Music evolution > the transition to digital set-wrecking is making its stake in the club scene, but is the tragic demise of vinyl taking the soul of the discotheque?
Technology’s presence in the club today is as strong as ever and it’s no secret that the continuing advance has made life easier for DJ’s. Sure, new music to add to the repertoire is as easy as a few mouse-clicks and jockeys can now travel with their entire music collection without bringing along crates of vinyl to baby-sit.
But true masters of the craft know that there is a certain energy needed from the crowd in order to keep the art form moving forward and that momentum has everything to do with the crowd’s response.
I spoke with the desert-bred DJ Z-Trip to get the scoop on the impact of all-digital sets. Z-Trip definitely has a knack for getting a crowd into the mix and knows how necessary it is to make people really feel the music. As the first DJ to headline Operation MySpace in Kuwait, Z felt it was important to give the troops a show that would help take their minds off of the war for a bit.
Z-Trip also played the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tennessee impelling 70K fans and their lighters to simulate a giant birthday cake before blowing them out with a mash-up of “Dust in the Wind.”
Here’s what a true master of the craft had to say about today’s club scene:
MARC: When did you get started as a DJ?
Z-TRIP: It’s coming up on 20 years.
MARC: What kind of equipment were you working with when you started spinning?
Z-TRIP: I had one belt-drive turntable and one direct-drive turntable. Only one of them had pitch control, so it was a bit tough to mix. I also a Pyramid mixer - real beat up stuff. I saved money all summer that year to buy a pair of used Technics 1200’s.
MARC: What about now?
Z-TRIP: I use the same turntables now actually. Well, not the same ones, but the same model. They are the standard to me. I also use a Rane TTM 57 SL Mixer and Serato, which is a program that allows me to use digital files as well as vinyl. So this makes it a bit easier, but I still prefer mixing with records.
MARC: How has today's technology changed the club scene?
Z-TRIP: I think in some ways it’s made things a little better, but in other ways it’s made it tougher. Now, with the ability to find and play anything under the sun via internet, most people are playing everything they want to, versus what they could only find in local record stores. That’s great but I think there was more room for creativity when people had boundaries; you actually had a ceiling you could hit before you had to stop hunting for stuff and actually work with what you had. The over-saturation of music and DJ’s is making the real good ones not stand out as much. It’s getting harder and harder to find people with the talent that goes along with the great record collection and the actual art of all this is fading, in my opinion. There aren’t many Jedi’s left.
MARC: Do you think the effect has been positive?
Z-TRIP: There is good and bad behind all of it. On one hand, technology has brought new life into this art form and that is well needed; but on the other hand, it’s opened the door to those who don’t understand the art and are just here for the benefits. Before, one used to have to invest lots of time and money into this before they were even close to being ready to be heard or seen. If they were serious and went through the proper channels, they would slowly learn it and evolve into something. Now, with the technology being what it is, it’s open to everybody and there aren’t as many obstacles that would weed out the bullshit. So you get a lot of thrill seekers who flood the market and then drop off after a couple years. Those people just get in the way; very rarely do they bring anything to the table that’s worthwhile.
MARC: Do you think the soul of the discotheque is still present in an iPod generated set?
Z-TRIP: I don’t think it’s dead but there is a sense of life support kicking in. The soul will always be there, but it’s not as strong as I’ve seen it in the past. Instant gratification at your fingertips breeds a short attention span, which deadens the experience. Some of the best tunes don’t even start to unfold until three or four minutes into the track. Try playing a song for four or five minutes in a club these days and people will leave the dance floor. But oddly enough, that’s the sort of thing that people really need to get back on track. They need the long road; there is way more soul to be felt in the extended version.
MARC: How has the digital transition impacted this generation's aspiring DJ's?
Z-TRIP: Nobody goes out of their house to buy music anymore and that sucks. I can tell you firsthand that being in a record store is more inspiring than being online.
MARC: Any other thoughts you would like to express?
Z-TRIP: I think it’s important for people to always try and push the boundaries or walk outside of their comfort zone with this shit. If not, it doesn’t stand a chance. The more you hear other people doing one thing musically, the more you should try and do the opposite. There is so much that hasn’t even been done yet. It takes someone with guts and a real love for music to inspire positive change. That is what I look for when I’m in the club. It’s always about taking chances.
