Paris Hilton debuted at Amnesia Ibiza and her set went something like this… someone else DJ’d, she played a pre-recorded mix, she threw her hands in the air, there were neon lights and smoke. Did you expect anything else? She’s a celebrity and celebrity sells.
In our society we’ve become obsessed with the lives of other people. Whether it’s because of social media or a bi-product of reality television, it is an obsession and it’s big business. Celebrity will always be used to sell things, whether it’s shoes, Beats by Dre or nights out at a club. Paris Hilton or a Kim Kardashian will outsell the upcoming DJs at major nightclubs 9 times out of 10. There’s nothing inherently wrong about this, it’s just business.
These people don’t seem to mind that Paris Hilton is behind the decks
Where the problem lies is that to many the art of actually DJ’ing has become a lost thing. The focus has switched to the person on stage as the crowd remains transfixed on their every motion. Stages get bigger, lasers get brighter and setups more extravagant. What’s been lost on many is getting lost in dance, losing yourself to the beat and experiencing that moment instead of sharing it on Instagram.
Laidback Luke said it best to Inthemix;
“To me, what real DJing is about is anticipating the moment, the location and the crowd. Playing the same set would be impossible for me. For me, DJing is about improvisation in the moment. Sometimes DJs bring out confetti and fireworks that needs to be synched, which I don’t really see the use of, to be honest. You could have a button that says ‘Fireworks’ and when you think the moment is right, you just press it.”
While dance music will continue to get cannibalized by corporate interests, celebrities, whoever it comes down to you being able to make the conscious decision that the show, festival, whatever is complete shit. Shit that you won’t support because chances are you probably wouldn’t enjoying hanging out with that crowd anyway.
As consumers and fans we have choices. We can focus on the positives to push this scene forward or get caught up in the things that don’t matter. It’s up to you.
Personally I’d start by listening to this Eric Prydz BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix.
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