Guitarboy wrote in message ...
Just got finished watching a documentary called scratch. pretty
amazing. turntables are outselling guitars in the UK. I think what
these guys is pretty amazing BUT is it as exciting as watching a guy
who can really play play the guitar or a piano or a saxophone? it's
music that couldn't exist without pre -existing music. i'm kind of
confused. what do you guys think?

i think it really varies with what the DJ (or Turntablist) desires to
do...with how they approach it: some approach it as a turntable, some
approach it as a musical instrument.

for example, i know many DJs who mix songs together to keep the crowd
moving...other guys who do that same thing, except with a higher level
of creativity and (dare i say) artistry. the latter can be very
interesting to watch/listen to from a musical perpspective.

then there's the 'scratch' DJ... i've been working with just such a DJ
for a few years now recording various tracks for his label. this guy
is simply amazing. he definitely uses the turntable as an instrument.

i read something from Bill Laswell concerning the more serious musical
consideration that turntablists starting recieving in the 80s and so
on. there were music critics who were trying to liken turntablists to
bebop saxophonists in the new and various offshoot genres of hip-hop.
Bill laswell disagreed with the analogy, musically likening their
musical role instead to that of percussionists, which i would also
tend to agree with.

i think it's a mistake to try to figure out if it's the same as/as
good as/worse than/etc... the playing of a piano, a saxophone or a
guitar. watching an uninspired or unskilled performer has the
potential to be absolutely horrible with any instrument and
vice-versa. not only that, but some kinds of music (especially some
contemporary forms) are just not very well suited to live performance.
in a lot of cases this is why DJs are relevant in their less artistic
role as players of pre-recorded music.

i don't know if you've had the misfortune of observing a 'performance'
of some fantastic music by some geek with nothing but a laptop. it may
be music that you enjoy at home and maybe even during the performance,
but the way the music is made simply doesn't translate well into a
live act...you'll still be enjoying it just for the music, not for the
performance. that being said, it still might be something you want to
hear while you're out at a club, but doesn't make much difference
whether you see some geek with a laptop hitting the spacebar, or a DJ
putting on the record.