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This morning, music entrepreneur Simon Cowell unveiled the format of this all-new show: a live, international contest to “find the world’s greatest DJs”. Anyone who is deep in this scene knows it’s a dead-end to fight over the definition of a great DJ – let alone the BEST. Our annual DJ Mag Top 100 DJ Poll is the perfect example of this. Does technique defines the DJ? Or is it his charisma? How about his own productions? Isn’t that how we usually get to know some DJ’s style? OH, WAIT! Djing and producing are completely different things, as we’ll see, so what truly makes one DJ better than other? Personality? Performance? Ability to change styles? Spinning with different body parts? Mixing 12 decks simultaneously? Scratching 3 vinyls, while looping samples live and playing the piano blind-folded?

It’s very hard to define – impossible, dare I say. In my humble opinion, when a DJ has the technical skills and true passion for what he does, it all comes down to your own personal taste. Just like DJ Mag 100 Poll is a popularity contest, Simon’s IDOL DJ will be too.

Oh, the horror! Panic has spread! Are we all doomed?

Meh… Let’s analyze it.

I wonder what we will have on this show… DJing is not just about technique; it gathers a plethora of social abilities and skills. It goes beyond perfect beat-matching two songs. A great DJ is the one who can capture the ambiance and deliver what the crowd needs before they even realize it. Capturing the moment and uplifting an audience into an unforgettable journey through heart-felt tunes.

DJ is the one who listens to 1000 promos to select ONE tune that kicks off his set, just the way he wants it. It’s not about playing the top Beatport 10 or what’s playing on the radio. On the DJ, lies the responsibility of engaging his audience into new sounds, feelings and sensations. He’s the one who can make your night unforgettable. For better or for worse.

DJ or Producer?

As obvious as it seems to anyone who’s into the electronic dance scene, it’s not so clear that DJ and producer are two very different things. The majority of people don’t know. Why? Because it’s not THAT obvious. If you have no clue what the guy is doing up there, he could be making the music all live, right? RIGHT. But that’s what we call LIVE P.A. – the electronic act playing live music via synthesizers, samplers, and sequencers. That’s not what we call producing music.

Music production is a process of taking each musical element, the drum kick, the bass, the piano – and design your OWN song in the studio, using some softwares & hardwares specially made for this. And more than making one song after the other, a producer can spend years to find his trademark sound. You need an inspiration? Listen to a couple of Deadmau5’s productions – you can recognize his synths during the first seconds of the song. Same applies to the remix job.

Furthermore, one producer can have many trademark sounds, so he uses different alias to distinguish each style – and reach different audiences. Legendary Trance act M.I.K.E., for example, has several guises, that cover from techno to progressive to uplifting trance – each has its own identity, its own soul.

What about DJing then? In plain words, Djing is about spin your own selection of music, which can include your own production or not. ”So, is that it?” No, that’s just the beginning.

Looks and Performance

It was quite common to go to a nightclub and don’t see the DJ booth. It hasn’t been like that for a very long time. Does a DJ need to be beautiful and trendy? Just like any other artist, a DJ is a performer who steps on the stage under a big bright spotlight to grab our attention. We’re there to enjoy the music, sure thing! Put that aside, it’s essential to have someone who can move the crowd! Feeling your own beats and dancing to your own tunes is part of the job – your body language shows how deep you’re involved with the whole experience you’re delivering to us all.

But it’s just as sad to dance to your favourite DJ and the only connection he makes during the whole night is with his USB port – eyes on the screen = not cool! Don’t you get the feeling that he’s not into it? If even the guy who’s spinning his own selection is not having fun, why should I? So, hell yeah, hands-in-air, jumping, singing, dancing, gesturing is all part of the plan – there are those who scream and shout, while others… not so much. Each DJ will find his way to connect.

Now, this brings us to another essence of the job: how sad is to see DJs who ONLY dance and smile to the crowd, playing premixed sets? It’s the equivalent of going to a concert just to watch the singer lipsync throughout whole show. Unfortunately, it happens A LOT in this industry, even big names have admitted doing it, but the majority of the music lovers who come for the performance don’t find that behaviour very flattering.

Opening/Close Act vs Headliner

It’s essential to know your time slot. Just as important as the musical style you’ll present to the crowd, you need to keep up with the heat: one big mistake a opening act does is to spin all the hits, regardless who the main act is or what time he’ll play.  What? But the crowd are jumping and singing along and dancing and having fun and… STOP! You’re job is to warm up the crowd, to invite them to the dance floor. The night is just starting, people are coming in… slowly. If you think it’s your job to outshine the main act = you’re doing it wrong. It’s very important to know which style the next DJ will play, so you can deliver the crowd smoothly into his hands. And you will get booked again :)

If you’re not the first act, it’s important to be there on time, so you don’t mess up the schedule – and it would be great if you could pay attention to what the other acts before you already played. Nobody likes to hear the same remix of a song 3 times in one night.

As the main act, I presume people already know (and love) your style, which doesn’t mean you can’t innovate. Exploring it’s the best way to constantly improve your mojo!

Different venues, different behaviours

You must have read some interview when an A-List DJ is asked whether he prefers playing at big venues or small clubs. For both the artist and the crowd, it’s a very different vibe – hard to choose.

Small clubs give the DJs the chance the go face-to-face with their audience and clearly see their reaction to your work. Perfect place to show your personality and be friendly: take pictures, chat, smile, hear honest feedbacks – and lots and lots and lots of nonsense track requests during your sets (yeah, we’ve all being there). It’s time to boost your confidence and acquire experience into pleasing people you don’t know, adjust your sound, your musical selection, your mixing style – longer tracks? Shorts tracks? Live samples? What works best for me and for this specific public? It’s the time to make mistakes and learn from them. You’ll develop people skills and learn how to deal with schedule delays, rude promoters, electronic malfunctions and many random disturbances that only the nightlife can bring.

As expected, the bigger venues make any performance a life-time event: it’s huge, over 10 thousand music lovers fist-pumping to the songs YOU carefully selected, feeling the bass almost shake the universe within each deep kick, not to mention the otherworldly lighting show flowing with your beat. It can be AT LEAST surreal. Downside? Well, not exactly a downside, but you don’t have the close connection with anyone besides your buttons. It’s you, the music and thousands of no-faced screamers – that’s why is so easy to play premixed CDs and play your audience – no one can touch you up there.

So, will IDOL be good or bad for the DJ scene?

Simon has a unique opportunity to explain for millions of people how the DJ world really works, that DJing is not all about looking pretty and partying behind the decks – it has many different aspects involved. For the electronic scene, this could very be positive, a way to crown the hard workers and put the fakers to shame.

But then I read this: “Khloe Kardashian is to head the celebrity panel of Simon Cowell’s venture” – and I lose my faith in humanity all over again.