Made me laugh. ...there are clichés and standard formulas for writing a DJ profile, and the sheer number of DJ profiles available today makes these clichés obvious. Certainly, anyone who goes out to Electronic Dance Music (EDM) events (and, therefore, is active in the online communities that list these events) has probably read hundreds if not thousands of DJ bios already, and can probably name a few of these formulas without effort. When I polled friends and acquaintances who were involved in EDM scenes, here’s the short list I got (including a few of my own): “DJ X…” “…started playing records when s/he was 10 years old.” “…benefited from his/her parent(s)’s vast eclectic record collection and so started from a very young age.” “…is the child of professional musicians.” “…is a classically trained pianist.” (i.e., took piano lessons at age 9-11) “…is not just a whiz behind the decks, but also a classically-trained trombonist and has a doctorate in quantum physics.” (extra points if these things have nothing to do with the kind of music s/he makes) “…has always had a keen interest in music.” (no shit!) “…started playing at local parties.” Or, for bonus points: “…Originally hailing from Quietville, X soon found the club scene of nearby Trendycity irresistable, and so relocated at age 19 to try his hand behind the decks.” (i.e., a combination of “authentic” small-scene origins and trendy big-city prestige: “I’m not fake and snobby like these scenesters here, but I proved myself on their turf.”) “…developed his/her encyclopedic knowledge of electronic music by working in the local recordshop.” “…has shared the decks with such techno luminaries as SuperstarDJ1, RetiredButRespectedVeteran2, and FlavorOfTheMonth3.” (i.e., s/he played 6 hours earlier/later and never met any of them) “…has influences ranging from Kraftwerk to Miles Davis, via George Clinton, Joy Division, and classic sixties beat pop” (especially when there’s absolutely no evidence of these sounds in his/her fairly straight-up minimal techno) “…is deeply steeped in the legacy of Chicago house and/or Detroit techno and/or New York garage.” “…is known for spinning eclectic sets,” or “…is not limited to any genre, combining deep house, pounding techno, dubstep, disco, and baile funk.” (+1 point for every genre named that never actually appears in any of his/her mixes) “…is completely self-taught, not having even the benefit of observing/consulting other DJs. So pure is her/his talent on the decks.” “…always whips the crowd into a frenzy,” or some variation on this theme. This is, after all, what counts as the “bottom line” for promoters who are looking to book a DJ; the biographical information might help sell the event, but the promoter wants a guarantee that the DJ will create the sort of excitement that drives up drink sales and builds the club’s reputation. “…has released the banging tune Y, with support from Ritchie Hawtin, DJ Hell, William Orbit and others” (where tune Y probably isn’t all that well known, and “support” is vague and ill-defined.)
Posted on: Mon, 17 Jun 2013 15:38:25 +0000
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