Being a nightclub DJ seems like the most redundant job...

[Number Of The Priest]

I go to bars and nightclubs on a semi-regular basis. And although I tout that I have an appreciation of all kinds of music, the typical music playing at these venues just isn't my thing.

This evening, I was on one of my huge Wikipedia-reading binges and came across the term "house music". Out of curiosity, I read the entry for the term, like I do for any other thing on Wikipedia.

So I hit Youtube for some house music to hear what it should sound like. I came up with this:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=tOUSGaUrHxc

Okay, that sounds like the music at some of the nightclubs I go to. Fine.

But what struck me silly was that the DJ in the video wasn't doing ANYTHING impressive. After studying the video a bit, the only real sonic differences I could hear in the music was when she was shifting some of the frequencies by turning some of the knobs.

Most of the time, turning the various knobs and playing with the vinyl did absolutely nothing. Am I blind, or deaf, or what?

Can someone explain what's going on when someone is mixing/DJing and playing with all those controls, but I'm not hearing any differences in the music?

When I watch a guitar-playing video, I like seeing fingers and strings moving to create the exact sounds I hear. When I watch a piano-playing video, I like seeing fingers moving across the keyboard and depressing keys to create the exact sounds I hear. I see/hear NONE of this correlation in DJing.

I swear, a nightclub owner could save money by not hiring a DJ and just programming his own playlist on the computer in his office and it would do the same thing: PLAY A NON-STOP STREAM OF LOUD MUSIC ALL NIGHT LONG.

I understand the need for radio DJs; they gotta talk. Same with stripclub DJs; they gotta coordinate the place. A nightclub DJ does NOT regularly talk. I can't help but think the job of a nightclub DJ is completely redundant.

One of these days, I'm going to own a nightclub that plays rock exclusively (not counting live concert venues). With no friggin' DJ either. I'll press the play button and let the tunes blast.

[Cleveland Metal]

I think it's strictly the interactive "feel" they lend to the place.

I go to places and they are all excited about some out of NYC or LA, DJ coming from somewhere to spin and I'm like "Hmm... sounds like anyone else"...

But, people seem to dig it.

Some human there spinning gives it a more live and real feel I guess.

[jonasaberg]

They also act as a pair of sober eyes, watching over the dance floor. I've seen multiple fights getting started on the dance floor and most of the time it's the dj who calls the bouncers or security.

As far as the music goes, well...umm...you have to have a guy you can go up to and say: "Hey dude, play that song...yaknow...by that dude...it goes like this: nannaa naaa naa NIIINAAAaa...you got that one?"

[Number Of The Priest]

So, I take it that you guys, much like myself, have no friggin' clue as to what all the NASA-like array of controls on the mixer do for the sound either, huh?

I go to places and they are all excited about some out of NYC or LA, DJ coming from somewhere to spin and I'm like "Hmm... sounds like anyone else"...

Oh lord, I thought that was merely a localized thing that occurred here. A monkey can push a play button or spin. One prerecorded song played by one person sounds virtually identical to the same prerecorded song played by a different monkey. Just like I can turn to two different rock radio stations and hear the same prerecorded rock song sound exactly the same.

Maybe I'm not supposed to understand DJs. Probably no more than the general populace can understand that the "noise" they call metal actually can have melody and rhythm. But you guys gave some good insight. And apparently they're not redundant if the job exists for no sole purpose other than getting laid a lot.

[thetroy]

As I understand it there is some skill involved and what they do does make a difference. I have some friends who are into that stuff. I can't be any more specific personally since I don't have a fucking clue about DJ'ing in particular, but I think it's just like asking the average person on the street to compare Yngwie Malmsteen to some of the guitarists here on the JCF. A lot of people just don't "get it" even though it's obvious to us.

