Steve Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 Discuss. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest broke Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 Even if you're not in it to win it, battling hones your skills and also gets the creative juices flowing. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted August 3, 2013 Author Share Posted August 3, 2013 Skills that achieve what in the long run? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vekked Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 Playing golf is pointless, discuss. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted August 3, 2013 Author Share Posted August 3, 2013 Golf isn't a good example. Tiger Woods is just doing what I would do as a regular golfer - he's just shit loads better than me at it. He's not saying "look how many times I can do keepy-uppies on the end of my putter" which then creates some niche thing that nobody but the handful of other people doing it give a shit about. That's what battle DJing is. It's the equivalent of a clown that comes out and does a juggling act, then they fuck off and people go "that was ace, but now I've seen it, I don't want to see it again". In fact it's even worse than that, because there's no mass appeal. If there was, Craze could have made a living from doing 6 minute DMC sets every week. If you're a DMC winner you either go on to mixing normally (i.e. playing golf), or you get a job stacking shelves at Tesco. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vekked Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 not worth a full argument but I'll entertain:-plenty of routines have >1 mill views on YT, mass appeal-would Craze/A-Trak/Kentaro/DMC winners be where they are if battling didn't have appeal?-most major DJ equipment companies hire battle winners to demo equipment-getting sponsored is next to impossible without winning battles unless you're pretty much a legend in your scene-lots of stuff has mass appeal that you can't necessarily make a living at, such as photoshopping funny pictures-doesn't make sense that winning competition in a certain format means you have to adhere to that format when you're not competing... why would someone have to do 6 min battle sets when they don't have a 6 min time limit and they're not in a battle?-is it pointless to make 90 min mixes of hip-hop from 1979 b/c you can't make a living playing 90 min 1979 hip-hop sets? could argue pretty much anything is pointless that isn't directly related to what you would do outside of the context... ex, It's pointless to do 100m races because nearly everywhere you go is farther than 100m away, and you rarely only sprint 100m when you need to sprint. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 I'd argue that notoriety, prizes and skill aquisition aren't pointless pursuits. You might not be interested in this stuff and to be fair I'm not into most 6 minuters, but its a bit small minded to say its pointless shit and write off the skills gained as akin to clown juggling. You've likened scratching to bagpipes in the past too.. Scratchings scratching.. It is what it is. There are examples of DMC winners not doing anything with their titles.. and there are examples of people making a comfortable living doing what they love. Depends on the person and how they use the title theyve worked for. Same shit happens when people go through university then sit on their arses expecting jobs to come to them just because they have a degree. Its not realistic. If you end up stacking shelves at Tesco after winning DMC its your own doing, not because work isnt there or there isnt appeal. There may not be mass appeal on the level of a pop artist, but there seems to be more than enough appeal there to make a comfortable living from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted August 3, 2013 Author Share Posted August 3, 2013 It's fine. I was only posting a rebuttal to Vekked's golf analogy. Obviously battle DJs are in great demand - either in ads for DJ equipment that nobody is buying or for fliers for DMC ads on Facebook. I respect the skills it takes to be a battle DJ, just like I respect the skills it takes to be good at doing the yo-yo. Have you seen the shit some of those yo-yo guys can do? That must have taken years of practice! I bet the really great yo-yo doods get certificates and stuff and they post them on Facebook and other doods that like yo-yos click "like" and say "hey man, you're really good with that yo-yo." I saw a video on YouTube the other week where a guy played a trick on his GF and he fired flour into her face and it got 1 million hits in like 3 days. But you know, if it takes a good battle set 5+ years to hit those kind of viewing figures, it's equally as worthy. Respect due. As for scratching and bagpipes, bagpipes are WAY more popular than scratching. Both largely sound like shit to me, but there you go. The people have spoken. If fucking about with this stuff works as a foot in the door, that's cool, but when your foot is in the door make sure you have something to show other than a 6 minute routine of juggling old rap records or 20 second clips of scratching on YouTube. