The world's most interesting DJ

It must be true, he said so. And I hope he wrote every word of it.

http://ibizaclubbing-guide.skiddletickets.com/artist.php?id=123507506&eid=11920892

back to event: event cancelled

Holy shit. Literally every line of this is gold

Andy Whitby is not just a hard house DJ, he is an experience.

He is a state of mind.

He is the transporter of minds and souls to an amazing frantic paradise that, while leaving you knackered, strangely also leaves you feeling re-invigorated.

The Saviour of Hard-Dance

The Michael Flatley of DJs?

"Accompanying Andy to a gig" -> awww, he took his mom to one of his gigs so she could write this

All that and sex with the mixing deck too.

an orchestra of special effects which extracts every quality beat of each track as he begins his show.

http://file043.bebo.com/15/large/2007/12/10/10/9387005a6333356683l.jpg

8 years too late for a first mention

Post-2000 Rave Anthems POV

View Previous Page...
daso - daybreak
andy whitby - nightmare
― dog latin (dog latin), Saturday, 4 March 2006 13:43 (8 years ago)

I blame dog latin

I would read a whole book of assorted PR copy by whoever wrote this

Yet, he is not dancing; this is something far more emotional. Imagine watching a porn star having hot, rough, yet passionate but dominating sex to a breathless, wailing lover which, in this case, comes in the shape of a mixing desk.

> comes in the shape of a mixing desk

twice!

i can see coming in the shape of a microphone maybe, but coming in the shape of a mixing desk is next level.....

Love this Amazon review:

"Its just boring, repetitive, noise. I love hard dance but this is just bland, bottom of the pile tunes you might play once you'd ran out of good vinyl to play.

On the upside delivery was very quick."

does any of this kind of music get attention on ILM or other forums, review sites etc.? Of all genres hard house seems to be beyond critical redemption, it seems to be terminally unfashionable and only ever examined to be laughed at. Perhaps because it is "provincial" in its appeal?

I think it's just because it's not very good.

hah fair enough!

Back in the 90s I used to like German hard house/hard trance, and we've discussed it here on various threads, but I think UK hardhouse is quite different from that? It's closer to hardcore/gabber, I think?

I listened to snippets of one of his sets, sounded not massively disimilar to happy hardcore to me. But less good.

listening to snippets of one of his sets is like trying to view a fine piece of art in a darkened room. You need to see him live to really appreciate the full and overwhelming experience that is The Saviour of Hard-Dance.

Mobile phone-cum-digital cameras are designed for such occasions as his devotees put one arm around him and pose with their hero as the other arm acts as a remote-controlled tri-pod for the self-portrait.

That is one of the most syntactically torturous sentences I've ever read.

I don't know anything about hard house but there's no way it's better than this artist bio

"You can generally tell if a hard-house event is going to be credible and worth the money if you see Andy Whitby’s name heading the DJ line-up. It’s almost like seeing a quality assurance seal, royal crest or five star rating."

This reminds me of those curry restaurants that are called "Standard Curry", where the owner thinks of the word "Standard" as somehow signifying "being of a very high standard" and yet the word just hangs there, forlornly, meaning only "average, acceptable, middling".

He'll be amazed to discover that he didn't make the DJ 2014 list. Unfortunately an awful lot of other gash has.

https://scontent-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/v/t1.0-9/10696446_10154770140590444_6462911806791832036_n.jpg?oh=f42eb558ad63efff8b0c3c159104bbf3&oe=54F51931

oh god that list, don't wanna be reminded of the existence of The Chainsmokers

First person on that list I've both heard of and like even a little bit is Diplo. No idea who Hardwell is.

i admit, i used to cane a bit of hard dance music back in my raving days. it was fun. i didn't know who any of the djs were or cared what they wore though, i want to make that absolutely clear.

DJ, Jockey Slut and Mixmag always had a dedicated 'hard dance' section, which seemed to encompass all forms of hard house and techno or 'bosh' music. not sure about now cos i don't read those mags but some people must do right?

chap, you must have heard of at least Skrillex surely?

Oh yeah, I've heard of loads of them. Diplo is first one I've heard of AND don't mind.

I've actually seen Afrojack. It was horrible.

huh i've never heard of Hardwell the most important DJ in the world

Hard-sonned by bosh music.

this chestnut is a good few years old

I think the first Indian meal I ever had was at Standard of India in Chicago, and it was indeed of a very high standard! (many xposts)

That and a new dn are all I've got...

And "uplifting bouncy house" makes me think of:

http://www.bestjumpers.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/small_image/130x130/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/m/o/moon-bounce-2_1.jpg

Being a "top DJ" today seems a lot like being a "Hedge Fund Manager" -- an occupation where you make millions for ???

