Do DJs also have to be producers?
- 05/12/2023
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Should DJs be producers? The debate was reignited recently in responses to a Facebook post by legendary DJ/producer David Morales, who lamented that many DJs make recordings solely to get gigs, and that the quality of DJing and production suffers as a result. Here’s what he said:
“Why do non-producing DJs force themselves to make records? Why do they? That’s why there’s so much mediocre crap! It’s funny how a new DJ can call himself a remixer/producer without even having made a record. But unfortunately, DJs are “obliged” to have a hit record to be recognized and get gigs. What a farce! There are so many non-DJs who get paid only because they’ve made a record, not because they’re good DJs. Most of them are crap! They can’t play beyond their scheduled set. Duh! And the real DJs who don’t care or don’t need to make records are the ones who suffer. What happened to “art”? Does anyone care? Obviously not! It’s a disgrace. – David Morales
What we think…
Our point of view is simple. DJing is an art. Producing is an art. They’re different skills and being good at one doesn’t necessarily make you good at the other, although it is possible to do both well. You can have a lot of fun getting good at either, so whatever your passion, go for it! Who cares where it ends up? There’s always room at the top for the best, if that’s what you become, but it’s the journey that’s important. And no one should ever tell someone not to try, or that it’s not worth trying – period.
Producing music can be a great calling card for a DJ. When I was an organizer, I used to hire DJs who were excellent producers and take the gamble that they could DJ, simply because I liked their music. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t! We only re-hired those who were capable of DJing…
The days when DJs achieved international success through DJing alone are long gone, but that’s by no means to say that DJs can’t have rich and fulfilling careers. As long as “music travels faster than the people who make it”, there will always be a need for DJs, and you can indeed become “famous in your own backyard” (and get paid for it) by simply DJing – the classic routes being either to become a club resident, or to promote your own small events that you believe in and put yourself on the bill.
Of course, many DJs just like to make people happy by playing popular music, and for these DJs, mobile, corporate, wedding, etc. work is a great way to get those “dance floor full” moments.
We could go on, but there were some very interesting reactions (in the 700 responses to David’s article!) and so we’ve gathered the most interesting for you here.
Reactions on Facebook…
“I’ve been a DJ for 20 years and I’ve always been frustrated by the fact that the only people who succeed are the ones who make their own music, I always said I would, but I never had the time or dedication. I’ve always said I’d do it, but I’ve never had the time or dedication. But if anyone knows anything about music, they’ll always pick the ones with real talent and take them to the top. For a while at least, if they’re really talented and keep making bangers, they’ll stay at the top; if they just got lucky with a one-hit wonder, they’ll quickly fade into the background. In fact, the more DJs who make crap music and all sound alike, the better it is for real artists, because real talent shines and is easier to spot. Ben Whichelow
“Well said, Mr Morales! This is the reason I stopped playing… I admit I can’t play a single instrument but I can DJ, in fact I was described as one of the Wolves’ best young DJs (many years ago lol)…. but because I’ve never produced a track, no one’s been interested in me, regardless of my DJ talent… and unfortunately that doesn’t seem to be changing any time soon… I’ve been on an agency’s bookshelf for a while now but I still can’t get hired…” Glynn Webster
“Give me a crate of tracks to mix, I’m totally in my element, ask me to “make a track” and I haven’t a clue where to start, and quite frankly, it’s not something I’m rushing to learn. My love of music comes from playing quality tracks, produced by quality producers, and I’m not afraid to say I don’t fall into that category. I DJ because I love music, and I’m not too bad at it, so let DJs be DJs and leave the music production side to the professionals in that field. – Darrell Cross
“Maybe the new wave of producers is tired of seeing the same old producers producing the same old sound. I’m all for new talent. Does it really matter whether it’s a musician or a DJ? I don’t think so. If the public is interested, that’s what counts in music. If you connect with more people on the floor, then there will be more gigs… It’s as simple as that, in my opinion.” – Chris Acheson
“People don’t care how you mix or what you know about DJing, people want to listen to your records, get crazy and drunk and have a good party. I’m a DJ and I don’t care how he mixes, and there are millions of people like me. I want to hear good music, I want to dance, and if you change the song every 30 seconds, I’ll leave the club. If I want to hear/see how a really good DJ mixes, I’ll go see a DMC competition.” – Alexis De La Cruz
“DJs are everything today: promoters, graphic designers, managers, tour operators, producers, sound engineers, roadies, technicians, secretaries, but, unfortunately, that’s what’s expected of them. A lot of people do “buy-ons”, i.e. they pay to play. I’ve been in bands all my life, and here in Spain, a DJ is paid the same as a five-piece band, which is why I turned to DJing, because it was costing me a lot of money to play in bands. – Keith Bradshaw
“To be honest, it’s always been pretty much the same… just different generations. The problem today is that there are DJs (like Guetta, Avicii & Harris) who simply sell out to make more money and don’t care anymore. This will always be the case. The so-called “big names” in music are content to dance commercially to be heard by people who may not have listened to their previous work. In short, you may consider yourself a ‘DJ’, but that doesn’t make you a ‘producer’… and vice versa.” – Darren Lewis
“People are concerned, but it’s those with the power who dictate the way forward. The only way to make a name for yourself is to sell records, and the only way to attract people to clubs or festivals is to have a line-up of DJs who make records. It’s all very well to make such a comment, but where and what are the solutions? There aren’t any because the people who dictate are now too big, too powerful, the precedent too far gone to change. Jimmy Lee
“The other problem is that some of the top 100 who call themselves DJ/producers have never produced a track in their lives. The ghostwriters do it for themselves and don’t make as much money, so in fact they don’t deserve the title of DJ/producer…” – “The other problem is that some of the top 100 DJ/producers have never produced a single track in their lives. Gary Craig
“Here’s another point of view, which may only apply in the United States. I’ve been a vinyl and CD DJ for many years. I started working in Las Vegas in 2010. After a few gigs, management told me that if I wanted to continue DJing in Las Vegas, I had to start producing tracks, and tracks that worked. So, after 20 years of DJing, I was forced to produce. It seems that the big companies run the show and prefer DJ Mag types who produce and DJ… I hate producing but I was forced to do it…” – -. Evan Djevan Frangos
“This wave of mediocrity is slowly being reversed. The Walmartization of music (or EDM as it’s called by the dumbed-down masses in the suburbs) is now being mocked, and we’re slowly seeing a return to competent, tasteful DJs. Finally, the press is taking notice and writing articles about these crooks. Live Nation has destroyed music”. – Maxwell Blandford
“The new generation doesn’t care about the quality of the previous one. Those who have been calling the shots for years are now faced with a new breed who make what you or I wouldn’t consider real music, but I feel humbled to still be here enjoying the music and DJs I’ve known and supported, including you David Morales. – Brian Wilson
“The truth is that club owners and promoters just want to make money. It doesn’t matter if you’re the best or if you make history with your set and its track record, they’ll always ask you how many people you can bring. We need to go back to real underground parties in small, dark, sweaty rooms. That’s where the magic happens anyway! – Mike Morales
“Are you complaining that nobody wants to hire you when you let the scene die in the 2000s? Now that it’s popular again, everyone wants a say! Sneak and Morales are old men, let the kids have their fun, they don’t care about you anymore, you’re yesterday’s DJ, no matter how good you were in your heyday. Things change”. – John Smith
What do you think? Do you want to be a DJ and make music? Or just one of them? Is there anything wrong with that these days, or is it just sour grapes? And does it all matter, or is the most fun to just jump in and have fun?
Source :
Read the original article at: www.digitaldjtips.com
