Who's The Worst DJ in Town?
While it's frowned upon to attack other writers, last issues cover story annoyed me. It annoyed me more than that ginger-haired muppet looking out from the Quest China show in the back of cabs. Bund vs. Underground? A good set-up. But a bunch of DJ's around a pool table talking about who their favorite DJ was...come onnnnnnnnn!
We all know DJ's, most are pretentious muso's who know much better than we do what should be played. So why not ask the real question - which DJ's in town are the worst? Who seriously should be told that people are laughing behind their back when they call a 'Buddha Bar' cd their own mix.
C'mon - sign in with a different name and let us know who makes your pick!
Comments Add a public comment
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I'm not sure what color ginger is, but if you are talking about the British guy with the horse teeth, i must have really annoyed you then. Payback for all the times I've wasted my two minutes reading your articles. That's a joke, Michael.
But I did want the part about your favorite DJs favorite DJ in there. This is because I'm (semi-) new here and want to who is good and worth checking out. I feel like you did the same when you asked the guy from Split Works (yep...i listed to the whole thing..get em to pay you now) who his favorite bands were. But you didn't ask him who he thought sucked.
Money in a Box-When the idea of the article was presented to me, I had a dream of doing Bund vs. Underground at a bowling alley. The only way to really settle the argument would have been to knock the pins down. And I thought it would make good video. But the idea was rejected and we tried to make it like that with the pool table and Racks gave us a free one (and a bottle). So that's how it began.
As for DJ selection, I needed six people who could speak English and I wanted to have 10 or so DJs, but it had to be cut to 6 for page spacing. I don't know Mansun or David K and I had just met Damien that day. I thought he would be Bar Rouge-y, but he's a very cool guy who produces his own tracks and now I talk to him pretty often.
I floated the idea of doing the questions by email to get more candid answers because people aren't going to shit on each other in person unless its a political debate.
And you are right, I do like to write things that are generally positive. I try to write about things I like and want to share. And you do have to realize that we are all in the business of promotainment.
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Car...moneyinabox.
'To write a piece were DJs slug it out with each other is impossible under this restrictive framework'? Absolutely not.
As mentioned, we're dealing with some very self-sure guys (and gals) here who, for the most part, are quite confident in themselves. I guarantee if you posed the question 'who's making you all look bad?' you would have gotten some real truth.
It was a nice piece, no doubt about that, but these aren't the same comments we hear them making after a few drinks.
marcusaurelius.
You're right, I didn't ask him which band he didn't like, because they're not in his direct profession. But did you hear him mention anything about CWest? Emma? It was right there in the pullquote. So yes, he was calling out other people.
It was fine (not nearly as good as your funk article elsewhere, mind you), but seemed...well, nice. Which is all fine and good, but c'mon - you yourself are a dj, you all are worse than us columnists.
F*ckin get all the BonBon guys and all the Antidote guys, throw in an 8-ball and record the whole thing...let's really get to know them.
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there's the theme for your next podcast. i want an invite to the party
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and i'm not sure that bad DJs make other DJs look bad. They may make the good ones look that much better. same with bands, promo teams, etc
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"It was a nice piece, no doubt about that, but these aren't the same comments we hear them making after a few drinks."
Really? I've always felt for the most part that there was a lack of internal drama within the Shanghai DJ scene compared to other cities I've lived in. Usually DJs across the board are pretty cool with each other regardless of what they may personally think about their music or skills. The only negative comments I ever hear are generally reserved for the DJs who never really attempt to integrate or network with other DJs around town and usually then it's not a critique on their abilities, but more their attitude.
Oh and also the occasional crack about people who start podcasts solely to show everybody the incredibly unique music they claim they actually listen to.
;-) ;-)
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'he occasional crack about people who start podcasts solely to show everybody the incredibly unique music they claim they actually listen to'
ha ha ha - guess I had that one coming.
in all seriousness, I think a little calling out every once and a while is good - Archie had the balls to use 'lazy' and 'they care nothing about the scene' which, in turn, might just end up in more local bands being booked with the big boys. so you're telling me people like Trix aren't controversial if you let him be? anyone who doubts this can ask about the 'q-tip incident'.
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Q-Tip incident? Is that when he masturbated his cat when she was in heat? Yeah, he learned that from me. Quite effective.
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Trix was the one holding the 8-Ball. didn't you get the joke? and unfortunately, i had heard about that cat thing. i just blocked it out of my head until now.
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According to my extensive Google research which lead me to the aforementioned technique, vets recommend it to shut your cat up until you can get her in to be spade. It's very unsettling at first, but a cat in heat is probably the most obnoxious thing you can ever experience. Besides, there is nothing wrong with giving your cat a taste of one of life's joys before you chop the ability out of her I say.
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So, let me get this straight.
You're both DJ's. This conversation took 10 posts to get from a nightlife critique to feline techniques.
