> As far as the question of what a musician really is is another
> question. But certainly this will be at the basis of my project. I'll
> keep most of this for the actual project, but I think for us to see how a
> DJ is a musician we must first reinterpret the function of a musician in
> the late 20th century. With the technology available to us today, the
> "musician"is in a state of flux; many challenges have been put forth to
> this notion, mainly the Dj. Who is to say that a Dj, who on a very basic
> level plays pre-recorded music, but also deconstructs, restuctures and
> reinterprets, collages and mixes, AND can function as a soloist through
> scratching, transforming, etc. is somehow not a musician. The musical
> power of a Dj is tenfold that of an traditional instrumentalist, even if
> they cannot physically play a melody. The rhythms (which, by the way, was
Certainly DJs who can exhibit those skills are definite artists - I don't
necessarily call DJs 'musicians' per se, but they do perform and produce
an art. However, not all DJs are artists - a mobile DJ who simply matches
tempos and does occasional scratching (that accounts for most of the DJs
I know) isn't much of an artist.
But I'd like to use this moment to express something here. This is not a
flame directed at anyone, but rather just honest opinion. As a musician who
plays mostly acid jazz music, I am somewhat disappointed personally that
his list is extremely DJ-oriented. I thought acid jazz was the kind of
music where DJs and musicians can collaborate and work on a collective
musical effort. I also thought that acid jazz would resurrect the
importance of live music played by several musicians, rather
than a single producer sheltered in his MIDI studio. Unfortunately, I don't
see very much of that anymore. Most of the big tunes that came out this year
were by DJs, not bands. In my town the only places I know that have acid
jazz music are just danceclubs, and only occasionally live bands.
While I fully appreciate DJing as an art form, there are some negative
effects from it. I do appreciate the DJs of this list, who do give their
respect to musicians, but from what I sense in the (standard)
hip-hop-oriented youth, playing a musical instrument is considered
"square" or "nerdy" or (gasp) "white."
Part of acid jazz, in my opinion, has become an education for younger
folks - that jazz is cool, and that trumpets, flutes, saxophones and
trombones are not just noisy things in the school orchestra, but a
vehicle for expression and style. Unfortunately, since acid jazz is more
or less a "Generation X" (God, I hate that term)-appreciated musical form,
not too many kids know about it or have even heard of it. Which makes me
wonder just how these kids will dictate the new musical styles of the early
21st century.
I apologize to most of you folks, as my opinion isn't exactly popular,
but it's just what I feel.
Elson