Photo by Shen Wei
For our second report, LWE correspondent Todd Hutlock passionately offers his top five irritating trends marring the state of techno (and its criticism) in 2008.
Musically speaking, I find a lot to love about today’s electronic dance music scene; there is a lot more good than bad going on, and I am very glad to be a part of it in whatever little way I can. I should also mention, lest I be labeled a hypocrite, that I am fully aware I am part of the problem on at least a few of these. Sometimes, you just have to swim with the tide, but that doesn’t mean I should keep quiet about things I see that bother me.
With all that in mind, I present a list of my personal top 5 irritating trends in techno: the things that I would change if I were running the universe. I don’t actually expect any of them to change — quite the opposite in fact — but perhaps by venting a bit, I can learn to live with them a bit easier.
01. “But what does it actually sound like?”
I’m not sure exactly which of my journalistic peers first started this movement, but I am none too keen on the nearly impenetrable wall of terminology needed to read and understand much writing about techno these days. With all of the labels and major trends and minor trends about on the printed and digital landscape, its a small wonder new listeners and readers can keep up at all. It appears we have all forgotten that every time we add a new catchy name for the latest musical trend to the list, we make it that much more difficult for newbies to know what we’re talking about, as well as assume that the reader knows what we mean without a single descriptive phrase. Would a 19-year-old understand what we mean when we talk about “progressive house”? Or even “garage”? I suspect a little more explanation and a little less thoughtless labeling will go a long way.
This also includes my ultimate pet peeve in this area: a reviewer describing a track as a “DJ tool” with little or no other explanation. Bearing in mind that at least some (if not the majority) of our readers 1. aren’t DJs and 2. listen to this music in some place other than a club setting at most times, this strikes me as a bit lazy on our part. The label does certainly apply to some records, just not as many as we seem to be tagging with it.
02. “The Robovoice” and other digital promo problems
This trend began creeping into other styles of music years ago, but today, more and more electronic labels are compromising their promos in one of several ways. Perhaps the most annoying is the “robovoice,” a recurring recorded message that pops up every 30 seconds or so to declare, “This is a promotional copy, please respect the music” or some other such message. I fully understand labels need to protect their artists and that digital piracy is at an all-time high, but surely there is a better way than this. Nothing ruins my listening experience faster than hearing this voice twice a minute; it ruins any momentum and flow of the music, and really does make reviewing a difficult task.
One label (who shall reMaIN namelUSs) has even gone so far as to issue its full-length artist releases as 20-minute “mixes” featuring a few minutes of each cut compressed into one long track. I’m sure this does, in fact, keep people from sharing the files. It also keeps people from wanting to review it; I’ve noticed a distinct decrease in coverage of this imprint since they instituted this new policy. Time will tell if this move will totally backfire on them or not, but I can already see it creeping in.
03. And while I’m at it: Doesn’t anyone mail out actual vinyl any more?
Enough said.
04. The digital-only bonus track
So let me get this straight: If I buy the digital version of your new single, where I get no physical artifact for my money or anything else with any sort of resale value on the secondary market, the sound is inevitably at least somewhat compressed, and it costs your label far, far less money to distribute, I’ll get a bonus cut the vinyl buyers don’t get. But if I’m a vinyl DJ and I want the record to play on an actual turntable, or because I have always collected your releases on that format, or because I simply prefer the look, feel, and sound of vinyl, I get to pay more and receive less music for my trouble. Yeah, that sounds like a great deal.
05. The death of the vinyl DJ
I’m sure there is a whole generation of club-goers and music fans out there who think nothing of seeing a DJ work on CD decks or a laptop, or a combination of the two, but to those of us old enough to remember when this wasn’t the norm, it is a bit disconcerting. It used to be that fledgling DJs would spend hours upon hours in their bedroom/basement studios practicing for their gigs on a pair of turntables and a mixer. They would put in the time to learn skills like beat matching, the finer points of pitch control, how to properly deploy a slipmat, and all sorts of other little things that made the act of DJing — as well as listening to a good one — so much more exciting. Many of today’s club DJs just don’t understand that the little mistakes in a set can lead to more creativity, and that a perfectly seamless digital mix can get boring over the course of a few hours. There will always be good DJs and bad DJs, regardless of what format they work in, but I can’t help thinking that technology has made many of them a bit more lazy than they used to be.
Hear hear! Especially on point number 5. Well spoken.
Just on that last point, re: DJ’ing. Sure, mistakes and experimenting are always an integral part of any true creative process, however, I wouldn’t say that DJ’ing using a laptop precludes this.