And you're telling me you couldn't get some real grit from the same people on-the-record?
Good seein' ya yesterday at my bbq, m.
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thanks for the toasted bread with cheese. lets hang soon
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I think to get all the DJs together they are gonna try and be cool in front of the other DJs. Its better to do the interviews one on one.. but I know that sometimes its hard to get DJs to give you some good dirt.. especially when you have a Video camera in their face..
The DJs that were selected were a bit off in my opinion.. CW asked me about my picks, but I guess it was too late to change it. Although 2 of my picks were in there.
But when you are writing an article about Shanghai's top DJs I thought it was a bit weird to include mostly foreigners..
1) vnutz 2) fortune 3) big one 4) siesta
5) mr tsang 6) mr stokes 7) Blaise 7) hbd 8) elnomo 9) dj alan 10)dj b6This list is a big Biased towards underground DJs but I dont ever go to the bund.. and I really hate the music they play there except Big One in the Hiphop room @ Attica.
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I am no writer but I do agree, The article could have been better. With that being said. I think that this Blog/Article is kind of pointless.
You didn't even answer your own question and you want other people to start hating on other Djs like you are doing on Marcus. It seems like this just a cheap way to get hits to your website or increase your BUZZ..
Are DJs the only pretentious muso's in town?
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What question didn't I address? I'm no DJ, nor have I ever claimed to know the electro-music scene.
Did I ask for 'hating' on other DJ's or did I simply pose a question to who takes up the bottom of said list.
Don't talk to me about cheap hits on websites when your own name is a blatant self promotion.
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ok true enough, but look man I read some of your other stuff. its great work! im not hating on you abilities as a writer.
But Why not just leave a comment on the cover article rather that creating a whole new article about something you know nothing about?
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That's my point! I know nothing about the scene, but even I could have gotten some dirt out of them.
Trust me, a 12-minute cab ride with Trix on Friday and I have a f*cking novel.
This town is gritty. DJ's are outspoken. Let's find out who they really don't like. I promise you they'd be more keen on talking about that then their faves (which, as you can see from the piece, often include themselves).
I know. For a fact. That there are DJ's here that people hate. You can't tell me with all of your involvement you haven't ran into a few.
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There are quite a few DJs in town that I don't particularly like, but I just don't see anything constructive or good coming out of me sharing my opinions with the world. In this case, if you don't have anything nice to share, keep your mouth shut, I say. Simple.
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So, you all will talk off-the-record about who you don't like, but not when it has the possibility of being archived?
If no one says anything, they keep doing the same thing, maybe someone needs to give 'em a kick in the ass. They get better = scene gets better = you guys are kept in check....
Ohhhh...is that it? Let the shit one's keep being shit because it makes the others look good - kind of like the fat friend?
C'mon money..., give us one. At least tell us where he plays.
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i agree this post is pretty banal - besides an attempt to ruffle feathers by Aric, i mean who really cares who the worst DJ is - go to any techno-drink-a-bottle-of-chivas-club way up in deepest Putuo and you'll find him.
I also agree the DJ article was a bit wet - especially comments by Thomas which i have already commented on in original article. 'Underground' has to be the most mis-used word in Shanghai nightlife. i thought the whole idea of underground is the concept of a party/scene/culture that is hard to tap into - certainly not something that is advertised.
This article implies that any club event not on the Bund or Bon Bon is underground. Just cause V-Nuts is a pilgrim of old school hip hop don't make him underground (except for the fact his club is literally....underground)
really the article should have been titled Pretentious Nightspots Vs Unpretentious nightspots.
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let me start from the toasted cheese and work down. i think that the article wasnt necessarily written, it was transcribed by me to almost 2000 words then I chopped it to 900 to fit length. the rest of what is said is on the video.
as for the DJs who were picked, no where did it say that these are the best 6 in town. I was soliciting opinions of friends about who their favorites were and i had a list of 10-12. it had to be cut down and this was what it was. I'm a hip-hop guy so my list would have been filled with gold teeth.
about getting people to talk shit on camera or to others faces--it's easy to say tiesto is a twat cause you will never be hanging with the guy. the guy wont run up on you stab you with a shank. but, in a city where everyone lives, its hard to 'on record' say who sucks. plain and simple.
on thomas p--i liked his comment. it was the edgiest thing that was said. and he also mentioned to me before that he thought logo looked like the bar from the dukes of hazzard...the boars nest. which is true and hilarious coming from an east german. (in case you didn't know catherine bach, the original daisy duke, is the most famous person from my hometown of warren, ohio)
I think the DJ-ing scene and the band scene are quite similar in the fact that there is a small percentage of people who are good/great and then a huge percent that are crap. i didn't go to see the subs this weekend not because they arent good at what they do, but because I'm not a fan of hardcore music and I knew the place would be much more packed than I like. I've heard of a few names of bands that I might go see in the future (rogue transmission, PK something), but I'm sure there are 500 other bands that I'm happy that I won't ever be seeing. I don't care about their names
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My Innocent search for some Pharaoh footage, which I crave more than cheeze wiz on six year old boys ever since Scott got that court order, lead me to the man with a voice for radio and an ass for party games (pictionary comes to mind- he could talk with his ass instead of his hands(or mouth ) - he's good at that - but wait... I guess he's literate. He can blog too!
