variety-does it work??

[basslinejunkie]

does playing a variety of diffrent styles of techno in your set work in a club enviroment?? as ive got a much faster internet connection now,ive been able 2 download loads of sets/live pa's from the likes of gunjack,pounding grooves,ian lehman ect ect ect,and the 1 thing thats strikes me about them is the similarity of the music they play weather it be hard,dark,minimal ect,each tune is very similar 2 the last 1.now i always thought 2 myself i like more than 1 type of techno,so why limit myself by just playing 1?? but having listend 2 many diffrent sets with every tune very similar 2 the last and being quite frankly gobsmacked at the quality of them,im not 2 sure if playing a variety in your set would work as well.id be very intrested on peoples stance on this as most of you are pro dj's unlike myself.

[basslinejunkie]

:roll:

[AcidBastard]

does playing a variety of diffrent styles of techno in your set work in a club enviroment?? as ive got a much faster internet connection now,ive been able 2 download loads of sets/live pa's from the likes of gunjack,pounding grooves,ian lehman ect ect ect,and the 1 thing thats strikes me about them is the similarity of the music they play weather it be hard,dark,minimal ect,each tune is very similar 2 the last 1.now i always thought 2 myself i like more than 1 type of techno,so why limit myself by just playing 1?? but having listend 2 many diffrent sets with every tune very similar 2 the last and being quite frankly gobsmacked at the quality of them,im not 2 sure if playing a variety in your set would work as well.id be very intrested on peoples stance on this as most of you are pro dj's unlike myself.

My mixes have ALOT of variety, it fluxuates(sp?), cause I hate when a set sounds the same with each record. So in my case it works well, but then again, that's just me and I'm sure the next person will most likely disagree with me :doh:

[basslinejunkie]

does playing a variety of diffrent styles of techno in your set work in a club enviroment?? as ive got a much faster internet connection now,ive been able 2 download loads of sets/live pa's from the likes of gunjack,pounding grooves,ian lehman ect ect ect,and the 1 thing thats strikes me about them is the similarity of the music they play weather it be hard,dark,minimal ect,each tune is very similar 2 the last 1.now i always thought 2 myself i like more than 1 type of techno,so why limit myself by just playing 1?? but having listend 2 many diffrent sets with every tune very similar 2 the last and being quite frankly gobsmacked at the quality of them,im not 2 sure if playing a variety in your set would work as well.id be very intrested on peoples stance on this as most of you are pro dj's unlike myself.

My mixes have ALOT of variety, it fluxuates(sp?), cause I hate when a set sounds the same with each record. So in my case it works well, but then again, that's just me and I'm sure the next person will most likely disagree with me :doh:

thats exactly what i do,but im only a bedroom dj so i was wondering if it would work in a club enviroment.u a pro dj or just bedroom like me??

[dan the acid man]

it's a weird one this, i love load's of different music at home, but when im in a club i usually want the dj to play tune's that im expecting him to play. Iv'e been thinking about why im like this, and to be honest i cant find an explanation why, it's strange. :doh:

I think, if your wanting to try playing different style's then it's probably easier to do this right from the start of your club/ party playing carreer and then people will know what to expect

[AcidBastard]

thats exactly what i do,but im only a bedroom dj so i was wondering if it would work in a club enviroment.u a pro dj or just bedroom like me??


Ugh, the club environment is so fickle I gave up on it. I mainly play at outdoor events, whenever my friends get their shit together and we move our soundsystem outside. So when I play out to a crowd like that, the variety gets a really good crowd reaction.

But to answer your question about spinning in a club, do it just to stand out and most people really enjoy that groovy bassline that plops out from the banging hard/tribal beats you'd be playing most of the night.

[schlongfingers]

The best DJ's i've heard play a mixture of all types of music, I've heard people play sets with music from every decade since the 50's in a techno set and it's beeen superb. To be honest, these days if I hear a pure techno set I long for a bit of variation - not because I think techno can't cover all the angles, but because I feel hearing the unexpected mixed well in is the icing on the cake.

[basslinejunkie]

it's a weird one this, i love load's of different music at home, but when im in a club i usually want the dj to play tune's that im expecting him to play. Iv'e been thinking about why im like this, and to be honest i cant find an explanation why, it's strange. :doh:

I think, if your wanting to try playing different style's then it's probably easier to do this right from the start of your club/ party playing carreer and then people will know what to expect

dont get me wrong i dont feel im anywhere near the standard requierd 2 play out yet.tis a bit of a difficult question 2 answer really isnt it :doh: o well i tryed :roll: :lol: hahaha

[anx]

not always knowing what a crowd wants i make sure i place a variety of different styles of techno in my bag at all times....well i do only play techno and a few breaks, but you can still be very diverse with just techno...