I’ve DJ’d using Ableton Live and it’s freed me up to assign all manner of effects and gives creative freedom not normally available to me when spinning vinyl. The emphasis just changes.
I’ve made many a f*ck up while playing with the effects and jumping between tracks which has inspired me and injected a degree of surprise into the whole experience, which is what makes the listening experience more engaging for all.
Grant
isn’t giving away digital-only bonus tracks a way of equalling the value of a vinyl purchase, seeing as with vinyl, you do have a hard copy(from which you could rip) and it does have resale value, as opposed to something you just click with your mouse ? alot of the times, after the currency exchange i end up paying near vinyl prices, which i never understood.
a really good point on the first one though, i still don’t know what “progressive house” is.
progressive house: the genre distinguished by the fact that it is neither progressive, nor house. which really narrows it down, eh? i do know it when i hear it, unless they’re calling it mnml instead.
that said, i am not against genre definitions existing that make sense. “acid tracks” and “i might do something wrong” are both house songs, but what do they share in common? not much. i don’t think there is a need to be embarassed about being able to tell the difference between musics that sound nothing alike. it honestly doesnt “all sound the same” as n00bs like to say. sure, journalists and artists will make up silly names to classify things, but most of those are never taken seriously.
of course i also believe in the idea of “house” music as an approach to playing records more than a genre in and of itself. i almost wish that the style of deejaying had a name separate from the genre, it might make that less confusing to people.
i don’t think i need to say much about my feelings on digital distribution and deejaying. that shit really isnt even on my radar: i dont know where to download dance tracks (aside from the ones i see advertise everywhere like Beatport), i dont follow digital releases at all, i never deejay with anything but wax. maybe living in the dance deficient city i do has shielded me from exactly how bad it is getting, but my experiences with digital deejaying when i do get to see it have not really been very good.
i’m not against genre definitions that make sense either, though there’s really only two that make sense to me, ridiculously dope jams and other.
Def. agree with point 1. As a newbie to electronic music I have enough trouble keeping the basic genres straight without trying to parse a description of something like “dub-influenced progressive dark tech-house.” Maybe I’ll pick ‘em up with time, but until then it’s not much help to me.
IMO:
I think the robovoice on promos is a totally legit move. If you are a DJ or station receiving promo from a label because they want you to play it to the public, they will no doubt give you a clean copy. But to me it just sort of seems a little self centered for a journalist to feel so entitled to a flawless free track, whether or not your journal (or blog) is paying you. I just don’t think the tags are so distracting that you can’t “imagine” the way the track would feel without it. If you want free, flawless tracks that badly, then join the pirates that the labels are trying their best to fight.
I also think that in a month of reading, the style of writing on this music can make sense to almost anyone who’s interested, and many times the labels are more “specific” than the pitchfork-esque hyperboles, which often have nothing at all to do with the music itself (a factor that would have made my personal top five annoyances list).
#6
Blog posters referring to me as “self centered” and accusing me of just chasing free music.
easy, tiger…
Aw, just having a little fun!
I agree with all your points and would like to add one more:
The annoying, cost saving trend of records coming with only a paper or plastic sleeve. I mean come on, throw us last remaining vinyl buyers a bone and ship your records with a SLEEVE.
It’s like cooking an amazing dinner that took all day to prepare for friends and serving it with a paper plate and plastic fork.
For me, as a record collector its the total package and with vinyl being such a niche market these days i’m willing to pay for it.
That response is just as petty as the whingeing in the first place…
I agree with Todd about the robo voice of promos. It definitely negatively impacts the quality of my listening experience and makes me less likely to cover whatever contains it. Case-in-point the Luciano Fabric mix. Granted I didn’t think it was worth writing up anyways (and their robo voice is used somewhat sparingly), but I have felt much more comfortable when listening to mixes I knew they trusted me with.
Also, when reviewing a release we’re trying to digest what listeners’ experience will actually be, not a roughly cobbled together mix or something pocked with distractions. This isn’t like a banner scrolling across the bottom of a preview copy of a movie.
Labels and their PR companies have an obvious interest in protecting their products, but I think that calls for smarter (perhaps more strictly controlled) distribution rather than damaging one’s products/prospects.
(to hutlock)
Whatever, Joe (and Sarah Joy)… at least Hutlock was brave enough to post what a lot of us are thinking anyway. Bravo to him for sticking his neck out. I don’t see any whingeing at all in that piece.
Come on - it only takes one person to leak a clean promo and it’s all over forums/blogs. Labels want to protect their music. If you ask for a clean copy they’ll probably say yes (especially if you write for a good website like this). But saying it ‘negatively impacts the quality of my listening experience’…boohoo.
