opendoor
Forum Master
Osteoarthritis in either knee. My bar is currently at 3 tango tandas and a waltz (with orthoses and 70mg Diclofenac). And thx 4 asking!
What are DJs doing wrong
- Thread starter itwillhappen
- Start date
Oh, bad knees are real limitation for life. Friend of mine (65) had to replace both knees two year ago. And now he is walking as young guy, able to do some sports like cycling. Here in Czech Rep is this replacement quite cheap and there are clinics on very high level to do such job.
itwillhappen
Forum Master
P.S.: A new generation of DJs is also growing up, accustomed to streaming services, for whom owning and managing music files or even physical recordings would be an unfamiliar burden. For an afternoon 50/50 mix, I believe that building a playlist by listening and selecting from automatically generated suggestions is an effective and sufficient approach. In this respect, algorithms, and soon AI, are already slowly and unnoticed making their way into some milongas.
opendoor
Forum Master
You're absolutely right, the streamlined DJ who meets the expectations of the audience or the organizer has become obsolete. And this wasn't just due to AI; there were already excellent tanda collections of famous DJs on Spotify or El Recodo.
I'd say that could be similar to gathering round the radio playing Argentine Tango music, with the ads as the cortina, as reported in the 1940/50's. I wouldn't necessarily trust the WiFi in some locations, but it's possible - even as a paid 'download' with an app to play it. Doesn't even need AI (which I wouldn't trust here without info on its training). OK, you can make an issue of recording fidelity, number of bits, analog, vinyl, even shellac, converters, valves, amps, and the like, but most on the dancefloor in some acoustically-poor hall with average, but adequate, speakers won't notice at their age.
I guess, like managed vs. unmanaged investments, as good as, or better, than many TDJs.
Nevertheless, can't beat live music - and it doesn't have to follow the format that's assigned!
itwillhappen
Forum Master
That's not necessary anyway. E.g. the platform EL RECODO TANGO: Argentinian Tango Music and Culture has a very extensive tango database. And a tool for tagging customer tango libraries (thereby feeding their own database), and an (algorithmic) tanda generator and organizer (thereby feeding their own database), and a tango streaming player (thereby feeding their own database).
It wouldn't be particularly difficult to develop a solution that supports and accompanies a DJ — with or without an own collection — both in advance and live ... that trains an AI in the background. And improves this support to such an extent that it could eventually replace the DJ musically.
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Indeed. So unless the DJ contributes something worthwhile (e.g. connecting the cables, login, etc) they're becoming redundant anyway. Which means one who can select music and read the room is the only one who's worthwhile.
Playlist-only DJs have already been obsolete for over 10 years in all formats of DJing. The acceptable standards in social dance are just low for whatever reason.
btw I believe that DJs should dance at least some of the time in order to stay connected to the energy of the room
btw I believe that DJs should dance at least some of the time in order to stay connected to the energy of the room
opendoor
Forum Master
And I think DJs who put together their tandas on the fly are completely overrated. I'm a playlist-only DJ, and yet I sometimes throw away all my preparations and spontaneously put together completely new tandas at a milonga, or I discard individual pieces within the tanda and replace them with more suitable ones. The prepared playlist usually is more accurate. The DJ works from home, so the set in the evening is essentially an encore.
itwillhappen
Forum Master
It might depend on what you mean by a "playlist-only DJ." Most DJs will keep their tandas in playlists, and it's by no means certain that they'll spontaneously come up with better ideas.
The DJ whose tips I linked prepares an accurate playlist for his sets, @opendoor does, and I do too.
I use the motivation for my next DJ set to pick out tandas I'd like to hear again, improve tandas, or create new tandas. Technically do I work on my track library database.
And I also arrange tracks in a preliminary playlist, which is usually much longer than necessary. Changes usually occur in the second half of a milonga.
TTanguero
Forum Master
Yeah, I find it hard to believe that any DJ arrives with nothing in the way of a plan, sits down at the desk, and only then decides what their opening tanda will be – then spontaneously creates the second one based on some undefinable element of what they see on the floor during the first. I think the reality is that almost every DJ has a playlist as their starting point, and then some will adapt it during their set.
opendoor
Forum Master
The preferred pieces and orchestras already are kind of a playlist in the mind.
that's exactly what I do
itwillhappen
Forum Master
There's nothing wrong with that. But it also says nothing about the quality of the DJ.
Ultimately, everyone has to work with their strengths — and that could be improvisation, or it could be preparation (or memory, or hearing, or feeling, or taste).
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I'd hope whoever turns up to DJ had made some preparation based on where they're playing music. I'd accept, as the minimum, a mental starter list and knowing that material, and other, was available and playable.