dj or turntablist?????

F

Farmski

Guest
there seem to be alot of peeps on here who wanna get to grips with scratching and all the technical stuff, but i just gotta say that you will reach a point where you will need to decide what your doing this all for,

on a personal leval, i started all this stuff cos i wanted to add a lil bit more to what i was already doing, plus there is always something new to know when you have the right equiptment/time and willingness to learn!!

i have met so many people who wanna scratch, i get loads of offers for battles n stuff which to be honest, im not interested, i dont care whos the best, and ok, the dmc/itf etc will pick out a bunch of talent, but there are so many people around these days who can flick the vinyl but when it comes to rocking a crowd, they just dont know,

what in all fairness im saying is, some people do set, which they have worked on and perfected the drops of tunes and can do thart same worked out set, with there heads down looking at what their hands are doing, fair play, you got skill, but then theres what im in it for, i wanna see what the croud is doing and suit the crowd, its been so long since ive actually worked a set out, mainly cos i know my music, i know what will go down and when, and then you can flick a bit of the old technical stuff in just to liven the set up a bit!!

all i want to know is what do you do all this for?? is it to win a dmc or to rock a crowd?? cos i will tell you from what i know, if you go out and do a load of scratching, 90% of people will look at it and basically not even understand it, and if you intend to do that in a club you will only be on a hipe with the people who will go and buy a q bert dvd, a shadow tape or go listen to the scratch perverts, these people are the minority, and doing 3 click orbits, crabs and turbos will get you a few hand shakes and might get you recoginsed, but the best thing for me is getting a party moving!

so which is it??

DJ or Turntablist??
 
not sure really


started off as a DJ.... started to learn scratching to add something to set and now kinda in a transition period (plus i cant afford vinyls :( )
 
I do it to rock me (until now). i'm doing it in my bedroom but i wouldn't buy wack rnb-tracks to please some drunk if i had to spin for a crowd. Well i'm very much into scratching right now, mixing and just started 2 juggle a little bit. Where it will end? Good Question. I'm having fun.
 
turntablism is a neich market and to make it you do need to be good, have something to offer thats either new or different, i in a 4 person collaberation of djs who who do just this, and when we do nights out, its a 4/6 deck thing where by we keep it up front with new up tempo hip hop, party breaks and a mixture of old classics, it always works because we dont over do it!! and we all have a good idea of what will work, why it works and when to work it!! the best option is if you were to go down that route then dont get your self in the situation where you think one bad ass set is enough to get you by!! use small routines to get the bassis of any mix up, leave options open to incorperate different tunes which work in the same way as the set out routine, this will only come with practice and obviously nowing your tunes!!

no money is a big problem though! iv been there and the only way out is either get a friggin job or pimp yourself out to as many pubs clubs and partys as you can!!

one thing you dont want to become is a bedroom dweeb who can scratch n do all the tricks but cant see the bigger picture!! i know of a few peeps who are like this and they are in a rut which i find is just a bit sad!! cos they come up to you saying can you do this that and the other, which id say yeh probably, but timing is everything!! go and scratch your bollox!!,
 
you got the idea!! make what you can out of it for yourself!! i know what you mean when you say getting some sad r n b track, but remember that spending a few extra notes on tunes which you know will go down well would be worth getting!! face it!! sht music is sht music, and there is no way someone can make any substantial ammount of money dropping b sides!! but you can make things work in your favour, i.e, dont waste tunes, there was a thread on here where some lad put some vid clips of him at a gig!

quote " this is how you clear a dance floor with a good track" i thought it was hillariouse, cos he knew exactly what he was saying, knowing how to work a crowd!! you can drop a **** tune at the right time and it will work!! and vice a versa!!

underground hip hop is the new fav of loads of young djs who can scratch, and it will become a flooded market as soon as these peeps get out on the open market!! this also applys with experimental breaks!! if people dont understand it, you will find it hard to get regular work on this front!! you will get a few spots regardless, but it will confine you to just that!! and probably not alot else!!

everyone will start off in pubs, then work to local clubs, if you cant get off the ground its probably cos you are playing the wrong stuff!! its always good to have simplified a break/b boy/underground box and a party box!! they will all murge well but you will leave yourself open for better things!!

for exampe, you drop in the middle of a well played to the crowd set something like m.c hammer, cant touch this, people will scream for more!! and you will be able to drop something so cheesy like ghost busters with an eminem accapella over the top and you will get so much respect for creativity!!

this is what id class as worked cheese!!
 
is neither a wannabe?? curiouse? or do you have some other terminology to go on??
 