Ask, and you might receive.
Otherwise wait to buy a proper copy?
Indeed, it does only take one person. That’s why it might be better if firms only sent sensitive promos to the people they trust. And if they would just grant a quality outlet a clean copy, why jump through the hoops in the first place?
There are issues, too, with purchasing copies, especially in the U.S.: a) actually finding the release b) paying an affordable price for it c) if you’re buying it, your perception of the release could be shaded by the fact that you had to pay. That sounds BS, I know, but I would wager reviewers are more likely to have more extreme, less nuanced opinions (for or against) when their cash is on the line. That’s at all not to say I’ll never pay for a release I’m happily anticipating. This was the case with the Melchior Productions album and a few others as well.
Edit: I also purchase a number of the releases I get as promos as well.
Also, if “regular” consumers are going to experience an untainted product, and a reviewer’s job is to critique the product for the benefit of the manufacturer and the consumers, wouldn’t you want their experience to be as close as possible to the real deal?
A couple of points:
1) I purchase a solid 90% of the music I review on vinyl. The only stuff I don’t buy is the stuff that I can’t find or can’t stand. So yeah, I put my money where my mouth is. There’s no “boo hoo” about it — I’m going to (in most cases) purchase a copy anyway, so having a robovoice on a promo isn’t going to affect me in the long run anyway.
2) Steve is correct above — this isn’t about getting free music, its about being accurate. I take pride in my work and I think there are some folks out there who at least marginally listen to what we all say about the music. If I don’t feel like I’m getting an accurate picture of what the music sounds like, I’m doing the readers and the label a disservice.
You didn’t once hear me say that labels shouldn’t be concerned about piracy. In fact, I specifically said the opposite in the piece. I just said that there should be a better way.
Hmm well I have no idea about the realities of:
a) how labels decide who get promos
b) how promos get leaked to blogs/forums
but it seems to me that almost 100% of releases now leak before release. So yes there are people with promos who leak them. Who’re the untrustworthy ones? I don’t know. How would labels/promo people know? I don’t know.
It seems to me that issuing ‘robovoice’ promos is a pretty foolproof way of ensuring pirates can’t get their hands on full-quality, clean and playable copies before release.
I’m not really sure I hold much truck with the money=unsubtlety argument. I could see someone writing a very well argued and nuanced negative review of something that they’d paid for precisely because they’d want people to know why you felt short changed.
Thinking about it, I’d definitely rather my reviewers were investing in the music they were reviewing! And paying for it would give them the same experience as their readers, you would hope…
With regard to point number five: I definitely hear where Todd is coming from, but tend to disagree somewhat with his assessment. As a laptop DJ who knows a number of laptop DJs, I know that we practice too to insure the best quality of mixing/EQing/track selection. The computer can do a lot for us, but there’s a lot it can’t do and we are responsible for.
Along those same lines, I’ve also had my share of imperfections in my sets, too. I think oftentimes Ableton DJ sets tend to sound overly pristine and require a lot less of users. For that reason and others, I prefer Traktor Studio.
Perhaps my biggest issue, though, is how much a DJ’s format matters if the music, selection and mix are good. To my ears, all that matters is the quality of the set. Whether the DJ spent hours learning slipmat technique or the finer points of EQing doesn’t matter one lick if the set itself gets me interested/excited/dancing. I think there tends to be a tendency to hold on a bit too tightly to tradition, while acknowledging that technology has lead to some lackluster DJing (which existed before technology got involved, too).
(that was in response to littlewhiteearbuds)
to hutlock:
Whether you buy it yourself is irrelevant. I’m sure the label would be glad to hear it, but I’d speculate that they’re far more worried about all those people who’ll download it once it’s on a forum somewhere.
“If I don’t feel like I’m getting an accurate picture of what the music sounds like, I’m doing the readers and the label a disservice.”
The labels must know that your listening is being ‘negatively impacted’ which is why i’m sure they’d give you a clean copy if you asked.
I just don’t believe that they’re doing this without thinking, that it’s a substandard solution. I think it’s a very good solution, which causes some MINOR inconveniences for genuine reviewers like yourselves. Which is why I said it was whingeing because, if various things are to be believed (including LWE’s own Sounding Off column) the problem of online piracy is far, far more than just an inconvenience.
I guess I don’t feel the inconvenience is all that minor in regards to the robovoice, but we can certainly agree to disagree on that point.
