Paul Oakenfold chimes in about the American EDM boom

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From Beatport:

"The times have changed for electronic music—it is now all about short bursts of energy. With so much going on at such a fast pace, there is desperation for the fans to have everything all at once.... Regrettably it is no longer about seven-hour sets and extended musical experiences, but more about hitting it hard and getting on with it. I don’t necessarily like that approach or enjoy seeing it, as I still love the idea of taking people on a journey in music and sharing experiences both new and unusual, not to mention showcasing the art of DJing."

You haven't fully experienced electronic dance music until you've attended an extended set by one of your favourite DJs. It would be so cool to one day see a forward thinking festival introducing 4 hour set times for someone like Carl Cox, Armin, Sasha, or Markus.

You can read the full Beatport interview with Paul Oakenfold here.

Pitchfork's 'The People's List' Top Albums 1996-2011

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After 27,981 votes here is the top 5:

1. Radiohead - OK Computer

2. Radiohead - Kid A

3. Arcade Fire - Funeral

4. Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea

5. The Strokes - Is This It

Some notable placements:

11. LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver

26. Daft Punk - Discovery

29. DJ Shadow - ...Entroducing

87. Air - Moon Safari

The only thing that I'm a little surprised about was that Kid A ranked so high at #2.

Looking at this list was a fantastic trip across memory lane as I've spent a lot of time listening and loving many of these albums throughout the years.

(Source: Pitchfork)

Comprehensive guide on how to succeed as a new DJ

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DJ Tech Tools created one of the most comprehensive guides on how to get started as a new DJ in your own locale. Here are the relevant headlines:

YOU HAVEN’T DEFINED YOURSELF AS A DJ
YOU’RE NOT PRACTICING ON A REGULAR BASIS
NOT SUPPORTING EVENTS YOU SOMEDAY HOPE TO PLAY AT
YOU’RE AFRAID OF THE WORD “NO”
YOU’RE NOT SEEKING FEEDBACK FROM STRANGERS
YOU’RE TRYING TO GET FOLLOWERS INSTEAD OF FANS
YOU AREN’T THROWING PARTIES OR PRODUCING MUSIC
YOU THINK DJ IS A HOBBY

A lot of sound advice in this article, do you agree? Read the entire article and let me know what you think.

Quote of the day from Eric Prydz

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From Dancing Astronaut:

“I just make music. — The music I make, I make for myself,” he continued, “I’m the number one guy for me to please.” He is not one to force a track into a specific genre and would never create a record with the intentions of critical reception. “Sometimes 10 million people love what I do, sometimes 500 do… I have massive hits with some tracks, and some other tracks have stayed in the underground.”

Such a refreshing perspective, I wish all of the producers had this kind of attitude and then maybe we'll start pushing the creative boundaries a little further.