Nicely said Jes. with different motivations come very different outcomes tho. i think its worth noting that your words probably fall on deaf ears if motivations for being a dj come from many that you suggest (e.g, popularity, libido, money). since their goal to move the party is secondary to their primary goal, integrity in the way of knowing one's history will likely have no real relevance.

if someone's goal is to primarily to make money, while it is easy to knock it, lets say its to put food on the table for his daughter. can we so easily judge it then? the daughter may give us reasoning to justify someones lack of true love for the game, but it really shouldn't matter. many of us enter into industries at times that we may have little love for but hopefully we find ourselves making the best of it.

I was a dj for 15 years. i definitely had the love. but i also have been a part of many other industries that had a lot more people who had the love on a level that we find in being a dj. yet i feel like i belonged in those industries just as much as they did because i found myself in it....not in the way that maybe their story was told, but an entirely new story.

so when i see many of these new djs that will never know what it means to walk into a gramaphone records and spend the better part of the day in the cutouts not exactly knowing what it is you are looking for....and finding it, i know their story will neither be right or wrong, it will be theirs.

if they are looking for the superficial, they will find it. if they are looking for the real, they will find it. i just dont think we can force them to find something that they are not.

the idea of being a dj to be popular or get laid is hardly a new concept. technology lowered the barrier to entry which results in many more heads in the game. if we assume 5% become exceptional djs and still 15% we consider good djs, then the more that enter the market yield way more great offspring. sure we have an 80% balance of music we don't care for, but are we really vying for a world where the only music we care about are the tracks in our ipod? The more DJs out there doing things we hate, also brings alot more DJs going in different directions. So not only does that 5% yield far more DJs we prefer, but it also yields a good number of DJs going in more unconventional and innovative directions...which inevitably influences that 5% and 15% to be better.

while what a wonderful world it would be if we all found ourselves at age 10 and sought something meaningful to fulfill our days til we die, the fact is we find a lot of good things if the hard way. the longer one is in the game, the more inclined that person is to find something in it far more substantive than what he originally sought. So while we can hate on the plethora of newbies out there, amongst them will be many that will stick with it and find the truth that we are talking about.

and even if they dont, we are not looking to impress those that need to be impressed. we do as we do to cuz of our love for the game and what it brings others with like-minded love for the music. why does it matter if they diminish the term "dj" as we know it if our love for the game is about the love of the music and the diversity it brings? their path as a dj will certainly not be that of anyone from our era, but how they find it isn't for us to judge. we're not in it for that. no?

that being said...mad respect to you.

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Original Post by Jesse Dela Pena:

DJs & Party People lend me your ears!

(Before you decline this.. please read, This IS NOT AN EVENT. I know that everything that I’m about to say has been said many times over)

The term DJ has become very popular in recent years & everyone seems to be one now a days. Or at lease think they are. There was a time not too long ago when it seemed that if you were a DJ, you were amongst a selective group of people that had their ear to the street & the club, someone who took this music thing very serious.

You were the one with the most important job at the party. In charge of the music!!! Keeping everyone’s good time going thru your selections, skills, technique & knowledge of music. (Long before the crowds were annoying sheep, requesting every terrible ass top 40 song or asking you to play some Old School every 5 seconds) But I’m leaving in 10 minutes! Can’t you play it next?

The game is ever changing & evolving. From the tools we use, music, format, marketing, etc. I always say the DJ Game is kind of like the sports game. You have your superstars & legends and then you have your rookies & everyone in between. The funny thing is how the money still never seems to progress for the guys who are not jet setting. This is mainly due to the abundance of people willing to spin for free & undercut someone that relies on the spinning as their livelihood. (Imagine if you had people like that in your profession) People who dressed like doctors & nurses that talked their way in to hospitals dressed like the real deal. Pretty scary huh? Not to say these guys and gals couldn’t be good with some time devoted to the craft, the problem is we live in a time where no one wants to wait for anything. They want to skip over all that. Based on all the reality shows, this is also the mentality in the new DJ world. Show some skin, date the manager, take some kool DJ promo shots, etc & you’re the new resident
at _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (insert name of the new hot club here).

Ohh.. We forgot to tell you that DJ Shanna or DJ KOOL GUY is spinning on Thursday night now. Sorry I thought ___________ (insert manager or owner’s name here) talked to you. You’re welcome to stay & hang out. This new DJ is really good! Sound familiar?
: D

As we all strive to move forward, we see some take the long road & others take the short. Some DJs have been at it since nearly the very start of things & still do not get the praise or recognition they truly deserve. Others have found their way to the front of the line in record time. Funny thing is a lot of them were never DJs to begin with.. but they all want to tell you they were spinning years ago.. back with ____________ (Insert legendary DJ’s name here).

Spinning to me is a very personal thing. I enjoy sharing my music with people & turning them on to new & older stuff. Over the years I have played a lot of different sounds & have met a lot of great people. This all has shaped the way I spin & the things I like to play now.

Some people get in to it for many different reasons: the popularity, to get laid, a hobby, passed down from other family members, some from just going to parties, you name it.

If you decide this is what you want to do.
KNOW YOUR HISTORY! (Locally & internationally)

In recent years I have traded spinning in the big nightclubs for smaller intimate settings & more private events. This allows me to spin what I feel vs. what the kiddies want to hear. I can be a bit more creative and do different themes & parties that my friends & I would like to go to.

This is a very rough idea for a blog I’m thinking about doing. (Your thoughts & feedback is appreciated & welcomed) Please excuse my grammar & punctuation.

To be continued… JDLP 2.16.10 4:30am