In various discussions with non-DJs, I noticed a lack of understanding of what DJs actually do when they are spinning records. This can result in both a lack of respect for a DJ’s work as well as a certain mysticism around DJs.

So for all of you who ever wondered about this, here’s a little explanation of what the people at the decks actually do. I will concentrate on electronic music DJing here, but some things can be generalized to other genres. However, blending tracks into one another so that it’s hard to tell where one track ends and the next one begins is a quality that is valued more in electronic music than in other genres.

Beatmatching

Beatmatching can be considered as the core skill that any electronic music DJ has to master. The underlying principle is quite simple: Every track runs at its own speed, so if you want to mix two tracks seamlessly, you have to make sure they are running at the same speed.

You normally do that by using the pitch slider that every DJ turntable or CD-player has. This slider does nothing more than make the track play a little faster or slower.

The speed of a track is usually measured in beats per minute (BPM). Let’s assume we have track A at 130 BPM and track B at 125 BPM and you want to play track A first and then mix track B into it. That means you have to change the speed of track B by +4% so that both tracks run at the same speed.

Once both tracks have the same tempo, you also have to synchronize their rhythms. In electronic dance music, rhythms are usually based on a 4-beat measure. That means that elements are usually repeating after a number of beats that can be divided by 4. In order to have two tracks run synchronously, you have to start the track B so that it starts precisely at the beginning of the rhythmic pattern of track A.

A DJ software such as Traktor or Cue can help with this process, but many DJs still find it important to be able to do this by hand.

Fading and Equalizing

DJs typically use a mixing console that allows them to pre-listen to the next track while the current track is still playing through the main audio system. This also facilitates beatmatching as it is quite hard to sync two tracks without being able to listen to both at the same time.

Once both tracks are beatmatched, the DJ can simply use his mixing console to fade out the current track and fade in the new track. The simplest way to do this is to use the so-called Crossfader that automatically reduces the volume of one track while increasing the volume of another.

However, many DJs like to use the equalizer to make their mixing even smoother. The equalizer is used to emphasize or de-emphasize various frequencies of a particular track.

Example: If you emphasize the lower frequencies of a track, the bass becomes louder. If you emphasize the higher frequencies of a track, the hi-hats or vocals become more dominant.

By using the equalizer to emphasize or de-emphasize certain parts of a track, they can make the transition between two tracks very smooth.

Is that it?

These techniques are usually considered the basics of electronic music DJing. Beatmatching, fading and using the equalizer are usually the biggest part of a DJ’s performance. The theory behind those two techniques is not that hard, but it usually takes aspiring DJs a few weeks or months to master these.

However, a big part of being a good DJ is about having a good library of tracks to play. DJs often spend a considerable amount of time and money to build their library and to find tracks they (and their audience) like.

The order in which tracks are played also makes a big difference. Some tracks sound especially good when played after each other while some tracks don’t match well even though they are running at similar speeds. Many DJs also find it important to have a certain dynamic component in their set and  - for example – start with rather smooth tracks and work track by track towards music with a higher energy level.

I am just telling you all this to make you understand that the basic skills necessary to become a DJ are not magic at all. DJing is mostly a skillset that can be taught, understood, practiced and mastered. There is no big difference between what your local club DJ does and what a superstar DJ does when they are performing behind the decks.

I will write a bit more about what makes a famous DJ famous in a future blog post.

Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/smeerch/225107882/ // CC-by-nc-sa

One of the downsides of being a music nerd is that there’s literally music everywhere. I am not talking about having my iPhone and headphones with me all the time: What I mean is that everyday noises often trigger my memory to think of a certain track.

I experience this effect quite often, and even though it somewhat amuses me, it can also be a little weird when rhythmic hammering turns into a Techno beat. Rhythmic noises that I interpret as beats is actually the most frequent manifestation of that effect, but there are other examples.

Sometimes I think of a certain track when I hear the sound of a train leaving, a dog barking or a glass clinking. It’s hard to explain what exactly triggers this, but I have an example that might make it understandable:

I have an old battery-powered electric shaver. I don’t use it very often, but I usually take it along when traveling since it is relatively light and robust. However, when I plug the shaver in after I haven’t used it for a while, it first charges its battery and then switches on the motor while the battery is charging.

The effect sounds like this:

When I hear that sound, it always reminds of Fatboy Slim’s “Rockafeller Skank”. Skip to 2:00 in the video below and you’ll hear what I mean.

Have you experienced that effect, too? Please feel free to share your own examples in the comments!

There seems to be something about electronic dance music that makes it work best late at night. Certainly, all sorts of music-related events take place in the evening or at night, but electronic music events often take it to the max.

Rock concerts typically start in the evening and end before midnight. Mainstream parties often fill up before midnight and often end in the early morning hours, with only a few hardcore party people sticking around until then. There are even so-called “After Work”-parties that begin at around 6pm and end before midnight.

However, I have rarely seen an electronic dance event where the party really started before 1am. There is also no other musical genre that has an equivalent to after hour parties that typically start around 6am.

What I have seen though is event organizers trying to start their events earlier – and fail.