I always ask for a vinyl promo — ALWAYS — because that is the most best and most accurate sounding (to me, anyways!), and because they have at least some assurance that they won’t have the thing bootlegged from me (because frankly, I’m not gonna bother, and why would I burn them when they were nice enough to send me what I asked for?) Of the last five labels I asked, one sent a 12″, one sent nothing at all, one sent a CD (!), and the other two sent digital files (in 320 no less). It’s just totally hit and miss.
To your point, then — You know what? I’m seriously going to ask the next label I get a robovoice promo from if they can send me a clean copy. I think I know what will happen, but I’ll give it a shot, I promise. If this thread is still going, I’ll report back!
Do - i’d be interested.
Sorry to carp like I have, I just thought you were a bit harsh in your first response way up there.
I definitely agree on #4. Other than it seeming counterintuitive, there’ve been a few times where the digital-only bonus track is far better than either of the tracks on the vinyl, and then I feel REALLY conned.
“I’m not really sure I hold much truck with the money=unsubtlety argument. I could see someone writing a very well argued and nuanced negative review of something that they’d paid for precisely because they’d want people to know why you felt short changed.”
I definitely see where you’re coming from and know that paying doesn’t impacts the quality/impartiality of all reviewers’ critiques; but some are going to overly gush/deride a record because their money is on the line.
On line piracy in the electronic music genre is huge there are teams of dedicted rippers for every genre you could think off. These teams lurk in the under belly of the net only ever giving out information in code or to fellow rippers.
Not only this there are hundreds possibly thousands of RAR sites who leak new releases on a daily no forget that (hourly) basis. Some of these experineced rippers are already removing robo voices from promos god knows how but if its possible it will be done.
I remember reading blackdowns blog when he found out that someone had leaked the new burial album. It turned out that it was someone who worked for hyperdub (kode 9’s label) i’ve read that labels themselves leak music, the artists too. everyones at it.
(to Joe)
Don’t sweat it, man. No law against disagreeing with me! Discussion is a wonderful thing!
“Would a 19-year-old understand what we mean when we talk about “progressive house”? Or even “garage”? I suspect a little more explanation and a little less thoughtless labeling will go a long way”
There needs to be labeling otherwise you wouldn’t be reviewing electronic, house , techno, whatever it be it would just be music. Just out of interest what would you class as thoughtless labeling?
on point 5.
i’ve actually seen a trend back to vinyl djs…
and with the deep house sound coming back and so many djs playing old tracks on vinyl i can only see this trend continuing in the right direction.
“Perhaps my biggest issue, though, is how much a DJ’s format matters if the music, selection and mix are good. To my ears, all that matters is the quality of the set. Whether the DJ spent hours learning slipmat technique or the finer points of EQing doesn’t matter one lick if the set itself gets me interested/excited/dancing.” (lwe)
Call me naive, but I definitely agree with this. In my experience, laptop DJs too can devote hours (and hours, and hours) to perfecting their art, even if it’s a slightly different art than vinyl djing. Certainly laziness and sloppiness will shine through no matter what kind of DJ you are. But I don’t think we should automatically discredit good artists because of the medium.
Also, t.h., sorry for implying anything other than the fact that you are “in it” for legit reasons– you obviously care about the music and the industry, etc. I just personally can’t imagine being *too* upset about getting an early copy of an anticipated release to review, even if it has a robovoice. On that thought, I DO prefer the “static noise” interruptions to the robovoice, because the static “interrupts” much less.
Also, this is totally unrelated, but the picture for this post is sick
(to Joe H)
Just to briefly respond… the problem isn’t so much in the labeling, its in the fact that we just assume that people know what these labels mean without taking the time to explain what a song actually sounds like. Taking the lazy way out, basically.
Does that make more sense?
I see & yes i agree to anyone new to dance music it would be very confusing all the genres sub genres etc.
Saying that how many none dance music fans would be reading the review in the first place.
point 4 is spot on a few of my vinyl buying friends get really pissed of about this. I can see where there coming from too. Why should you miss out on a track. Maybe it might have something to do with say beatport & the label perhaps they have some special deal going on behind the scenes ? very fishy eitherway.
(to Joe H)
I’m sure lots of people who are non dance music EXPERTS would be reading a review, including people who read reviews on sites that cover stuff other than just dance music, newbies, people who only like one style and are looking to expand (say, a drum and bass guy who wants to get into dubstep). There are lots of reasons to be clear, ya know?
