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Preplanned = totally okay with it, Prerecorded = not okay with it

What I’ve done is pre-record several 15-30 minute mixes with different Genres for different occasions. I also have a few pre-recorded blends/mashups that I DJ’d live that I can drop in and play when I get tired or need a drink break/stretch. I always DJ live but have those shorter mixes to play in an emergency or when I need a break.

I have played many sets where the set list went out the door after track number 2. When you are really in sync with people dancing, you suddenly get godly and uncontrollable urges to play that one specific track that is stuck in your mind like an ulcer. You call it up and the babes go "whooooo". At that point you are at the mercy of the crowd and one track after another pops into you limited head and you play each one with passion and love and for as long as you can squeeze juice from it. There are short moments when you doubt that you could top the track blasting the floor at this instant, but an idea always comes along. After your set you are drenched in sweat, dehydrated and totally euphoric beyond ecstazy.

Sometimes mistakes give the set a bit of character. I saw Ricardo Villalobos @ Awakenings and the turntable kept on messing up and skipping. It was nice to see even in one of these huge open air events that it was still a genuine, real set.

As a person who grew up raving in the mid nineties there was no such thing as prerecording... 🤷🏽‍♂️🚀🕺🏽

You hit the nail on the head about big artist pre-recorded sets, they have to be matched closely with the lasers, lighting, visuals so have to make an impact. The issue for me is the honesty angle, if they claim to be doing the set totally live and unrehearsed when in fact we all know they aren't then it impacts credibility.

To be honest, I usually pre-planned my DJ sets for big events (and 80-90% stick to the plan), just to test them before and be sure they work fine harmonically, especially when DJs used to play with vinyls or old cdjs without any key information. But I really don't get pre-recorded sets in any situation, that must be too boring "playing" like that!

For me it works pretty well to create a pool of tracks where I have a smaller range to chose from so for example I prepare Like 200 songs I would like to play from my total 9000 but still decide live what I want to play and what I rather dont play because it would kill the party.

Just do what you feel and do it when you feel like doing it with no worries at all, nothing is wrong and nothing is right anyway. The Universe is you, so go be unique like everybody else ✌🏼 Cheers Phil. Thanks for putting yourself out there.

I pre-recorded my first Dj set and it awesome! I'm still a beginner so it works for me but once i learn more i will lean towards doing my sets live

PHILL!!! I love this I agree and argue with my friends aaaalllll the time🙄 about this. Really doesn’t matter to me if it pre recorded at a show or festival or at all. From my experience spending hours and hours learning ableton and learning how to mix songs. I have found the WORK is always done and maybe the pros make it look easy and it probably is to them, but wasn’t always they pull s there hair out a few times I’m sure like me. I really want to thank you for all your videos Phill, all well done and I’ve learned so much 🙏🏼 hope all of s well.

Great job as always Very true from beginning to end I will never pre-record a set. As a weeding DJ I hate when people ask me do you have a pre-recorded set that we can listen to. I say no.. Every wedding is different.... Keep up the good work Cheer From Toronto Canada Peace

This is why I got interested in electronic music Live Acts as there are so many fake DJs out there. It became a big multi million dollar entertainment business.

Like you said the art of djing is just too much fun.

I think it is a good idea to have a pre-recorded set JUST IN CASE something goes wrong, and then you can just push play while you are dealing with an emergency. Be present and DJ in the present, but have a back up so that if something does go wrong....there is still music being played and not silence.

David Guetta is always doing it pretending to tweak knobs and only one cdj switched on the whole set.

Fake is horribly easy to spot, especially when a great track is playing and everyone is digging it only for it to be massacred 20 seconds later into something completely the opposite.

If I found out I was playing Ultra tomorrow, I'd definitely live mix. DJing is what I love doing, and I have confidence in myself that I can put together an exciting, energetic set without pre recording anything. The way I look at it is the same way I look at a singer that lip syncs. If I'm paying money to see an artist perform, I want to see them fully showcase their talent. I don't wanna pay to watch someone cheat.

Pre-recorded sets are ok as long as you're honest about it. But faking turning knobs and sliding sliders is a disgrace.

I love your insight into things, I’m defo subscribing.

Happy Monday 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

Will you release the set you recorded for your wedding? I would love to hear some of your song choices for a wedding set. Thanks!

Could you do a video on how to go from DJing In your bed room to clubs parties and weddings etc, would I need to buy new big speakers if so what ones ?

Worth noting here that although your arguments are sound on the DJ side, I'm a live event producer, a DJ's dedicated show will usually all be 'rehearsed' as you said but on a festival stage with so many acts coming through the light/video/audio/fx teams can easily 'busk' an entire gig and make it look like a cohesive show without having any prior knowledge or set list.

