...And Then Came the iCaterer and the iJOP
[Brief Site Update: The calendar has been updated with my next show on October 4th.]
So I was noticing that the reason I haven't posted in over a week is because I've been spending a lot of time looking for a DJ for my wedding in May. But as I was about to continue some thoughts on Second Life (spurred by Jesse's post here), I realized there's a lot to unpack behind hiring a DJ these days.
As a serious music fan and a musician, a lot of my friends told me to go the iPod route, that they trusted my taste in music and knew I would benevolently spare them from my Bjork collection. (Well, except "Big Time Sensuality".) I had read up on the topic; most articles I read tended to side with the thrifty iCouples, while DJs expressed some understandable fear, while (putting the equipment considerations aside) still defended their trade as a skill. Learning how to "read" a crowd and respond to it dynamically is irreplaceable. Despite the chunk it takes out of my wedding budget, I agree with them.
Have you ever been to a house party where an iPod has suffered a hostile (drunken) takeover? Have you done this yourself? Assuming the answer to both questions is yes, you've proven that the "Dance Mix" playlist we all have on our iPods (oh, don't lie to me, I know you have one) actually sucks at making people dance.
Consider that outside of the wedding industry, DJs are typically considered artists themselves -- even the ones who are essentially only playing other people's music (as opposed to sampling and remixing). The style of a particular DJ is born out of a musical pastiche, and the actual act of combining other people's music becomes linked to a central DJ personality. In the queer male community, they even receive minor celebrity status -- just pick up the nightlife section of In Newsweekly any given week. The ability to make everyone in a room want to dance is a valued skill; yet even I was starting to be convinced by various wedding tips on indiebride.com that iPods have, in a short time, unlocked the inner DJ in all of us.
Why is it that iPods have made people forget that finding the right mix of music is a skill? It's hard to admit to myself that even though the practical barriers to creating the Ultimate Five Hour Dance Mix have been removed (i.e. carting around lots of vinyl or CDs), less tangible barriers exist. And that's a pretty disappointing conclusion to this post, because I still think my dance mix is the shit, and it's going to make me and my iPod the life of this party.
So I was noticing that the reason I haven't posted in over a week is because I've been spending a lot of time looking for a DJ for my wedding in May. But as I was about to continue some thoughts on Second Life (spurred by Jesse's post here), I realized there's a lot to unpack behind hiring a DJ these days.
As a serious music fan and a musician, a lot of my friends told me to go the iPod route, that they trusted my taste in music and knew I would benevolently spare them from my Bjork collection. (Well, except "Big Time Sensuality".) I had read up on the topic; most articles I read tended to side with the thrifty iCouples, while DJs expressed some understandable fear, while (putting the equipment considerations aside) still defended their trade as a skill. Learning how to "read" a crowd and respond to it dynamically is irreplaceable. Despite the chunk it takes out of my wedding budget, I agree with them.
Have you ever been to a house party where an iPod has suffered a hostile (drunken) takeover? Have you done this yourself? Assuming the answer to both questions is yes, you've proven that the "Dance Mix" playlist we all have on our iPods (oh, don't lie to me, I know you have one) actually sucks at making people dance.
Consider that outside of the wedding industry, DJs are typically considered artists themselves -- even the ones who are essentially only playing other people's music (as opposed to sampling and remixing). The style of a particular DJ is born out of a musical pastiche, and the actual act of combining other people's music becomes linked to a central DJ personality. In the queer male community, they even receive minor celebrity status -- just pick up the nightlife section of In Newsweekly any given week. The ability to make everyone in a room want to dance is a valued skill; yet even I was starting to be convinced by various wedding tips on indiebride.com that iPods have, in a short time, unlocked the inner DJ in all of us.
Why is it that iPods have made people forget that finding the right mix of music is a skill? It's hard to admit to myself that even though the practical barriers to creating the Ultimate Five Hour Dance Mix have been removed (i.e. carting around lots of vinyl or CDs), less tangible barriers exist. And that's a pretty disappointing conclusion to this post, because I still think my dance mix is the shit, and it's going to make me and my iPod the life of this party.
posted by Ian at 9/06/2006 11:04:00 PM
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