Who is the best DJ?

I'm not really that technical about this, favourites are probably Felix Da Housecat and Jacques Lu Cont because they're always willing to do something unexpected. X-Press 2's six decks house/techno/whatever thing can be pretty great.

It's funny I must have seen Jon Carter and Dave Clarke about 20 times between the two of them but I'm bored of both now.

2 Many DJs are the new Fatboy Slim I guess, mixing irrelevent cos tune selection is so good.

One DJ who I thought was technically really good and also played a weird selection of tunes aswell as loads of his own stuff from a laptop was DJ Falcon from Roule. He never really gets mentioned and I doubt he's expensive but he's fantastic. I've only seen him once so it's difficult to say for definite how great he is.

Garnier's mixes on record are great, I've only seen him once and I can't really comment. Long story.

Ashley Beedle tends to be good. Rooty DJs from Basement Jaxx's club night (Frank Tope and Tayo) were absolutely brilliant the one time I saw them, loads of french house and generally just one big laugh.

Weatherall has been brilliant both times I've seen him, amazing at building a set. Justin Robertson is more party and very very housey techno but solid enough.

Probably.

bump

*BOMB NOISE*

funk/soul Keb Darge
hip-hop J-Rocc
disco Kenny Dope/Danny Krivit

Bob Harris

Russell Davies

Durrr Durrr Durrrrrr. E.R.O.L.

Erol Alkan is probably one of the worst DJs I have seen over the last couple of years. OK technically, but extremely boring tracks.

Prosumer is probably the best DJ I’ve seen over the past year.

Of all time, maybe Jeff Mills.

my two favorite djs are danny tenaglia and stirmonster!

I think I'm the best. I never hear me play a song that I find boring.

That's some talent, I bore myself all the time.

When I get boring, I pull out and large hook, start tap-dancing, and pull myself to the other side of the room. Then I run back and quickly put on something more interesting.

ron hardy. derrick carter... maybe colin dale, is he still around? also 4 years ago I booked frankie valentine almost by accident and hoooly shit.

I guess Mancuso

When I get boring, I pull out and large hook, start tap-dancing, and pull myself to the other side of the room. Then I run back and quickly put on something more interesting.

No moonwalking?

once I was DJing and playing Lets Start The Dance by Bohannon and when it got to the break, I ran out into the middle of the dancefloor and danced like crazy, and just when the break was ending and the song kicks back in, I jumped up in the air...landed on some spilled beer, slipped, fell over, sliced my jeans open at the knee and cut a cut that started bleeding immediately. I then limped back to the turntable on the other side of the room and cut to the next song from the other side of the table.

If that's not the best DJ, I don't know what is.

Seriously though...personal faves, historically, Ron Hardy. To my taste, Trevor Jackson. Depending on my mood and their mood, Optimo.

http://www.kyleriabko.com/wp-content/themes/awakening/images/tjcover.jpg

woah, never heard of that Trevor Jackson!

DJs playing Bohannon are instantly teh best DJ.

Martin Streek was the best DJ in Toronto.. fired after 20+ years from 102.1 the Edge earlier this year, he took his own life yesterday :(

It's funny how this debate about the value of DJs seems to go on and on. I thought it got resolved somewhere back in the 80s.

Here are some of my favorites:
Frankie Bones - probably seen him spin more often than any other DJ, his style is best represented on several mix CDs - Computer Controlled, Escape From Brooklyn, Factory 101. Check 'em out!
Jeff Mills
Richie Hawtin - probably the single best set I've seen was Hawtin upstairs at Axis in Boston in 2000.
Kode9

Where was paul jokenfold back in 93 ??

Jeff Mills
Richie Hawtin - probably the single best set I've seen was Hawtin upstairs at Axis in Boston in 2000.
Kode9

i agree with these with some reservations, Jeff Mills = sometimes a bit boring, although recently seeing him play under his Wizard moniker was absolutely amazing, and he's so skilled. Hawtin ditto, can be somewhat boring, last time I saw him he was awesome and his old sets from the early 90s are A+. Kode 9 is always a great selector though i have seen him make a few dodgy transitions, last time I saw him however he was totally on point and going from funky to dubstep to grime to jungle flawlessly.

beta otm

Where was paul jokenfold back in 93 ??

playing stadiums

never seen Hawtin, and at this point I don't thing I'm going to ever end up doing so (especially if he always plays the shit venues with pricey admission.

That being said Jeff Mills is coming here, and as much as I'd love to see him once before I die, it's under some of the worst conditions I'd have guessed.

5 months pass...

Martin Streek was the best DJ in Toronto.. fired after 20+ years from 102.1 the Edge earlier this year, he took his own life yesterday :(

― she started dancing to that (Finefinemusic), Tuesday, July 7, 2009 10:20 AM (9 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Not that I have any modicum of respect for the edge, but damn. . . do you know why they let him go?

following the axis of personal anecdotes about detroit guys who deservedly fall in this thread. I had the utmost pleasure the see Dan Bell for 4+ hours, for free, at a 200 capacity bar (and with no guestlist in effect), and that man can DJ. A few weeks ago he didn't make it in due to flight cancellation, I was depressed for a few solid days after.

*no (conscious) pun intended on 'axis', there. haha.

DJ from Full House

what the fuck is up with peter hook in that youtube clip?????????????????????????????????????

- Spencer Kincy
- The Underground Resistance DJ Assault Squad
- Francois K.
- Dandy Jack and the Junction SM (this is for real one of the most amazing sets i have ever seen)

he is drunk and playing a mixmag cd. is that the 'just fuck' one?