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted August 3, 2013 Author Share Posted August 3, 2013 Actually, I suppose I should take some of that back. Craze put out mixtapes during his battle career. He put out his first solo album in 1999. The Allies album came out in 2,000. So, DMC competitors have done interesting things other than posting short video clips. But yeah, who needs to fuck about with shit like that in 2013? Being able to scratch and/or juggle is the recipe for success just like it has been for so many other DJs, whose names I can't think of unless they're "Qbert". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 obvious steve is obvious 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest loop skywalker Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 Describe a comfortable living in terms of money ? I would describe it as 2500 just to keep the mortgage and bills getting paid. 3k a month to be comfortable and do a few things too....more if youre in London. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest loop skywalker Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 I think battling isnt pointless in terms of cool experiences and friends you may make along the way,but financially it is a waste of time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wax On Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 not worth a full argument but I'll entertain: -plenty of routines have >1 mill views on YT, mass appealbut nearly all of those views are by you 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P-Nuts Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 Don't normally post here but I'll say this, battling def helps you advance your turntablism in a way that is more user friendly, random plebs don't like 20 min ahh freestyles but they will like a well presented scratch routine using a song/something they are familiar with. To be honest if someone comes and does a 60 min set of just mixing I'm like, cool, good songs, nice blends, I'm sure everyone else is too, but when you can do mixing just as well as the mix guys and throw in your turntablist skills (which battling helps develop) it makes for a much more memorable and enjoyable set. I think this is perhaps a case of 'You're not a real DJ because you don't have 100,000 records' said the collector to the guy with skills. Everyone has personal bias, those that battle will be for it, those that don't probably want to save a bit of their own skin by shunning it as not important. If your into hip hop, battling is important, period, fair play DMC isn't really a 'battle' it's more a competition or showcase, but when that's the only real outlet you have to go and smoke all the other hip hop dudes, you go do it. Anyway that's my 2 cents, I didn't really think about this post when I was throwing it together and I haven't read over it so I have probably contradicted myself/left huge holes in my arguments/made myself look like a dick. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pub Tropicana Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 hi DV, PUB HERE I both sides have a point. I know Steve was fishing for a discussion with the OP (and it worked so fair play) but for personally I'd rather see a DJ with limited skills break out great records, dropped at the right time, showing a good knowledge of music than a DJ with ridiculous scratching and juggling skills chop seven shades out of a played out or plain rubbish tune. That was a long sentence. It's like cooking: I'd rather be served quality ingredients, prepared in a simple way than be served over-fancified rubbish. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kian Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 steve is apparently on his menustical cycle. his emotional state will be restored pretty soon. LOL 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P-Nuts Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 Good point Pub. But I don't think it has to be either or, lots of people have great skills as well as great selection abilities. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
savwar Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 battling is nerdy, fast and fiddly and i like things like that. i love wanky guitar solos, and if, when i was 14 there was a competition in my area for doing so i would have entered it. i like magic tricks. i love watching videos of people being good at quite pointless stuff..I'm competitive and i like being better at things than people too. And the self actualization, and someone telling you so, doesn't feel bad.. It exists and because of it i've met loads of cool people, been flown to a few countries to do it, won some prizes... (edit, and surprisingly met some women...) most shit is pointless if you think about it enough, its the character in you it creates that is the benefit.there's a lot of shit i hate, but i think fuck it, if it means that fucker has an interest and something they love, go for it.goths for example. i mean what the fuck is that all about, but still you've got an interest and except for wanting people to look at you a bit, you keep yourself to yourself. i don't like computer games really though... i used to a bit,and socially, the people i do know that are into them have, i would say achieved less than anyone i know into battling... *edit - my goth analogy was completely pointless... wrong thing to have picked. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vekked Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 I saw a video on YouTube the other week where a guy played a trick on his GF and he fired flour into her face and it got 1 million hits in like 3 days. But you know, if it takes a good battle set 5+ years to hit those kind of viewing figures, it's equally as worthy. Respect due. As for scratching and bagpipes, bagpipes are WAY more popular than scratching. Both largely sound like shit to me, but there you go. The people have spoken. True, good point. So it takes a good battle set 5+ years to hit a million, and Angela Winbush hasn't hit a million views, I suppose she's even less worthy. There are even some bagpipes tunes with over a million views unlike AW If fucking about with this stuff works as a foot in the door, that's cool, but when your foot is in the door make sure you have something to show other than a 6 minute routine of juggling old rap records or 20 second clips of scratching on YouTube. Such as mixtapes of hip-hop from 1979 right? No mixtape at all might even be better than one that no one listens to, a short scratch routine with something more relevant like some trap would surely get more hits, and people would actually listen all the way through rather than shutting it off 1/4 way through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 Yeh sav touched on something I wanted to add - If you love doing something and you see yourself improving youre not gonna think the time you put into practicing is pointless. The people that are genuinely skilled and win competitions are (in my opinion) the ones that have the most passion/enthusiasm/curiosity/love for what they do. If you have to give a fair chunk of each day away practicing, then it helps if youre genuinely into what youre doing.. Practice becomes play instead of work.. So it doesnt matter that it might take 5 years to get good enough to battle since those 5 years are spent well. Ive thought about competing for a good few years but it was never a reason for me to practice. I enjoy it a lot and if i win any future battles then its a byproduct of that enjoyment. Going back to the whole mass appeal thing too, me mate john got 150,000 views in 3 days back in 2011 with one of his juggling routines. Hes on 302,000 views now - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
savwar Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 on that note chile, my mate tuki's vid of his DMC set has over 3 million views...he's a great dj, particularly club dj... but this is not the most joe public accessible set in the world, i dont know how he's done it.... it's one of the top results for scratching... but yeah, if you like scratching in any form, you can't say that battling hasn't elevated the skill level... it simply has... competition does that. whether it be car companies or computer parts or whatever... yeah we may be the harlem globetrotters of the DJ world, but i prefer it to what most other wankers do. i've worked in record shops for years, and i found we're the soundest out of the entire bunch to deal with (although thats probably because i share the interest). If there were battles in the techno/house world it might actually prevent some pricks from constantly thinking theyre the shit, as it will prove that they're not.but hey, enjoy what you do.... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted August 3, 2013 Author Share Posted August 3, 2013 True, good point. So it takes a good battle set 5+ years to hit a million, and Angela Winbush hasn't hit a million views, I suppose she's even less worthy. There are even some bagpipes tunes with over a million views unlike AW I thought my trolling was bad, but this is even worse, lol. Would you rather sell over 10,000,000 records or get over 10,000,000 hits on YouTube? I know what I'd rather do. But what is your point? That singing is pointless? Or just one particular singer? a short scratch routine with something more relevant like some trap would surely get more hits Yeah man, cos that's what it's all about, right? Hopping on whatever is the current bandwagon to chase hits. Never mind putting something out that you actually like yourself, regardless of how many hits you think it will get. But in your case, without actually liking any music that isn't scratch sentences and beats from Dirtstyle records, what else can you do? When your favourite lyrics from a song are "say what funky fresh beep ahhh yeah fresh" then you're kinda fucked in that regard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHouse Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 Winning a battle may get you pussy, winning a juggling contest you get balls... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wax On Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 hi DV, PUB HERE I both sides have a point. I know Steve was fishing for a discussion with the OP (and it worked so fair play) but for personally I'd rather see a DJ with limited skills break out great records, dropped at the right time, showing a good knowledge of music than a DJ with ridiculous scratching and juggling skills chop seven shades out of a played out or plain rubbish tune. That was a long sentence. It's like cooking: I'd rather be served quality ingredients, prepared in a simple way than be served over-fancified rubbish.LOLZ Pub, you need to do a ma$ters in linguists to improve your sentences I think! Hehe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted August 4, 2013 Author Share Posted August 4, 2013 Winning a battle may get you pussy Yeah, that's one thing I love about the DJ battle scene. It's packed full of women. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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