POWER ...
and the two djs, who upon entering pubescence and self exploration, destroyed the expression "girls got issues like Scottie got tissues" ( these two were cleanin up ).
Give me your girlfriends' red towel for a minute. My ears are bleeding. Did I see someone write that I am controversial?
I am not so sure about that but fuck if I'm not as honest as y'all will let me be. From what remember of the interview, the most gritty bits were left out. Was the City Weekend Readership not ready to here that a large percentage of the time, people don't go to bars for music. They go to get laid...or try...well at least all the guys with functioning efforts...good music is a bonus.
I thought the actual discussion was interesting when we did it - but felt like we kinda pulled out before coming - Marcus wanted to swallow it all up.
I took part cuz Marcus is a friend and it sounded interesting. It's a topic I brought up within the scene a couple of years ago. Check smart shanghai... it was a good discussion. For me, the underground as I knew it (dancing on drugs to music you'd never learn the names to at a party in a basement you found out about through a friend of a friend at school who knew a dj that gave her a flyer) cannot exist. Not with myspace having made even the bedroom of a pimple faced teenage a stage and terrorism still on the horizon).
In Shanghai especially, underground dj has been more of a term to describe djs who should have been in their bedrooms but got slots by default - similar to how i managed to get laid here. Unskilled djs - more of selectors than anything - playing different music than heard in many clubs packed with the ignorant masses.
Personally I enjoyed getting paid for my efforts and did well throughout the years. I was lucky in a way but I did a job. A job that kept me busy enough to not really realize the sad state of affairs in the so called shanghai dj world.
I got into this as a house dj - not a turntablist - i used all my wank years learning guitar - but there is stiill a craft that comes from creating new music from different sources. I'm not talking about bringing one song in and switching off the other. I am talking about mixing, blending, forcing a temporary love making session upon two different tracks. Not something that is done well in shanghai. I know very few people who challenge theselves as Djs (even some of the better ones) to the point where anyone else would give a shit. No wonders many citizens don't have any respect for djs. They don't do anything. And Ipods are more attractive than most (obviously not me).
SO to name the worst Dj would be about as easy as naming my individual ass hairs. Too many.
But I'm not into this to dwell on other people's short comings - heck a lot of them are my friends ( well we are friendly in public). I enjoy music - whether making it or mixing it. Unless asked, I have better things to talk about - mainly myself or my cat - who i helped achieve a sensation Aric's girlfriends have dreamed of.
oh..was i saying something. go take a look for yourselves once this conversation grows old. GO to youtube and search for user shaolinpunk76.
And after you get off to that go challenge your local djs to challenge themselves a bit. or watch it again.
trix
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SOrry for the doubler post and hope I didn't ruin what was surely to become some sort of Obama rally.
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siesta's not 'self-sured'. siesta's just someone who keeps her head down and does her thing - spreading her love for dnb whether it be at bonbon the commercial joint or shelter the 'underground' stint.
she might thinks she's a good dnb dj but that's as far as her self-confidence goes. she's quite dowdy in real life,... really.
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The worst DJ in town has to be that stupid guy who plays at Void and always wears a mask, Ultra something? What a dick. He can't even mix properly and has only been DJing since he came to Shanghai. And it shows. Lets not even talk about the music he plays. Techno? It's utterly dreadful. The rest of the VOID crew are pretty good though.
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It was a rather boring article. I thought the DJ selection was rather off. If the title is Bund v Underground, why have only one Bund DJ represented? I think Jon White would have been more than happy to add his two pence. Moreover, I think within the DJ community in this town, most people don't even know who Damien is or just know him as the guy who plays the same shitty house mix set every night. BR is not known as a forward-thinking music venue so why bother including them? I thought the whole Bund v Other theme was rather half-assedly answered and most punters in town couldn't particularly give a shit anyway.
Also, besides V-Nutz, where were all the other local Chinese voices? While I am not a huge fan of Calvin, I think he definitely should have been included or maybe Mansun from M2 or David K.
This all being said, I do think Marcus is a good writer and pulling off something like this is not particularly easy. It's hard to call people on their bullshit or get them to be brutually honest when your sitting in a room with six other people who have gone out of their way to voice their free opinion. Moreover, the endemic problem with expat rags in this city is that every article has to be a positive, rather substance-free, fluff piece, not to mention with a very foreign outlook (hence the lack of more local voices). To write a piece were DJs slug it out with each other is impossible under this restrictive framework.