Eclecticism no more

[yerg]

after listenning to another bunch of old sets I've came to a conclusion that djs today aren't brave or fearless anymore, there is no experimentation and improvisation, everything is super slick and polished, playing it safe, as if the crowds forgot what it means to trust the dj and vice versa

I know this is an old grudge and the topic has been beaten to death, but it is true, you will never hear a mix of prog trance, prog house, breaks, dnb, techno, goa trance, leftfield, etc. in one set anymore.

to mind come such sets like Nick Warren's essential mix from 2001, which was his most eclectic mix I've ever heard from him

then Oakenfold at Oslo, starting with dnb and moving onto prog house, prog trance, techno and finishing it off with goa, f^*king unbeliveable what they were doing back then

now give me an example of somebody who has guts to go that far today and make it work

[Garrick]

Re: Eclecticism no more

james zabiela continues to be very diverse in his sets. even today. so does danny howells. i'd say the same for other veteran DJs as well.

as far as DJs new to the scene.... well i'm kind of out of the loop so not much for me to contribute. I will say that with all the automation injected into DJ'ing these days, i'd be shocked if there weren't plenty out there with diverse/eclectic sounds.

[yerg]

Re: Eclecticism no more

yeah I agree on Zabiela's part, he was always trying to bring something extra to his sets, but Danny has always been purely house dj, maybe you have some specific sets on your mind?

[Rave Lizard]

Re: Eclecticism no more

Nick Warrn's 2001 Essential Mix 'eclectic' ?

[yerg]

Re: Eclecticism no more

^ well yeah, Lizard, if you compare it to what he's been doing lately it is and both of his Reykjavik and Shanghai mixes as well

[Garrick]

Re: Eclecticism no more

danny is mainly house, but I've heard some pretty far out sounds from marvin gaye to nirvana played in some of his sets. he has some pretty random music thrown in at times.

[feather]

Re: Eclecticism no more

I know this is an old grudge and the topic has been beaten to death, but it is true, you will never hear a mix of prog trance, prog house, breaks, dnb, techno, goa trance, leftfield, etc. in one set anymore.

True but I don't know if it's indicative of the DJs, or some of those genres are simply dying or people don't produce as much of them anymore. I have hardly heard any breaks or goa for eg. DnB is probably still alive somewhere. Prog house, well it's not the same prog house as before, that's for sure. But's kinda inherent in 'progressive.'

[yerg]

Re: Eclecticism no more

the genres are dying, and yes especially breaks, there is still some goa around but it's a small scene, but really the point I'm trying to make is that djs don't want to push things forward anymore, no matter how prog sounds today or what new genres emerge or not, it is more due to the oversaturation of the market with new producers, leading to unbelievable amounts of tasteless unprofessional music and ultimately the competition which reflects in the fear of losing crowds, that are especially critical today

I want the djs to introduce me to some new and brave forms, but because of the fear of losing crowds they play it safe, and there you have it that the creative side of djing is gone exactly because of the crowds who simply don't trust their djs, play it safe and everybody's happy or else, so i think its the competition really and the fear that follows

I hope I'm not too confusing

[Michael^Heaven]

Re: Eclecticism no more

now give me an example of somebody who has guts to go that far today and make it work

Laurent Garnier

[trick12]

Re: Eclecticism no more

danny em 2002 is

[floridaorange]

Re: Eclecticism no more

no surprise that I agree 100% with the sentiment expressed here.... so many dj's just doing what they think they are supposed to do vs taking risks. I find it extremely unoriginal, boring and mundane personally. No risks being taken, just the same shit for however long. lame. That the dj's who do take risks and do have more eclectic styles are the ones I follow closely.

[yerg]

Re: Eclecticism no more

Laurent Garnier

bingo! he is really great when it comes to merging all sorts of material and always been

[yerg]

Re: Eclecticism no more

the dj's who do take risks and do have more eclectic styles are the ones I follow closely.

please, give me names!!!!!

[feather]

Re: Eclecticism no more

Hmmm I think it's very debatable, I suppose hence this thread

We had another similar thread arguing the eclecticism of Digweed.

People like Garnier, Josh Wink, Zabiela, I think they're still pretty eclectic. But the flow of the set is usually sacrificed for eclecticism.

Lee Burridge is always eclectic like Howells but they lean on the housier side. Craig Richards is eclectic too. As is DJ Three.

Warren is eclectic, that's pretty evident in his Soundgarden mixes. But he doesn't throw different genre tracks together, they're separated into chill and club sounds.

But you will find that DJs do not make 'eclecticism' their trademarks, they will not be playing 'eclecticism' in every single set.

I don't believe a DJ should be eclectic for the sake of eclecticism. I want to hear progression and programming in a set, not just variety.

[yerg]

Re: Eclecticism no more

^ all good points, a good set is a good set no matter what the dj chooses to play

I have noticed that shorter sets win from being straight-up but when you go into 3-4 hours and more the change of tone is a must imo
in order to reset the feeling, and the longer the set the more eclectic it should be,what you don't hear too often these days, or do you?

so, yeah, I agree that eclecticism for the sake of eclecticism is not the way to go, but it has its practical reasons and it should