When Does a DJ Become a Musician?
Let's have this conversation properly. In my experience, DJs engage with music fundamentally differently - they're attuned to the kinetic energy of a track, its emotional resonance in a space, how it lives in the moment. This is musicianship of a different order.
Yet we've all seen both sides fall short - the classically trained players recycling the same repertoire, the DJs stuck in their safe playlists. The truth? Exceptional practitioners in either field share more in common than not.
As someone who both produces electronic works and performs as a selector, I'm fascinated by this divide. What truly constitutes musical artistry in 2024? Is it:
- Technical mastery of an instrument?
- The alchemy of moving a crowd?
- Or simply the courage to create something new?
Your thoughts ?
Composing and/or playing instruments! ;0)
Simple!
This does not take away from the fact that I respect the work of DJs. :0)
I'd call a DJ a musician if they are blending tracks in real time. Not transitions, but whole tracks. Like layering an a capela over another track... or blending tracks through a set. That's also about what percent musician they are: Can transition 2 house songs: 10%. Can blend 2-4 songs together live and nobody knows exactly what it will sound like in the next phrase... 100%.
I'd keep that definition to producers as well. Producing a track in Abelton, makes you a musical composer, and being able to blend that live determines what kind of musician you are.
This isn't meant to take away from anybody, and if you call yourself a musician... you are. It's just how I prefer to rank my favorites against people I hear in the wild. You're right, Disk Jockeys play the crowds as much as they play the tables, and everybody will have a different opinion about their mood setting. You can play 10 instruments, but if you don't move emotions nobody will care or remember.
You're absolutely right!—there’s a clear distinction between DJs who are also producers/creators and DJs who primarily play pre-recorded tracks who may not qualify as "artists" in the traditional sense.
Thank you
I don't know too much about DJ culture and do not hang around in clubs, but I have seen some of it in action. Mixing existing tracks to get something new is a skill, but it may be different to making music from scratch on an instrument. If you just want to get a crowd moving, then it may be easier to rely on beats that you know will work. I may be old-fashioned in my tastes, but then I like to see skilled musicians in action and can aspire to creating something fresh myself. I may never master the drums, but I am making progress considering that I started late.
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Steve. I think some musicians are lacking of being able to make music in a modern way ( using Loops, samples, FX), remixing their own beats. So a DJ/producer is a good add for a band looking for new sounds.
Some DJs ( Mark Ronson ) they are amazing producers because they have a different imagination and shape songs in a different way.
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