10 years playing the Cello?

DjDickGrayson

United States81 Posts

January 22 2013 16:31 GMT

I recently posted a blog about DJ Shadow and his run-in with the style police that is Mansion Miami. There was a comment about DJ's not being musicians that I just can't let go. I figured, maybe these people are just slightly outdated, like a 2009 iMac at a parents house that needs a software update. Maybe they need to witness for themselves, all the new ways of making music.

Not my favorite DJ, in fact, I have no idea who this guy is, but he makes music in this demo using primarily DJ equipment:

So maybe, from now on, if you are a classical music snob (which is ok), you will give other people who maybe are not turned on by the smell of maple or whatever violins are made of tucked in between your cheek and neck a chance. The world is full of possibilities and different build orders.

nath

United States1788 Posts

January 22 2013 16:56 GMT

i think its arrogant to say that DJs warrant the same type/level of respect as musicians (only because they are different). that being said, they deserve respect for what they do and should be 'given a chance', listened to, and supported because its hard to make it and they clearly have a passion for what they do.

i just think its fundamentally different, you can't compare DJ and musician, its like apple to orange IMHO. its not a 'different build order', its a different PROFESSION IMO.

also not smart to shit on 'classical music snobs' if you actually like music in general. every style of music has something to learn from...

Geiko

France1991 Posts

January 22 2013 17:05 GMT

Why would you even want to compare classical music and what we can hear in this youtube video ?

Clearly different things, and this is coming from someone who listens to all kind of music.

TOCHMY

Sweden1692 Posts

January 22 2013 17:17 GMT

I know that some DJs do some sick stuff creating their music.

What really grinds my gears, though, is ppl or groups like, for instance, Swedish House Mafia, who once laid a good beat, made it a song and then millions of people pay loads of money to go see them "playing" live, wich really is just them pressing play on their winamp and doing some fistpumps.

Meanwhile, in some basement downtown, four dudes are practicing 15 hours a week together to play music. Music that will never reach the ears of the masses, but their music is fucking amazing. With physical live instruments and live vocals. Now imagine that theres hundreds of thousands of these bands out there. Bands with, dare I say, more talent and dedication than most of the big guys out there (Maiden, Metallica, whatever). They will never get the recognition though. They were born in the wrong era.

Now take a live performance. The singer has to nail all the vocals, the guitarist has to nail all the chords, licks, solos. The basist has to nail all his shit, and most important of all, the drummer. The drummer has to keep that tempo and beat or else everything will just colapse. While all of the individual band members are focusing on their shit, they also have to focus on playing with the band, if you know what I mean.

All the while Swedish House Mafia are pumping their fists, pressing play on their Winamp...

It's so sad

DjDickGrayson

United States81 Posts

January 22 2013 17:30 GMT

On January 23 2013 01:56 nath wrote:
i think its arrogant to say that DJs warrant the same type/level of respect as musicians (only because they are different). that being said, they deserve respect for what they do and should be 'given a chance', listened to, and supported because its hard to make it and they clearly have a passion for what they do.

i just think its fundamentally different, you can't compare DJ and musician, its like apple to orange IMHO. its not a 'different build order', its a different PROFESSION IMO.

also not smart to shit on 'classical music snobs' if you actually like music in general. every style of music has something to learn from...

Did you know.. that Frank Zappa once wrote an electronic music symphony? Did you know this? It's pretty damn good, and I can assure you, being a musician myself, that he could have made it with all this equipment. Different build order?

ALSO.. I am pretty sure I know more about Chopin than most

Djzapz

Canada10681 Posts

January 22 2013 17:46 GMT

That's pretty awesome. I can't help to wonder how much that whole setup costs.

Iranon

United States983 Posts

January 22 2013 17:51 GMT

Calling DJs musicians is just like calling esports sports. They're vaguely similar, but clearly different enough to warrant different terms, and there's no reason to get upset about the distinction. Having different terminology doesn't imply that one is somehow better or worse than the other, it just reflects the fact that the word "musician" has been around for a long time and has strong connotations that don't really pertain to DJs beyond the superficial definition of "someone who produces sound intended as entertainment". I like a lot of electronic music, but I don't call the people producing it musicians, I call them artists. They're very talented artists, and I respect them a lot, but calling them musicians seems an inappropriate use of the word.

