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The Generation Gap Widens

MANIPHESTMANIPHEST 40 Posts
edited April 2007 in Strut Central
Now I???m no dinosaur (32), and I appreciate that times change etc, but how many Soul Strutters have found the same frustrations when dj???ing in any club recently that the audience is becoming increasingly less receptive to any good music that was released pre year 2000 ?This is HARD WORK, the younger kids just don???t get classics like Pete Rock and Diamond let alone the best of the 80???s like Kane and Rakim even when mixed up with more modern records and the biggest surprise to me is why is no one under 30 feeling Electro ????????????????? ??? I mean to me Planet Rock, Al Nayfish, Hip Hop Be Bop etc was MIND BLOWING !!!!I know a lot of people are feeling this lately as I have been having this conversation over and over again recently.Surely good music is timeless ?????
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  • mannybolonemannybolone Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts
    I feel your frustration but is any of this REALLY that different from when we were the same age as the folks you're spinning for and people wanted to hear hip-hop and not disco or New Wave? The generation gap isn't new; it just keeps shifting. Blaming younger listeners is missing that point.
  • MANIPHESTMANIPHEST 40 Posts
    I'm not blaming the younger kids as times and music styles change , I guess I just always thought classic tracks would survive the test of time.

    It just seems more apparent recently.
  • JimsterJimster Cruffiton.etsy.com 6,890 Posts
    Not being a teenager I can't say for sure, but it seems things have a much shorter shelf-life these days. Anything older than a couple of months is binned in favour of the next ring-tone.

    Constant consume kids! Dispose of that income!
  • CousinLarryCousinLarry 4,618 Posts
    I feel your frustration but is any of this REALLY that different from when we were the same age as the folks you're spinning for and people wanted to hear hip-hop and not disco or New Wave? The generation gap isn't new; it just keeps shifting. Blaming younger listeners is missing that point.

    I know it sucks, but if you can't play stuff they like maybe you shouldn't be djing out, or at least find somewhere else to DJ like an oldfolks home.
  • MANIPHESTMANIPHEST 40 Posts
    Ha ha WORD LIFE
  • meistromocomeistromoco 953 Posts
    Golden era hip hop does not do it in the club anymore, at least for the young folks that did not grow up on it. When I was sneaking into spots in high school, that's all I heard...today I can maybe slip a few tracks in here and there, but that is not what is filling the floor. What has been doing it for me is mid-late 90s hip hop (big pun, q-tip, lord tariq & peter gunz, etc)
  • sticky_dojahsticky_dojah New York City. 2,136 Posts
    I don't know how often we had this discussion here. I agree, it is getting harder to spin music pre2000 for a young crowd. But it is still doable. I mean i had parties where we played everything from funk to biggie to old beastie boys to lil wayne to lil jon to cut chemist and the crowd went for everything (except for that hollertronix stuff, cause it was too fast ) I think it is also a matter of choosing your audience. But it is def. a rare thing when 19 year old girls come up in the club and ask for run dmc or beastie boys. But it is a nice feeling when it happens.soo nice. and classics will be classics, these kids today will just need the next reminder aka "sample that 90's classic again"...aren't we all sons of a loop da loop era? file under "drop lord tariq & peter gunnz so everyone will think it is shakira"...I am off to club wonderland where people cheer when they DON'T know a song...
  • CosmoCosmo 9,768 Posts
    What is "that Hollertronix stuff?"
  • tonyphronetonyphrone 1,500 Posts
    What is "that Hollertronix stuff?"
  • prof_rockwellprof_rockwell 2,867 Posts
    while I feel you, isn't part of being a DJ being up on new ish? I mean, it was always a big deal to go to the record store on tues/thurs to get the newest releases, and I always cherished my college radio show because I got shit months before it hit the store and get promo only remixes of hot trax.

    LIVE IN THE NOW!
  • tonyphronetonyphrone 1,500 Posts
    while I feel you, isn't part of being a DJ being up on new ish?


    or be an oldies act.



    which is a good option.
  • sticky_dojahsticky_dojah New York City. 2,136 Posts
    What is "that Hollertronix stuff?"

    You know, erm, that, well you know you take the "think break" and press buttons over it type a thang
  • meistromocomeistromoco 953 Posts
    "drop lord tariq & peter gunnz so everyone will think it is shakira"

    I love doing that.
  • sticky_dojahsticky_dojah New York City. 2,136 Posts
    LIVE IN THE NOW!