[MARKEG]

i dunno this is crazy. when i dj i know i have to play the same style or at least within a few styles that blend. but when i'm at home or during the week, i listen to everything and anything. from new classical to drum n bass to punk.

so even though i love hearing pure techno sets for hours and hours in clubs perhaps you've got a very good point. the club scene is NOT the place to experiment. the only way you can do this is at home.

perhaps this needs to be the next stage in the club evolution?

but how can this happen when it's so difficult to experiment in them??

very interesting indeed

[djvartan]

its all about reading your crowd. if you think they can handle a twist, then DO IT!

works great for me :cool:

[AcidBastard]

its all about reading your crowd. if you think they can handle a twist, then DO IT!

works great for me :cool:

Reading the crowd is good, but I also like to manipulate the crowd as well... Kinda force them to dance even though they're tired and then get more energy during the more mellow tunes, either way it's all good :dance:

[djvartan]

i dont care who you are. some crowds you cant move. if they wanna hear lovey dovey trance your not gonna move them. where im from TECHNO is very rare. 98% of the people in New England dont even know what real TECHNO is.........
sad very sad
:evil:

[AcidBastard]

i dont care who you are. some crowds you cant move. if they wanna hear lovey dovey trance your not gonna move them. where im from TECHNO is very rare. 98% of the people in New England dont even know what real TECHNO is.........
sad very sad
:evil:

True that some people in the crowd could care less about your set, but I could care less about them.... **** 'em :dontevengothere:

[djvartan]

same here........
fvck them :twisted:

[sash]

variety does work. it's all about the delivery of the track.

[djvartan]

yah nothing like Pizza Hut running in with your new 12"
:clap:

[AcidBastard]

variety does work. it's all about the delivery of the track.

You've made a good point there, as long as you make the mix sound good, and not all choppy and shitty sounding, it should go over fairly well.

[Si the Sigh]

the club scene is NOT the place to experiment. the only way you can do this is at home.

perhaps this needs to be the next stage in the club evolution?

Right, everyone round to Marks house this weekend then! ;) :lol:

[schlongfingers]

[quote=MARK EG]the club scene is NOT the place to experiment. the only way you can do this is at home.

perhaps this needs to be the next stage in the club evolution?

This already happens in a lot of places - I think experimentation in a club environment is excellent.

[Numeric]

I think it's very important to keep things at least a little varied when playin out. As long as the set keeps flowin...

[([-_-]) Chewitt]

I like to keep things a little varied, eg. the last set I played was a 2 hour techno set, but I threw in an LSG trance rekkid into the mix & also a hardstyle track near the end cos I think they're sweet tunes that helped to break up the other techno records. I dunno if anyone else shared my opinion tho but I hope so! Of course all my mates said "wicked set man" but they would regardless, wouldn't they! LOL!

I suppose what I'm saying is, if it feels right to you, do it. It's your style.

[ncw]

so even though i love hearing pure techno sets for hours and hours in clubs perhaps you've got a very good point. the club scene is NOT the place to experiment. the only way you can do this is at home.



Bullshit.

That goes against the grain of what techno was and is all about. Experiments are key, otherwise everything would sound the same.
Pure linear techno sets are boring, throw in whatever fits, and even stuff that doesn't!

A crowd of pilled up techno cretins may respond to hard beats all night long, but that doesn't mean they won't respond if you push the boundaries a bit.

[MARKEG]

i know!

i don't know if you get what i was trying to say there.

i'll elaborate. so long as you have clubs that play a 'style' ie techno, house, dance or whatever, the safest option for the floor is to stay within the boundaries of the style that the night or club is.

and i'm trying to say that in your home, you just dont have to think like that. it doesnt even cross your mind that you have to stay within a limit.

so in a way, clubs are defeating the objective of new music and pushing limits.

there's nothing wrong whatsoever with dropping a experimental classic jazz number in a techno club, in fact RESPECT if you have the balls to do it. but most ppl/dj's dont. there's a reason for that - the floor clears. ppl don't appreciate what you're trying to do. the club environment can very often be too blinkered. especially in 4/4 banging beat places.

people often say to me - mark you could play heavy metal in a club and ppl would still go off to it. well i very much doubt it. in fact alot of the time when i go out of the mold that ppl expect 'mark eg' to play, i get ppl coming up going 'play like you usually do', 'play faster' or something like that. it's a nightmare, especially if you're feeling very passionate about trying to do something different. i do experiment and try to push something different myself alot in my dj sets but just not as much as i can at home or in the car eh. that's what the point i'm trying to make about clubs not being the place to experiment.

