There is a split in the world of musicians, one that you may not have even known existed. But mislabel the wrong person be prepared to face the wrath. This oft-confused rift is that between DJ and Producer. WTF, I hear you wonder? Is there really a difference?

Calling a Producer a DJ is like calling a band that writes its own music a cover band.

Nobody in a band that writes its own music wants to be thought of as a cover band. They want the fame, glory and 2 complimentary beers all based on their own compositional brilliance, Same with a producer.

A DJ spins other peoples’ music.

Don’t get me wrong though. There is a definite art to that. The even have a yearly event called the DMC competition, which tests a DJs ability to do speedy scratching and cool beat matching on the fly. DJ Cavia and Ceezy will serve as examples of the difference.

DJ Cavia started as a kid from Anhui province who loved music. During high school he saw a video of DJ Shadow getting nasty on the turntables, decided to get his own turn-tables and dropped out of school to work on his skills.

His focus on music paid off and in 2008 he came to Shanghai to compete in the aforementioned DMC competition. He wound up dazzling and taking home the crown.

Now you can catch him all over Shanghai, spinning a variety of Rock and Roll, Hip Hop, Electronic and House. He takes time to develop a deep knowledge of the genres, and can basically talk about music for days, without stumbling down the same path twice.

However, he wants to start making more of his own music, stating, “I don’t see DJing as a career. I’d rather be a producer.”

If we turn the tables over to producers, you will have to look far and wide before finding someone making nicer tracks the Ceezey. The Shanghai native has been producing soul-influenced head bobbing tracks for about 4 years now, and the results are undeniably tasty. Go to his Douban (Chinese Facebook) and hit play, and sit back for a while. You won’t want to move on.

The catchyness of his tunes make it easy to miss their satisfying sonic depth, but listen close and you will be rewarded.

Ceezy told me that, “Shanghai is too divided, and producers don’t often work with DJs, who don’t often work with MCs. It reflects Shanghai culture.”

He’s taking steps to break down these divisions by manning the decks with MC One Consciousness as an opener for Hip Hop Legends Das EFx when the hit Mao Livehouse December 9th, which is part of the whole Booshkabaash week of crazy shows.

Or you can catch both Ceezy and Cavia at an Otacrew show the next night at Lune along with Heatwolves, Trix and also, for the brave and broke, a free cup of Jungle Juice.