[SlasZ]

Good DJ's usually know how to get the crowd going, and play music according to the atmosphere and mood. Also, mixing two songs is not as easy as it looks, but i wouldn't call DJ's musicians either, unless they make their own music.
I have been to some parties where the DJ sucked, or just played a pre-arranged set, and it usually kills the atmosphere, so people started drinking like there's no tomorrow

[Endrik]

the link you posted.... it's is NOT house music.... it's somekind of detroit electro-techno, house is a lot more laid back, very sexual, more groove oriented and atmospheric.

now as an ex- electronical music DJ I can say that most of the DJ'ing really isn't anything special as you said.
You got your tune and some of the tracks of that tune are separated and are on different channels on the board where you can controll each of the channel.... you can use effects, filters, delays etc. it's like you manipulate a guitar track with wah or phaser or whatever.
And off course you got some of those tracks on the vinyl. With vinyl you can manipulate the track with many different ways, making it faster or slower or reverse it or scratch etc. etc. nothing special.... it's a lot more intensive when it comes to hip-hop though, where the DJ's scratch and shit and their level is measured by how smoothly they do it and how good is the flow.

I didn't do any of that shit because it was pretty booring to me. I just played the tunes.... some of my own and some by other artists. DJ as a Disc Jockey.... a dude who play discs. And I used some cool old-school disc deks and a friggin 100 bound tube amp (not guitar amp of course)... you don't usually see that kind gear in clubs... but I liked how they sounded. The important thing is to choose the right tunes.... to make somekind of mood or shit.
Occasionally I played with real-time soft based instruments along the track... wich is more like playing an instrument... and it's like improvising on a keyboard.
That being said, you can't even imagine how much I got laid doing that shit.

But I got bored of it because I just love playing a real instrument.

Now as far as the variety of electronical music goes.... it depends what kind of clubs you visit. Some clubs play very booring shit some play cool shit. To notice the difference between different electronical music types you really have to get into it. Metal music sounds all the same to most of the people who don't listen to metal until they really start digging in.
That being seid there's like 30 times more subgenres and different styles in electronical music than in metal.

I'm a big fan of electronical music wich is groove oriented, has chill-out feel and has roots from funk, soul, jazz, latin, african and oriental music.
Stuff like lounge, house, breakbeat, trip-hop, jungle, drum'n'bass, house, acid-jazz, nu-jazz, electro bossa-nova.

Then there's non-groove electronical music... with strong beat wich is in 4/4 all the time. It's some of the worst music EVER made in my opinion.
Stuff like trance, hardcore techno, hardbeat, nrj, eurobeat, eurodance etc.

Then there's stuff wich is hard to classify. Some are inspiered of minimalistic classical music or expressionism or experimental or psychedelic music.
Industrial, EBM, ambient, electropunk, synthpop etc.
Some of that stuff is cool.... some are not.

Lately A LOT of jazz artists are experimenting with electronical music (groove oriented) even the old legends such as John Scofield, McLaughlin etc. When you got to jazz festival... more and more experimenting you'll hear every year. Even the well known instrumental guitarists are using electronical music elements.... all the latest Jeff Beck records or Engines Of Creation by satch... or I On U by Neal Schon.

The next big thing is live electronical music. It sounds like electronical music but it's played with real instruments. It's very demanding, a lot of improvising and it's very very cool. It's a lot of fun to play that.

All that buzz about this is because of a drummer called JoJo Mayer.
JoJo mayer shocked the world with his unbeliveable skill. He was one of the leading jazz drummers in the world. He had unbeliveable cordination, speed, feel, groove precision etc. he could do Buddy Rich style one handed rolls at insane speeds and play kick drum faster with one leg than most metal drummers with two.
One day he said fuck all that and started the whole live electronic music thing. First it was a real underground event, but now people from all over the world go to see them.
If you are in NYC, go to see event called Prohibited Beatz. JoJo and his band The Nerve are playing there. Amazing stuff.
Some of their videos.

http://www.drummerworld.com/Videos/Jojomayernerve.html

http://www.drummerworld.com/Videos/JojomayerMD2005.html

now many many world class musicians are doing that kind of music... one of the best projects are done by the rhythm section of Living Colour.... Doug Wimbish and Will Calhoun

[Endrik]

you just have to find the right places.

some of the most popular clubs among the local folks are friggin shitholes. Full of arrogant smucks and coke loving chicks... the music pretty much hardcore dance... trance shit.

Then there's some clubs where are some of the world class DJ's. Although the ticket prices are ridiculous, the vibe is very cool... the folks are cool... the chicks are fucking hot... the music makes you move etc.