Congrats ! Thanks for your video long time producer. New to djing =)

Good point. That´s what I realize when famous DJs play pre recorded show. make me think that maybe someone else did his o her job and just stand in front of the audience and try to simulate that he´s playing good music.

Is it odd that I got more shocked at Phil planning and prerecording the DJ set for his own wedding than when a friend of the family planned her own funeral? Why is my mind somehow pre-programmed to accept the one and shun the other? Especially since I'm guilty as all hell of having done a pre-recorded set myself. And I'm not even ashamed of it. It was an online live set, the client had me running circles for days, and I was doing this stuff for free. It wasn't even for charity or anything, but he was acting like he was the hottest club owner on The Strip. Then, after I had given in to his every demand, changed my entire set again and again (and I'm a very flexible guy to begin with), going with HIS music stream service out of MY pocket just because HE didn't trust my streaming service (rated for more than 10 times the expected audience), he came with the most ridiculous demand of all. Just six hours before we were supposed to go live, he phoned me up and said "By the way, you better damned be playing Vinyl decks tonight. I only allow AUTHENTIC Old School VINYL DJ's at MY club". (his "club" being a small online radio station with an average of 0.75 listeners per hour) That's when I got enough and just loaded up the set list, played through the set while recording it, with a few breaks here and there and when it got time to do the set, I loaded them on Virtual DJ instead of Mixxx, put it on Auto DJ and sat back with the mic in my hand and watched the chat. Whenever a request came in, I just waited for the next break and mixed it in there, and the rest of the set I just sat there with my smokes and my beer. Dude called me the next morning and I was prepared to have my head chewed off for being the worst sack of shit he's ever had. That's when I found out he couldn't tell a DJ from a jukebox, as he praised "the best DJ he's ever heard". Fastest blocked number in my life! I can't hear the difference between vinyl and digital by ear like that, but it's fairly easy to hear when someone's smacked on the auto-DJ and left the room. And even IF the person do every single transition as a simple fade (with poor beat matching to boot) I definitely wouldn't call them the best DJ ever, especially not after making 10 000 demands and claiming to have the highest standards of music in the world. Well, he got what he paid for, and he paid squat!

My butt is glued to the fence on this one. November

Lots of djs for example Laidback Luke don’t keep set lists and something you didn’t think about is these djs are playing different countries every day and taste in music varies so much that it is easier for them to wing it as long as there music is organised well enough and you know your songs almost off by heart then it’s easier to dj live than to have loads of pre record sets and the risk of being known as a fake dj also what buttons would you tuch if you where fully pre recorded

ITS AS BAD AS LIP SYNC they are paid a lot of money to perform .

When it comes to edm dj sets i feel that doing a pre-made dj set can actually be way more difficult than mixing live. I make dj sets in Ableton Live on the arrangement view and i transition between songs with some drastic tempo and key changes and chop and splice them into eachother with some very intricate editing, so intricate that it could take me 4 or 5 days and nights just to lay down like 20 minutes, but it ends up sounding amazing having all these tempo and key changes smoothly fit together, something that would be plain impossible to do live on the fly. DJ’s that mix on the fly stay in the same tempo and key most of the time especially if you are just mixing the same genre like house or trance, and if not then the transitions are usually not smooth and as pleasing to the ear. I can mix on the fly too and its def very fun to do, but in my opinion beat matching and on the fly mixing is not that hard compared, i think the hours upon hours upon hours of being a mad scientist cutting and pasting and arranging and chopping up samples and automating and time stretching to get a masterpiece finished product is much much harder to do. And then when you play it live you dont have to just press play and then thats it, you can tweak effects on the fly like delay, reverb, eq, do filter sweeps, beat repeat, phaser etc. Thats just my opinion anyways.

I like your talks as I am learning about all around DJing, I am watching a lot of your videos and it is very helpful!

They twiddle knobs and press buttons and the sound never changes 😂

spot on Phil,as long as you know the genre you're playing then you shouldn't need to pre-record,only stuff like Creamfields,Tomorrowland and others do you need to do that.By the way congrats and RESPECT for your nuptials,In'Sha'Allah I'll be next

I LOVE YOUR #HUMOR !!! You always make Me LOL !!! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼💯💯💯👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼

The most fun events I've been to is events that only have 50-100 people there. Usually the DJ's aren't paid much or at all, so they are there purely because of passion for their music. The 50-100 people who are there are there purely for the music, not to flex on social media or whatever. You are right up next to the DJ, who sometimes makes a mistake which is not at all a problem, because you know that they are enjoying what they're doing. Events like these give you more of a "chilling with friends and the DJ" feeling than a big perfect event that makes millions. I'm into techno music and I have never understood the benefit of playing for 50.000 people instead of 100. I really prefer the more passionate, intimate events.

you should always read your room when you dj. and tailor your set to suit it. even if you are a club dj that does techno or drum and bass.