The whole vinyl thing goes far beyond the points touched on here. Remember when certain dj’s had certain rare recordsyou would only hear them or a few select other play? Or the attachment a Dj could have to a certain track due to the work he put into searching for it. Remember the record stores where you could go and talk to people about music and find out about events etc. Sure, the digital change has made things easier and more available to the (lazy) general public but what it has taken away is the specialness. Instead of taking years to round up a very personal and special collection of records - dj’s now can literally be up and going in a day before putting in the time learning about the music and finding their spot in things. Tracks for the most part are no longer special - they come and go and nobody cares. Sure there are advantages in that people can play their own productions …but this leads to a bunch of music being played that rightfully never would have made it through the process of getting to vinyl simply because its not good enough. People can now also get their hands on any track that has come out recently and this in my opinion is a shame. There’s something to be said about limited records that if you missed out on….you simply didn’t get. The vinyl aspect added friendships, excitement, hobbies and supporting local independent businesses. These aspects have slowly being disappearing from Dj culture and I don’t think anybody can argue that this is a good thing. When you take away the aspects that vinyl added to the culture you take away most of what made it special and in my own personal opinion that is a shame. It’s lost its uniqueness and personality for the most part. I’m not complaining because with technology etc it only makes sense that this happened…….it’s just too bad….which is why point #5 is something I agree with.
I agree but from my experiences of blogs on the net, resident advisor etc people who use/(read) them reguarly know about the music in question.
Yes a drum n bass guy who wants to get into dubstep is a good example for one to expand.
But surely the majority of readers will know about house & techno otherwise they wouldn’t be there in the first place. Even someone new to dance music. I dont know of anyone that just decided they like dance music but have never heard of house or techno. I can see that its good to be clear for the next generation but are they reading blogs / reviews already? or are they still out being kids.
Most youngsters over here think dance music to be whatever is in the chart bass hunter and all that shit. quite sad really & radio stations dont make it any better by playing this euro pop and calling it dance & dont get me started on adverts.I saw one today on tv “the best dance music 08″ featuring …. a load of manufactured “dance songs” then it goes on to say also featuring the biggest song in dance music then plays some crap by Scooter.
What i’m trying to get across is the music that we read about & listen too on a daily basis - (house & techno) has a following i dont see a large amount of people suddenly jumping on the house wagon(at least on the net) its the same people discussing and commenting & theres definitely a circle between your blog HIAF MNML SSGS & Teleosteopathy its the same readers, same people who comment all of whom meet up at the mothership (RA)to discuss together as one. I’m all for people to get introduced to music they might not have heard before but i dont see it happening or if they are there keeping quiet about it.
(to Scott)
Great, great post. I agree with everything you said there, and have had conversations like that with my local shop owner several times exactly like it.
(to Joe H)
I understand what you’re saying, but isn’t it a little short sighted? Obviously you were a new listener once, as were we all — and you certainly didn’t fall out of the womb wistling Joey Beltram, did you? It was all new to all of once upon a time. And if we don’t get people jumping on this ship, soon we’ll all be 60 year olds dancing around in our rockers. That next generation IS out there and we need to take them into account, as well as casual fans of the music who are looking for those “gateway” records and artists to take them deeper into the scene.
Maybe the reason they are keeping quiet about it is because they DO find it impossible to understand and keep up with. As Scott said, there is SO much out there today. It can be very daunting.
“and you certainly didn’t fall out of the womb wistling Joey Beltram, did you?”
lol that made me laugh
i can see your point.
only time will tell i suppose. great topic anyway & its got people discussing which is always good.
Well, I must say that I find it somewhat ironic to read so many posts complaining about how “technology” is ruining things on a site devoted (mostly) to techno music…isn’t that what you’d call an oxymoron? I’m just sayin’…
Mainly on the money, but, I do disagree with #1. OK, you do hear about some genres that are “house made according to drum and bass rules” that are disco’n'bass which = shut the fuck up.
However, when you have well established conventions for a style, e.g. house, and they, for example, add some freewheeling techno style snares that make the experience of listening to it completely different on a loud, clear system, then it is your duty to describe why Åme c. 2007 (to pursue the example)
sound so fresh.
I do think that vinyl DJ’s tend to be better: it’s too hard to do well even before you get a lot of technology to expand possibilities. Nothing wrong with a laptop mix so long as you know your limits. But one good rule might be not to use new technology to do something you couldn’t do without the old technology until you’ve maxed out the limits of that old technology.
Great to see such a passionate response to a really excellent column!
Yes, I like vinyl (RE: my comment) but MUSIC IS MUSIC. WHO CARES ABOUT FORMATS?
Well, anyways, if it reaches it’s goal of being musically pleasing to the ears, then fine by me.
(Personally, I think I fell out of the womb singing Colonel Abrams - Trapped. Quite suitable, really.)