[ncw]

Someone mentioned earlier that a DJ should start out playing with variety, so that they would be accepted on their own terms. I think it is probably harder for a DJ trying to make a transition from a rave style DJ to a more varied eye opening DJ because the crowd they draw expects them to be a certain way and have a certain effect, and get blinkered by that. Maybe thats why people say those things to you MarkEG. Just keep playing what you feel innit.

Aside: Carl Craig kept the dancefloor rocking at Plastic People with about 1/2 an hour of Jazz and ambient rhythmic techno, no kicks or hi hats. There is some serious energy to be harnessed without the usual sub bass piercing hi hat frequency range.

[ncw]

I've been censored! I want my avatar!

[dan the acid man]

it's like henry said in another thread, sometime's it would be nice to play something different but then you will probably have to deal with a very angry promoter

[MARKEG]

an extreme example of this is aphex twin @ the orbit when he played sandpaper on the decks.

i mean the orbit had a reputation as being one of the most respected techno clubs in the uk, yet when someone came along and played something new the crowd all freaked! they hated it!

a bit extreme i know but it's apoint. another time i remember is when someonme played drum and bass in there and the dj almost got linched. oh yeah and when westbam started to play disco in there once he nearly got thrown out.

where you have a crowd of ppl all paying money to listen to one genre (most specialist clubs these days) it's ridiculously hard to step out of the mold. you try it and then see if you're invited back!!!

[Jimfish]

an extreme example of this is aphex twin @ the orbit when he played sandpaper on the decks.

thats an example of when experimentation should stay at home.. u dont have to conduct experiments like that infront of people who have paid good money too see you

[Si the Sigh]

an extreme example of this is aphex twin @ the orbit when he played sandpaper on the decks.

thats an example of when experimentation should stay at home.. u dont have to conduct experiments like that infront of people who have paid good money too see you

I do hope your talking about a track called sandpaper, not the stuff you sand things down with... :shock:

Explain!

[Jimfish]

i know its not particluraly varied but i wish more djs would check out all the 4/4 sounds that run at a simaler tempo such as progressive house, tech house, breakbeat etc.. there are plenty of good tunes from those scenes that could easily fit in with good techno, but i only ever hear them in sets of that kind of music..

[Jimfish]

nope... sandpaper

[ncw]

No, actual sandpaper discs.

[gunjack]

anyway i hate djs who play reeko and exium for four hours a night. i like alot of the work of those artists but, yeah there is alot of cool music out there. here in spain its easy to get overloaded on breakbeat with strings trying to be all dark and shit.....

[ncw]

One track in a style makes much more impact than an entire set of the same style.

[Si the Sigh]

Real sandpaper disc's? Your taking the piss...right? :eh:

[ncw]

Nope, it is true.

[Si the Sigh]

Jesus! :shock: That must have sounded PROPER fu*ked up!! :lol:

[MARKEG]

i really like this thread. really made me think.

ok so think about this too. as a dj you work for years on your style and sound. sure you make musical mistakes along the way - you're growing up for god sakes. but in the end you manage to never have to get a proper job. you work your arse off but thanks christ you're not part of the rat race - great! your music taste goes from one thing to another, back again and then some. the goal posts change. you taste matures too.

you soon realise you can't loose the floor or you can't pay the rent.

you've somehow got to drag them with you each and every step of the way without alienating yourself.

i think if many of you imagine yourself in this type of senario (many of you probably ARE in this type of senario). unless you're known from the very outset as playing experimental sets or being highly experimental, you would find it VERY hard to experiment without having consequences to deal with. you will, somewhere along the line have been roped into a specific genre and you will become labelled with that genre. you then try and step out of that label without loosing your following and risking everything. good luck to you!

and if you think of it like that, you can see why many dj's find it hard to experiement. and producers too actually, cause the same will apply. that's why it's easy for someone on the floor to turn around and say 'blah blah i would be much more varied if i was up there' - but then you put yourself in that position and it's a different ball game entirely.

i think the only real key here and something that should stick with all DJ's is to follow your heart but you must be sensible about it all - access the risks and put things in place that mean you can deal with those risks should your heart tell you otherwise.

all this genre crap and labelling really is a total hinderance in this industry. but no matter how much you wish it wasnt there, it will always be there and you will always be labelled and it will always limit what you can achieve musically in a club.

my thoughts anyway ;)

[Si the Sigh]

Still trying to get my head round what sort of sound a sandpaper disc would make on a turntable!