I have never been asked to submit a pre-recording a set, and if i was i would second guess even playing that event. I have heard the huge events like Ultra/EDC/Tomorrowland can require it due to time restrictions. I love live mixing it's a blast, the power controllers, DJM's CDJ's give you is addictive.

Hey Phil, I just want to say I appreciate your videos and the way you go back to basics. I get so tired of trying to learn the art of DJing from people who act like we all should have built our own computers by age 5. I am a brand newbie. Just trying to learn the art of DJing for a fun hobby. And Already I have found out about the war... My question for you is... Why are some DJs so hateful towards others...especially new ones like me? I mean I get there is turf, respect and paid gigs involved..but to look down your nose at someone brand new who is just trying to learn and tell them you're not a real DJ because you don't know how to scratch, or you use a laptop, or you're not good at mixing yet ...I don't get that.

Amazing vlog my friend i agree with you salute from lebanon :)

Wicked but personally I would never premix my sets I pick my beats based on what the crowds doing and the vibe. It depends I the event and the atmosphere too

This was the most honest video out there 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

preplanned i love, it means that the dj has done his homework. working with "mini-lists" short 3-4 song lists is my prefered method.. sure the first gigs on any venue or festival are nerve racking and thoroughly planned but well known and experienced dj's IMHO don't need prerecorded sets. mashups are normaly prerecorded and i think it is ok if someone has a great mashup prerecorded.. it allows the dj to show you a good time without too much hustle.. less workload more time engaging with the crowd and enjoying the gig..

First, Gratz on becomming married!

Congrats mate ❤️

I've never done it but in certain circumstances I think it's advisable to do it. I have my first wedding in September. I'm to prepare the whole set list from what the couple wants to hear and freestyle some parts. I'll have prepared playlist regardless to fall back on if it goes left. I don't except it to seeing that the couple are into old-school music and I know that genre well. Thanks for the video, it was good and your opinion is teaching.

There are plenty of world class musicians who get on stages and skillfully manipulate instruments with 6 or more strings, plus dozens of effects, in conjunction with many other bandmates doing the same thing.... I don't think it's a huge ask for a DJ to be able to think on his feet, to push a few buttons at the right times in front of the same size crowds. Let's not keep lowering the bar. Let's just get better at our craft.

hey. great video and great discussions. I see your point and I agree. but, a few things,... 1: yes, you CAN dj Live and be flawless and at the same time have to switch up your basic planned dj set due to various circumstances. 2: yes, these major festivals have pyrotechnics which has to be rehearsals and a pre.planned set or at least for a certain time frame although nowadays these major festivals are mostly pre sets unfortunately. 3: you can for sure have flawless sets at club venues, think on the fly accordingly by reading the crowd etc. and 4: I hate pre.planned dj sets due to the fact that's why I went to see THAT dj specifically.... to experience their LIVE PERFORMANCE ability. this is my 2 cents lol. I could say more but it will be pointless unless I create an entire video regarding why I think so,... which I really might release on my new Channel here

Congrats on your wedding....thanks for sharing

Wow old but GOLD!!!!

I am resident at an under 18's night. I play a mix of current chart stuff and a live mix of edm stuff. What surprises me the most is I play a segment of oldies/party songs and they all dance and sing along. The only time I use a prerecorded segment is to use it as a space filler while I answer the call of nature. I think the funniest thing is when children ask for Niche music when they are not clearly old enough to know what it is, (parental influence I guess.

Sure, I understand. The big Dj's are especially producers. They've got hit records that everybody wants to hear. At this massive events it's always a pre recorded set. Why? Because everything depends on in. The lights, fireworks, cannons etc. When they mix on the spot all the cues al gone. There is no way they take that kind of risks. So those guys, great producers and great mashup artists but it's totally something els then clubmixing. Another thing is in my opinion, Top Dj's should be come clean about that. Not that faking stuff we see on de big stage. Just keep your hands off of the djset! Thanks for the vid Phil!

Some of bigger productions really need to be prerecorded. Hard to keep lighting and visuals all synced up...