[Rsmacker]

I know a DJ, he is soooooooo talented, he can play absolutely any song!


The "NASA like array of controls" on the mixer, on the installations I have done, they do nothing - I disable them inside the mixer, as well as limiting the output dB. They usually have a Gain control (limited), basic EQ (Bass, Mid, Treble), Pan and Channel volume. Any more than that is asking for trouble, DJ's can't resist fucking around with things, they always know best.
Mind you, fixing their fuckups paid for my new Jaguar, so what do I care???!!!

There are good DJs and they are the ones who can walk into any room and create a good atmosphere no matter what crowd is in. They'll either have a van load of CDs (being humped in by their remedial "apprentice"), or these days a laptop with thousands of tracks on, of all styles. Something for every occasion, every audience, every mood.

Alas, the other type of DJ is the modern Dance music type. He'll turn up at the club with 12 hangers-on (on the guest list, of course), and a shoulder bag with about a dozen 12" vinyl records in, his "set". He'll play that set, come hell or high water, even if the crowd are rioting, because that is all he has got with him. He'll say the club sound system is shit then proceed to thrash the living fuck out of it, whilst hoovering up line after line of Charlie. After about an hour, he'll grab the bottle of Champers he has blagged, trouser anywhere up to about £2k in cash, then clear off to the next gig, or into the VIP booth to hump a couple of star-struck sluts.

Some of these guys are doing 3 or 4 venues a night, nice work if you can get it.

[Jackson-Charvel]

I always wondered what the average DJ really did, as I was never impressed. It just seemed like a job to get laid, but without having any kind of skill. That said the DJ's that are famous have to have some kind of skill but since I'm not into that kind of music I have no clue what they actually do.

I have to wonder if it is really a skill or just someone that has basic knowledge of sound equipment and a few practice gigs to become a world class DJ. Hell using winamp and the pacemaker plug in I can create so cool stuff, and with 2 or 3 computers playing the same or different .wavs or MP3's, I have created atmospheric music I've never heard in clubs, and I don't even do this for a living.

For a joke, I could see myself being a DJ and then getting behind the mic and telling the crowd that a trained monkey can do what I am doing. Just imagine their reaction. I'd probably get lynched.

[RobRR]

http://www.drummerworld.com/Videos/Jojomayernerve.html

Holy shit, I didnt know The Night Fox can play drums too!

[scotty]

So I guess House Music = music for the musically impaired?
I don't know how people can listen to that stuff. There are no real instruments just samples playing over and over and over and over and over and over and over. It is so mindless and unimaginative. I just don't get it.

I would much rather go to a club where I can find a place to sit, a waitress takes care of me, and I have some form of entertainment. Whether it be strippers or live music.

That is my 2 cents.

[QuantumRider]

I would much rather go to a club where I can find a place to sit, a waitress takes care of me, and I have some form of entertainment. Whether it be strippers or live music.

+1 on the strippers

[Cleveland Metal]

So I guess House Music = music for the musically impaired?
I don't know how people can listen to that stuff. There are no real instruments just samples playing over and over and over and over and over and over and over. It is so mindless and unimaginative. I just don't get it

I'm thinking it's more for the drug impaired types. They get up on ectasy and get mesmerized in the groove. Prolly the simpler music is easier to groove on. Complex stuff would be too much mental stimulus, haha...

[Endrik]

So I guess House Music = music for the musically impaired?

thanks, now I gotta do a mark on my calendar to aknowledge that this is the day when I found out that I am musically impaired.... and all those dudes in the new jazz movement...who by the way can kick your and my ass... are too

btw. where did you heard house?

I don't know how people can listen to that stuff.

how people can listen to AC/DC

There are no real instruments just samples playing over and over and over and over and over and over and over.

is that so... so where do you think the samples are coming from?
and in live situation... as I mentioned before... every year there's more and more real instruments.
The first video I posted, that is house played by musically impaired JoJo Mayer and The Nerve

It is so mindless and unimaginative. I just don't get it.

Unimaginative.... like rock music these days? You lost me there... as a rock fan I can say that there's more creative shit going on in electronical music these days than in rock.