Hardwell could probably play to an audience of 5,000 people three times a week for a year without hitting the same city twice. He's extremely popular.

http://www.complex.com/music/2013/04/20-things-people-think-about-rap-that-arent-true/dj-khaled-does-nothing

Most importantly, he wields power. He gets the best rappers into a room together, gives them a mantra (say, "We the Best!") and transforms it into an all-encompassing anthem, a hit song, and a slogan. His are the tracks that launch a thousand t-shirts.

Actually I think I found JUST the right person to attend Mr. Whitby's sets. I give you Mike Cernovich.

http://gawker.com/the-d-list-right-wingers-whove-turned-gamergate-into-th-1648410811

It turns out he has very clear musical tastes. He is also batshit.

http://www.dangerandplay.com/2014/07/22/music-you-listen-to-personality/

ftr, I didn't mean I think DJ's in general "don't do anything," I just mean it seems like there's this whole genre now of dudes who make hundreds of thousands of dollars a night for doing very little.

Hard to put a value on transporting minds and souls though tbrr.

Have Daft Punk DJed anywhere in the world at all in the last year (or whenever this poll covers)?

r|t|c was correct up there:

http://i100.independent.co.uk/article/the-truth-about-the-worlds-worst-dj-biography--gkGdLLQwUg

I still want to believe

This is like watching an aerobics video that never gets anywhere
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBZjZ6eAzMw

http://djmag.com/node/50222

"There are already signs that many of the top DJs are jumping ship from EDM. Originally a term for all electronic dance music, EDM came to mean that big room blend of electro-house, trance and brostep wobble that has dominated club-land for the past couple of years. The sound has been experiencing a backlash though, and from their Top 100 answers it looks as though many DJs are now trying to distance themselves from EDM. So is it EDM RIP?

Out of this year’s Top 100 DJs, only American new entry MAKJ describes his DJ style as ‘EDM’. All the top jocks are now using words like “energetic” and talking about “the return to groove” that signals a move towards big room house. Laidback Luke is championing the term ‘future house’ — “future house is deep house meets EDM,” he says"

love it when DJs try appending 'future' to an existing genre.

DJ Angerfist, today

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2008/07/31/mike_read_140x140.jpg

his devotees put one arm around him and pose with their hero as the other arm acts as a remote-controlled tri-pod for the self-portrait

partridge

I'm oddly heartened that there is a gabber DJ in the top 100.

Have Daft Punk DJed anywhere in the world at all in the last year (or whenever this poll covers)?

They place every year in DJ Mag's chart.

I'm not actually sure when the last time they actually DJ'd was though - 2007 maybe?

hahaha this fantasy movie intro to hardwell is the dumbest/most hilarious thing i've ever seen

one funny thing is how the DJ was supposed to erase the barrier between performer and audience, making everything an experience not sitting their worshipping at the foot of rockstar idols, etc etc and look at this shit lmao

I want to make a track where instead of the "TEN...NINE...EIGHT..." countdown before the drop it goes "FIVE...SIX...FIVE-SIX-SEVEN-EIGHT!"

"a-wonderful a-wonderful-a-one...two...three...four...BEEOW BEEOW BEEOW BEEOW BEEOW BEEOW BEEOW BEOW-BEOW-BEEEOW BEEOW BEEOW BEEOW"

http://gifsforum.com/gif_generator/gif_created/584704877be644a2118d8ed4db4d336a.gif?1413908974466

m@tt otm

Hardwell bullshit is hilar

http://youtu.be/8rzn02QHbHc

I'm not actually sure when the last time they actually DJ'd was though - 2007 maybe?

more likely the 90s? I think Thomas played three songs at Busy P's birthday party in 2008 or so.

Dance genre naming has always been a mess, but appropriating EDM for electro house has to be the stupidest yet. Who started that?

I didn't mean I think DJ's in general "don't do anything," I just mean it seems like there's this whole genre now of dudes who make hundreds of thousands of dollars a night for doing very little.

The superstar DJ isn't exactly a new phenomenon. It's just moved to the US in recent years.

I don't really see the problem with appropriating EDM and electrohouse really. EDM is p much a trancier, more steroidy version of the former + brostep noises.

Problem is that EDM has been used widely for 15+ years as a catch-all term for all electronically produced dance music, from the late 70s onwards. Redefining it to just electrohouse anthems is hugely confusing.

Also, hilarious to see Boy George at #89.

idk if this is a continental Europe thing but I can't remember ever hearing EDM before it became what it is now

when I was 'getting into music' 20 or so years ago I think 'techno' was used in that same umbrella type way but that eventually passed I guess

can't remember ever hearing the term EDM, that should say

Really? Even wikipedia has a whole article about the confusion: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_dance_music

In Europe everybody referred to it as just "Dance" but in the US the term EDM was in use for a long time, I remember the EDM Awards somewhere in the mid 90s.

Gotta say as a Britisher I agree with Mencap. I never really heard of the term 'EDM' being used as a currency, at least not as an acronym. It was 'dance' or for less discerning people, 'techno'. EBM and IDM, yes. All genre terms are misnomers and subject to flux though I guess.