While many of us mourn the death of the vinyl DJ, perhaps we’d be more accurate in mourning the death of the *possibility* of the vinyl DJ. When I decided to take the plunge into DJing a few years ago, I bought a pair of turntables for all of the reasons T.H. described in number 5: I saw no other legitimate way to be the kind of DJ I wanted to be without spending countless hours in my bedroom honing the “finer points.” I don’t doubt that I’m a better DJ today because I insisted on doing it the way the DJs who got me into dance music had done it. So yes, “no soul without vinyl” in this instance, I suppose. But I digress.
In 2006, I could buy an import 12″ — whether in a record store or from Juno (and the international shipping/exchange rate that would entail) — for about $12. And while that was no small cost for two, three, maybe four tracks, the same product has only continued to grow more expensive and more out-of-reach. On a recent visit to the record store in Brooklyn where I bought many of my first house and techno records, I found that the majority of the new releases I pulled were priced around $15. Correct me if I’m wrong, but that’s a 25% price jump in two years, and that’s nothing to balk at.
You can’t argue with the sound of a pristine 12″ or the joy of flipping through an actual crate. But vinyl is a physical medium, and it thus carries with it a number of real-world drawbacks that have absolutely nothing to do with DJing. Fuel costs make shipping expensive, and vinyl isn’t exactly compact or lightweight. (Todd: for a small and patently unprofitable business like a dance record label, this is sure to cause some strain with regard to those vinyl promos you’re missing.) In the US, a dearth of pressing plants has made all (or virtually all) vinyl an import-only product, regardless of the label’s country of origin. The weak dollar sort of goes without saying. And whether it’s the chicken or the egg, there just aren’t record stores like there used to be (in the United States, at least) and the availability of choice releases great record stores entails.
So yes, the odds are stacked completely against vinyl these days. But should we applaud those who insist on “keeping it real” in 2008, or should we scratch our heads and wonder how any techno consumer could be so utterly illogical? Is it “laziness” — a term I’ve heard so often in similar screeds — that’s driving the switch away from vinyl, or is a conscious, pragmatic choice made not without some level of heartache? Last summer, I began incorporating a laptop running Serato into my DJ sets. I had no interest in shelving my vinyl collection, and I didn’t want to leave behind the skills I’d worked so hard to develop. But I knew that remaining a vinyl purist — barring some move from New York to Berlin (for Hardwax) or London (for Phonica) — was untenable: it had become almost impossible for me to buy new releases of the quality and in the quantity that I thought was necessary to stay current. My insistence on uncompressed files doesn’t make “record”-buying that much cheaper for me than it was when I started, but I certainly haven’t had to curtail my buying by a quarter, and I have access to releases and labels I never did before. Just as starting on vinyl ostensibly made me a better DJ than I could have been otherwise, expanding beyond vinyl has undeniably aided my growth. I find myself digging deeper (hey, digital files don’t go out of print!) and wider than I did when I actually dug.
Ultimately, if the tunes are still good, the mechanism(s) by which we (DJs and clubgoers) receive these tunes should be secondary. It’d be a shame, Todd, to let your pet peeve get the best of you.
funny thing is, i would get into vinyl if i felt it was accessible to me, i don’t feel that way.
Personally, pragmatism and music are mutually exclusive. I ride a Peugeot because it’s practical; I buy/play vinyl because I love it.
(That said, I can’t carry my vinyl on the Peugeot, so…)
Jordan Rothlein - really interesting to hear about someone making those kinds of decisions.
The cost of vinyl really is a limiting factor, but then again so is the cost of CDJs/traktor/serato/a big enough hard drive.
I guess this is where the whole ‘poverty/sacrifice=authenticity’ thing comes from. Suffer for art (just don’t, you know, starve too much).
Regarding point #5 - “The death of the vinyl DJ”:
Oh. This argument – again.
Might I just remind everyone that the reason you’re here, reading this blog, listening to and\or DJing this music, is because 20 – 30 (or more) years ago a group of various musicians in several different locations began to think “fuck authenticity – I don’t need a guitar, real drums, or even a band” and started creating music using non-traditional methods and instruments. For them there was no concept of “keeping it real”, and all of the “rules” for making music that had come before were there to be broken. Technology was embraced and used in new and creative ways – much of the time in ways that manufacturers had not intended (TB303 – supposed to be an “authentic” bass accompaniment = the birth of Acid House). The artistic end justified the means – which is exactly what the more “rock-centric” & traditional musicians of the day couldn’t get their heads around – “it can’t be real music if it comes out of a machine!”
This is why I have to laugh at the “vinyl purists” who stoically claim that “real\authentic” Djing can only take place on turntables with vinyl records. Hmmmm. Seems like I’ve heard all this before.
