![]() ![]() My takeaway - real DJs make people dance by any means necessary. The same dance floor cares less about the gear you’re using than you care to think they do.The dance floor doesn’t always care about technically nailed sets.So if you think the crowd is dancing because you’ve using a particular lump of hardware, or keeping it real with vinyl only, then this video will give you insight into how flawed that assumption can be. An empty dance floor is just as achievable no matter what setup is in front of you. The human element is and will always be key, and is more important than any mass-produced box of future landfill when becoming a successful DJ. These are the skills that will transcend all iterations, evolutions, and revolutions of tech. This is DJing 101 - the gear is interchangeable in this equation. ![]() You watch your crowd, see what music is working, pick the right tracks, mix them at the right point for the right length of time, with the right EQ and effects, and a liberal sprinkling of loops and sample thrown in for good measure - and repeat to keep the floor full. The uncomfortable truth that many need to face is this - using an iPhone utilises EXACTLY the same skills necessary to fill a floor as any other technology. It also strikes me that had the Boiler Room existed back when CDJ-1000s were invented, the first DJ to use them in a set would have got just as much hate as iPhone DJ is now, as would each successive user of new tech too. ![]() And no amount of vinyl, terabytes of music, or piles of expensive technology is going to change the fact that you are there to make the crowd dance. You may focus on gear, but if you haven’t got a crowd of people dancing in front of you, then you’re rather missing the point of DJing. You see, in our DJ bubble where our music, our gear, and our technique is all that matters, it’s easy to forget why we do this. ![]() And everyone there knows what gear is being used - his name is literally iPhone DJ, standing on a stage under spotlights holding an iPhone. Do you see?įor those that are missing the obvious - there’s a room full of people dancing. If you look away from iPhone DJ and his allegedly not-at-all-real-DJing iPhone for a second, and glance around at the rest of the room, you should notice something. If you stop focussing your disdain for iPhone DJ for a moment, I hope that you’ll see what I’m talking about. We’ll always find a reason to fault the DJ we’re watching, especially if they don’t quite align with what we do.īut as DJs, I cannot help but feel that the bigger picture is being missed in this video, or most likely wilfully ignored because hate is an easy emotion to express, and often bypasses critical thought. We’re more focussed on their gear and their skills than their end results. You can’t download those.Īs DJs, we’re by far the worst people to judge other DJs. It’s not that iOS DJ software doesn’t have the tools to pull off technical sets - it really does, and is a heap of fun too. Two hands gripping a rectangle for an hour doesn’t make for the most engaging of on stage under the spotlight performances.Īs DJs, we can equally agree that the set wasn’t up to normal Boiler Room standards. Now watch the video again.Īs DJs, we can agree that the spectacle of a DJ using just a phone jars our sensibilities a little. You can imagine how the assorted social threads read, because I’m sure a number of you probably commented, and are furiously typing knee-jerk responses to this post based entirely on the headline alone.īut stop - disengage caps lock, and push away from the keyboard. How could our hallowed art be reduced to this - it’s not real DJing etc etc. A couple of days ago, I saw a stream of the usual DJ negativity directed at the Boiler Room for daring to host iPhone DJ - quite literally a DJ surrounded by punters in true Boiler Room style, using just an iPhone running Algoriddim’s djay app. ![]()
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