REFLECTIONS - WHO SAID IT WAS GOOD TO SWIM IN THE...? [Part Two]

Mash-ups, a shift in public perspective, general conformity, a lack of authenticity…? This is where we are now, amidst all the opinions we've gathered on www.davidgausa.com. These concepts can be detected in every line written by our followers. We've sown the seeds, and we've reaped the harvest. Where can we go from here? Ideas are needed, but undoubtedly, with so much active discussion, they will emerge, and very good ones at that. Thank you all.

I'm going to show you again some of the comments we've collected on www.davidgausa.com about this, because as we predicted, there's a bit of everything, and it's interesting, although – yes – with a clear common denominator: they do convey (in general) that there's a certain creative 'crisis', what's not so clear is the cause: whether it's because the public wants that, or because the DJs, who opt and produce in that vein to take the 'easy way out'…
 
Brais Dacal:
‘'I think there's definitely a lack of creativity, and a fair amount of quality. As you rightly say, the remixes for Jaguar are overdone... and besides, most of them sound the same. There are producers who just churn out a lot to stay relevant, but they forget about quality, and that's a mistake. Music is supposed to be enjoyed, not just abundant and leave you wondering where to choose. As for the songs of the year, it's true that most are mashups, remixes, or from sources outside of electronic music, but hey... they get us moving. Ultimately, we need to try to change our approach to production...'«

Hashtag:
‘'I agree with you, David, on many of the points you make, especially the one about "this used to be cooler." (...) Today, there are more producers than there were 10 years ago. Today it's easier for a new producer to reach a wider audience. Today more music is released than 10 years ago. Because of all this, I think people might perceive that there's a lot of fluff when it comes to electronic music. But what's clear is that abundance generates more musical richness and more competitiveness, which in the long run means an increase in quality (...)'‘

Moreno P:
‘'Without a doubt, I miss original tracks in the top 10 of any chart. It's almost all remixes. I think with this reflection, Gausa, you'll find unanimity among electronic music fans with more discerning taste, and above all, without meaning to slight anyone. But since electronic music gained its full force by becoming a mass-market product, originality and creativity have clearly been diminished by, as you say, mash-ups. It might be a way to revisit the past to stay afloat, but I think this source is already running dry, and, hopefully for the best, the patience of those of us who still go to clubs to listen to DJ sets instead of looking for a high or the latest blonde is also running out. That's all I can say for now, thanks for your website.'.

Calmaestra:
‘"I think the problem is that people are being misinformed. If you look at the top spots on music download sites, they're all excessively danceable and similar tracks." What do I mean by this? They all have the same structure, with endless build-ups and "electro-devastating" basslines that make people dance like crazy, but they contain very little subtlety or originality. It's becoming increasingly difficult to get people dancing with tracks that deviate from the "typical" because DJs and producers are conditioning people to arrive at the club with a preconceived notion of what they should hear, and that means that when you play something different, they stop dancing. We need more originality and courage. Courage to break free from established norms when DJing and producing. We have to try to let ourselves be guided by our feelings instead of losing our creativity by limiting ourselves to typical structures and sounds that we have to include in a production for it to be a success. But as long as money is in control, I don't see things changing much.

Cos:
‘'(...) Regarding the issue of creativity in production, it doesn't depend largely on the artist, believe it or not. Record label representatives generally tend to select tracks with currently popular sounds and very common structures to minimize risk and ensure a certain number of guaranteed sales because, as is often the case, even the smallest sale is practically guaranteed. When you try to get an original production signed, (...) the major labels simply won't take it, and you can only place it with small labels, where the probability of it reaching a wide audience is remote, if not nonexistent. Furthermore, remember that to build a name for yourself and keep the machine running (gigs, because you can't live on records alone), your tracks need to be played on the radio (on the charts), so you have to compromise and do commercial things. Not to mention that, in Spain, to get on the charts you need a ton of money, and only the big companies have that, so we're back to square one.' And to top it all off, there are more and more small labels, more producers and records (since being a good DJ isn't enough anymore, it's the new rules of the game), which means it's harder to stand out. (...) I'd also like you to understand that you don't always do what you love, and the road to the top isn't easy, especially if you don't like to flatter or accept the game of falsehood that often surrounds the art world.

DJ Jorge:
‘'(...) regarding the abundance of electronic songs, I don't see it as a bad thing. The more electronic music options there are on the market, the more choices we electronic music consumers will have, and at the same time, the more necessary it is to select the songs that make us feel what we need. This task, therefore, is vitally ours, that is, the responsibility of electronic music consumers. (...) not everything "from before" was better than what's now; the passage of time changes the initial value of things.
Things. Thanks once again David for your website and to all the colleagues for their opinions; together we must always reflect from a constructive perspective on our sector.

Thanks once again to all of you who are no longer afraid to speak respectfully and are helping to create this section, which is gradually gaining followers.

MY (SUTIL) EDITORIAL

During November, Enric, one of those who shared his opinion in the first part of the post, asked me via email if I planned to reply to the comments left on my blog. I told him that it was my job to introduce the topics, open the debate, moderate it, and provide the most objective summary possible on these pages, while of course expressing my own point of view. But his question struck a nerve, as I don't want people to think that I'm not taking a stand or that I prefer to remain neutral.

Therefore, I want to highlight Calmaestra's opinion, which I almost completely agree with: 'I think the problem is that people are being misinformed.' And in that respect, I do think 'things were better before.' Some time ago, the DJ, their quality productions, and the music they developed in their sets were more 'real' than they are now. A few years ago, when DJs were starting to be hired in Spain, there was more of a culture surrounding them, and the media took more risks (and I can attest to this since I worked on staff at a dance radio station for years).

It's also true that now everyone plays 'House' (or Club Music, whether it's House or not... and I'm putting that in quotes because this could also be discussed at length), but everything has become much more internationalized, and borders have disappeared in many ways. But the culture surrounding DJs and their audiences has undoubtedly had better days. However, since EVERYTHING is cyclical, perhaps in a few years the figure of the 'Pop DJ' will decline, giving way to the 'Club DJ' once again... In short, I also agree with Moreno P.'s opinion in one of his contributions. ‘'You read and read, and we're all right… What to do? No idea…'’