Listen – if you want to DJ using only vinyl and turntables, more power to you! It’s worked great that way for a long time – I have no problem with that. What I do have a problem with is some sort of “orthodox” DJ mindset (”purist”) that seeks to impose it’s “rules” on “keeping it real” on the rest of us. Fuck that. I say break those rules. Use whatever works for you and push it to the limit – the ends justify the means. And if you’re a DJ the “ends” mean selecting and playing music you and your crowd will enjoy and can get off on. The “means” of doing that only matter in that they can deliver the beats in a way most people enjoy. The rest is just “purist” navel gazing.
Kraftwerk (the Godfathers) sent robots up on stage to play little black boxes – I think they proved their point at the time. Keep it “un-real” is what I say, and break those “purist” rules.
let’s just go all the way: what do we need painters for, we have photoshop? why have sculptures made of stone, we can use plastic instead? why eat real food when we can make a nutrient shake that contains everything you need and is more healthy than steak/eggs/fried chicken/whatever? why live in the real world when we have a virtual one?
i will stick to the real world, thanks. i really dont care how it makes me look.
“what do we need painters for, we have photoshop?”
>if you’re implying that the format of the media in which you create actualizes your art, then i should assume you dont care if i say you aren’t making art at all, you’re wearing a uniform!(dont worry im just saying for demonstrating purposes im sure you make great art…). i agree wholeheartedly with sam (second to last post). while i do not need to fortify the legitimacy of my format, i will say there is opportunity to be found in all formats. good music is good music, its up to the dancer to decide who is doing it right, not us. cant we all just get along and make good music together? i understand mr. hutlock’s need to vent and a controversial post is a brilliant way to bring in the readers but i like when you guys post new music not gripe about the industry, we all do that terribly anyway. i mean, i need more material for my ableton sets!!111!!!111
what i am trying to say is that i live in a physical world. i am interested in physical contact with people, objects i can hold in my hand, etc.
would it be wrong to say that cyber sex is inferior to real sex? so why is it wrong to say that cyber “deejaying” is inferior to real deejaying?
deejaying is a very limited activity. people can try to take shortcuts or rewrite the rules of it, but it isnt going to work. did airplanes make cars obsolete? did the space shuttle make airplanes obsolete? what if you dont care about going into outer space?
you make an interesting point for sure, and maybe my head hasn’t wrapped itself around the philosophy behind your arguement, but the comparisons just don’t make sense to me. cyber sex and real sex involve completely different stimuli. a blindfolded man will always know the difference. i honestly dont think the blindfolded dance floor could tell the difference between “cyber dj’ing”(digital?) and “real dj’ing”(vinyl?) because the stimulus is the same, just sound. yes a few could pick out the ‘warmth’ of the vinyl sound, but a good digital dj can sound just as warm and technology will only get better.
second, airplanes and shuttles didn’t make cars obsolete because of where you travel, its because of the cost of a shuttle or airplane. i would love to have a helicopter and never be late again, but i have a bike cus im broke. same goes for vinyl, i would love to have every classic track on nice pretty vinyl, but i’m broke! and technology makes dj’ing more accessible to all economic situations. we evolved into humans cus our genes could adapt, dj’ing doesn’t need to be a “limited activity” let us ADAPT and evolve! doesnt mean we still wont love our vinyl monkey ancestors hahaha. im starting PETVP people for the ethical treatment of vinyl purists. lets all go stand outside of the itunes online store and throw analog warmth all over the customers!!
really really like your blog btw tom/pipecock!!!
please never bring up the “broke” argument again, etan. just saying.
you’re rite james. a little too much coffee today, took it too far. didn’t mean to offend. i need to stay off the comment boards till i grow up i guess haha. i have to say before my ban from blogs begins that instead of being irritated at the trend, why not be happy that it makes your all vinyl sets more valuable?
“so why is it wrong to say that cyber “deejaying” is inferior to real deejaying? ”
because it isn’t “cyber” dj’ng that they’re doing, the club doesn’t suddenly turn into tron when someone’s laptop gets turned on.
btw, how are abacus’ sales doing these days ?
and relating to hutlock’s first irritating trend, what exactly does vinyl sounding ‘warm’ mean ?
>the club doesn’t suddenly turn into tron when someone’s laptop gets turned on.