Yeah it's always just been 'dance music' here. I've never heard of EBM though. Electronic Beat Music?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_body_music

nothing to do with EDM or modern dance music really.

As an American who was never a big dance guy but who at least remembers the 90s and AMP on MTV and such, I remember hearing "electronica" as the catch-all term rather than EDM or Electronic Dance Music. Otherwise things were mostly broken down into genres.

Same goes for any stadium rock band tho. Playing guitar for 90 minutes definitely takes less effort than DJing a 3-5 hour set, unless you're Angus Young.
― Siegbran, Wednesday, October 22, 2014 3:58 AM (4 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

1) o rly 2) you're just turning the usual rockist argument on its head anyway which doesn't make it less dumb

they're two very different things guys. it's like saying sculpture is more difficult than painting because you're working in 3D.

Same goes for any stadium rock band tho. Playing guitar for 90 minutes definitely takes less effort than DJing a 3-5 hour set, unless you're Angus Young.

― Siegbran, Wednesday, October 22, 2014 4:58 AM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Except (1) No stadium rock band makes hundreds of thousands of dollars a night except maybe the Stones, and (2) I'm talking about guys who seem to be doing almost nothing, like their set seems presequenced and they just pointlessly fiddle a few knobs.

A reasonably well known elctronic artist with whom I am aquainted once confided in me that he does litterally nothing at his popular live shows. Just presses play, waves his arms about and occasionally prestends to look busy.

to play devil's advocate, the work is in setting up the set (which is presumably synched to crazy lights & visuals) and in making music that hundreds/thousands of kids want to hear.

most of these dudes are corny and i'm not a fan, but they're tapping into something (and providing a service) that other musicians who might have more talent/skill/experience don't care to delve into anyway.

to play devil's advocate, the work is in setting up the set (which is presumably synched to crazy lights & visuals) and in making music that hundreds/thousands of kids want to hear.

Oh yeah, absolutely. They're not talentless, no matter what you think of their tunes, and I'm sure they've worked exrememly hard to get where they are. Just, for the actual duration of the gig they don't really do anything.

Yes they do, eg Britney makes $300.000 a night.

The economics of filling an 50.000 capacity arena with a rock band or with a DJ aren't any different, and the performers don't get widely dissimilar cuts either. There's not much of a mystery to it - you bring in the punters, you get paid.

this whole thread is like stepping into a conversation from 2006.

i'm still reeling from that hardwell set

Well Britney dances her ass off for a couple hours, but no one really gets paid solely/primarily based on how much effort they put in so it's silly anyway. Obviously anyone at the $300,000/night level of any field has SOMETHING that puts them above the enormous competition that inevitably chases $300,000/night. It's still amusing to watch people make that money for basically being second-rate cheerleaders/spin instructors while literally faking that they are having an effect on the music coming over the speakers.

i pretty much press play when i DJ. where' s my £300k?

Well it's not as if people are there to watch the amazing turntablist action (tho dudes like Umek used to do pretty amazing things on 4-deck setups), pretty much everyone is there to dance to the latest tunes by the guy + mixed in with some other recent records in the same style. I always view it as the producer travelling the world to show off his latest music to the fans, on a huge sound system with a big lightshow, to get the applause as well as the cheques. A big release party if you will.

Also, the way the biz is these days, there's much less money in record sales, so they have to tour for cash. The days where producers could stay at home counting their cash and send a couple of pretty dancers and a backing tape on the road (aka the Disco era) are over.

yeah for sure the point is to be in the atmosphere, hear/feel the booming sounds, be dazzled by the lights and feel graced by the iconic presence and lightly flopping hair, not to observe a skilled performer at work. So w/e.

watched five minutes of hardwell, going to commit suicide now

at the 5 min mark i was still listening to corny movie trailer narration and not w/e hardwell is

unless the dude is just playing portentous 'coming to a theater near you this halloween...' traxxx for thousands of ppl every night, which would be p awesome

Dave Clarke has his say on EDM in his usual restrained manner:

http://djmag.com/node/50178

if only those ignorant kids who don't remember what Frankie Knuckles did thirty years ago would just get off his lawn...

Meanwhile, Deadmau5 is annoyed with people further down the skills scale.

Ha, that's brilliant

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2DBYr_Z1hfg/TzQEMQoSCpI/AAAAAAAAC7U/adKEI54v0zY/s320/IronyMeter1.gif

djs are obsessed with how little work other djs do, neurosis is a good pr tool

Hah, I wonder what Yngwie Malmsteen thinks of Sunn O)))

Yngwie's opinion of most musicians that weren't Yngwie Malmsteen or Ritchie Blackmore was pretty low

Dave Clarke has his say on EDM in his usual restrained manner:

http://djmag.com/node/50178