dave clarke on vinyl and digital media and more ( interesting )

[KinKyJ]

Re: dave clarke on vinyl and digital media and more ( interesting )

let's not get into his weight problems, shall we? damn fatso!

[supaz]

Re: dave clarke on vinyl and digital media and more ( interesting )

That video shows how much a douche bag he is

[unkownartist]

Re: dave clarke on vinyl and digital media and more ( interesting )

That video shows how much a douche bag he is

oh behave, someones forgot that djs are allowed to have fun as well

[ciaran]

Re: dave clarke on vinyl and digital media and more ( interesting )

Very good interview.

Not too pushed on Clarkes views usually but he was on the ball and even brought the topic of the environment into it hop that bandwagon....

but his opinion on ableton as a tool is valid but ashame its not as open minded as his view of commercial/show off djs...

[supaz]

Re: dave clarke on vinyl and digital media and more ( interesting )

oh behave, someones forgot that djs are allowed to have fun as well

He's having fun by being a douche bag.

[feather]

Re: dave clarke on vinyl and digital media and more ( interesting )

I notice when digital dj-ing is discussed, the topic of auto-beat matching invariably comes up and the "these days anyone can be a DJ" opinion follows as well. But even when DJing with vinyls, isn't beat matching the most basic and the least you have to know? It's not going to bother me that a DJ can't layer tracks or pull off a long transition, as long as there are no pauses and no trainwrecks.

Track selection and programming is a lot more important and no machine can pull that off without human intervention. No amount of auto-beat matching can save a badly programmed set--you'll just end up with a seamless 3hrs of shit.

[Kinetic]

Re: dave clarke on vinyl and digital media and more ( interesting )

I notice when digital dj-ing is discussed, the topic of auto-beat matching invariably comes up and the "these days anyone can be a DJ" opinion follows as well. But even when DJing with vinyls, isn't beat matching the most basic and the least you have to know? It's not going to bother me that a DJ can't layer tracks or pull off a long transition, as long as there are no pauses and no trainwrecks.

Track selection and programming is a lot more important and no machine can pull that off without human intervention. No amount of auto-beat matching can save a badly programmed set--you'll just end up with a seamless 3hrs of shit.

Amen.

It?s like driving a manual or automatic gearshift car : if you?re a bad driver, you?ll suck either way. Beatmatching has fuck all to do with music.

And besides. I don?t know of any program that can semalessly auto-beatmatch withour somesort of user intervention, like red1 noted regarding Ableton Live.

[Miroslav]

Re: dave clarke on vinyl and digital media and more ( interesting )

I agree that it's ultimately about the music and track selection. But in a live performance, it's more than that. The key point in a live performance is: how much or how many skills must you spontaneously draw upon to deliver the highest level of aesthetic experience to the listener?

The delivery method has much to do with the enjoyment of a live performance - witness any professional concert pianist, for instance. The pianist has to press the pedals, use both hands, modulate the volume/tempo, and memorize the musical score. Saying that peripheral DJ skills don't matter is much like saying that what the pianist has to do doesn't matter for the concert to be a valuable aesthetic experience to the concertgoer. If that was the case, all music fans could just sit at home and listen to a programmed sound file. It all matters - the pianist's spontaneous actions and the end auditory result he/she delivers. The same is true of the DJ.

That said, I'm not trying to knock Ableton DJs. They also draw upon different skills than the vinyl DJ - skills enabled by the freedom associated with the technology. As I've said before, it's like different olympic sports. You don't say that the pole jumper is somehow inherently better than the shot putter.

My only point is: the method of delivery is IMPORTANT in the enjoyment of the live aesthetic performance experience, because it belies the kinds of skills the artist has to juggle and develop to deliver that full experience. Programming is obviously non-negotiable, but just I get a bit sick of everybody constantly ignoring these broader, crucial performance aspects. If programming is all it was, I wouldn't even waste my time going to a live performance of anything cuz I can get that shit at home at 192 kpbs.

And that's why beatmatching matters. And it's also why spontaneous layering of tracks and effects use in Ableton matters.

thank you for your attention

[Erik Mitchell]

Re: dave clarke on vinyl and digital media and more ( interesting )

I don't think there will ever be a death of the DJ. This question always comes up when new technology "threatens" our craft. How lame would it be to go to a club without a DJ, but with a jukebox? DJ's will just have to adapt like always and find new and exciting ways to entertain the crowd.

[Kinetic]

Re: dave clarke on vinyl and digital media and more ( interesting )

I agree that it's ultimately about the music and track selection. But in a live performance, it's more than that. The key point in a live performance is: how much or how many skills must you spontaneously draw upon to deliver the highest level of aesthetic experience to the listener?

The delivery method has much to do with the enjoyment of a live performance - witness any professional concert pianist, for instance. The pianist has to press the pedals, use both hands, modulate the volume/tempo, and memorize the musical score. Saying that peripheral DJ skills don't matter is much like saying that what the pianist has to do doesn't matter for the concert to be a valuable aesthetic experience to the concertgoer. If that was the case, all music fans could just sit at home and listen to a programmed sound file. It all matters - the pianist's spontaneous actions and the end auditory result he/she delivers. The same is true of the DJ.

That said, I'm not trying to knock Ableton DJs. They also draw upon different skills than the vinyl DJ - skills enabled by the freedom associated with the technology. As I've said before, it's like different olympic sports. You don't say that the pole jumper is somehow inherently better than the shot putter.

My only point is: the method of delivery is IMPORTANT in the enjoyment of the live aesthetic performance experience, because it belies the kinds of skills the artist has to juggle and develop to deliver that full experience. Programming is obviously non-negotiable, but just I get a bit sick of everybody constantly ignoring these broader, crucial performance aspects. If programming is all it was, I wouldn't even waste my time going to a live performance of anything cuz I can get that shit at home at 192 kpbs.

And that's why beatmatching matters. And it's also why spontaneous layering of tracks and effects use in Ableton matters.

thank you for your attention

Very well put.

At least you see that there also has to be some skill involved in using Ableton or other digital media to DJ. To achieve a good level of confort to do for example, on-the-fly layering and use of effects, as you mention, you also have to work at it, practice, just like vinyl DJ?s. Maybe a different type of practice, a different type of learning, a different type of skills, but it you DO have to put time into it. Even the so-famous seamless beatmatching requires practice.

I mean, what makes me a bit...well, confused...is the preconceived notion some people have, that these programs do everything at the touch of a button. I think it ultimately boils down to some lack of knowledge that still exists about them.

And unfortunately, I know of some famous names (at least using Ableton) that come to a show with pre-arranged, pre-prepared sets, where they might as well be using Winamp, because all they?re doing is pressing play and then pretend to tweak some knobs.

That is wrong and is one of the "dangers" of this technology, and it?s what gives it a bad rep, along with the very real possibility of just plain abusing it (see Sasha?s recente statements about his first sets with Ableton). The fact that you CAN play 10 tracks with 10 effects going at the same time, doesn?t mean you SHOULD do it.