It’s fair to say that DJs are in many ways modern day rockstars. They certainly live the rockstar lifestyle and enjoy all of the trimmings that go with it but do they really deserve the accolade? Are they on the same level as the like of The Rolling Stones, The Beatles or Jimi Hendrix or are they glorified radio disc jockeys making huge fortunes off the back of other people’s hard work?
The first thing to take into consideration here is that not all DJs are the same. It’s well-known fact within the industry that unless you are an extremely talented tune selector, you’re going to struggle to make it big unless you’re producing your own tunes. So, it’s fair to say, the majority of DJs who play regularly in big clubs are more than just people standing in front of crowds mixing other people’s music. If you manage to squeeze a few of your own productions into your set we’ll respect your artistic credibility.
However, in the modern electronic music industry, it’s no secret that the scene is flooded with ghost producers. Love them or hate them, they’re here to stay and they make it a lot harder to differentiate between your artists and your performing monkeys.
You may need to delve a little bit deeper to discover whether the DJ you’re watching is a true artist or just a performer. In our experience, we always find that the guys who spend more time jumping around the stage, talking on the mic or standing with their hands in the air are a lot more likely to be performers. Basically, if they look like what they’re doing is a polished performance than it probably is.
Pre-prepared sets are also an issue in today’s industry, while there’s nothing wrong with doing your prep work a DJ should always be ready and able to change things up to better suit a crowd and a club. Real artists will put a lot more emphasis into creating a good atmosphere and taking clubbers on a journey through their music than they will on using gimmicks to distract people from the fact that what they’re doing is an act.
Whatever your personal preferences are, the important thing is that you find an atmosphere where you can enjoy yourself and feel comfortable. Whether the DJ on stage is a modern day Mozart or a musical Charlie Chaplin the only thing that really matters is that the people on the dancefloor are enjoying themselves.
