DJs vs Live Bands
---By
Charles McHale Translated by Picker Chen
Whatcha up to tonight? If it's
music you're after, you'll no doubt choose based
on your music taste or mood. For the music lover,
Taipei has a couple dozen venues to see a smoking
hot live band or work up a sweat dancing to
a DJ. By international standards that may seem
few, but that's a lot more than what was on
the scene even just a few years ago: the Taipei
scene has exploded in the last 10 years. Today
live bands and DJs battle to draw crowds and
get the best venues to play. This month Taiwan
Fun checks out the differences in the music
and where it's going.
"Live follows the blood,
DJ follows the high".
Tomer , Neon
"The key to DJing is flow,
keep the crowd going and going."
DJ Marcus Aurelius
The DJ's flow is a loop, an
endless stream that we enter and exit on the
dance floor. Hip Hop, House, Techno, Electronica,
Break Beat, Acid Jazz, Jungle and Drum and Bass
are all atmospheres. The DJ as a persona is
a shaman, a guide connecting the dancer to that
Nirvana in the head and body. A live band is
about the moment, a beginning and an end. Classical,
Blues, Country, Jazz, Reggae, Rock, Funk, Punk
and Indie; all denote a time and a place, an
era. The musician, particularly the singer,
is an idol, a savior we identify with through
the distinct emotion of their song. But possibly
the greatest distinction between DJs and Live
Bands is that a band relies on people playing
together in real time.
" The equipment becomes
the instrument."
DJ Hooker
DJ Andrew Ford dates the beginning
of the war to the advent of mass produced, recorded
music in the 1920s. It's important to realize
that technology drives change, but not without
a ghost in the machine. When electric guitar-fueled,
amplified music took the stage in the 1950s,
the rock trio sent the standard 12 piece dance
band packing. For club owners, it was a choice
of paying three musicians or 1twelve. Economy
is a cruel master. What happened to the 12 piece
is happening to bands today. Clubs hire a single
person, the DJ, to entertain for an evening.
The true birth of the DJ as
a live performer began with Hip Hop in the late
'70s. Scratch DJs with two turntables and a
mixer controlled the volume from each record.
While Scratching is a skill unto itself, with
its own world competitions, mixing is the test
of talent at the heart of every DJ. As equipment
became more sophisticated, mixes got better
and better.
"It all depends on how
good they are."
Jun, Neon
Some DJs aren't satisfied with
just doing shows and become producers. Making
records is the next level in DJing. Studio production
allows complete control of the music and the
knowledge of studio techniques feeds back into
making better performances. MIDI interfaces
connect computers with a vast array of sound
equipment. This technology brought the laptop
to the stage, adding to the mix and even replacing
the turntables completely. Laptop battles are
live interactions of people generating sound
on their computers. The battles range from dance
parties to listening music and is definitely
taking sound in new directions.
In Taiwan the scene is only
getting better. DJ @llen has been on the music
scene for a decade. There are too many others
to mention, but Lim Giong and Digihai deserve
note for spanning electronic and live music.
Digihai is a band that plays live with a DJ.
Lim Giong played live music before switching
to electronic music. His album "Insects
Awaken" from last year includes electronic
music and sound collage from samples he recorded
around Taiwan.
There's nothing wrong with a
little healthy criticism, so TWF asked bands
and DJs what they thought of each other. The
responses varied but DJs tended to defend their
art and bands leaned toward dissecting what
kind of DJ was acceptable as a musician. DJ
Andrew Ford makes the distinction that people
go to see a band for their music but, in a DJ
situation, they come for the club's atmosphere.
DJing is more about party management.
"Music is Music. What's
good is good, the soul never lies."
Nate Javens, Public Radio
Originality and egotism is where
bands, DJs and their fans have the most friction.
Do DJs just play music recorded by other people,
dodging the bullet of egotism, while wanting
recognition for their skills? Are live bands
self-indulgent egoists, whiny about the originality
of their own music, when they play a genre that's
been played out?
Nobody ever got anywhere thinking
about those questions. The real battle between
DJs and live bands is how to bring better music
to Taipei. Psycho, the guitarist from Luan Tan,
started playing 20 years ago. He's watched the
music scene grow from almost nothing to what
it is today. What he says holds true for both
bands and DJs:
"People always say copying
is a process for learning, but if you don't
use your head it only limits you to a smaller
and smaller world in music. The challenge for
musicians today isn't just to play their instruments
well, but to be more creative and original."
SLAM / LOVE / HATE
"Any Monkey can call themselves
a DJ, It takes four monkeys to call themselves
a band".
Andrew Shepard, Public Radio
"What do you mean? I like both, but I'm
a DJ, so I like DJ music better."
Young Blood, O-Brothaz Sound System
"They're from a different mother. DJing
is recycled art. It's like the difference between
driving a train (DJing) and a car (Live Bands),
with a train your stuck on the tracks. "
Moshe Foster, Public Radio
"Things haven't really changed ( on the
Live Band scene ) for the past 15 years"
DJ Hooker
"Folksy and Whiny (some bands)...A DJ is
definitely live music."
DJ Marcus Aurelius
Where to get into it:
If you want to get on stage you need the goods.
Here's a starter list of where to find gear.
ROCK GEAR:
Tony's
18, Lane308, HePing E Rd, Sec3
(02)2735-6361
Players
99-1, HePing E Rd, Sec1
(02)2392-4928
60-1, Dong Yang St
(02)2309-1826-7
DJ GEAR:
Species Records
2, Lane49, ZhongXiao E Rd, Sec4, 8F (02)2731-7581
Sound Equiment Market
Lane18, ZhongHua Rd andLuo Yang St
Behind the Tax bureau - see map insert
Orbis' Picks
Orbis is the manager of the Wall, and sees more
live bands than almost anyone in Taipei. Here's
his short list on who you shouldn't miss:
Thanks to all the DJs and Live
Bands who gave their opinions and ROCK Taipei! |
