Opinion: Do You Want to Be a DJ or an Entertainer?

A topic that has been widely discussed in the DJ industry of late is that of what it means to be a DJ. The truth is there are many different types of DJ and ways of DJing. There now seems to be a clear split between the main types, DJing and entertaining. Let's explain what we mean:

The role of the DJ has changed over the years. Since DJing started (click here for the history of DJing) DJs have found new and exciting ways to expand the art form. Listeners and electronic music fans have changed too. The core of these changes have revolved around digitalisation and the internet.

How did we get to where we are today?

Until the late 80s DJs were merely the curator of the music at a disco, club or rave. Often, the DJ booth was set back at the side of the room so people on the dancefloor took the limelight. DJ booths were functional and rarely had a stage-like quality. Before the days of smart phones, people embraced dancing and lost themselves in the music. People didn't face the DJ, they looked at each other.

It wasn't until the 1990s that DJs started to become the focal point of raves, clubs and music festivals. This is when DJing started to splinter into two distinct forms, DJing for people dancing and DJing as a concert for entertainment sake. Of course, people dance at some concerts but it's clear nowadays that most of the crowd is simply there to be entertained and often film the entire experience on their smart phones.

However, there is also a growing trend of clubs banning mobile phones and trying to re-establish a dancefloor where people embrace the music and focus on the DJ less. Banning photography enables people to let go and worry less about how they might look and to truly live in the moment. DJs that play at these events are staying true to the more traditional form of DJing, to facilitate the escapism that dancing gives us.

During the late 90s popular DJs realised they could become the next rock stars and host concerts of their own. Working with large teams, they began exploring ways to elevate the craft of DJing to become more of a spectacle. The superstar DJ was born!

DJs like Carl Cox, Sasha and Paul Oakenfold would go on to become household names just like any other pop or rock star. They would now perform as headline acts at superclubs and large music festivals wowing the audiences with huge sound systems, laser shows and impressive visuals.

During the late 90s and early 2000s many new DJs became famous through releasing popular music. Fans would buy tickets expecting to hear their songs, just like when you book tickets to see your favourite band. DJs would fill their sets with only their own music or remixes, further aligning their show to a concert-like concept. DJs including Tiësto, FatBoySlim, David Guetta, Armin van Buuren, Daft Punk and Steve Aoki joined the superstar DJ gang.

At most of these concerts people would still dance but all of them would face the stage to daze upon their DJ idols. The lighting, visuals and even the shape of the auditorium is often focused on the stage.

Then came the smart phone. While early camera phones only allowed for basic photography the later models and the advent of social media encouraged people to document every detail of their lives. Addictive platforms like Instagram, and now TikTok, only sought too deepen the appeal of documenting and sharing every lived moment. People at DJ concerts stopped dancing. The phone became the new lighter in the air and the DJ would look across a sea of flash lights.

On the flip side, many clubs and DJs realised this was happening and sought to go back to the roots of DJing and banned smart phones or cameras at their events. This was especially popular in Berlin in the 2000s onward. DJs on that scene were keen to keep it about music, dancing and socialising.

With the popularisation of electronic music superstar DJs become so big that they would rarely ever DJ in clubs. Clubs simply couldn't afford them anymore. Only massive concerts and huge music festivals had the income to support their extraordinary booking fees. These DJs would be so far removed from the dancefloor that they would physically be a barrier between them.

Nowadays, to become a commercially successful DJ we are often encouraged to act like entertainers, to focus on brand, image and stage presence. This can be off putting for DJs who are more introverted and often creates a sense of imposter syndrome. This is a struggle faced by many new DJs but it's something deeply personal that only they can navigate.

What Type of DJ Do You Want to Become?

So, what type of DJ do you want to become? One that hosts massive concerts with a focus on the spectacle or one that prefers to lurk in the shadows providing the sound track while people dance in the darkness?

Fortunately, todays electronic music scene is so massive that you can choose any one of numerous paths, forge your own, or blur the lines! The purpose of this blog wasn't to box artists into one sphere or another but rather show the distinction between DJing on a stage as an entertainer or DJing to facilitate dancing.

Ultimately, the choice of what type of DJ you want to become is deeply personal. Some DJs get a buzz from performing like rockstars while others thrive on being closely connected to their audience. Some people love dancing in the darkness while others want to passively watch a show. Every DJ and every listener is unique.

Personally, I am the type of DJ who likes to play in the dark! I'm not one for seeking attention and I'm quite happy to create an environment where people can lose themselves in the music while dancing. I love to see my audience engage physically with the music within a transcendental state.

While I see the appeal of being centre-stage and coordinating an insane audiovisual orgy, it just doesn't seem like my authentic self. I'm quite happy curating an exhibition but not being the painting on the wall.

What kind of DJing resonates with your personal style?

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