Labels are corny. Id rather not be a part of 'niche trend' as you call it. There are too many suckers out there already.
 
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I always ask them to drop the 'DJ' part...I just go by my name...same goes for flyers and stuff...I just put my name on there...f*ck all that DJ Scratchy stuff.

The 'DJ' name thing was always too corny for me...
 
I personally am both... I Spin at a club on Fri and Sat nights but practice scratching all week... When Im spinning at the club I do incorporate scratching in with all my blends, you just can't over do it... I have people come up to me that have no ****ing clue what Im doing but give props because it sounded good to them and not overdone... I think if you have the skills to go out and rock a party, stay off the cut unless you can make it sound like its suppose to be there.. I did some stuff for a major radio station so I know the fine line between the general public and the mega minority of turntablists... But your right about the getting paid thing to.. I was a basement turntablist hip hop head for 5 years that hated the commercial scene, and what was I doing then, going and playing a show or 2 every month at a hip hop venue, making a wopping 50 bucs, and I was broke as hell... But I got the oppurtunity to go spin music to more of a commercial audience and I only work 8 hours a week and Im getting by just fine...

So I would say Im A DJ and a TURNTABLIST....... HOLLA

www.purevolume.com/recone
 
and thats pretty much what we /i do !! once people realize that y can do what you do, then you get the recognition that you desurve, and you just need to do a bit just to warm things up abit!! and no when and where to limit it so it sounds good, and thats what its all about, sounding good!! play for the crowd first then you will open doors!!

like!! i been a hip hop/drum and bass dj for about 12 years, practising for 14, and cutting/scratching/juggleing since i started, we hold a few turntablist events, open mic nights and do demos at dj competitions, just local ones just to get the atmostphere down to that raw level, and then it puts you and everyone in the right frame of mind, but usually its prodominently clubs and pubs, keeping things pretty tight and fairly clinical just to pay the bills, but you gotta let things go every now and then, drop a bomb and completely rip the **** up!!
 
Ha, they have no business giving you props if they dont even understand whats going on. Nor do their props mean anything.

rec one said:
[B I have people come up to me that have no ****ing clue what Im doing but give props because it sounded good to them and not overdone...
[/url] [/B]
 
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some days i feel like a turntablist then some days i feel like a DJ.
 
Whatever. I just do it for fun. Mostly I scratch when I'm playing on my turntables. But I have fun experimenting with mixing and juggling too. Its just whatever mood I'm in at the time. And I only buy records I like. I don't do it to get paid.
 
HairyNames said:
Ha, they have no business giving you props if they dont even understand whats going on. Nor do their props mean anything.


their props mean that even the ignorant can appreciate what he's doing because he's doing it tastefully, in a way which they can appreciate it for simply being music, not some elitist uber-technical solo ahh wank fest, their props mean even though they don't understand, you're opening that window for them

all props mean something

props to everyone doing their thing!

personally I'd just say I'm a musician... haha, playing with bands and stuff... lately I've been focussed on battling for fun and getting my name out a bit, but in the end... it's all about making music for me, using the turntable as my instrument, I guess I'm a turntablist then... I have some DJ qualities, and I do DJ though... but I don't scratch to be a DJ, I play music to be a DJ... scratching's for making music for me...

pz!
 
Neokinetik....... Thanks for helping "HairyNames" understand that simple sentence in my post...

Key Words, "but give props because it sounded good."

I don't know how to play a guitar, but i'd sure give props to someone who sounds good on one.....

And without props, I would of probably quit this **** a long time ago.... So they must mean something...

HOLLA

www.purevolume.com/recone
 
HairyNames said:
Ha, they have no business giving you props if they dont even understand whats going on. Nor do their props mean anything.


I'd have to disagree...as a Tablist...having the respect of your peers is definitely great. Me personally, am not out to impress other Tablists...I'm all about rocking a crowd. And 90 % of them don't know TECHNICALLY whats going on...but its all about the end result anyways. THE MUSIC and how it sounds.

I'd rather rock a crowd anyday than stand around and get scrutinized by some geek because my 67-click-flare sounded a little off.

Just my .02
 
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thats where its at!!!
 
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