Undiscovered

I have old Renaissance C.D.'s that were marketed and sold as "D.J. Mixes" that feature BT and in the liner notes BT stresses the point that he does not consider himself to be a D.J. at all. He states something along the lines of being a "digital artist". I remember reading this and thinking what a curious way to present yourself, especially when this was released all the way back in 1997 when the D.J. superstar phenomenon was in full effect and everyone wanted to be a "D.J.". When you listen to his mix it seems a lot like a D.J. mix but most of the content has been altered, remixed by BT on the fly or pre edited and effects used all to enhance what he was presenting. 1997. Long before the commercial availability of software applications that we are all familiar with these days. He is not a D.J. but many people would still quote his name when asked who there most memorable D.J. performances were.

If your using technology because you are too lazy to learn the finer points of the art of mixing but still presenting yourself as a D.J you are cheating. If your good at it how ever and the audience engages in your sound and flow your are successful. Chances are though that if you have this command of your medium and, in turn the command of the listeners, that you have not skipped the previously essential education required to perform in this fashion. As has been stated it's all about the music. In the future (and presently) this technology will allow artists to skip learning beat matching should they choose to but it will not make them any more proficient in the vital elements required to rock the crowd. Track selection, musical phrasing and the physical element involved when performing all contribute to the way a dance floor engages with the performer. If you are just pushing buttons to cue the next big floor filler after the last big floor filler the audience will eventually get bored with you and see through you. If you have pre edited it all so you have very little to do when responding to the atmosphere and mood of the crowd you will get bored yourself. If your not the most animated person whilst playing but have used your tools to bring them something new and poured your soul and knowledge of your medium into the performance it will be reflected in the output and the crowd will appreciate this more than if your jumping around like a trained monkey compensating for your lack of effort in other areas.

In the past Danny Tenaglia has been know to request a curtain to be placed in front of him while playing or for the decks to be moved to a less conspicuous location in the venue to take the emphasis off him as the artist and have the focus shifted back onto the music. A little frustrating for those who really wanted to see him play but does it detract from the music itself?

If you are not using C.D.'s or vinyl as your medium then no I don't think you are a D.J. in the strictest sense of the term. If you are presenting yourself as a D.J. and not utilizing the other benefits (looping, effects, multiple sound inputs, etc.) that bypassing the beat mixing or blending process that traditional D.J.'ing encompasses then your cheating yourself and the audience. You might still be billed as a D.J. but playing recorded music to an audience doesn't make you a D.J. any more than eating a burrito makes you Mexican. If you use your music and what ever your chosen medium is to produce it to offer the listener your own interpretation of how it should sound and rock you, calm you, make you feel, what ever the desired result, however minimal those differences should be to the original content then your are an artist. D.J. or not. It's all about the music and the experience.