It is (and I believe there's plenty more where that came from too)

I knew someone who DJ'd under the name "DJ from Full House"

since the question of best dj is even more dubiuous than the opening post, I'll take it upon myself to revive this great thread. best sung/unsung dj of all time: an ILM fest

Saw Kerri Chandler last night and holy fuck he's good

idk i'm so into move d's sets lately. he's the dj i look to for inspiration right now. i don't know that he plays the freshest stuff or has the technical game locked in necessarily, though he has his moments in both categories. in some ways he's more competent than like next-level. and he's probably been treading somewhat for years (though this has its charms for me tbh). i just really really get turned on by his vibe. it's the balance between the realness and the deepness with lightness and easily translatable material that has a "point," isn't too boring, isn't too on-the-nose. maybe a little middle-of-the-road, i don't know! also that he's all-vinyl! i'm really into that right now. hoping someone will tell me who else i should check out tbh.

is there an american dabbling in disco-deep-detroit right now i should dive into? with a good amount of solid material somewhere online?

Do you have an example of a recent good set, because for me he's been on autopilot for such a long time, I think he's very stuck in a rut

what does 'on autopilot' mean for you?

i probably don't have one that would prove otherwise but i enjoyed this: https://soundcloud.com/move-d/move-d-gewolbe-2015-11-21

Move D at corsica studios a year ago was definitely one of the best sets I've seen in a good while (says I who doesn't go out so much anymore, but still, he was amazing)

@map can i borrow your phrase "the realness and the deepness" for my next mix?

uh sure! lol

only if you bump this thread with "Me. I'm the best DJ. *link to mix*" when you're done with it.

"real n' in the deep"

Me. I'm the best DJ. *link to mix*

https://www.mixcloud.com/saddadhouse/the-real-and-the-deep/

the mad man actually did it

apologies for the delay

it turns out I’ve been wrong all these years: it’s Tiesto. very surprising, but what are you gonna do?

fp'd for disrespecting thee macallan

Isn't thinking you're the best DJ an integral part of "being a dj"

no

most definitely not! some of the best dj sets I’ve been at have been by people who openly praise their peers

jordan you're confusing "thinking you're the best dj" with "only listening to your own mixes"

honestly i really thought i was the best dj but now i see there's no point in even trying

mods can we lock "djs post ..." plz?

i DO think, and i have told my friends this, to near-universal scorn, that i have better track selection than, say, ben ufo.

but really by that i just mean i have a different set of "favorite tracks" than anybody else, and i'm the only person that only plays those "favorite tracks". in other words i'm just always approaching it from the attitude of playing whatever i want to hear, so by default i play better shit than anybody else.

that said my selections NEVER surprise me and i never learn about new tracks from myself. so in that respect i suppose i'm the worst DJ

so i think there's something to that, if you're not playing things you're 100% into, you're doing it wrong

also it's amazing that ilx once took questions like this seriously

Yes that's exactly what I was thinking tlg, if you're not your favorite selector, then why would you be doing it at all?

(I know I'm not that skilled at, say, beatmatching, but of course I think I play the best tracks)

soon enough we'll be beatmatching so well we'll be bored of it, enjoy the fun while it lasts

the best dj sets give you something unexpected or recontexualize favorites

more difficult to find the unexpected patterns in the familiar when you're mixing yourself

agree

i enjoy having my friends over for b2b mixing 1000x more than practicing by myself

I've never done that so I have to settle for serendipitous mixes that make me hear something new in a track (which def happens when I'm by myself), but it sounds fun.

my favourite DJ is me, with access to a laptop with two Youtube tabs and an aux cable after four or five drinks

my biggest weakness as a DJ is the lack of Mis-Teeq b-side remixes on Youtube though

i'm glad my shameless plugging sparked a little convo

black coffee, honey dijon and ben ufo are 3 djs that i look up to immensely. i mean

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGqg_ZzThDU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_qewI-1cEs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4r7ME0UVdtM

I'm digging these videos, would totally love to see more people post their favorites.

Black Coffee is smooth as hell. I also covet his shirt, and that club is really beautiful. Where is that?

The Honey Dijon street party looks super fun. Great crowd, great energy. I love how much she's feeling it.

maybe this can be the 'what is going on in your dj life' thread

last month i djed my best friend's wedding in italy, on lago maggiore, and it was one of the most beautiful experiences of my life, despite one of my usb sticks going missing thanks to airport security. featured a bunch of italians getting excited about laura branigan's 'self-control' and asking me if i'd heard the RAF version.

i got a new mixer (djm450) to replace the s4. must say it’d nice to get the damn laptop out of my face.

also perma-busted one of my m44-7s by trying to service it myself so switched to reloop cartridges w elliptical stylus, and yeah, they’re good. should have switched a long time ago!

that’s one for the bucket list karl

Wow, where was it? My band used to do a jazz festival there, it's very beautiful indeed.

I'm djing tonight, which is exciting because I don't get a lot of opportunities to do so locally (or at least good ones, the not-good ones I just don't do). Playing a dance set after two quiet-ish live sets, so I'm going to see if we can go from 0 - 100.

Kane West uses “best dj” as his online self-description: https://twitter.com/djkanewest

Black Coffee is smooth as hell. I also covet his shirt, and that club is really beautiful. Where is that?

It says right on the video - Le Salle Wagram in Paris (although it seems to not be a club but a venue that hosts classical music concerts).

Wow, where was it? My band used to do a jazz festival there, it's very beautiful indeed.

in the mountains around porto valtravaglia

This thread has inspired me to dig up YouTubes of my favorite 90s techno DJs in action. Nice to see that a lot of these old timers are still going strong.

I may not always remember this is the case, but every time I listen to Patrice Scott DJ in the moment I feel he is the best DJ. Very singular, yes, but…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgNpVEHoiLY