What turns you off/on about DJs at Burning Man?

[junglesmacks]

Dear HATERS,

Djing isn't easy, I can teach someone to play chords on a piano in 15 minutes, doesn't mean they will play the right ones and sound good. Who ever said the physical mixing of two tracks had to be difficult? As in any art form there is so much more to it, which is why there are bad djs and great djs.

You're just repeating the same crap your parents probably tried to tell you about the guitar.

Stop the hate and enjoy the music.

- with <3 Captain

Dear ASSHAT,

Thanks for taking the high road.

Not.

- with <3 Junglesmacks

[Captain]

[quote="Ugly Dougly"]Just curious. Are you a musician, Captain?[/quote]
Used to play the guitar, and a little piano, but not in a very long time. I'm learning how to be a shitty two bit dj these days though.

[Captain]

Dear ASSHAT,

Thanks for taking the high road.

Not.

- with <3 Junglesmacks

I don't get what you are you saying here?

[junglesmacks]

Not really expecting you to.

Dear ASSHAT,

Thanks for taking the high road.

Not.

- with <3 Junglesmacks

I don't get what you are you saying here?

[Captain]

Not really expecting you to.

Dear ASSHAT,

Thanks for taking the high road.

Not.

- with <3 Junglesmacks

I don't get what you are you saying here?

Oh snap you got me there junglesmacks, you're awesome in my books! <3

[theCryptofishist]

Like it or not, the DJs have a huge presence on the playa. I'm one of those people who is noise sensitive, especially when I'm tired. And I'm an odd little geek who will never again (if I ever was) be a cute young thing who is a flame to a moth. I don't waste a lot of time in resentment against djs, my feelings are more complicated, but I can understand why there is resentment.
I don't knwo how to untangle the knot.

[thirt33n]

My dj related turn ons-
napping in the early evening as the city moderately buzzes with hundreds or tracks of all kinds......dozing off.....awaking just after sunset to a freshly loaded party bus coming down a backstreet to make a pickup and playing "eye of the tiger". one of the BEST alarms i have ever woken up to.

post dawn "quiet hours" dj's playing floaty random songs...watching flags, wind ribbons and banners slowly sway in the still morning cool while this song played one morning:
[youtube][/youtube]
..simply PERFECT

smaller large sound camps playing quieter yet rhythmically intense jams that are, from most angles, totally over powered by the huge sound camp right beside them....this happened out on 2 and e a few years back with, i believe, nexxus and their double bus, kind of hiding around the corner from the raised "cool" stage with all the gawkers...and at nexxus the volume was about half as loud and the intensity was triple with a smaller group of people who knew they were where it was at...(eventually i discovered that it was our over famous friend bassnectar of whom i am not sick of and have always loved(to each his own) and he again proved himself to be pretty wise to the notions of volume does not = intensity)

turn offs-
anyone who thinks dj-ing is simply "pressing a button", "spinning records" or "talentless". those who say that only show their ignorance.
i am a professional musician. between live sets i chose music to keep the crowd entertained. i don't "mix" anything. i just choose what i think is the right song. i am better at it than the rest of the guys in my band....just picking songs....add mixing and effecting and add your own studio recorded tracks and samples...triggering different pre recorded hits and segments while watching the crowd react....there is so obviously an art to it that all you naysayers basically have written "dipshit" on your forehead....i wish you would have written it backwards so you could understand when you looked in the mirror...(boy, i'm clever)

All you really NEED to be a good drummer or bass player is a SEAMLESS groove.....If people have taste that calls for different kind of music it does not make a seamless player talentless....the same goes for DJ-s....miss a beat and fuck up the flow and you'd better have humor to save your ass and keep people around...yes, there are several other factors and opinions and these were solely mine on this hot summer day with the sound of sprinklers outside when i am ramping up to come home and listen and feel again....(anybody ever hear someone play a simple sprinkler track?) that'd be faux refreshing on a hot day....

[soupman]

Likes-

-Coming up on a DJ that I know and absolutely love, without knowing that they were even going to be there in the first place
-Finding a DJ that just blows me away, without ever having heard of them before
-4 a.m. til 7 a.m. at any sound camp with a great DJ- shit just gets wonky hehe...


Dislikes-

-All these camps advertising their lineups like it's fucking Bonnaroo. I would love it- *LOVE* it- if camps like Opulent Temple, Robot Heart, Distrikt etc. etc. didn't even release their lineups so we could just be happily surprised when we got there... I imagine it would greatly reduce the number of people expecting to go out for just a "big rave", as well as people who also treat it as such.

-All of the DJs and acts this year that feel entitled to a ticket simply because they do this "professionally" or are scheduled at a certain camp. I'm a goddamn good DJ and will fill in for ANYONE who slept on getting their ticket, and probably do a better job.

-DJs that treat Burning Man like a resume builder. "Book me! I played at Burning Man!" I think the only DJ that can base his career almost entirely off of Burning Man is Bassnectar, and even HE worked his ass off to produce and make something more of himself than to just be a "Burning Man DJ".




And I must chime in by saying that there IS a lot more that goes into DJing than just pushing buttons or playing the latest crappy remix of whoever's hot right now. Beatmatching, figuring out the exact right time to start mixing in and out, blending 2 tracks to create a seamless DJ mix through EQ'ing, reading the crowd and picking appropriate tunes for the moment are things that ALL take practice and experience and should not be shrugged off as "easy" or not requiring a musical ear or talent. Guys that use Traktor to beatmatch or construct their entire set beforehand- yeah that's whack. (And for the record, I do play piano, guitar and sing. I choose to DJ because I love the feeling of making people dance uncontrollably)

[thirt33n]

and, junglesmacks, i have read some great posts from you. you have also prompted me several times to tell you to take a chill pill. i couldn't find anywhere on here that Captain was doing anything to deserve your "asshat" assault....write it on your own forehead...backwards please.
chill out man, you're almost home.
with snarky respect and love
Crux

[junglesmacks]

and, junglesmacks, i have read some great posts from you. you have also prompted me several times to tell you to take a chill pill. i couldn't find anywhere on here that Captain was doing anything to deserve your "asshat" assault....write it on your own forehead...backwards please.
chill out man, you're almost home.
with snarky respect and love
Crux

lol.. it appears my job here, good sir, is done.

My reference to the hat that is ass would be in response to the aforementioned said user coming back with said attitude in defense of that which he is trying to defend.

I'll write it on my forehead only if I can write it on yours, too.

with snarky respect and love
JS

[Simon of the Playa]

thirt33n has a giant tiesto tattoo on his ass....


seriously...

[junglesmacks]

thirt33n has a giant tiesto tattoo on his ass....


seriously...

[youtube][/youtube]

[thirt33n]

thirt33n has a giant tiesto tattoo on his ass....


seriously...

same spot as yours....no more room on your arm! love you simon.

[The CO]

Pro:
Music I have not heard before.
I can always go somewhere else that is not playing whatever I don't like. (that said, I almost never spend any time at 10 & 2)

Con:
Any fucking twit that pulls the "DJs are the reason so many people come to Burning Man" or any variation thereof. Fuck off. If DJs are the only reason someone comes to TTITD, they are doing it wrong.
PLAYING TO AN EMPTY DANCE FLOOR.
People that tell me I can't appreciate DJs because I'm not (blah blah blah). There is plenty of skill involved with djing. But I can pick up a guitar or any number of other instruments & not only play without electricity, but I can jam with other musicians. It is a small select few djs that can do that.

[Cheyenne]

I've been reading these posts with interest on this thread, and am intrigued that not everyone on eplaya is a dj hating music fascist like I first thought when I joined last year.

I approach this from a couple of perspectives - firstly as a musician who was trained in woodwind when I was a child. Secondly as a DJ who taught myself 12 years ago to do it as I thought there weren't enough girlies doing it and I ascertained that anything a bloke could do, I could do too! (that isn't a particularly good reason, but I was 18 at the time!!). I didn't attend any of these overpriced and pointless 'learn to dj courses' nor did I have anyone teach me what to do... I bought a pair of direct drives and a pioneer mixer and used the music theory I already knew to build an extension to my musical knowledge. That is what I saw it as, an extension to musical knowledge -

Saying that its easier to learn an instrument than to learn to DJ or vice versa is not helpful - both are entrenched in a sense of ecology or 'relational' learning. Both are also undertaken on their own merits and have their own complexities to get right.

Here is another issue - the Vynil v laptop debate. It is a non starter. I started playing with records and still use them with great affection. Hell, I even combine these mediums in a set... gosh! how terribly daring! I will say that beatmatching and seamless mixing are a skill to get right, and even harder to keep that going consistenly throughout the whole set - but they are not the be all and end all to entertaining a crowd. I listen with a highly critical ear to all DJ's that get paid for what they do and i've heard some right royal fuck ups by some very well known dj's. I've mde plenty of mistakes in my time and I just learn from it and move on... can't dwell on it. The technology does allow dj's and producers to take music to the next level however, looping, fly looping, edits etc are something that computers do well and it has allowed things to get more interesting. I also like it for the ability to make long mixes even longer - I always remember trying to make my mixes as seamless as possible so the listener couldn't hear any joins... mixing in key was, well 'key' and this has been made easier with technology. Considering the amount of prep work needed for all this, I wouldn't call it 'whack' or belittle its ability to please a crowd just because a lot of the legwork is undertaken at home... I use laptops and controllers in conjunction with vinyl and will be bringing my setup with me - I've playa proofed it, but bringing my vinyl 8,000 miles accross the world just isn't going to happen, considering much of it is pretty rare and valuable these days... so I'll be bring technology instead.

At the end of the day, its about what comes out of the speakers... If I like it, I will dance to it and will praise the dj for his/her efforts.... nothing more

But yes, DJ's that use the event to build a CV or try and cadge a ticket/favours are not in my good books... the rest of us have shelled out a kidney to be able to afford this event!

[Corbin]

thanks for all the responses... its been most informative/amusing ...
Find me at DJing @ Camp Vangelis... playing nothing but Vangelis all week long!

[youtube][/youtube]

Haha just kidding about camp Vangelis; though that would be pretty sweet.

[Ugly Dougly]

Pro:
Music I have not heard before.
I can always go somewhere else that is not playing whatever I don't like. (that said, I almost never spend any time at 10 & 2)

AMEN. I equate music on the playa to the art.

Sure, we have installation art and assemblages on the playa that may incorporate pieces of other art. But it's always original, creative and mind-blowing. Mediocre ideas have no place in the desert. Why can't the music be a little more creative as well?

[Packoderm]

Here you can hear this artist expose his soul and show his innermost feelings throughout this entire performance. [youtube][/youtube]

[Packoderm]

I actually kind of enjoyed the rave party thing, but it will be harder now since I've witnessed this level of douchebaggery.

[Cheyenne]

Steve Angello can fuck off... In a London riot kinda way

[The CO]

as I thought there weren't enough _______ doing it and I ascertained that anything a _____ could do, I could do too! (that isn't a particularly good reason, but I was 18 at the time!!)

Wrong. It's the BEST reason. More people need to learn it.

[JStep]

If you don't like an art form, don't like the art form. If you don't understand something or don't appreciate it, don't show your ass by blathering on about whether or not someone has any talent just because you don't like their art.

I don't like opera but does that mean it would be wise to claim that opera singers are just standing on a stage yelling in Italian at the top of their lungs and therefore have no talent?

I don't like Nascar, but I wouldn't arrogantly say Nascar drivers have no skill.

(I think the pre-journey stress is making me edgy!)

[Galaxo Magic]

Turn offs:
Pounding loud music to an empty camp
Music with a lot of vocals (includes Rap and Hip-Hop)

Turn ons:
Psy-trance
The sound of the female voice (but not singing a bunch of lyrics)

And this comes from a Deadhead of 16 years. I now love psytrance! Dance my ass off! WooHoo!

[Galaxo Magic]

Here you can hear this artist expose his soul and show his innermost feelings throughout this entire performance. [youtube][/youtube]

This is what I don't understand....that guy is not showing talent, he is playing pre-recorded stuff and acting like he is doing something special. If he played the piano, the Hammond, sang the words even, then I would have more respect for him. I know many DJ's that are far more interactive and seem to be working their asses off. Innermost feelings? The guy is very full of himself.....
MHO, I can snark if I want to
You can snark if you want to
We can snark together
We'll have a snarkin' god time!

[gaminwench]

Turn-off:
Being forced to hear anything electronic from 1/4 mile away.
Turn-on:
Anything with live accordian and/or bagpipes.

[The CO]

Here you can hear this artist expose his soul and show his innermost feelings throughout this entire performance.
[some youtube link]

Hmm... Actually, we can't hear it. It's a 13 minute video of a dude smoking and playing with knobs.

[RedHeaven]

Good:
~Hearing all of the sounds together in a cacophony mid playa
~All of the crappy outdated techno is cheesy but its fun at Burning man for some reason.
~All the different kinds of music I hear out there, no matter what it is. I go to music festivals to hear bands, I dont mind all the DJs (tho I always look for good bands too)
~All of the Rockstar DJs and underground DJs getting inspired by the desert
~Roses in the rough like Random Rab who do pretty down tempo sunrise sets
~Fandango Mash Ups!
~DJs that play music/bands with vocals from all eras (my forte, I am an MP3 Jockey and no I dont mind laptops I jsut wanna hear good stuff)

Bad:
~Assnectar preaching to the choir and getting pissed off and killing my buzz as hes performing
~Too much Wub Wub Dub Step Womps (I know its the sign of the times but enuff already)
~Getting sucked into the large sound camps more than I should (MY BAD.....WILL NOT DO THAT THIS YEAR)


I do prefer the music of March Fourth Marching Band and ensembles like that, when I run across them in BRC I consider it a playa miracle.

[Cheyenne]

Don't loose any sleep over it guys, its Dance Valley, its a shit festival, its full of tourists...

[Eric]

Good:
~Fandango Mash Ups!

Technically it's BootieBRC at Fandango (Thursday night if you must know... )

There will also be a Bootie mash-up party at Auto-Sub on Friday night (Esplanade & 4)


Your helpful part-time Bootie flunkie....

[Foxfur]

Off: Let me get back to you on that.

On: Being well dressed.
Or not dressed.