought their shit didnt stink.
and if it wasnt on 1/3 labels it wasnt worthy of even a listen...pompus dicks.

whats next, a sweaty romp in a crowded room while the music goes um sisss um sisss um sissss um sissss....Hey, why'd ya stop.

nonono sonson...
let me clarify:

ALL edm producers happen to DJ
but not all edm DJs are producers, most are
But the big ones you hear about getting the big pay checks and playing at massive raves n shit like monster massive, edc, etc are all big name producers who HAPPEN to dj.

DJing in the EDM world is analogous to concerts for hip hop artists. So for a EDM producer/artist to tour their songs around the world, they DJ. So I know EDM DJs get a lot of shit for pressing the play button on the CDJ and not doing anything else but at the end of the day, they produced the song their playing(or at least one of the songs they play).

How many songs do an average hip hop DJ produce? none probably

The concept and structure of DJing EDM music is completely different from Hip hops
I dont see the big name hip hop producers ever DJ their own tracks. Its just a different culture and just respect that

LOL I guess there is a reason why we nailed you to a cross.

It's going to be pretty soon.

hey!
not all edm djs are Jewish!

(ooooooooooooooooh, sorry I had a little Mel Brooks marathon goin on here today)

At a time where the ignorant ruled the world, it made sense to the masses to nail me to the cross. But your argument is based on the same set of circumstances.

Nothing has changed in 2000+ years. The ignorant still rule, this thread proves it.
Religion kills, even you fell for it. Literally and figuratively, even you perpetuated the 'ignorance' with your comment about us cunty EDM DJ's.

And this proves the viscous cycle of 'flogging a dead horse' in a thread.
Once again nothing constructive or any head way was made. Hence my comment at the start. Thanks JC.

If the shoe fits, wear it.

Size 12, whats yours.

I see...

You know what they say about a DJ with big shoes!

I couldn't resist....

But I'm sayin...

I play House music, and I want a fat check...so...

Go Djdragon!!!

This is kinda off topic.

I might just add with all this water down music that has been hitting us this past few years music trend will come on full circle. Like any other Trends whether it be clothes or music. I've seen most of this Hiphop Artist are going for a faster beat. I was even asked by my clients not to play mashups and remixes of the song.

There is a hint right there that the people are getting tired of it. So everybody just chill out and ask ourselves do we really want this garbage to continue..

Music and social culture died a slow death when it became a commodity, trends, fashion, culture, lifestyle and music are dictated by marketing machines to produce revenue. They use any conduit necessary to push their view of what culture is to make a buck. Punk, grunge, disco, hiphop, electronic music, the same about , sexual orientation, politics, religion and on and on.

All been used as bastard whores to push mediocrity. All used for massive profit. Hence why arts and culture hasn't changed in almost 20 decades and why all pop culture, movies and trends keep being recycled. It's an easy buck because it's familiar, palatable and safe.

Many of the vehicles that drive arts culture have been so watered down it's pathetic.
If you want take DJ's and DJ culture, at one time we broke new music and pushed new fashion and arts by supporting it with eclecticism. Now we have become the tool of spoon feeding BS to the masses.

Forward thinking is on the verge of becoming extinct if we allow it.

first off the whole premise of this thread is ridiculous... please do your homework people.

do you really love love music? do you really feel it? thats what djing is about. the power of music and sharing it with other people.

disco djs were djing in clubs before hip hop djs were really doing their thing. the disco djs werent scratching or doing routines, actually many of them weren't even beatmatching. and they were playing really great records. these djs had devotedd crowds and journalists were writing articles about them. this is BEFORE the cheesy disco records went mainstream. probably records most of you have never heard...

doing scratch routines and tricks is turntablism.

djing is playing music for people, thats it....

Wink said it best....

www.amazon.com

This is so old... does it really matter.. people are gonna hate... let them hate.

Electronic music is something that you have to gravitate to... if you don't get it... you will hate it. No big deal.