I suppose it would sound like the Deathchant box set tin on a turntable...

PROPER NOISE!!

http://www.thehardstore.com/sites/deathchant/Noize.jpg

Aargh!! :twisted:

[Jimfish]

I see what you are saying mark but i believe there is a lot of other music out there from other scenes that gets overlooked as its not on techno labels but basically IS techno (well insomuch as it gets botties shakin and its a simaler bpm) but has a different sound to it because its made by people who arent wrapped up in the techno scene.. i know its easy to say standing here but if i was a dj i would definitly hunt around for tracks from all scenes because there are definitly heaps of tracks tracks which will crossover neatly..

[Jimfish]

definitly definitly tracks tracks

[schlongfingers]

two words

Jerome Hill

[MARKEG]

I see what you are saying mark but i believe there is a lot of other music out there from other scenes that gets overlooked as its not on techno labels but basically IS techno (well insomuch as it gets botties shakin and its a simaler bpm) but has a different sound to it because its made by people who arent wrapped up in the techno scene.. i know its easy to say standing here but if i was a dj i would definitly hunt around for tracks from all scenes because there are definitly heaps of tracks tracks which will crossover neatly..

totally 100% with you. i'm very, very lucky jim because i work for magazines i get alot of records sent to me. from all genres. you wouldnt believe the variety i get - in fact when i actually used to edit Wax i used to get a phenominal amount - nearly a god damn wheelbarrow full a week. its actually very hard to find records from other genres that fit with hard techno but they are out there. the problem is as a record buyer you must have time to search and search and search.

you know, i sometimes sit and think how can ppl be only into one style or sound. it's almost beyond me. but these last few months i've had a few problems with my PO Box and it's taken me ages to get the records that are sent to me. so i've been making do with records i've bought from websites (and i tend to by just techno or hard trance when i spend money on the net). and i tell you what. i've noticed a real void in my life. musically i feel so much more unchallenged. you spend 100 quid and 40 quid of the records are awful when you actually get the package. i've been very lucky over the years being able to find gems that i real coudn't have found otherwise. oh hold on, even with this, i still spend my whole life searching for music on the net. argggghhhhh. it's never ending. i mean as a regular buyer, how can you seriously keep your eyes and ears on 40000000 releases each week?

to be innovative, different and musical challenging as a dj, it really is a whole heap of time effort and hard work. respect to anyone that achieves it.

[MARKEG]

two words

Jerome Hill

5 words

'works in a record shop'

[massplanck]

two words

Jerome Hill

5 words

'works in a record shop'

hahahha!!!

[schlongfingers]

two words

Jerome Hill

5 words

'works in a record shop'

hahahha!!!

7 words

and always plays an extremely eclectic set

[schlongfingers]

He dinnae work in a record shop these days though, he's tearing up Brazil.

[MARKEG]

yeah fair play to the guy, he's brilliant. but were in not for the shop i very much doubt he'd have been able ot develop his sound the way he has. if you see what i mean.

[schlongfingers]

yeah fair play to the guy, he's brilliant. but were in not for the shop i very much doubt he'd have been able ot develop his sound the way he has.

How you mean? Because of access to a large variety of music?

[The Overfiend]

Um yeah!
I think dj's as a requirement shoud learn music period.
So many close minded people supposedly into music.
But have no knowledge of their own roots whatsoever.

[schlongfingers]

I can see that in the past working in a record shop would have been the perfect job for gaining access to hard to find music, but I think it's becoming less of a demanding task these days - music is now so easy to access, research and track down using the internet, makes it a lot easier for DJ's to access and incorporate original sounds into their sets.

I guess it's only over the last few years that it's been this simple to find new and original music from small independant labels, but I'm really looking forward to seeing the benefits of this appearing in the clubs and parties, I definately think that people are playing more and more eclectic sets these days, and that clubbers are getting more and more openminded!

[basslinejunkie]

having read all of your comments,i guess the answer 2 a bit of a difficult question is really quite simple,it depends on where your playing and 2 who.i bet all or the vast majority of us love more than 1 type of techno and even more than 1 type of dance music,but if your playing 2 a crowd of die- hard hard techno fans then thats what theyve paid there money 2 hear.maybe as a few of you have said the actuall clubs could be a bit more open minded/experimental,but if the crowd doesnt like it then your gonna be castrated.cheers ppl,loads of interestin stuff in there :)

[Numeric]

When playing to a hard techno crowd there's no risk to throw in some heavy tribal and dark techno for variety...

