Professional Dj's playing prerecorded mixes. Opinion?

For myself, and I’ve only been to a handful of shows, its about the atmosphere and the sound/light system. That’s really what I’m paying for. I saw Daft Punk perform in Montreal in ’07, but I already had the Coachella festival bootleg from the year prior. Same set. They could’ve done it live, but it was the same mixes… however, I was not disappointed at all. The energy in the room was insane!

When I go to dubstep shows now, that’s why I go. The system, the energy, maybe some exclusive tracks, some excellent track selections. But I’m never watching the DJ… I’m raging!

It’s matter of taste and the show.
You think a dj who is on the tour 10-11 months with the same gig almost every day gonna play the mixes live? They go pre-recorded and just put some effects and samples on it to sound slightly different compared to the day before.
They make the show and they have to give you the impression that they do everything right then at the spot.
About “playing a fake set they might as well not even be there”…..I have 1 word for this: Kraftwerk 🙂

the “I’m on tour a lot” excuse doesn’t do it for me. A lot of shows say either “Live” or “DJ set” somewhere in their information. For example deadmau5 who plays his music live, also does his unplugged shows where it’s just djing. Same with nero. And I wouldn’t expect either of them to just pop on a CD and play solitaire for 2 hours while bobbing their head. If it’s going to be a DJ set, that’s fine, but don’t lie about it. I feel no sympathy for the guys spinning off the same tracks gig after gig. If they can’t handle mixing live every show, then I think they’re in the wrong business. DJ’s have more musical freedom than any other musician. You think the foo fighters don’t get tired of playing the same songs at every show? As a DJ, and especially as an international star DJ, you can spin something totally random in on a whim. If you’re bored by your set, that’s your own fault.

It’s this sort of behavior that makes no one take digital DJing seriously. I can’t even imagine playing a recorded set. It would take all the fun and passion out of it. If I step on a frayed cable in a puddle of beer get electrocuted and die, I want the crowd to know it within a short period of time.:cool:

I only know three instances when I’d say it’s ok.

1. You put together some lights/pyrotechnics set that has to align perfectly with the music, so you have PART OF (not all) of your show be where you play this mix and let the visual show do it.
2. A “megamix” where you take 5-8 big tracks and edit, cut, and intertwine them into a 7-10 minute megamix that you can play as a block. Back in the 80s and into the 90s a lot of these existed solely fro DJs to play and move the crowd with. I also won’t condone a DJ if he makes a wild “edit intro” and plays that in the beginning of his/her set.
3. When you’re the only DJ and it’s early in the night, a dead room, etc. I did this a few times when I was hired to play all night in a lounge. From 9 til 11 the place was empty, so I played some mixes I made in the past, but when people started showing up I went over to playing live.

In the case of a big name doing it mainly to cheat, then I don’t condone it. Like how Steve Angello was doing it in that video. I agree with Mr_John that if you’re going out and getting paid thousands to be a DJ, then be a DJ. Unfortunately as Cool Cats alluded to, people also just hire producers to show up and play their tunes. We as DJs can get mad, but the scene/consumers come out in droves…so the market has spoken.

If they can’t handle mixing live every show, then I think they’re in the wrong business

Pretty much this sums up my opinion – occasions like D-Jam mentioned I can accept, but nothing more than that….In fact if I notice such a thing hapening ( IF ) , I’ll turn 180 degrees (assuming the door is facing the booth) and walk away as fast as I can.

Here’s how I look at it. I was at an anime convention almost a year back, and after a few hours of fun, well mixed music, the power went out in the hotel, and was back up in less that a minuet. However, as soon as the power was back on, the music seemed to start over from the beginning. I realized that the dj had been playing a prerecorded set. This irked me, but the music was still fun and the people didn’t care, they came to dance, not to analyze.
Prerecorded sets are useful in three ways, when you’re nervous as hell, when you’re touring, and when you’re showing someone you’re work and style. Part of what makes a great dj, it your ability to read a crowd and pick the perfect track for the perfect moment. If you’re playing a prerecorded set, it may be a fun night, but not the best. Music, lovingly picked for the audience is what makes a night unforgettable.

Yeah, that’s the only thing I don’t like. It’s kinda like lip syncing. What’s the point in turning the nobs when we all know it’s fake? If you’re not going to do it right, then for gods sake at least try to fool everyone properly. But then again, if you do that you might as well just do it right.