Do EDM producers really just push the "play" button live?

[Gambledub]

I don't get it. I guess I'm too old or out of touch or both but I hear a song playing on Pandora and look to see who the chick is singing it and it says the artist is some DJ.

It's sung by Ellie Goulding or Lana Del Ray. I can't think of his name but it makes me wonder how the whole process works. Like, did he write the music, the lyrics, or take an existing tune or 3 and mix them together?

Your confusing producing (or making) a song rather than mixing/dj'ing (performing live)

The big DJ's often produce/make music and thats how they get famous enough to get paid to DJ/play their music live.

Making a song is done on a computer, usually with a keyboard or synth. sometimes additional songs are chopped up and added in as samples, it doesn't sound that hard to do, but adding in a sample can sometimes be more difficult to do than playing it yourself. Producing a song is extremely hard to do well, and is a mixture of composition, musical theory, sometimes instrumental skill and most importantly audio engineering, (actually gets surprisingly mathematical/sciency!)

Look at hip hop for example, there is a reason why 90% of the time the producer is the highest paid in the song making process.

 

[v.kevin]

Not going to argue that I'm confused, that's for sure.

I hear Ellie Goulding singing and check to see the name of the song and it's David Guetta and I just wonder what their roles are.

 

[Dogstarman]

Mix master mike had some criticisms of edm concerts and popular "djs". He basically said they are just pushing buttons and not really mixing. Listen to mix master mike, he is a master dj. He puts shit out that is mind blowing.

 

[Gambledub]

Not going to argue that I'm confused, that's for sure.

I hear Ellie Goulding singing and check to see the name of the song and it's David Guetta and I just wonder what their roles are.

Maybe 10-15 years ago before the massive influx of EDM into Pop music it would have been purely billed as an Ellie Goulding track, however now EDM is trendy and "its all about the bass brah!" you see producers having a bigger front stage scene, with producers having their own fans. I think a lot of its marketing, that way Ellie Goulding fans will listen to the song as will David Guetta fans, which might not be the case if only one was was credited as the performer.

 

[KazuyaMishima]

I hear there is a program that automagically beat matches. If they don't even do that on their own, I respect the hustle.

What! You're gonna pay me 100k to stand in front of a bunch of intoxicated people and put on some thoughtless top-40 playlist while pretty much doing jack shit for 1 hour? Where do I sign? Oh but then I have to endure all that whisper singing of love lyrics in love songs about love. Make that 1 mil for 30 minutes and we have a deal.

 

[rockylion]

Mix master mike had some criticisms of edm concerts and popular "djs". He basically said they are just pushing buttons and not really mixing. Listen to mix master mike, he is a master dj. He puts shit out that is mind blowing.

word!

 

[zackryder]

They pump their fists pretty convincingly....

Besides it doesn't matter what they do or don't do when 99% of the audience is on X. They could fart into a microphone and the crowd would go wild.

dats how its done

 

[bandicoot]

This is why Radiohead is the greatest band in the world (or has been). Not just musicians, not just performers, not just composers, not just audio engineers...but all in one, and they even did it live on stage.

Radiohead, especially the frontman, are a bunch of pre hipster ass hats who literally say they can't remember writing Creep, and they don't play it at concerts because that's not who they are anymore..

Yeah, that one song that caused everyone to actually give a fuck about your band... Yeah, fuck that song. Too popular. LOL

 

[DrBdan]

Radiohead, especially the frontman, are a bunch of pre hipster ass hats who literally say they can't remember writing Creep, and they don't play it at concerts because that's not who they are anymore..

Yeah, that one song that caused everyone to actually give a fuck about your band... Yeah, fuck that song. Too popular. LOL

They wrote Creep over 20 years ago and played it literally thousands of times so I think they can be excused for being sick of it. 20 years later they're all different people and obviously are in a different place musically. They do what they do now and enough people like it so they can keep doing their own thing.

Personally I'd love to see Radiohead play a concert of only their 90's era music (first 3 albums) because I missed seeing them back then but I know they'll never do that because while it might be my first time seeing/hearing that stuff live it will be their 5000th time playing it.

Or you could have a band like the Offspring who after their first couple of popular albums started re-hasing the same old sound and got shit on for it.

 

[Toastytoy]

word!

but EDM kids would never go for this because they want all the light effects to match perfectly with what the DJ is doing. To me that ruins the suspension of disbelief that he is doing anything other than pressing play and dancing around up there

 

[EleazarI**]

This is why Radiohead is the greatest band in the world (or has been). Not just musicians, not just performers, not just composers, not just audio engineers...but all in one, and they even did it live on stage.

theyre not the greatest live:icon_sad:

 

[zackryder]

theyre not the greatest live:icon_sad:

of course not, queen is

 

[WARRIOR POET]

http://deadmau5.tumblr.com/post/25690507284/we-all-hit-play

I respect his honesty. It's not surprising that he doesn't "perform" those songs live. A lot goes into creating a track like that (composing, sequencing, automation, Ableton, FL Studio, etc) and it would be nearly impossible to recreate that live with just one person.

Now pardon me for my ignorance (I'm a fan of EDM myself Gareth, Kaskade, Aphex, Armin).... They dont play any instruments or sing.. just curious what exactly it is that they do more to their music on stage? Their remixes/tracks are already recorded, might as well just play it on speakers and they dont even need to be there and let all the lasers and the screens do the entertaining. In other genres of music the difference is they can recreate their works on spot.

I just had to ask this after giving my nephew an Avicii concert ticket as a gift for his birthday

1) deamouse is a douche bag

i have not read this but read where he said DJs have no talent and just play other peoples music.

some DJs now liek Sasha play music on an ableton device. which he can change up what is being played.

but old school DJs were there to take you on a journey. they may have been playing records at different speeds and mixing them together, but it is the way they did it to bring it to a peak that was great.

get 10 songs and just put them one after another, then listen to a real DJ live and see if there is a difference.

 

[fightingrabbit]

Watch this video to see what DJ's really do...It's funny.

 

[TheHegemon1]

Im just so sick of hearing the

 

[zackryder]

Watch this video to see what DJ's really do...It's funny.

dat enthusiasm

watever theyre payin these guys, its not enuff

Spoiler

btw steve aokis sister devon aoki is really cute XD

makes u wanna go boom boom boom

 

[fightingrabbit]

I think i'm more jelly than anything that they can basically do nothing but stand there and get paid millions. If i go to an EDM concert i'm just there to get wacked out anyway, so i don't really care either way.

 

[Viva]

Even after reading that I have to say deadmau5 is a giant tool.

And his music sucks too.

 

[fightingrabbit]

Even after reading that I have to say deadmau5 is a giant tool.

And his music sucks too.

But i am bothered when i think the DJs shit is kind of boring or crappy. Deadmau5 being one of them, and Avicii being the other.

 

[Viva]

But i am bothered when i think the DJs shit is kind of boring or crappy. Deadmau5 being one of them, and Avicii being the other.

Avicii, fucking lol.