- DJ MAG TOP 100 - It’s hilarious, that I will waste some time to talk about this poll, but somehow I feel the need to tell you my thoughts who should be DJ #1 - AND why he definitely deserves that spot. This explanation will also contain my opinion about this old but constant discussion about SYNC or no SYNC! As a matter of fact: Complaining about the use of sync is stupid! To say a DJ has to beatmatch nowadays to be a good DJ is stupid, too! Truth is, that with the sync function people who do not have a feeling for rhythm are able to mix music. But to be honest, if you are a musician and you know facts about rhythm and music structure, about keys, notes and harmonies, the skill to beatmatch is ridiculous easy to learn. It just needs some time, but not much (talking about beatmatching in the genres Tech House, Techno, House - genres which have a lot of DJs who complain about sync). In most cases songs from these genres have BPMs in a range of 120 - 126 BPM, so even when we say the range is about a max of 10 BPM it is not much and I doubt, that DJs who are using Vinyls go directly from a 118 BPM song into a 126 BPM one. So with just a few weeks or months of practice you will be able to beatmatch in a nice way! It’s not that special! So the question is why do these DJs complain about sync? I mean, it is no surprise, that technology develops and that we work on developments to make our daily life and work easier. So using sync is not stupid, but an advantage. If someone would offer to choose a car (same brand and power to avoid car fan club discussions) from 1996 and one from 2013, you would definitely pick the new one, because it has new technology, which means it is saver, more comfortable and you don’t need your old cassettes, but can use a tiny little USB Stick to listen to your favourite music and change it daily without much work. The question is not, am I a good DJ, because I use or don’t use sync. The question is what do I aim for? And here is the difference - the crowd. A crowd, that enjoys Tech House and Techno is focussed on the music. It enjoys the song in its full length and loves to dance to it. The crowd of EDM expects something different: faster song switches, because a full length song is too boring. They expect not just a DJ, but an entertainer, too! So here is the deal: Why shouldn’t EDM DJs use sync? It makes their work easier and they can focus on faster transitions or entertainment with the mic and their behaviour - that’s what their crowd expects! I fully understand, that Vinyl DJ’s want to keep their tradition. It is nice to work with Vinyls and they should do it - but they are not allowed to complain about the use of sync! Most important skill a DJ needs is: his taste! That’s something you can’t learn and makes you special - whatever genre you belong to! Coming back to the DJ MAG TOP100 - who should be #1? What skills does he have to have? That depends on his genre. If he plays with Vinyls, then his beatmatch skills should be really good to be in that poll. If he is from EDM, he should be able to switch songs fast and is able to use the mic in a proper way (not too much, but use it!). If you want to find an equal way to compare these DJs, you have to find a measure instrument which all DJs share: The satisfaction of their crowd! If you are really looking for the DJ with the BEST SKILLS, there would be no EDM, Tech House, Techno, House or Deep House DJ in the poll, because - believe it or not - there are DJs, who uses all the skills I mentioned: beatmatch songs (in a high range, not just 10 BPM, but switchin’ from 80 BPM to 130 BPM and back to 106 BPM), switch fast (in a few seconds) and entertain the people with a mic - for example a Hip Hop/R&B DJ! BUT for YOU… if you are attending an event and the DJ makes you happy, whatever technique or equipment he used or songs he played - all that counts is: You enjoyed the moment - together! Peace out! :) - J
Posted on: Sat, 27 Sep 2014 15:08:40 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015