I don’t mean to complain here. Yes, I would appreciate it if parties started a little earlier as that would make going out and having a day job more compatible. But that is not the point. I just got the feeling that there is a connection here that is worth looking at in more detail.

Drugs

The obvious explanation for this phenomenon is the pervasiveness of chemical stimulants (“Uppers”). While I personally have no experience with anything stronger than off-the-shelf energy drinks, it is no secret that many electronic music lovers like some pills or powder along with their music.

While uppers certainly give you the physical and mental ability to dance 24 hours non-stop, I feel that the drugs are not the only explanation for the night cult. After all, anyone willing to get these drugs will probably get them if they just try hard enough. So why isn’t it desirable for fans of other musical genres to dance longer than their bodies would normally allow them? And why is it desirable for many electronic music lovers?

Different styles, different vibes

There’s got to be something in the music itself that makes people want to dance as long as they possibly can. I am not sure if I fully understand this, but looking at a few different dance styles, I think we are on to something here.

Example: Look at these heavy metal dancers (“headbangers”):

They are certainly enjoying their music, but could you imagine doing this for more than a few hours? I guess you’d literally break your neck if you tried that, so it’s probably not desirable.

On the other hand, if you look at someone dancing to Minimal Techno, the difference is obvious:

Many popular styles of electronic music make people dance in a way that is physically sustainable for quite some time. If you don’t fall asleep, it’s not that hard to imagine doing that from midnight till morning.

I think this point is important: Many people describe the joy of electronic music parties as “becoming one with the music”. This takes time. You can’t just decide to become one with the music and expect it to happen instantaneously.

Nevertheless, there is not only one kind of electronic music. Some recent styles focus more on high-energy, distorted sounds and harder beats. If you see someone dancing to that kind of music, it might look something like this:

So is it just the type of music and dancing that determines if people go home at 3 am or at 11am? I don’t know, but this might play a role.

Alternatives

In theory, you could just go to an electronic music party and leave when you are tired. This just doesn’t feel right though. It always feels like you are missing something – and in many cases, you actually are missing something because the DJ you want to hear does not even start before 4 am.

I know quite a few people who like electronic music, but don’t go to parties any more because they don’t want two days recovery time afterwards. So does it really have to be the way it is now?

A few people have tried to find answers to that question. The obvious solution (starting earlier) does not really seem to work. If there are enough people who can dance as long as they want, they don’t care when your party starts. They will come when they feel like it. Event organizers who tried to start earlier often spend several long hours in an empty room before the true party animals show up.

Open air festivals are an exception to that rule: Dancing in the sun is just too appealing for many people to insist on their habit of only dancing at night.

There is also a larger number of bars that have DJs playing electronic music. This basically works: People show up earlier and the place fills up, but you usually don’t see a lot of dancing there.

The only party format I know of that works differently is the “120 minutes party”: The party starts early in the evening and ends precisely 2 hours later. Everyone knows this, so no one shows up late or wastes time with “warming up” first. In Cologne, this concept is successfully implemented by the Blitzbangers party crew. It is probably not a coincidence that they usually don’t play Minimal Techno, but rather rougher, more playful styles that encourage a faster and more demanding dance style.

Images:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/phunk/2912736373/ / CC-by-nc-nd
http://www.flickr.com/photos/childan/2557785245/ / CC-by-nc-sa

I buy a lot of music online, mostly through iTunes, but also through specialized electronic music download shops such as Juno Download, Beatport or Trackitdown.

However, I recently discovered Whatpeopleplay, and I really like some of the ideas behind that particular shop. Apart from the usual goodies such as genre lists or a flash player, they also offer quite a few social features that make it even more fun to shop for music. For example, you can create your own charts, publish them and share them in your blog.

While this is certainly not revolutionary, I think this demonstrates a little twist in online shopping: While real-world shopping is often a social experience, its online equivalent is quite the contrary. As humans are social animals, it is certainly a good idea to work on that particular aspect of the online shopping experience.

Whatpeopleplay is certainly not yet the holy grail of download shops, but I like their direction.

Oh, and by the way, here’s whatIplay:

Remixes of dance classics are a type of remix that is pretty common, but often scoffed at. The reason is that the amount of necessary creativity to create such a remix is often seen as pretty small. On the other hand, many people like re-brushed versions of familiar tunes because they remind them of good times without sound out-dated. I do understand both positions, but I think there is some truth to both.

Some examples: New Order’s classic “Blue Monday” from 1983 is probably one of the biggest electronic dance anthems. I really do love that track, but if you listen to the original, you have to admit that it starts to show its age.

The original version still sounds fresh to me, but I can well understand that this does not appeal to a lot twenty-somethings who weren’t even born when this came out. However, there is a very nice remix by Hardfloor that made this great track accessible to a new generation of music lovers.

This remix is already 15 years old now – maybe it’s time for a decent 2010 remix?

One other example: The Utah Saints had a major hit with their track “Something Good” in 1991. I really liked that track when it came out, but didn’t listen to it for several years. It turns out that I didn’t miss much. The original version is a bit hard to listen to if you like current dance music. With its badly-looped “UTAH SAINTS!!!!”-shouts and a sound that has “90s” written all over it, this would hardly be a dancefloor filler in 2010. However, there is a newer 2008 remix, and it even has a funny video.