I remember Disco when it was new ;)

Let me guess...you "mix hip-hop to house with back in the day techniques"?

Please, now you're lashing out at any DJ who does sets of a single genre.
Not everybody wants to hear some generi-commercial house followed up with some boring, fratboy commercial hip-hop.


frost-9 and djdragon knocked it out of the park with their posts.

I just don't get the hate some hip-hop DJs have for house?

Either way, we're too busy dancing and having fun too care about some wannabe gangsta hip-hop snob.

^thinks.

lol

its also real hard to find chicks in a dance room who appreciate someone
coming up behind them and trying to shove their zipper in their back pocket
at 77 bpms.

Why is the premise of this thread ridiculous?? The entire point of this thread was to find out if other djs had the same animosity and feelings towards edm djs as my coworker has...He has a very harsh view that i thought could be the majority or it could be the minority. From the looks of it most people give edm djs there fair share of props with a small minority that feels the same way as my coworker.. The reason i used the forum to ask the question is I'm only friends with with about 15 or 20 other djs and in a tight knit group like ours i felt i wouldn't get a realistic answer considering friends tend to agree with friends just for the sake of avoiding conflict, at least here you can get opinions from around the world and possibly some straight forward answers. As for the people getting all hostile and uppity about this topic, you need to chillax...this shit isn't that serious.

.

Did you need a tampon? Your period has been al over the msg board LOL

OK<OK>OK what makes a edm dj worh more than 200 $? PLaying 8 min songs and 2 min mixes? I under stand if you made one or to top edm tracks people would like to see the guy but if he does not play it live and just mixes his edm music on cd's exct whats the point? This is where and "artist" proforms live and people go to see them.. """""producers""""""" make songs but dont proform live they mix 8 mins of the song and think 3 min mixes are cool.... Go see a edm dj mix then go see dj craze. Craze is a dj that proforms live jugling scratching exct. You will see the difference.

With that said people that like house breaks exct dont give a shit about scratching for the most part. Scratching has for the most part been over killed freaking "baby got back" had better scratching than most dj's on this forum no joke and its 20 years old... I think djing is fun thats it =) I say if you never leave your bedroom and love djing and have fun you are A DJ in my book no matter if you scratch or not. Just dont get djing and proforming mixed up!

At the end of the day you know weather you are doing what a dj of 6 month can do or a dj of 5+ years can do just don't get it twisted..

p.s just my thoughts and i played the electric slide last week so what do i know lol!!

exactly.. what the fuck do you know?

Did anybody mention that House Music is pretty damn GAY!

i agree with the baby got back comment :}

but someone like craze is a freakin beast ! that is a performer.i rather see a dj perform.even bad boy bill is a dope performer.i would never pay or go see a dj that just mixes.unlless he mixes all genres and keeps it moving,

If that DJ can play those 8 minute songs and 2 minute mixes in such a way that it takes me on a seamless emotional journey. By seamless I do not mean linear nor even necessarily constant tempo or style.

i agree.its a talent.and a dope talent.

a dj is a dj.the more tricks the more talented.

Wow....Big dj phaze 3 Homophobic comments in one thread...well you know what they say about people like you!!!!

Thats my point along with 8min songs and 3 min mixes can be tought in 6 months!
People think mixing 32's is some crazy hard thing to do? Most dj's need to build a bridge and get over themselves.


If that DJ can play those 8 minute songs and 2 minute mixes in such a way that it takes me on a seamless emotional journey. By seamless I do not mean linear nor even necessarily constant tempo or style.

I feel ya on that i wish more people where like you but there not. Most people like top 40 and could care less if a dj can even mix thats why i said "if you never leave your bedroom and love djing and have fun you are A DJ in my book no matter if you scratch or not.

House/EDm was born in part from the 'gay scene', so yea it's pretty gay. And also pretty black since it was born from funk and soul and disco. You know the more racially tolerant music.