Bit late for that, mate.
http://contakt-events.com/
“relating to hutlock’s first irritating trend, what exactly does vinyl sounding ‘warm’ mean ”
There’s a little bit of natural analog distortion when you’re playing a vinyl which thickens things out a bit (especially heavy vinyl). Unless you’re riding the gain you won’t get much distortion (unless computer generated) out of a laptop.
and by “natural analog distortion” lwe means harmonic distortion a la tube overdrive which is very pleasurable to the ears because it relates to the fundamental signal musically. digital distortion or clipping creates partials not musically related to the original signal and therefore extremely unpleasant. has to do with the physics of the electromagnetic force…wish i could understand it too…give computers 10 years and we will emulate it beyond aural perception. I HOPE!
Thanks for clarifying my rough estimate.
Tronstep– that is the most coherent and explicit explanation I have ever heard on the matter!
thx tronstep for the detailed description , gotta write it (analog) or copy/paste it (digital) somewhere so I remember!
I think you can’t stop progress however not all the progresses are improvements.
Digital deejaying offers a lot of advantages (cheaper, softer on the back, more availability, quicker diffusion…etcetc…) BUT there are things that can’t be digitalized. You can’t digitize the feeling of putting your freshly bought vinyl on the slipmat when you’re back from the record shop. Neither you can digitize the pleasure of preparing your djbag (heavy or not, it’s part of the game). Scrolling down a list of song is nowhere near choosing a record from a bag, it’s not a matter of technology, quantity or price, it’s a matter of feeling, like music. Going to the record shop takes you longer and is more expensive but you can have a chat with the retailer, it’s more crowded than beatoport but at least you get to listen to the full song.
I’ve bought Traktor scratch a few months ago and I think it’s a wonderful tool, but I keep on playing also on vinyls because it’s just more rewarding. Further more i realized that i was downloading too many songs because it’s cheaper and in the end you just dilute the quality of your library without really knowing your tracks.
I don’t know how much will vinyl resist but when it’s gonna be gone there are a lot of related little pleasures that will be gone with him and they can’t be replaced by progress.
90% of this comes down to personal preference, though. For people who have grown up DJing with vinyl, anything else will of course feel less inviting and pleasurable. For DJs (like myself) whose experience is limited to laptops, having to pick up vinyl DJing skills/equipment is only a burden, not a pleasure.
What this is about for me is the quality of the DJ set. If it sucks, blame the DJ for not doing a good job of making it compelling, regardless of what they used. If it’s awesome and you enjoy dancing to it, salute the DJ no matter how they brought it to your ears/feet.
“For DJs (like myself) whose experience is limited to laptops, having to pick up vinyl DJing skills/equipment is only a burden, not a pleasure.”
ouch, i don’t think that’s true at all. I’ve only had a few goes at beatmatching on decks but I still find it incredibly fun. seriously, mixing records is very very enjoyable and you really do get a feeling of achieving something when it goes well. i definitely wouldn’t call vinyl DJing a ‘burden’.
buying the equipment is a financial burden, but if you just wanted to try it then you must know someone who has decks that you could try?
i’m pretty sure we’re all on the same team.
“That next generation IS out there and we need to take them into account, as well as casual fans of the music who are looking for those “gateway” records and artists to take them deeper into the scene”
this is the best thing i’ve ever read regarding house music to me, thanks.
i’m a bit late to this discussion, but re point 1:
i’m not sure you need worry too much about the next generation. i only fell for techno on 20th february last year(!), but for the most part haven’t found dance music writing impenetrable. anyone who’s intrigued enough by the music won’t mind trying to work it out for themselves.
although obscure sub-genre name-dropping is bound to fall on a lot of deaf ears, i think as long as the writer is sincere and means something by it, there’s no need to spell it out for the newcomers every time (wouldn’t that start get on the old-handers’ nerves?!)
in any case, if you got rid of all the catchy names, what language would be left to describe the music? the last time i heard a useful definition of a genre that didn’t rely on already-knowing-what-it-generally-sounds-like was, er…
that is, unless you could give an example of music journalism from a time before this became an irritating trend? i’d be very interested to see that!
(i didn’t put that last request very well: as in, examples of writing that do describe what the music ‘actually sounds like’ without relying on what would already be a lot of assumed knowledge for a 19-year-old new to the scene.
i’m not really disagreeing with your point - of course there are extremes of bad writing that are impenetrable, but i wouldn’t know if there was a recent trend for more of this, having not been around long enough… just saying, as long as there’s good writing too (which needn’t be too cautious about its terminology, as long as it’s sincere), the next generation will look after themselves!)
“because it isn’t “cyber” dj’ng that they’re doing, the club doesn’t suddenly turn into tron when someone’s laptop gets turned on.
btw, how are abacus’ sales doing these days ?”
lmao
some good arguments for both sides, but at the end of the day, can anyone disagree that it’s what comes out of the speakers that matters?