What I am trying to say here is that sound changes over time. Or to be more precise: The expectations on how a “modern” dance music track is supposed to sound changes over time. If there are no new versions of older tracks, these tracks either become timeless classics (it happens, but it’s very rare) or are more or less forgotten and only appreciated by those who were young when the track was released.

In a way, a “recycling remix” is a way to explain a great track to a new generation of music lovers. Doing a remix like that means translating an idea from the language of the past to the language of the present.

Many people believe that art is something that should be valued by preserving it in its original state. I believe this isn’t quite true. To prevent a piece of art from being forgotten, you have to re-imagine and re-interpret it again and again. In a way, remixing a dance classic is a way of paying respect and preserving it.

When a year ends, there are always dozens of polls about everyone’s favorites for the last year. I have to admit that I enjoy that kind of polls, especially when it’s about music.

Here are my favorite artists for 2009. Please feel free to share your favorites in the comments!

1. Fever Ray
Fever Ray is the solo project of The Knife’s singer Karin Dreijer Andersson. Her music is hard to descripe, but very, very fascinating. If you ever have the chance to see her on stage, don’t miss that! It’s a truly magical experience.

2. Gossip
I know they have been around for a while, but I was totally unaware of how good they really are until I saw them on stage last year. Very powerful live performance! And Gossip’s last Album “Music for Men” kicks more than just one ass!

3. Parov Stelar
He’s the master of many styles. From smooth downbeat grooves to funky dancefloor bangers – Parov Stelar can do it all, and he does it with style.

4. Simian Mobile Disco
Many artists who are good at creating great dancefloor tunes fail when they try to create a whole album that’s also good to listen to at home. Simian Mobile Disco are one of the few artists who excel in great dancefloor material as well as in catchy pop tunes.

5. The Prodigy
The Prodigy were probably the most influential band for me when I was a teenager. I was happy to see that their latest album “Invaders Must Die” finally took them back to their old greatness.

6. Chase & Status
I had totally mistaken Chase&Status for “yet another Dubstep artist”, but when I heard their remix for Nnekas “Heartbeat” on the radio, they caught my interest. I always like it when an artist can cover more than one style, and they definitely shine in Dubstep, Drum&Bass and even Funky Breaks (see below).

7. Malente
Malente is a genius in delivering dancefloor anthems with a certain twist. Both his remixes and his own productions made it into a few sets of mine in 2009.

8. Sub Focus
2009 was the year that let me re-discover Drum&Bass. I have loved fast, broken beats for a long time, but somehow didn’t keep track of what was happening for a while. Sub Focus‘ superb single “Rock It” was one of the tracks that showed me Drum&Bass is still alive & kicking.

9. The Crystal Method
Artists like The Crystal Method were the top choice for action movie soundtracks in the 90s. I always felt that there was more to this kind of music than just serving as a side dish to a movie, and Crystal Method have proven that they are still creative.

10. Jetlag Digital
Jetlag Digital is not actually an artist, but a Progressive House/Trance label. However, I wanted to mention them here since their sound has influenced me a lot in 2009. They just deliver great electronic dance music all the time and keep me wondering how just two guys (Shane and Hyline) can get so many artists from around the world together.

There is one particular style of electronic music that I kept picking up again and again throughout my life as a music lover: The combination of typical rock music elements (distorted guitars, real drums etc.) with electronic beats.

For a few years, this combination has been known as Indietronic – or at least that’s how people typically refer to it here. And this is the real reason why I am writing this blog post: I somehow got the impression that Indietronic is not yet understood as a style of its own by many people. For example, try searching for Indietronic DJ sets on platforms like play.fm or mixcloud. You will probably find something, and there actually are quite a few DJs who have specialized on this, but just compare it to other electronic music genres like, say, Tech House. See what I mean?

Let’s listen to a few examples: The obvious way to create Indietronic sounds is to remix songs from Indie Rock bands. There are quite a few good examples for this, like this Bloc Party-remix.

There are also quite a few artists who don’t need a remix to sound like that.
Example: Goose – “British Mode”.

The interesting thing is that Indietronic seems to appeal to both fans of rock music as well as electronic music – but the DJs who are playing that sound are (based on my personal impression) mostly coming from a  rock background. This is not a bad thing, it just means those DJs have a different attitude towards DJing.

While seamless mixing is absolutely critical to many electronic DJs, many rock DJs just try to play good music, one song after the other. From my point of view, this is perfectly ok, but it means less recognition from people with a strong electronic music background.

So getting back to my original question: Why is Indietronic not as universally recognized as other electronic music genres, even though there are many good releases and DJs playing that sound? I think it’s just the mixing. Indietronic is harder to mix for DJs, because tracks are typically shorter and do not always come in DJ-friendly extended versions. As a consequence, many Indietronic DJs do not mix at all, get less attention from the electronic music scene and therefore get less visibility.

However, I can only speak based on my impressions from Cologne and what I read and see on the internet. Do you agree with me? Or have I missed something?

Anyway, let’s just listen to some more music.