DjDickGrayson

United States81 Posts

January 22 2013 17:58 GMT

On January 23 2013 02:51 Iranon wrote:
Calling DJs musicians is just like calling esports sports. They're vaguely similar, but clearly different enough to warrant different terms, and there's no reason to get upset about the distinction. Having different terminology doesn't imply that one is somehow better or worse than the other, it just reflects the fact that the word "musician" has been around for a long time and has strong connotations that don't really pertain to DJs beyond the superficial definition of "someone who produces sound intended as entertainment". I like a lot of electronic music, but I don't call the people producing it musicians, I call them artists. They're very talented artists, and I respect them a lot, but calling them musicians seems an inappropriate use of the word.

Who said I was upset or shitting on classical music?

-EDIT- Maybe your definition is inappropriate and maybe even a little insensitive? I say music can evolve and it can also be made in many many different shapes or forms.

Djzapz

Canada10681 Posts

January 22 2013 17:59 GMT

I understand where you're coming from and I kind of see it but on the other hand I have trouble understanding why the line is drawn there? I mean why's that guy in the video less of a musician than say Björn from In Flames who similarly uses an instrument which makes sounds using electricity. In the end it's some sort of electronic/audio interpretation of motion. I'm pretty sure that by definition it's music.

How can someone who makes music not be a musician?

DjDickGrayson

United States81 Posts

January 22 2013 18:01 GMT

#10

On January 23 2013 02:59 Djzapz wrote:

Show nested quote +

you just made my day

Djzapz

Canada10681 Posts

January 22 2013 18:05 GMT

#11

Steveling

Greece10806 Posts

January 22 2013 18:25 GMT

#12

I'm sorry, I really tried to give this guy a chance but all I could hear was this

DjDickGrayson

United States81 Posts

January 22 2013 18:30 GMT

#13

On January 23 2013 03:25 Steveling wrote:
I'm sorry, I really tried to give this guy a chance but all I could hear was this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuBJLTdr_pQ

Did you know, I was a writer on Friends? Courtney Cox is such a fox! Thanks for sharing this clip, haha!!

Like I said, dont even know the guy, and it really is just a demo for the new equip, but try to imagine Bjork doing something similar... It would prob be stellar.

pebble444

Italy2503 Posts

January 22 2013 18:31 GMT

#14

I don' t give a fuck if you make music with 2 sticks and a shell peace of wood, or a whole Orchestra. The sounds will Obviously be different but the quality won' t change.

Its all about passion to me. I like all types of music, i have yet to encounter a type of music i don' t listen to. There are a lot of unrecognized musicians, as well as many famous people who in my opinion don' t deserve to be famous or listened too.

That being said, practicing something 15 hours a day doesn' t make you good at it. They are people who play sc 15 hours a day and are still not good at it. TBH i' ve heard this guy you linked and don' t like him, it feels like there is nothing special about him. I prefer stuff like DJ Kormac and Alle Farben.

A Dj is a musician. So give respect to all (real muscians)

Severedevil

United States4839 Posts

January 22 2013 18:58 GMT

#15

I like shoops, but I wouldn't call 'em art.

WolfintheSheep

Canada14127 Posts

January 22 2013 23:02 GMT

#16

Some DJs can do stuff that I can enjoy. The vast majority of them sound like my Grandmother on a synthesizer trying to play piano, relying on a prerecorded beat for actual "quality" and just layering on sound over top.

I don't know what you were trying to show with the video, or if you were trying to show anything, but he was an extreme example of the latter. Have a repetitive beat in the background, and just jump from noise to noise to noise to noise.

G_G

Canada178 Posts

January 23 2013 02:04 GMT

#17

I admit complete ignorance toward this stuff, but watching and listening to this it seems almost like he's a conductor who has direct control over his orchestra of prerecorded musicians.

In the end though, people should just enjoy what they enjoy and do what they want to do. Having to classify something one way or another in order to give it some superficial form of credibility is missing the point of art in the first place.

Aerisky

United States12129 Posts

January 23 2013 03:26 GMT

#18

It kind of depends. I remember deadma5 once made a very interesting post about it:
http://deadmau5.tumblr.com/post/25690507284/we-all-hit-play

Nowadays, there are definitely DJs who do very innovative things with their music, and also those who make the music themselves, but with the knowledge I have, I'd be inclined to agree with deadmau5.

Also potshot at classically trained musicians is rather irrelevant. Maybe those with whom you have disagreements just tend to claim that they're classical musicians and musicians from different backgrounds aren't "real" musicians, which seems like it would be annoying for sure.