Autumn, when the air turns damp and everything feels like the inside of a Nigel Slater book. My decks are living life in reverse. Having been mothballed during some renovation work, they are eagerly waiting to emerge, atlas moth – like, from their metaphorical cocoons and to spread their wings once more. And it’s at times like this, after a prolonged break, that one begins to think of a possible new direction where playing other people’s music is concerned. Having been at this end of the scale for most of my life, I like to think that I know a thing or two about playing music. But do I? What qualifications does one need? What technique? The turntable is an instrument but whatever comes out of it is determined by more than one factor. I am conspicuously arsed about this too. Not just anyone can play a record and sequence a set. Also it’s been said many times before that watching a DJ play is irrelevant, you should be dancing. Dancing is great innit, but what if you don’t want to and you’d prefer to watch the DJ play? (Recently saw a fatuous Twitter thread where a DJ was bemoaning other DJs dancing behind the decks. What’s better, having a good time or moodiness? And what’s the correct way to enjoy yourself?) Doesn’t he/she deserve as much attention as someone playing a musical instrument? I daresay the answer to this will be largely “no” as there is a general misconception that DJing is not a drain on any sort of talent. Being a DJ is a polyvalent venture. Playing whatever you want, albeit within reason, is every bit as interesting as playing a musical instrument. I never found the idea of being in a band that attractive, even though I regret not learning an instrument (there’s still time). Interminable practice sessions of the same songs over and over again . . . never found it appealing. Like a lot of kids I doubt I considered the hard work involved in making it at any level. Far better to construct a set and a mood honed from years of playing music on various media in various closed spaces (mostly) to appreciative captive audiences. Subtlety is the key, and patience. The Romanians and their ilk go for the long game, which means rhythm and restraint. It’s not all about banger after banger thank god, and mood building is as effective in the groove-led minimal scene as anywhere else. However, the minimal aesthetic nowadays is anything but, with bass thankfully playing a bigger part. It’s when it gets too gossamer clicky that it becomes boring. This was the case the first time around. In the first wave of this much-maligned configuration a lot of what was released was rightly slated for lacking variety and funk. I think it’s fair to say though that this has changed a lot in recent years and it’s only the reputation of the DJs that stereotypes them; not the music they play. These chaps are not the only people to play long sets however. A shift slower and you have Sean Johnston whose A Love From Out Of Space (ALFOS) EBS sets have sustained many a space cadet through lockdown and beyond. The ALFOS aesthetic is wonderfully suited to the patient approach, allowing a linear funk to unfold layer upon layer courtesy of an eclectic philosophy that allows anything within reason, as long as it doesn’t exceed 122bpm. It’s often a source of conflict to me that I like all of the music discussed thus far equally, but they are poles apart sonically. The pantheon of electronic music is large, and I like it all, give or take some stuff. Having said that, I wouldn’t play it all, and find the act of creating a vibe with whatever music there might be to hand more difficult than it’s cracked up to be. It’s not beyond me by any stretch, but it’s much maligned and trivialized by those not in the know. It isn’t a case of playing records together of course. It’s paying the right records in the correct order within a certain space and time. Some tracks sound better in certain circumstances than others. I run a lot, but don’t always listen to music. When I do though, it’s never ambient. If what I’m listening to doesn’t match my pace then what’s the point. This is not a mindset limited to exercise, it is transposed to every aspect of conscious life. What fits the bill shopping in the supermarket may not when running a 5k. The nights are drawing in and listening to music while running in the evening can be dangerous. You can leave yourself open to all sorts of tomfoolery. I don’t like it. Too many opportunities to exercise the accident prone side of your character. This is why soundtracking your walk is better. I’ve just started listening to the last instalment of Eric Cloutier’s ‘The Arsonist And The Architect’ mix series. Every one of the is a belter and made even better by the little imperfections left in the recordings. The most recent one, ‘Fulcrum’ is all tribal techno loops and is a masterclass of blends, volume control and audio trepanning. So this art never ceases to amaze and intrigue me. I just wish I could find the time to engage with it more.
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