I can only think of three music genres that are more homophobic than them all, commercial rap, country music and reggae or Island music, well let's just say reggae is beyond homophobic.

The two are pretty much the norm as the main stream, and both are stagnant and self serving. So pretty much rap and country music are the same, and are pretty much packaged today for safe 'white' consumption.

So I play House/EDM. What do you play BIG DJ PHAZE?

Seriously. I think the original question in this thread was was

But the more I look at dialogues like this, the more I just see lines dividing people.

So many pigeon holed genres of music and so many people regurgitating expertise from tiny bits of internet knowledge making people more divided than unified.

There. I fixed it. Please proceed.

All commercial music is packaged the same way.... for safe consumption. Notice I didn't specify "white" as that really doesn't matter.

who need an edit button when we have sixxx LOL

the only gay thing I've seen in this thread is his myspace page. AYS?

^^ yeah, he's a fat fucker..

^^^^+100000000 lol

I'm just sayin that house music is pretty damn GAY, just sayin; tho!

Right, and we're just saying you're fat.. and from Ohio..

PRETTY GAY IF U ASK ME :)

JUST DRUNK BLOGGIN' , BUT STILL...............


GA...CAPITAL Y...............GAY!!!

sorry if i struck a nerve, I was just sayin, house music is pretty damn gay... Thanks for visiting my myspace :)


some of my best friends are house djs....

just havin fun :)

Actually I could listen to WJLB in detroit when I was growing up IN OHIO, but either way I know that Juan Adkins and Jeff Mills ain't no joke...........

But any real DJ has to admit that the EDM scene in the USA is pretty .............never mind


Thanks for the attention :)

You know, I USED to think like you, but that is totally untrue.

Take for example BPM, he can play what I consider Soulful House and I know in the back of my mind he can't scratch or do turntablism.

But that cat is DOPE. He can keep you GLUED waiting for the next 8-16-32 bar mix, if you appreciate that level of music.

And I'm better than a LOT of you, so I know what I'm talking about. :-)

It's not always about DMC 'ish skills.

I would use Thundercat as an example, but I know he used to be a HipHop DJ/Rappa.....

lol......Just what like Djdragon said House really started with the Gay community so there is no need to remind us. I love House just as much I love Hiphop.

EDM is another form of Marketing bullshit back then there is only House.

you know I think one of the best parts of the edm scene is.

YOU pick your music.
its spoon-fed to you via record pools, radio stations, top 40 charts.

how many times, as a club dj were hit with lame requests, looked at a chart
or playlist and said, shit...I have to buy this?
Im not talking about bedroom heroes, or turntablists.
Im talking about those of us who are working 2+ nights in larger scale rooms as
a club dj... I know when the new britney album dropped and I heard womanizer
I was WTF are you kidding me? and sure enough when I first heard Ice Cream
Paint job...I was like fuck me, I have to go buy this shit, I know (Because its in
constant rotation on mtv) Im gonna get hammered with requests.

EDM.
none of that.
so you have some EDMs who straight up have the WORST TASTE EVER.
you can see it by the 3rd track in...
but when someone who has a ear for good music, they are able to play songs
you HAVE NEVER HEARD and people dance and enjoy it.
they put their full trust in the dj to do his homework and bring good beats.
and theres new shit coming out every minute...sure, like anything theres crap.
but you have to go look (or dig) for it. its delivered to you.
its not mapped out for you on a blog.
so if YOU dont find the right music, your reputation and night is going to suffer for it...

top 40/hiphop.
well, we have ALL SEEN IT.
goto craigslist, drop 200 on a hard drive.
done.
you had NO SAY in whats being played. your just another drone cruising crooklyn clan for the next hype party break that you think is fresh, original and exclusive.
all the while every dj with a wifi connection is playing the same songs.

people really need to understand.
if everyone shows up to the kitchen with tomatoes your pasta sauce is gonna suck.

~edit~
but you have to go look (or dig) for it. its NOT delivered to you.

