Every DJ needs to carve out a unique quality of some kind in order to separate themselves from the masses. Sometimes, however, they either overthink it, overdo it, or just plain miss completely. Today we list off five annoying gimmicks or habits some DJs use to augment their image that we would all honestly just be better off without.
(Disclaimer: I get that some of the things listed below are done by some very popular DJs. I think we all know that popularity doesn’t always equal talent. It’s 2017 and Kid Rock concerts still frequently sell out, don’t they?)
5: Having a gang of “randoms” on the stage with you.
I was recently disappointed by a DJ I had been really fired up about seeing and this is one of the reasons why. Gogo dancers or paid performers should be the only other people onstage. Random girls from the club/venue crowd are rarely good dancers and are purely a distraction. No one is going to say, “Oh! This guy gets the girls! Let’s buy his next release!” It might work for rappers, but I don’t hear this kind of talk in the dance music circuit. This level of “peacocking” is something I’d expect from a new DJ playing the side room and trying to look cool, not an experienced veteran.
4: Acting as though turning knobs is some kind of colossal feat.
This is one that A LOT of artists are guilty of. There’s a lot more to mixing than just equalizing or dropping the bass in and out. But some DJs insist on acting as though it’s the most difficult part of the set. It never fails. The next track is building, just about everything is set, and some clown drops down and turns a knob like he’s pipe-wrenching a fire hydrant. If turning knobs was that difficult, Krewella would have hung it up after Rain Man peaced out.
3: Throwing cake on people.
Cool trick, bro. There’s not a whole lot more I can elaborate on this. It’s a dumb idea, and you’re not getting in my car with frosting all over you. You should have caught a different stage, and now you can catch a cab.
2: Excessive shit-talking or profanity on the mic.
Grow up. It’s that simple. No one cares about how much you “don’t give a fuck!” Whether you’re doing it to mask the fact the you can’t transition (Carnage), or you’re just an asshole (Carnage), you’re only going to appeal to the kinds of guys who don’t care if she’s passed out. Stopping between every track to tell everyone they can suck your dick if they don’t like you is a level of douchery that is unmatched.
1: Celebrities becoming DJs.
Paris Hilton. Two words that can make any real DJ cringe like they were just shown a bukkake video starring their own mother. Toss in that asshat Pauly D from Jersey Shore and add your grandmother to the cast for good measure. Do you know what every successful DJ out there had to do at one point or another? Actually work. To just be given a residency based on the fact that you’re famous (and why are they?) is not only insulting to the people putting in the hours, but it also cheapens the total image of dance music. It merely serves to feed into the false narrative that anyone can be a DJ. They’re solely in it because of the rise in popularity. To them it’s no different than a new Louis Vuitton purse and just another weak avenue into relevancy when there are no more shitty sex-tapes to “leak.”
Are you annoyed by gimmicks? Let us know which ones in the comments!
Aside from a writer, Joe Ullo is also a DJ, comedian, food-porn specialist, and all-around audiophile.
