Is there any DJ that is like the Eddie Van Halen or Jimi Hendrix of the DJ world?

[Manipulate]

I think you need technical dexerity in your creation of music to be a musician. Otherwise you're more of an arranger or composer. Pretty much anything can be a musical instrument if you can play it. A washboard can be an instrument. But unless you're actually using your hands (or mouth or feet) to trigger the sound, and there is a direct connection between your movements and the sound then I don't think you're really a musician.

[LogiclFrequency]

This is speaking purely from a dance music perspective:

I assure you that 9 out of 10 professional DJ's will claim Jeff Mills as "The DJ's DJ".

Other's that have been mentioned but re-stated for emphasis and others I dont believe have been mentioned but should:

Danny Tenaglia
Derrick Carter
Marshall Jefferson
Ron Hardy
Larry Levan
Goldie
LTJ Bukem
Richie Hawtin
Josh Wink
Carl Cox
Adam F
Danny Rampling
Eric Morillo

Anyone who can debate the contributions these guys have made to the dance music genre, I'd love to hear it. That is ROCK solid list of innovators and true achievers. And if anyone mentions Tiesto in this thread, they know NOTHING of non-commercialized dance music. Keep it underground.

More importantly, real DJ's are producers first and DJ's second.

[BigDolla]

DJ Shadow, Cut Chemist,

Z-Trip

Mike Relm (DVD Scratcher)

Bassnectar (heavy rock vibe)

Askillz

[wchua24]

how about dj tiesto is he really the number 1 dj? in trance music industry?

[bangpow]

Add Kenny Jammin Jason, Farley Jackmaster Funk, and David Mancuso to that list. Farley embarrassed Grandmaster Flash head to head with a totally new style of scratching that was later adopted by ALL future world DJ champions, such as Cash Money and Bad Boy Bill. Kenny Jammin Jason perfected beat mixing, phasing, and backspinning way back in the 70's. Mancuso played at the Loft in New York and defined the underground dance club as we know it.

 

 

^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

Not really take this topic off track but this guy right here is kind of a legend in his own right when it comes to producing.

 

Time Marches On and The Jungle are still classics to this day. Not to mention the Mike Ink (another legend) remixes of Move Your Body...

[bangpow]

I assure you that 9 out of 10 professional DJ's will claim Jeff Mills as "The DJ's DJ".

 

 

I'll say yes and no to that. While I like Mills, sometimes his wild kind of style cause him to screw up royally....a lot. While some people are into it, I don't really pump up on that kind of style as much as I used to.

 

Now, you want to talk about "a Dj's DJ", then you have to take a look at cats like Laurent Garnier and an even newer player in the scene in Cassy. That woman can flat out play some records.

 

Then there's guys like Mike Huckaby who have also been playing forever as well and may not be in the spotlight as much, but is one of the most consistent DJ's out there.

 

So, basically. I don't think there is one DJ that is like the Jimi of DJing. It's hard to really compare due to all the different styles of music out there to go along with the fact that different styles of music require different techniques, so to speak.

[bangpow]

alright my spankys... I'm new to this forum... ths has been an interesting thread to read... I see two questions to answer here... Who is the inovator and are dj's musicians? The inovator..... There are different levels of dj's out there using equipment that has exploded and changed the way dj's work over the as five years or so. If you look at Ritchie Hawtins Dex effects and 909 release versus his later stuff you will hear a big difference. Why? things went from using turntables and drum machines, and effects to using laptops to dj. There are thos dj's who create loops from songs and pick them apart to put back together with other songs to make a mix seamless with the computers... these are DJ's Then there are those such as hawtin and even sasha who no one has mentioned who deconstruct songs... use parts and add samples of other songs... create new rythms and soundscapes... remix and create music live with LIVE. These are musicians. Hawtin completely deconstructs and creates new music to the point it is difficult to tell where the samples came from. He is as his style suggests very minimal. Sasha on the other hand is a bit more airy and sophisticated... not necessarily for the boys... a bit more sultry. You can't compare them directly to van halen and henrix as their moods don't fit the same mold. They are both inovators of the modern dj as musician era. By the way Hawtin is not only the man... he and john aquaviva created the first final scratch system... that's right... created it... then sold the idea to a company to produce and distribute the equipment. That's f$#%&^g innovation right there I don't care who you are. Funny but I heard them back in 91 when they were known as cybersonic... they opened for moby and the prodigy before anyone knew who they were. To say that Dj's are not musicians is correct. Some Dj's have now become electronic lap top playing musicians. Oe created his own instuments.... I didn't see Eddie or Jimmy do that. So please... there is no comparisson... you are correct to assume that.

 

 

K, first off you can't really go by Hawtins mix CD's to get an accurate portrayal of his mixing. Those were studio mixes done on a computer. In fact, I love his Mixmag CD, but that was done using 1 turntable.

 

Even is DE9 mixes were done a computer as well.

 

He did, however, use to tear stuff up live with turntables and all his effects and drum machines and what not. However, he has since given all that up and uses two laptops to DJ now. No turntables are even in the equation anymore.

 

As far as Cybersonik goes, you are missing one very, very important piece of that project and that is Dan Bell. And if you ask me, Dan Bell is more versatile and consistent when it comes to production than Hawtin is. The stuff Hawtin was doing with his Plastikman stuff back in the 90's was groundbreaking at the time, but I don't think he's really done anything since then to even match that project. Which is fine because it's unrealistic to think that one can keep on topping himself throughtout his entire career.

 

Speaking of the Plastikman stuff, you can catch little tricks here and there which were influenced by some of the early Mike Ink stuff.

 

Oh and Richie and John didn't invent Final Scratch, they were at a trade show where they saw two guys displaying the technology and aided financially to get it moving.