GAYNESS.
well, only in this country for the most part is dance music associated with the
gay culture.

check out Fat Boy Slims Big Beach Boutique.
Despite expecting a crowd of around 60,000 people the event instead attracted an estimated 250,000 who crammed the promenade and beach between Brighton's piers. Local police forced the event to end early amid safety concerns, overcrowding, and one death. After the music had finished and the crowd began to dissipate, traffic ensued throughout the Brighton area with many caught in traffic jams until the morning.
250,000. go watch clips. complete insanity.

goto Carnival in Brazil... track down Dero or one of those Ill Brazilian dudes.
Carnival, Rio. It makes vegas look like a Oprahs book of the week club.

Japan's EDM Scene is HUGE.
Ibiza.
all over.

for the most part, only here in north america is it asscociated ONLY with the gay
lifestyle... but lets face it. since the 90s where has popular tripe told us to
look for cutting edge lifestyle, fashion and music.
you guess it. queer eye, perez hilton ect ect ect...

but ya know, "Brent dont fit in the glory hole...and thats why we all love Brent"

Hey Joshua, I've see you post many times almost the same thing.

You don't have to justify the music you like/love.

Music is like a woman, you don't choose who you fall in love with you just do.
Sometimes she's awesome, other times she's not.
Sometimes she boring but mostly she's always exciting to you.

But you still love her, unconditionally. And that's why as DJ's/Artists or musicians we become possessive and feel the need to justify.

So Joshua, I like your 'woman' but she's not as hot as mine. ;)

style is an important skill set. How you play your songs is just as important as clean solid mixes and accurate scratches. BTW, JOhnny M is old.

REALLY OLD>

Ho

^^^^
that was an accident

You either understand house mu

^^^^
wtf, I keep posting shit on accident,

but you either "get it" or you don't when it comes to house music.

the more tricks the better = mixing,music selection,reading a crowd ( any crowd at any given time ) - dj ztrip

scratching is a art and suppose to used when needes ( no dmc )

im representing detroit on this

Watchwww.youtube.com

detroit and chicago are home to the best edm dj's.

Watchwww.youtube.com

scratch and add to the mix.not shit on it!

scratch for a reason ( using soul ) \

wayyyyyyy to many djs scratch over the beat and not inside of it :)

TERRANCE PARKER FTW.... When it comes to DETROIT DJs, dont forget about Theo Parrish and DJ Godfather.

If there are spinning discs involved, you are a dj.

Fixed it.

In my opinion, anyone that has a supply of music and is able to keep a crowd on the dancefloor and happy in some way or form is a dj.

I have been playing for 25 years. I started out with 2 Technics M229X cassette decks with DBX and a simple 4 channel (then Radio Shack) mixer. Could not afford turntables back then and of course, every family has someone that is just musically inclined. Bang, they are then termed, the DJ.

I was mixing songs from cassettes, but I was the DJ.

My less than 2 cents.

Turntablist ---> DJ ---> Selector ---> Jukebox ---> Mixtape/Mix CD

^^^ is that the food chain/pecking order?

I consider myself to lean toward the turntablist/party rocker end of the spectrum.
-but I also have just as much respect for a DJ who may not scratch or juggle, but still uses effects/filters/delays/looping/glitches/etc. and can mix creatively as a PERFORMER.

let's all try to keep an open mind here people...
(maybe that's asking a bit much on THIS forum)

Effects/filters/delays/looping/glitches/etc take less time to learn than mixing.
Next its going to be they can spin edm with a blinf fold bla bbla bla all that is not or no where near scratching or juggling period. "PERFORMING" Is not what this forum Discussion is about!! This is about are they a dj or not lol that is how low dj's see edm dj's on the yesssss food chain homie!

oops, quote FAIL :P

"-otherwise it DOES get kind of boring to me if they are just playing songs...""
yes i can see what you mean now verry well put!

