A DJ Or Not A DJ? That Is The Question!

Ok so if you're not into dance music, DJ's and all of that palaver, you may want to move on now.  That said, everyone's entitled to an opinion and I'd love to hear yours so please read on and chuck us a comment.

The question really is when is a DJ not really a DJ?  Before all you producers and vinyl junkies start reaching for your laptop keyboards, let me just qualify a couple of things.
1.  This is not a rant against new technology or live production performers
2.  I do love vinyl but appreciate new tech makes the logistics of DJing much easier
3.  I am not opposed to creative DJing

Right, that's the basics out the way so, what's my point?  Well it's this… it seems there are a whole raft of new performers that bill themselves (or at least the promoters bill them as) DJ's but, are they really DJ's?  Now don't get me wrong these people are incredibly talented and there is no doubt that many of them put together incredible sets that keep dance floors moving weekend after weekend BUT, are they really DJ's?

Yes, they use other people's tracks to create their sets but, what they actually do is remix and produce on the fly more often than not twisting a track up until it is barely recognisable.  Again, don't get me wrong I'm not saying this is necessarily a bad thing, just that it's a different thing.  Different from DJing.
Maybe it's all subjective but, for me DJing has always been about sharing.  Sharing your love of the music you love to people who's love for the music you love, you  errrr love!  You see I've been playing music to other people since I was about 5 years old at my next door neighbours house parties (he was a Carnival King and used the parties to help raise money) and it's always been an exploration, using the music I love, and finding out what other people love and why? It's about finding out about artists and tracks, where the inspiration for those tracks come from and later chasing those elusive samples and finding originals.

Of course, eventually I taught myself to mix (given that dance music has always been my main passion) and as both experience and technology has improved, my mixes over the year have become more creative (at least that's the aim).  However, whilst I will use remixes, effects and the odd trick (either turntable or software) to create that story that my mix try's to convey, essentially I play as much of the track as I can so that people hear what I'm in to.  I'm proud to share with other people, promoting the artists that make the music, it's not about me at all really accept that the way I put the tracks together creates a journey for the crowd to experience.

If I'm twisting other people's tracks out of all recognition and producing on the fly, then I'm a performer a producer and the performance is about me not the tracks that I'm playing.  It becomes about how I transform what is heard and not how I share what is heard. For me that is not what being a DJ is about. Again I stress that performing like a live producer is not a bad thing, especially when done really well and I understand the setting of a club is often the right place for it too but, I suppose I'm being the ultimate pedant.  It simply isn't DJing and you shouldn't tell people that you are being a DJ when you do that.

It often is the case that these performers are also DJ's in the sense I describe above and can turn their hands to both and have every right to call themselves a DJ but, don't tell me you're DJing when you're a live remixer/producer/performer.

DJing is about other people's music and how you share it and if done well is far less about the self than most people realise.  I was reminded recently of just what a crucial role DJs can have on promoting tracks and artists, especially in the current climate of social media and sound sharing platforms.  Our job is to let people know what music excites us, who made that music and show why other people should listen to and buy that music.  A DJ's job is not to change music to the point that no-one knows what the hell you're playing, no matter how good it might sound!

Commence the abuse and arguments about proper DJs only use vinyl and all of that!

*Sean Hurley has been playing mainly dance music of various kinds to other people for a lot of years.  He now DJ's/presents under the name AudioSpyder for www.breaklondon.co.uk where he is also head of music and produces and remixes under the same name.  He uses vinyl and digital software with controller and is not interested in getting in a row about formats, even though this is probably an argument about formats at it's core.  

So This Is Me!

So This Is Me - sitting here writing my first ever blog.  My intention for this blog is not to be clever and witty and all knowing, I'm not smart enough for that (or maybe that's just not my motivation).  What I do want to do though is to share my random, and very personal views on life the universe and everything from music (which I'm bound to rant on about) to parenthood, to autism (you'll understand why soon enough), to science and beyond.

So let's start with Where I'm At.
First the bare basics I'm a 44 year old East Londoner (not hipster East London but, born n bred East London) happily married to H for almost 21 years and with 3 kids - my daughter Dobbs 17, and my two sons Splodge 14 and RJ 9.  Both boys are diagnosed with autism spectrum conditions and Dobbs, H and myself are all going through diagnosis for the same at the moment.

As for employment?  Well, this is kind of why I felt compelled to write in the first place.  Two years ago I left my safe, secure job at The Department for Education after 12 years of never really fitting in.  I did this for a number of reasons if I'm honest, including to save my sanity (seriously), to spend more time caring for my two boys (mainly) and with a mad idea of starting something to help as many people as possible to understand what autism is, is about and for them to accept the extraordinary and amazing people who are on the autism spectrum, and their families.  A kind of one by one approach to making a society that works better for my family.  This idea took form as an adaptable programme of awareness training which I call Perspectives 100.

2 years down the line and I find myself busier than I ever was whilst working for others but, mostly in a completely voluntary capacity.  I have been Branch Officer for a local branch of The National Autistic Society (NAS) for the last 3 years and with a short supply of committee members and chairing the local authority's Autism Strategy Steering Group (for free), I'm constantly on my toes.
I also volunteer for a local media company and radio station that helps hard to reach young people get qualified for the media industries and old codgers like me pretend to be superstar djs again!  I can't tell you how much I love this and if I had the money, I'd buy the whole lot and do this full time.

Shortly after leaving the DfE I was approached via a mutual friend by a man with a huge vision to help those with disabilities through the finances and support of those who have the best opportunities you can have, and my Perspectives 100 programme has been incorporated into this vision.  However, this vision is so large that it has taken the two years to get to stage one.

So This Is Me - making connections in the local community, helping others with problems, promoting young local talent, trying to help others understand the autism community, having a blast playing my favourite music to anyone who will listen, helping local authorities make the right decisions, raising funds for charity and being a dad and husband to the best family in the world… and not making a bean!

So apart from concerns about making ends meet, Where I'm At is… Happier than I have ever been (anyone who wants to make me absolutely delirious by giving me some work that pays should shout now!)