Thursday, November 01, 2007

Wicked Selector!

ya say ya number one wicked selector
Sound Boy Bureill - Smif n Wesson

I tried writing a blog about DJs a few years back but it just got way too long. Just found the draft maybe I'll post it some other time. I just cant help myself from gushing about music and by extension a good DJ. Actually one of the reasons I quit going to clubs back in the day was cause the new breed of DJs just couldn't cut it , pun intended. I know good dj'ing and when I hear a bad dj it just drives me to distraction. I just start getting agitated and wishing that someone would reenact the KRS Prince Bee scene on that DJ.

lik wood mean forward the gunshot mean rewind

But anyways I feel a long winded tirade coming on so I'll strive to keep this short. A good DJ can sell you on a tepid song, they can sell you on an artist and they can sell you on a lukewarm party. And I'm not going to get on my high horse about vinyl vs. CD or mp3 this time but lets just say a DJ has to know what to play, when to play it and how to cue it up. Those to me are the key components along with blending and scratching and if you got that down then you can and will be able to rock both turntables and the crowd.

Soun bwoy time is longer than rope but tonight tonight we gine cut ya throat

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at PhotobucketA good DJ will make you remember a song, make you remember when you heard it and what the jam was like when he was playing it. Thats a good DJ. I can still remember the first time I heard Brooklyn Zoo in a jam, I can still remember the first time I heard Lauryn come in with 'Its funny how money changes situations' , I can still remember the first time I heard a DJ cue up Take it Easy by Mad Lion. It wasn't just about the song it was about how the DJ introduced it.

Sending kids back to the lab for more practice the only way they'd win is if we battle to see who was the wackest.

A lot of cats these days do not know how to blend songs, how to play a snippet to get the crowd hyped before you bring it in, how to scratch it in, how to slowdown or pick up the tempo so the song blends flawlessly with the preceding tune. Nope instead a lot of DJs get their hype men to shout their little ad-libs at the point where they are doing a terrible job of matching the records and bringing in the song. I personally cant stand that. Ok I'll let it slide if you do it once or twice but every single song come on man, that ridiculous.

In the event of a real emergency, You would have been instructed
On which jams to play, And how loud to blast your radio and now....


As a dDJ you also have to know when to play which jam. I find a lot of DJs these days after struggling for a bit will finally get the party warmed up but then 5 songs into the jam they kill the vibe by changing up the tempo or the genre. If you are killing calypso and the floor is packed don't switch to rnb so quickly. If you are playing dancehall and the place is ram do not switch to house or dance music. If you got a nice old school hip hop session going you could try to slip in something new maybe just maybe but dont bring in three crunk songs when we're waiting for Erik B for President or Aint No Half stepping. Dont do that! I aint mad at you wanting to play CeCe peniston but yo dont play that after flipping Bounty's Poor People Fed up or right after Spragga Benz sings "No bwoy can play Dolly House wid me gal". Oh no no no! See if the crowd is feeling you and continue the vibe. I know sometimes you want to clear the dance floor so the club can sell their 5 dollar watered down rum and cokes but let the people dance for a bit man. Just chill.

It's a certain special skill, that takes much practice. I got it good; apparently you lack this.

Its all about getting a cetain rhythm. Ya gots to have skills. Just because you can find a song on limewire or napster or 1000 songs by that reasoning does not mean you're a DJ. I could go on but I'll leave it there. Lets just say take the game seriously and practice. Stay in your room and blend some tunes together, figure out what goes with what, work on those sloppy scratches, learn how to feel the tempo of the record how to match those bpms. To all the real DJs much respect. The frauds get your game right.

The turntables might wobble but they wont fall down

7 comments:

Melody said...

Am feelin' those segues, like "Lik wood means rewind..." Definitely can't tek when dem scratch de songs endlessly. This post have nuff vibes.

Crankyputz said...

wow that was a really stern warning at the end there...

I've always wanted to wear those big year phones and scratch a vinyl...

Scratching on ipod isn't as fun..

Oh i am such a nerd

Unknown said...

Yeah i recall seeing clips of those DJs of back in the days working that turntable. I guess things change and evolve as time goes by, including the spinnings of the turntables.

Abeni said...

I see a change of career upcoming for Jdiddy..Got a name selected or wuh?

Anonymous said...

jdid please increase your font size - i'm old and can't read it too well without putting my face up to the screen.

Jdid said...

anonymous my apologies. I not sure how to increase the default font size on this template. but if you're using internet explorer you can change the font size on the page by going under internet options and choosing the font button at the bottom. if you're using mozilla under view there is an option for increasing font size.

Unknown said...

Not a music person, but I feel what you're saying. The up and comers nowadays have the music, but they don't have the skill. I suppose they believe that simply having the music makes them DJs.