"(by performing I mean manipulating the sounds live)"
key word "live sound" +1

With all that said i have made lots of edm cd's that had nothing but mixing on them.
There is nothing wrong with that but ill be the first to pay to see a dj like a.m over one like me allllll dayyyyyy! Butttt the last time i checked Testio did not scratch and he is doing just fine!

do we need to bring up the youtube tiesto interview?

Watchwww.youtube.com

^^ hahaha subs are not accordingly to what's been said... funny tho :)

This is such a stupid post. THERE IS A MUSIC SCENE OUTSIDE OF HIP HOP!

Hip Hop's pretty dead in the UK actually.

Really? What part of the UK do you live in?

Did you read the original post? It had nothing to do with any music scene at all, it was about one type of djing skill set vs another. How did this turn into hiphop vs the worlds music scene?

no one was talking about hip hop....?

Just dmc v.s "beatmatching and nob twisting"

So you recognize that your post is stupid. Nice. lol

That's "K-N-O-B"....

*****sigh****

I find that funny, since many hip-hop "DJs" have trouble with basic skills like beatmatching and phrasematching, yet deride EDM DJs who've built whole careers on being able to do that and consequently (the low-rate hip-hop DJs, that is) have all their clashing songs sound like shit, so that they just throw a quick scratch over it, and "voila!", you're more talented than a guy like JT Donaldson (some love for a personal favorite) because you manipulate the platter and he doesn't.

I am NOT saying however that this is by any stretch of the imagination, ALL hip-hop DJs. There are plenty of ridiculously talented guys out there. Just that it's foolish to assume that because you manipulate the platter (no matter how shitty you may sound doing it), you're better than an EDM guy who, judged equally by someone who can appreciate both styles, kicks your ass musically with his programming, song selection, and yes, technical skill (even if it's not scratching).


Lemme put it this way:

Is a top sprinter better than a top Shot-putter?

They're both Track-and-Field athletes for sure, and share some commonalities, but you can't compare what they do, because the manner in which they do it is entirely different. Both of them share the goal of vanquishing their opponents and coming out with a "1.)" next to their names and a gold medal in individual competition using basic physical functions.

Different means of achieving the same goal. Apples and Oranges. Trying to use their skills to spin discs with the goal of taking their audiences on a journey. EDM and Hip-Hop.

+1 DMT .... Well put!

Johny, <--- lol

Your not gonna be able to corect everyone's mispellings .... so why even boother.

hahaha

Hell yeah! A lot of Hip Hop DJ's are always surprised when they see me play "hip hop." They always compliment me on how I can mix two songs for a long time. They're used to only mixing 8 bars and bam! BTW, I can't scratch for shit!!! But I can rock a party! lol

what does beatmatching mean?

I can appreciate any DJ who is original and can get a party rocking. There are so many tools out there but very few can rock parties with their own style and originality.

I'm gonna try!!!

gonna = "going to"

you missed one.. its not "your" it's "tu eres"

No speak-a de espanisho.

we speak amurrrican in here..

You missed a lot more.

I'm picking my battles...

OK. Stop that. lol

Flicks a little green one inside your spaghetti....

retarded ass thread
/end of thread

I'm Mexican, not Italian. *Hides his tacos* lol

whats the point of mining nose gold if you cant share it with the townsfolk!

****slowly backs out of thread******

hahahah. Nicely done.

Btw, that's very homo. lol

***as the latest edm song plays in background***

HEY! I know the guy who owns this place! um siss um siss um siss

***as the latest edm song plays in background*** <--- hahaha

onfinite.com

The difference between an "EDM" DJ and a Hip Hop DJ is about 6 feet. hahaha

s177.photobucket.com

thats an empath mixer? i actually kinda dig that mixer...

thats fuckin sexxy, I dont who you are.

He could spin new age for all I care...that setup is amazing!!! Much props!!

Somebody mention "Knob Twisting"?

Like I said.....aw forget it! Just don't do any knob twisting around me and we'll be cool!

