Should every EDM producer also be a DJ?

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stvaneck

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Title says it all. Most, if not every single one, of the big edm producers nowadays are also travelling around the world doing shows as dj's. This got me wondering as a (starting) edm producer myself if I should work on being a DJ as wel. What do you guys think?
 
Can't answer that myself, that'd be your decision. Most questions like that on fp, we can not and should not make those types of choices for other people basically.
Deciding on whether or not to dj is up to you. Ableton, traktor and fl studio are examples of live performance tools.
 
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I don't really DJ and I don't know how I would even start to try to get gigs at my level. But if you had an opportunity like this: take it!
You can drop a tune of yours in your set sometimes, even if you're not very professional and just test it out in a club. I'd love to do that and it could help your productions immensely I think.
 
It depends on what your goals and ambitions are in regards to the music. Do you want to be a superstar DJ who travels the world and makes a living off the music? Then yes you need to both Produce & DJ. If music is just a hobby to take up some spare time, and your only interest is producing, then just do that (You're your own person so you can make your own decisions in life).

In the beginning of the electronic music scene, both producing and DJing were somewhat separate (Although there existed some overlap) meaning that you either DJ'd or Produced, but not both (No body cared for the DJ's back then, people only showed up for the music). With the advances in the internet and downloading everything illegally, the two positions merged as producers could no longer make a living solely on producing. (Reference - Paul Oakenfold).

As of 2015, what famous EDM artists can you list who ONLY produce, but do not also perform live? There is only one that comes to mind - Daft Punk - yet they still do live performances once or twice a year.

If you produce the next 'Animals' or what ever track that was by Zedd, then you'll do fine just being a producer.. ALTHOUGH you would be able to make a ton of money doing live gigs (And hey, if you don't want to learn to DJ, just pay someone with all that money you make to make you a flawless set in Ableton and you'll be g2g).

Hope this clarifies on the subject (OH YEAH thats the song, Clarity by Zedd)
 
it would be no harm to learn djing in case you ever decided you wanted to do gigs, i used to do shows on pirate radio before and played out my own tracks sometimes just to get reactions
 
A lot of famous producers are simply not dj's, they play a pre-made set while claiming to be dj'ing which is what i think is wrong. A rare example is deadmau5, he admits he's not a dj, he's a producer and a dam good one but yet magazines and the internet still call him a dj

You watch alot of EDM sets and its a lot of arm waving in the air, a lot of swearing, a lot of fader sliding and knob turning but their not even wearing headphones, no sound change when the faders or knobs are turned etc... A real dj spends most of their time involved with the decks and mixer not running around throwing cake at people or crowd surfing

It bugs me because real dj's no longer get the credit they deserve, and people like paris hilton are getting paid 100k+ a set which is possibly the worst thing ive ever seen on the internet

I highly suggest knowing your way around a pair of Pioneer CDJ's seeing as its the industry standard and also a good mixer, its a great skill to have and gives you a great feeling while doing it especially playing your own music and you can spot the difference between a good and bad dj when you know whats going on
 
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Hey guys,

Thanks for the replies with the including background information. I see that it would be great to be able to dj so I can also play my own music. I picked up a second hand dj controller and am now starting to get familiar with djing and I am enjoying it. Even though I am just starting out as a dj I also have the opinnion that edm producers should be able to dj.
 
djing can help you understand beatmatching, rhythm and track structure which are very useful when it comes to producing so doing both kinda works hand in hand
 
I feel qualified to tell the OP the answer. Yes, you should be a DJ and a producer!

A lot of people are catching feelings and getting disappointed because many of the top EDM DJs are not actually mixing records. But I say who cares? The new Electronic scene is cool because people are having more fun. Arenas are selling out and the young people are enjoying life.

Those that have a problem with the new scene are people that are stuck in their rooms making music for themselves to enjoy. They are too worried about the craft of songwriting. They really don't want to have a career because they do not create and release enough product to have a voice. They are not in the race, so I think it is safe to not take their opinions too seriously.

Find out how to mix records and get out there and do shows and parties. People love to party and have a good time. You need to participate so you can make money from people's desire to party. Just work hard and promote yourself. Being a DJ isn't even that hard with today's tools so you might as well give it a shot.

Go for it!!!
 
A lot of people are catching feelings and getting disappointed because many of the top EDM DJs are not actually mixing records
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If their not mixing music how can they even be called a DJ?

Being a DJ isn't even that hard with today's tools so you might as well give it a shot.
Click to expand...

Scratching, crafting a live set, harmonic mixing, beat juggling, playing music that the crowd want etc are all things you have to learn over a long period of time, its not that hard to be one of these mainstream "DJ's" who play a pre made set no, but to be a proper live performing DJ then that's a different story.



 
I think it's good if EDM producers can sell themselves as DJs. Performing the function of a DJ somewhere is potentially a good venue for live a EDM performance. Of the big EDM DJs today, many have their own distinctive style. They are producing music that, to me, sounds both original and composed. My understanding is that live performances tend to give artists more exposure and ultimately increase the size of their fan base. Now that I think about it, I'm not really sure who's a DJ and who's a producer.
 
If you are a producer and want to perform live, incorporating DJing into your live performances would definitely be a great way to perform live.

But I say, you don't have to do it the traditional way.

Mix things up a little if you want to.

Perhaps if you play the keyboard, use your keyboard to play your lead synths, and your DJ mixer for the other instruments.

There's all kinds of opportunity and crazy combinations waiting to happen.

You can do more than just push play or a couple of special effect buttons.
 
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When I go clubbing, I don't particularly want to hear beat juggling, double drops etc.

They don't actually sound any better than just playing tracks and I don't feel they serve any purpose apart from to keep the DJ busy and satisfy his/her ego.

Things aren't good just because they're difficult.
 
No but every DJ should be a producer IMO.

You WILL NOT get big DJing unless you produce..the biggest you can get is local popularity. In order to be an international or travelling DJ you need to give promotors a reason to bring you..local popularity is not a reason to bring you to a different city. Only a fan base is, and that only comes from remixing or making original mixes.
 
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I've heard several DJ's saying that they regret not producing earlier or that they started with DJing and not producing. Because as some of you already said, it's hard to get recognition as a DJ. Unless you're doing something really amazing - which is tough.

And, as I learned by experience, it's easy to get into DJing when you have the producing in your head. Just takes a few hours to remember what all knobs and buttons do, but it's super easy, imo.
 
You gotta be able to produce music in these days, everyone's a DJ now so those who really stand out the most are those who can carry out their own tunes =)
 
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