YOU LEARN FROM EVERYTHING [THE DEEJAYMAGS – CHANGE AND SHORT]
We needed a third part.
Yes, I know. Was a third part necessary? We could fill many pages discussing what is or isn't necessary in this life. It's not needed. What follows, I believe, is still the result of one of the goals I envisioned when I first shared these "reflections" publicly: that your feedback would contribute content of undeniable interest. And the Deejaymags have proven this.
(Article published in the May 2010 issue – no. 148)
YOUR (SUTIL) EDITORIAL
This is a summary of the comments received in the REFLECTIONS section of www.davidgausa.com.
We've added four more opinions to those received previously, and they're all excellent…
Jose Luis:
(…) Putting Nacho Vidal in charge of presenting such an important gala for all of us who love this profession is almost an insult. (…) He justified it by saying that the sponsoring brand had demanded a more media-savvy person. Isn't Neil a media personality? Aren't there any DJs in Spain who could present such an important gala? I have an idea for the next edition: why not do the gala like the Oscars or the Goyas? That is, each award could be presented by one, two, or three different DJs. They don't even have to be "famous" DJs; they could be resident DJs from clubs, or even an international DJ. Why not?.
Regarding Nacho Vidal's partner (Sandra Almaraz), are there no female DJs in Spain who would like to present this gala? Doesn't the March issue preach that we have to be a family of DJs, both among ourselves and when it comes to producing? So why not put DJs who have music in their blood in charge of the gala? (…)
Isaac:
(…) Yes!! Absolutely yes!; these are real awards and they reflect the reality of the club scene. How could they not reflect reality when the club scene itself is like the awards ceremony and the gala? Many producers with quality tracks and hard work are ruthlessly crushed in the very few and minority public spaces where dance and club music are discussed, by productions of, let's say, "dubious reputation or quality," simply for the sake of publicity and marketing (they would have been perfect for your previous post!!)
Nacho Vidal (with whom I have a certain friendship) didn't do too badly, given his experience with events, but, I'm sorry to say, he doesn't represent the values of a DJ or the clubbing movement at all, no matter how much of a party animal he is or how many times he's tried to do DJ gigs in various clubs. Someone like Pocholo Martínez Bordiú would have represented the clubbing and commercial value of the gala much better; perhaps then we would have been entertained by something more than just the elaborate projections!
Perhaps we should learn from the Oscars. The fact that the industry itself (in this case, the film industry) scores and votes on the works, and that professionals—previously filtered by a committee of experts and industry professionals, each voting or nominating candidates within their own category and professional sector—would be equivalent in our case to 100 or 200 established professional producers selecting 5 nominated productions or producers, and another 100 or 200 DJs doing the same with the DJs, and so on. To maintain the engagement and participation of the clubber public in general, they should, through whatever formula or method is chosen, vote for the best party, the best club, or even the best song in their respective genres once these have been pre-selected by the industry experts and professionals! This method, if done correctly, would avoid strange suspicions about the awards, since the wider the range of professionals in the sector who select the nominees, the less danger of favoritism, cronyism, and mistrust there would be!
Until things change, these are the awards we deserve, or at least the ones we can expect. I, like so many others, belong to one of the least represented DJ groups at these awards. Aside from the superstars, has anyone ever seen a resident DJ nominated if they're not well-known? It doesn't matter if the club is top-notch, or always packed with great music, if the DJ, like me, is unknown and doesn't even appear! Or has anyone ever seen a nominee who's, let's call it, a "versatile" DJ or plays a variety of music? Because the reality is, there are more clubs that program a variety of music than just House or Dance! But anyway... if they don't recognize the true professionals who have dedicated years and years to this, and instead recognize, reward, and praise some 19- or 20-year-old kid with practically no experience, just because he gets publicity! As you so aptly put it in the previous post, David; LONG LIVE MARKETING!
Anonymous:
(…) I'm one of those who thinks and defends the voting process as entirely legitimate, but I don't share that opinion about some of the nominations. (…) Categories like "best festival" have disappeared. I believe there are more and more high-quality festivals in our country, so we shouldn't forget to recognize them, because of the work that goes into producing one.
A festival costs a lot, but doing it well, like in Monegros or Electrosonic (to name a few), costs even more.
Nacho Vidal, yes or no? Absolutely not. Their justification of saying the sponsor demanded someone with more media presence to host the gala is appalling, especially considering that in some issue I can't recall which, they criticized these kinds of people—actors or third-rate celebrities—who exploit their TV fame to promote a handful of albums, taking work away from people who are truly dedicated to creating music day after day in a studio. But hey, the clubs and discos that hire them are also partly to blame, but that's a separate issue.
Varela was a deserved winner of the prize, but Wally or Juanjo Martin could have won it and nothing would have changed.
There's been a lot of criticism: Varela this, how so-and-so could have won such-and-such a prize, or so-and-so that. Whether Varela bought the magazine or not, he can do what he wants with his money, but I think the people at Deejay magazine, and Varela himself, are smart enough not to rig something like that, since they'd be digging their own social grave. Anyway, there are a lot of envious people out there, and unfortunately, the vast majority of Spaniards love to talk and criticize.
Regarding the criticism I hear so often about DJs who have won awards and whether their music is bad and they still received the award, or about producers and DJs like Juanjo Martin, Nano, and others playing makina/house, or Juan Magan playing reggaeton/house… Everyone produces what they feel and what works for them. If Juanjo does a cover of "Millenium" and it goes to number one in Spain, then good for him. If Juan Magan does "Bora Bora" and earns one or two gold records (more than one person was green with envy, I'm sure), then good for him. If they win awards, it's because people voted for them, so the music they make or play, whether we like it or not, people like it. So the problem isn't with them; perhaps it's with radio stations, since they have the power to educate the public, perhaps it's the public for requesting that music, or perhaps it's us for not understanding the mentality of the Spanish clubber. It saddens me to see how incredibly talented DJs and producers, who release music on the world's biggest labels, are undervalued here, while outside our borders they're considered stars. It saddens me to see how other countries adore and revere their DJs, and that's not exactly the case here, but this is Spain, and this is how it is. And consequently, national awards are won by those who deserve them.
Sometimes I think many of the producers and DJs were wrong to be born here. I hope things change someday.
Pau:
(…) I must admit – without meaning to belittle DG's articles, of course – that this April issue has been one of the most enjoyable reads I've had. It's wonderful to know that there are discerning people among electronics enthusiasts. I agree with Nico: DG's choice is excellent, given the topics it covers. Good luck with it, and keep up the good work; it's a real boon to the industry.
—
I'm glad to have been able to share your comments, and thus hand over the Editorial to you for two consecutive editions. I must clarify that I defend and will continue to defend the good intentions of the organization, and as they say, 'you can't please everyone'. Whatever happens, and whatever the future holds for Deejaymags and their reactions, we must always remember that the work of DJs/Producers/Promoters, etc., is not done to win awards. That's for sure! Let's wish our profession or hobby a long life!
I'm changing and cutting, definitely.
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