-it had at least better REALLY do something to change the sound if they're gonna twist a knob.
-otherwise they should just stay home and twist their own knob...

You guys are gods.... no really... you are...

there is no god... no really... there isn't...

as long as theres an easter bunny ill be ok

My vote is for the tooth fairy. I was averaging a few bucks a tooth back in the day...

Is this the God thread now?

lol

Feed the ego starve the soul

Where is his son Jesus Christ?

Keep my name out'cho mouf!

there you are! whats cracking?

Chillin... sitting down watching the first game of this year's football season.

about time!!! i was sick and tiered of just baseball on ESPN!

WTF is BASEball? Baseball is for gay EDM fans.

you mean this guys

www.acbrandguidelines.org.uk

he hearts baseball.

Most of them are not.


DJ Dan, Carl Cox, DJ Hype, Bad Boy Bill, i.e. the good ones all can mix, blend, scratch, and have solid all around DJ skills. DJ Dan used to scratch a ton, blend, and mash shit up, that's how he got popular.


Even most of the famous edm DJ's are not what most people would consider to be DJ's. They could, and VERY often do, just pop in a CD and stand up there waving their hands around in the air. They don't have to judge a crowd, the crowd came to listen to their productions and productions similar to theirs that aren't released yet, they basically came for the purpose of listening to a mix CD that isn't out yet.

Almost ALL of them CANNOT beatmatch very well. I guarantee it. That's why many of them are jumping over to Ableton (if they already haven't).

I played EDM for a decade, and wasn't a pee-on. I toured all over the place and have played probably 25% of the top clubs listed in DJ Mag or whatever that popular EDM DJ magazine is. This is how unspectacular EDM DJ's are in general .... at least a dozen of the biggest name EDM guys you can think of have specifically requested that I not play before them because they can't follow me up ...... pretty much the only guys who kept the party going have been DJ Dan and Bad Boy Bill, but in the hip hop / mash up world there's TONS of dudes who destroy me, SO many talented DJ's.

EDM is like training wheels for DJ'ing. It's SO G-D easy to play and so formulaic ... they don't even really need DJ's for it anymore, let them just record a CD send it out all over the world and then Tiesto can rock 100 parties all at once all over the world.

WOW!!!

Peon vs....well, there is no such thing as a pee-on (No R.Kelly)

****sigh****

looks like I spoke too soon.

This thread is wack. Whats next? Are americans "real people" ?

No not real people they just look real but they are fake they just through there hands in the air! I know i met like 25% of them i was really big but there where lots of fake people better than me! Ps easter bunny kicks ass1

Throw vs. .....well in actuality, you used the wrong SOUNDING WORD in the first place...

You really wanted to say "Throw"....but you used "Through"...

But, just to stay consistant....

Threw vs. Through vs. Thru....

*****sigh*****

Ok, you're going for a record....

Their vs. There vs. They're

****sigh****

THERE WILL BE A QUIZ NEXT WEEK PEOPLE!!!!

Would you have also accepted threw their hands in the air??

I think 1/2 of 5th grade is all homonyms, synonyms, homophones & ploysemes.

Yes.

^^^ here we go

***goes to look up "dendrophyte"***

oops... I meant dendrophILE.

BACK ON TRACK

You never left.

people still car stereos you know?

people still steal car stereos you know?

people still steal sealed car stereos you know?

People stil steel sealed car stereos you no

People still steal sealed car stereos playing seal you know?

People still squeal while they steal sealed car stereos playing seal you know?

People sit still and still steal sealed car stereos playing sealed seal CDs you know

Silly people sit still sulking while others still steal sealed car stereos playing sealed seal CDs stolen from Sam's Club you know?

oh damn. hahahaha

Silly petty people sit still suckin' while other still steal sealed car stereos playing sealed seal CDs stolen from Sam's Club you know?

gente chistosa ses sienta quietamente valiendo verga,mientras otros sigen robando esterios de carro tocando CD que todavia estan enbueltos y robados del Cub de Sams lla sabes?