    But my TROY Crowd doesn't want to
  • DJBombjackDJBombjack Miami 1,665 Posts
    I blame MTV and ClearChannel for giving kids the same shit all day long. It's like musical A.D.D.
  • dayday 9,611 Posts
    it's all in how you do it.
  • sticky_dojahsticky_dojah New York City. 2,136 Posts
    it's all in how you do it.

    hell yeah.
  • sticky_dojahsticky_dojah New York City. 2,136 Posts
    while I feel you, isn't part of being a DJ being up on new ish?


    or be an oldies act. which is a good option.

    What about being both, i.e., playing mad old raer and that new hipster hop all in one set?
  • captainplanetcaptainplanet 626 Posts
    it's all in how you do it.

    yeah, I know there's mad little kiddies that still love to hear peter piper and don't sweat the technique and even those electro jawns, thing is, they don't want to hear the WHOLE THING. these days I feel kids get hype off hearing a WIDE breadth of sounds in a short amount of time- mixed well. I don't mean girltalk style, just switch it up before the 3rd verse. it's evolution. we gotta stay fit, thats all.
  • Controller_7Controller_7 4,052 Posts
    it's all in how you do it.

    I agree. I'm not really a dj, so I'm not talking about myself, but I think that you can throw old stuff in with new stuff and someone in the crowd will be like "wow, what is that song that sounds like Rump Shaker" and then they'll find out about Big Daddy kane and grow to love him. ha ha, like Rump Shaker is a new song. That was a bad example.

    I just mean that it's kind of like cooking. You cook up one of your classic, favorite recipes, but you throw in that sour sugar or the flamin hot cheetos spice on top so that the young kids can eat it up and grow to like it.

    I feel you on the original post though. It's almost that you feel like "come on, this is the real schitt. This is what you should be listening to!" but as Oliver said it would be like your parents telling you what the real schitt was. It's just the way it goes.

    Do kids like Billie Jean? Something like that seems so universal, but maybe it's some old man child molestor shit to the kids these days.
  • keithvanhornkeithvanhorn 3,855 Posts


    I feel you on the original post though. It's almost that you feel like "come on, this is the real schitt. This is what you should be listening to!"

    i don't get this. if you have to play a certain type of music to enjoy djing, then go start a niche party somewhere and promote it yourself. djs complaining about having to play mainstream music just doesnt make sense to me. there are so many DOPE djs who are forced to play commercial music. you can still be creative and have fun, regardless of what type of restrictions are imposed on you by the club manager or the crowd. shit, just listen to some quality radio show mix djs....even handcuffed by playlists, they are still
  • FatbackFatback 6,746 Posts
    shouldn't you do a better job choosing where you DJ? this is not about age.
  • CousinLarryCousinLarry 4,618 Posts

    Do kids like Billie Jean?

    Friday night two really cute young looking girls came up to the DJ booth. First girl says, "its my friends birthday." I go oh shit the birthday song, but she asked for Billie Jean. They danced the rest of the night. Along with a lot of other people. I personally find I can stretch out as far as song selection early in the night but I tend to stick to the classics later. As soon as I am no longer able to make crowds dance I will stop djing.
  • SyminSymin 999 Posts
    I go oh shit the birthday song,
    hahaha
    the truth, usually they wouldnt have to say more than that
    thats great that they wanted MJ though
  • MANIPHESTMANIPHEST 40 Posts
    Hold up.... dont get me wrong I play old , new and everything in between. I drop the mad rare and the well known.
    I have consistantly moved the crowd for the last 15 years but what my original point was is that I am suprised that even a 'give it up or turn it loose' doesnt move the crowd these days where as when I was younger and heard The Meters or Cymande being dropped by an older DJ I would be like what was that ???

    All I'm saying is crowds these days dont seem to care for the music as much as they used to or have that strong appreciation for what they hear its like they could be hearing anything where as even five years ago heads were vibing off new and old tunes.
  • MANIPHESTMANIPHEST 40 Posts
    I hear you about living in the now but most of the music of the now is garbage.

    Maybe thats the problem
  • FatbackFatback 6,746 Posts
    I hear you about living in the now but most of the music of the now is garbage.

    Maybe thats the problem

    where do you live/play out?
  • MANIPHESTMANIPHEST 40 Posts
    I live in the UK and play out all over the planet.
  • CosmoCosmo 9,768 Posts
    Lots of good music coming out these days. You just got to stay on top of it.
  • MANIPHESTMANIPHEST 40 Posts
    Cool I will keep my ears open.
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