Not in Tune, Not in Time.
Here is a rant.
This is inspired by the DJ at one of my favourite bars (that shall remain nameless for the sake of my friends that work at it).
Fucking DJ’s.
Don’t get me wrong, I love them, and many are good friends… but the new kid’s coming through just suck.
I am old enough to have been one of the trusted friends you could count on to help carry record crates. When DJ’s still had record crates, and a mate doing a good three or four hour set would need two or three record crates to make that happen.
This was before record crates came on wheels like luggage, and even some of my mates had actual metal crates without shoulder straps… so literally you were “carrying them”.
Below: these things are so extinct now – this is the best photo of one I could find online…
In these crates… Vinyl records… this was before iTunes, Final Scratch, Abelton Live, Virtual DJ Programs, or the Pioneer CDJ 1000 which is what really got the whole CD movement going (after much resistance from the purists). All of a sudden… the art of being a good turntablist was out the door…
I remember one night my good friend and record label owner Eric Powell was playing at home nightclub in Sydney. This was probably circa ’99 or ’00. He had flown in and so I picked him up from the airport, headed into Sydney city… and after some time trying to find a place to park the best we could do was a good couple of K’s from the club. If you know Sydney we were parked up on Kent Street (near the Harbour Bridge) and then had to foot it down to Darling Harbour. I retrospect, carrying these friggin’ crates, we should have cabbed it from the car.
On a side note – Eric is one sick DJ. One of the old school Techno heads he owns two labels (Bush & Boo) that were responsible for artists like Joey Beltram, Felix the Housecat, Devilfish and a host of others. He played Cream (Liverpool), the ORIGINAL Hacienda (Manchester) where his legendary performances with Carl Cox will always be a part of international dance music history.
Below – DJ Eric Powell
Anyways… my point of all this… back in the day DJ’s used to pride themselves on the “beat mix”, pride themselves on playing in tune, and in time. DJ Shadow actually has a release called “In Tune and on Time” to which I have named this post after.
Here are some basic explanations… by no means the technical definition…
In tune = the music is in the right key when mixed together so it works or sounds like a well constructed chord.
In time = the beat should flow seamlessly from one record to the next.
Back in the day DJ’s would achieve this by practice, listening to a records key or pitch, and either memorizing this, or making a small note on the record sleeve.
These days, with the new school DJs, the kid’s in the clubs today… you won’t see record crates… you may see CD’s… but you will see illuminated “Mac” logos plugged directly into a mixer.
I have no issue with this… here is why…. the upside.
1. You can take all your music electronically. No need to carry those damn crates.
2. You can take more music. You’re only limited by the size of your hard drive.
What doesn’t change?
1. The need to practice.
2. The need to play “in tune and in time” so it sounds half fucking decent. While some DJ’s may have poor record selection (opinion) at least by being technically proficient you won’t look like such a dick. This kid DJing in one of my favourite bars last weekend just looked like a dick.
San Diego, where I live, certainly isn’t the best place for good, new, credible music. Unfortunately the LA sound has made it’s way down here – and in my opinion it’s just terrible. This just isn’t my opinion… another friend and well known DJ Sander Kleinenberg was in town a few weeks ago – and he and I pondered this town’s musical (and fashion) atrocities for some time…
Even though the DJ’s therefore, will largely be playing bad music, they need to still be technically proficient. It’s their job. What frustrates me the most is that the new “Virtual DJ” programs they run on their Macs basically does it all for them… it eliminates a lot of the skill that the DJ’s of the 90′s and 00′s used to require. A couple of years back when these programs starting really growing in popularity I decided to download one. Again, on my friend Eric’s recommendation to check it out. I installed it on my PC, it converted all my iTunes files… and I messed around with it. It really isn’t hard.
Firstly, the program has a built in “beat counter”… so getting it in time is easy. One record at 130BPM, the next record at 130BPM – and you’re good to go. Beat Counter’s aren’t new… some mixers also have them built in such as a Pioneer DJM600.
The in tune part… well the program I downloaded a few years back didn’t list the key – but seeing I studied music through my childhood (and my ears work) it is easy enough to roughly figure this out. I am sure however, if I dug around I would find the program that probably figures out the key for you as well.
So as easy as this all is… how can the DJ’s of today REALISTICALLY be technically flawed? They have it so easy compared to the originators of the craft…
This has been a rather long rant… so I will finish with a few tips to the aspiring new breed of DJs coming through.
1. Don’t play records off a compilation that has already been mixed. Go to iTunes, spend the $1.99 and get the original version. You kid’s are lucky – back in the day Vinyl used to cost $20 a record. The mixed version from a compilation will sound bad at the start and the finish, informing any trained ears in your audience that you are an amateur.
2. Practice. There are going to be two little numbers on your screen counting the beat of the two records you are looking to mix together. Make these two numbers are the same number… and that is a start. There are variations on how to beat mix – but start with getting the basics right.
3. Key. This is the hardest part, especially if you don’t have the natural skills, or have never been musically trained. Again – practice. Some records will sound better together than others. Fuck around with your program some more – it will probably tell you this anyway.
4. And finally – to the kid I had to endure last saturday night… give up. You look like a dick, you sound like a dick, you’re dancing around and singing like a dick… and your beanie is falling off the back of your head… you dick. It’s not even cold in the club.
Please also refrain from playing Lady Gaga.
hahaha. So sorry for the long rant – but an old experienced campaigner has the right to be forthright every now and then!
Below… one example of what the modern day’s DJ screeen will look like.
Posted on May 26th, 2010 by Jezza
Filed under: Jeremy's News | 2 Comments »