OK OK OK.....Now i understand!!

jijijiijijiji

U laugh like a girl...

Jajajajaja <---- more like it. :P

www.partypants.co.uk

LOL i stand corrected

NOW you know!!!

And knowings half the battle

Knowing is vs......

nevermind...

fail on the bold. hahaha

Bold vs [b]Bold[b]

*sigh*

Damn those EDM DJ's.

lol

wow....I'm alloud won missteak.

Did you say steak?

Atta boy... now u're blending in.

only one f-up thats good for me!!

Some people are talking some amount of shit here about edm djs not being real djs. Just take a look at guys like Richie hawtin around the release of his decks efx and 909 album. He plays 38 tracks in under an hour using a roland 909 as well as decks. Yeh he definitely aint a real dj..................

Ooooh... 38 tracks under an hour. That's hot! (Sarcasm)

Automix in Tracktor, MixMeister or Ableton is so hot :)

NOT!

Gay EDM DJs are HOT!

hawtin is a dope dj.his skillz are crazzzy.

i dont like the music he plays and i would like to see him scratch ( like bad boy bill )

but he is still a dope dj.

what is a dj if he cant scratch? :)

Ok everybody is a Dj including those people with Ipods. Ok everybody happy.

like anything...
its not; are you a _______?
but are you a good ________?

as far as technical mixing in EDM goes, i've always been impressed with Jeff Milligan

Watchwww.youtube.com

But whatevs, I think this is probably one of the more retarded threads on here in a while (which is saying a lot).

I've seen as many boring ass non-technical EDM guys as much as I've seen boring ass non-technical hiphop and top 40 guys.

Simple fact is there are good djs and shitty djs in all styles.

he's quite good...his shits so damn minimal though!
Ive seem him on serato and straight vinyl X4 too

I've done bout ~60 tracks in 12 min.. that doesn't make me any better or worse. If you're good, you're good. If not, then you're not just like soo said:

Yeah, sorry I should have written either way there are good and bad djs. I love both edm and hip hop. Was just using that 38 tracks in his mix as a point as people were saying that edm djs do nothing and just play tracks for 6-7 mins when it clearly isnt always the case. :) Silly discussion anyways!

Don't feed the trolls morg.... (not directed at Deez)

I was going to say, the # of tracks played per second doesn't necessarily have ANYTHING to do with skill on a DVS system.

Do that with vinyl.

you should probably tell your dr that. I'm fairly sure saying those exact words can get you prescribed to riddilen or adderol

ffft.

we all know the size of the tracklisting directly relates to the size of the penis.

While House has waned from its 90's commercial radio strong hold, it is alive, well, and striving. NY/NJ/CT/DC/Chitown/Detroit/LA are the strongholds of the US house market. DJ's like Tony Humphries, Louie Vega, Joe Clausell, Francouis K, Timmy Regisford, Ruben Toro, Sting International still travel the world playing that good House music sound. And pack whatever venue they are at to the gills.

Agreed that Bmore stuff sucks to me as well. But they love it, it keeps their clubs packed.
I have to say some of the best production I have heard in the last few years have been from House music artists. They have stuff that is just fast real soulful R&B. I think too many people listen to a genre of House that is not appealing and condemn the whole thing. Kenny Lattimore, Patti LaBelle, Mary J Blige, Maxwell, Jamiroquai, Prince, Islely Brothers, Gladys Knight, Bebe Winans, and more all have House versions of their songs that are GREAT.

See, on one hand you say it's alive and well, but on the other, you say the DJ's are touring "The World". I was talking specifically about NJ. The presence HERE is spotty at best, sometimes reignited by a RANDOM House party at undisclosed locations until the last minute.

Nah, I want a CLUB dedicated to House Music...just one.

