RE: Techno DJs no real musicians? We are all one in our love for music - aren't we?

This is a pretty old argument that I don't have a lot of tolerance for at this point if I'm being honest. I've personally been DJing for about 20 years and I still don't consider the vast majority of DJs to be musicians (turntablists aside) in the traditional sense. I also don't think it matters. DJs are doing something different than a traditional musician and it doesn't need to be compared to them on their terms. I'm not trying to do the same thing as a band or a guitar player and I don't care to be compared to them. I love setting a vibe. I love playing people new music they don't know they love yet.

I'll state it again, the comparison doesn't have to exist. It's elitism and it comes from a place of insecurity most of the time.

Now, what bothers me is when this weird classical instrument elitism spreads to electronic music producers which is much more annoying. There is a real musical talent in writing, performing, recording, arranging, producing, mixing and mastering music, so much that traditional musicians will pay thousands for those services. Yet, they don't seem to rate them as musical skills in the same way. It is bullshit honestly. The amount of times I've seen someone with a working knowledge of a few guitar chords flex superiority over someone composing and releasing their own electronic music is very aggravating. Just because some guitar playing is more easily understood as being musical than let's say, a full live set using a grid based Monome using a custom Max/MSP code doesn't make it less of a musical skill.

For me, the only thing that matters is if I like the finished product. I don't care what the source is. I just want the elitism to stop.

There is a real musical talent in writing, performing, recording, arranging, producing, mixing and mastering music, so much that traditional musicians will pay thousands for those services. Yet, they don't seem to rate them as musical skills in the same way. It is bullshit honestly.

Hahaha, LOVE this! I think you are right (note: am not a DJ, not a producer, not an artist of any kind, but just a big electronic music fan :)). I agree, electronic music producers do a lot of things themselves, others with more 'classical' instruments pay big dollars for.

Just because some guitar playing is more easily understood as being musical than let's say, a full live set using a grid based Monome using a custom Max/MSP code doesn't make it less of a musical skill.

Actually, I would argue the artist bringing a good live act has more skills than the guitar player. Try and bring an audience into a flow for an hour with just a guitar.