[basslinejunkie]

i know yeah m8 but i was thinking of a more diverse approach,anythin from hard 2 dark 2 acid 2 percussive blah blah blah as i love all of it and was wondering if anyone had tryed this approach out in clubs or festivals.but i guess it wouldnt work going off all of your comments. :cool:

[dan the acid man]

if you do it from the start, then you've got a greater chance of being accepted in playing these varieties

[The Overfiend]

Everyone should take a note from Ruskin, he mashes it up and it sounds like heaven.

[The Overfiend]

Bassline I love your avatar by the way.
ROCK!

[DJMAYA]

id have top say that it totally depends who and where you are playing dunnit?


well it does for me. wat ya gonna do if sumting aint working. keep playing the same.

i know for me, NZ is very young for Techno and so basically every night io play is from a pioneering stance so i have to be flexible.
plus im so keen to show people sum new shit.

[davethedrummer]

i reckon if you've got the guts and the know how
then experiment away.
bk was telling me today how he's been cancelling gigs to go and see laurent garnier at the end.
i think it's actually people being scared to experiment in a club that's tarnishing the good name of techno
after all a club is just a load of people getting together to listen to music.
i mean experimenting doesn't mean playing a load of shyte that no one wants to hear right?
it's about knowing your audience and your records and working out unusual mixes that really do something and say something .
and as for jerome
well i've seen him play very straight actually , and then i've seen him play really wonky.
he doesn't always throw in an old hip hop classic or something like that, sometimes he hardly scratches , and that's not always a bad thing , in fact the last time i saw him play he played really straight and it really went down great. that was just the vibe that night.
maybe jeromes version of experimenting is to keep it really sane!

[sash]

It's like eatin soup right. On it's own it's bland (you might like bland). Too much salt and it tastes shite (you might like too much salt).
Mix in just the right amount of salt and BOOM.... you got yourself an awesome meal/entree/ snack/ ....whatever.

[Methodixxx]

I've played Jimi Hendrix to a crowd of hard techno nutters and it went down a storm.. as has been said by Henry and others, it's up to how, when and the situation you do it in... there are times it won't work, and as a dj you have to know these times and the times it will work...

I've been lucky as I've always played the full spectrum of techno so I sometimes get booked at diff types of clubs with diff music policies and I can still do my thang.. but people still say, "oh he's a hard techno dj so thats all he plays" when they haven't heard the other stuff yet as they had only seen me at a "hard techno night" where I knew the crowd wouldn't be up for anything else... it comes down to mood as well as the crowd for me... I usually put at least a little bit of everything in my box when going to a gig so I can go in diff directions if needed or I want to kick something out of place up the ass of the crowd...

But now I have my own night running I've specifically told the djs there is no music policy... I'm only booking djs I trust know how to read and rock the crowd, so I don't think someones going to go off on one and make everybody leave (and if they do I 'might' have a word with them.. haha)... there is a somewhat 'techno' element to it as most of the djs are tech djs, but I can see a few suprises will be popping up too ;)

And I was actually just thinking this morning that the next set I play is going to include the benny hill theme and that little spanish fly song from the simpsons (thanks patty dsp :lol: )... I'll slide them in there somehow with some solid kick drum and see how many laughs I can get on the floor... it's all a bit of fun in the end.. I'm not trying to be mr serious and stand there like a statue with a scowl on my face for the whole set... hehe...

Another example, I was playing B2B last wekeend at a huge **** off party here in Sydney (5000 nutters, you saw the pics Ferny :shock: ) and they guys before us were playing breaks... my mate has a selection of nice rocking breaks (same speed as the tech) and he had some with him, so we ended up playing some techno, some breaks and a little bit of other tuneree for a good portion of the set and my god did it work!! Some of the best reactions of the set were the change-over mixes from one style to another...

Do your own thing is all I can say in the end... :twisted:

[AcidBastard]

Do your own thing is all I can say in the end... :twisted:

Yeeeeep, I agree with you on that 110% :clap:

[schlongfingers]

and as for jerome
well i've seen him play very straight actually , and then i've seen him play really wonky.
he doesn't always throw in an old hip hop classic or something like that, sometimes he hardly scratches , and that's not always a bad thing , in fact the last time i saw him play he played really straight and it really went down great. that was just the vibe that night.[quote]

Yep you're right, I was just bringing his name up as an example of someone who is able to play a large variety of music without clearing the dancefloor.

[quote]maybe jeromes version of experimenting is to keep it really sane!

Gotta disagree there though :D been pretty insane most times I've seen him - anyway I'll shut up don't wanna embarrass him!