I don't know what part of Jersey you are in, but Northern Jersey is still doing house on the regular. They have venues that have weekly House parties. .I suggest you check out:
www.deephousepage.com for the forums, parties, and deep collection of house and classics downloadble mixes from every DJ you can think of.
www.cyberjamz.com and www.facethebass.com have forums, live chatroms, and 24 hour live DJ's round the clock.

Yes, I'm talking NORTHERN NJ, including Newark, Irvington, East Orange, and surrounding areas.

And NO, they are not rocking it like that. Those parties that you speak of are at most ONCE a month, and then they have the Lincoln Park festival once a year.

That's it.

They have weekly party every Friday at Club Elevation in Irvington. They are always having special performances and guest DJ's dropping by as well.

Johnny hasn't left the house since he got his Realistic.


:P


He ordered the 56 and the SL3 online. :P

Hahahaha

There are piano players who play classical music...there are some who play rock-style piano.

In the end, it's all about how you entertain the crowd. No matter on style.

heres a mix i did for the month of august with some new edm tracks + bmore stuff.. take a listen please!

soundcloud.com

bump

Somebody needs to bump you into your turntables while you are playing EDM. LOL

it could only help really

that's what relative or internal mode is for...

A DJ to me anyone who when they play for a crowd they live DJ, meaning they mix live, use whatever skills they have whether it be beatmatching, scratch, using filters..etc. I don't consider people DJ's if they play the exact same set every single gig then you are pree much a performer not a DJ. It also does not matter what software/hardware you use. However, I when DJ's play at big shows like EDC/Lost Lands ...etc If you have a pre-made set I still consider you a DJ since those are bigger shows(which are usually recorded) and there is a tendency to have a near perfect set.

is this a shitpost? I really, really hope so

My god there are some really HORRIBLE posts in this thread.

It breaks down like this. First off, I've been DJing since the late 80s so I have the street cred.

I am an "EDM" DJ. I was a promoter when they were called raves. I moved from Hip Hop to Miami Bass (where I learned to scratch, transform, chirp, etc) which lead me to breakbeat and electro when I became am "EDM DJ" and the ability to scratch besides being (when there was no Serato or DVS) just two turntables and a mic, life was different and the ability to scratch was another gun in the arsenal.

I have found that people that can't scratch tend to not like the idea that if they can't that it's necessary. Well the good news is, it's not necessary. I have known many good DJ's that can't scratch at all but knowing how puts you at an advantage.

The modern DJ can mix easier even without SYNC because they can see the key and BPM on the computer. It used to be, you would write the BPM or just know your records.

Now, instead of just scratching and/or mixing, with the ability to mix 4 tracks at the same time with barely baby sitting them, you can either wow the crowd with some cutting (depending on the event) or remix your own tracks (or someone else's on the fly) using outboard gear like an 808 or a TR-8S, Force, MPC Live, whatever. The fact is the tools will always be getting bigger and better but there will always be good DJs and bad DJs.

Anyone that says that "scratching is stupid" is taking a subjective thing and making objective and probably just cant do it well. Even scratching is easy now with Phase and Rane 12. Also tables are needles make it almost impossible to jump. It used to be an art but the art form has changed,

If you can ROCK THE CROWD! then you're a good DJ. If you're battling skills, that's a different story but I find more than not, the "scratching is stupid" people, and there are a lot here apparently, just don't know how. You know you would want it in your repertoire. Why wouldn't you? It actually helps mixing and stuff as well. Plus you can get all kinds of neat effects with the ability to cut.

As a promoter and DJ of forever, I can tell you that scratching is a tool that a good DJ should have.

My love of Hip Hop has turned me back to Drum N Bass which is mostly what I play out now and scratching is a big part of it and it turns heads and makes people like it more than they would otherwise. It's like watching guitar hero do a solo. The visual aspect is nice. I HATE AND I MEAN HATE when DJs do a heart with their hands or pump them. I tell every DJ that goes on my stage, and I don't care who they are, if they play an MP3 on my main stage, they will get the hook, and any more than one heart will do it too.

PLUR! Peace, Love, Unity, Respect :)