The bottom line is this. When you go to a wedding you are not paying to see a certain artist perform live. The dj at a wedding has a particular set of skills but you don't go there to see the DJ. When you pay good money to go to a club or festival (which is basically a dance music concert) it is completely unacceptable and disingenuous for an artist (be it a dj, pianist, singer) to mime. You are paying money to see them perform LIVE.

My problem with pre recorded set is what happens when all the previous Djs playied your preselected choons. NO PLAY BACK

Hi Phil, Hope the wedding goes well and good luck. Get what your saying but when I'm paying money to see these big names I want to know it's live. Go hard or go home as fakeass djs are not what we are there for but just my point ....

The only valid reason for me to ever pre-record a set, is if they have fireworks and lightshow completely synchronised to the recorded set. I'd also like to add that there should be like a max time for pre-recorded sets. Anywhere between 15-30 minutes I can accept (for like an endshow). A full hour or more of pre-recorded set is just wrong in my opinion as you are not adjusting your set to the crowd and you might as well turn on a playlist on Spotify/SoundCloud/KZfaq and walk away... I think it's ridiculous to stand behind the decks pretending to press buttons, or pressing buttons that do nothing... Either use the gear for it's intended purpose, or not use it at all (and leave the stage/music industry and give some actual talent a chance). Faking it will never get my approval! If you are reading this and are one of those fake button pushers, please hold your breath until your soul has left your body 👌

Your dog has the same color of hair.you do..lol..love the topic

I don't know the exact techniques to sync videowalls to music, but for instance I watched a set of Nicky Romero, and his videowalls were in absolute sync with the music the whole set, with accented lyrics and effects in time lock all the time. It was very perfect (and very boring too) and no way in hell his sets are live mixed. But I really missed the human feel of that set. The small errors, the little beatnudges make stuff alive.

In my early days of DJing, I would plan my sets meticulously, because I was only ever given an hour so wanted to choose the best tracks and as many in that hour as possible. I still beatmatched live, but wasn't confident with fx, so did a lot of just standing around. With recent gigs I try to do it on the fly. I think DJing should be instinctive, but you made some good points about big festivals which I never thought about before. I would've only thought to use them as a last resort/backup.

I am a pure hobbyist, so sure I do love DJ-ing live (otherwise it would not be my hobby). However, the only parties I DJ at are my own (with my friends) or my friends' parties. And I find that DJ-ing is a bit like taking care of the BBQ, if you know what I mean : there are guys who will love spending the whole party behind the BBQ, well, I am not that kind of guy and although I love cooking over the BBQ, I sometimes want to do something else during those private parties. As I can't let someone else take care of the decks (as I would let someone take care of the BBQ), yes, I do pre-record sets, especially the ones that are meant to be played as background music (mostly at the beginning, or the end), simply because I want to be able to eat or have a drink, or chat with my friends... That being said, when the time to dance comes, I will definitely play live because I love it. Closing remark : I guess the BBQ analogy is perfect as I also sometimes pre-cook things on the BBQ, so I won't spend to much time behind it 😀

My friend did the exact same thing for his wedding and it worked fabulously!

I believe that when you are playing in a huge gig it is wise to minimize your risks.

congrats dj Phill

I am just a small DJ who played Latin like Salsa, Bachata and specialy Kizomba. And I also a Salsa couple dance instructor for 15 years. Yes I do pre recorded DJ sets, but only for 3 or tops 4 songs. Why? Normally... minimum I play 3 hours non stop and to gather couple dance. Many time the girls come to DJ booth and say "Can you not DJ ing and just dance?" and that's why I do pre recorded DJ sets. And I only make 2 sets of it so I can make them happy by dance with me. So I quite agree with Phil.. It depends the condition. If I have to play in Kizomba Nite which is all nite long Kizomba songs... I won't need to make any pre recorded. Coz they love me more spinning the music than dance hahaha... Most worst DJ ing experience, arrived at the location and the organizer give you the playlist for me to play and have to play exactly like the list. Than I said to them... "Just used a Media Player than" and I go home, hahaha.... Love this job cause the adrenaline to "Read the Crowd" and provide them with what they need... HAPPY!! :D

Never have a prerecorded set if your getting paid to be there. It ok to have a list, things get a little hectic at some events.

Just a question: does Madonna improvise or decide what to sing without plan on the stage during a concert? ;-)

I'm just an amateur DJ that does friends parties and what not. But on this subject, I will pre record 4-5 track long sets to use for when I have to go to the bathroom, or to go have a cigarette as sometimes I'll be mixing for 4-5 hours. Made the mistake of not having any on hand at one point and almost pissed myself ha ha.

I guess if you're there for crowd, then you need to pre-plan and be flexible during the set, but if the crowd are there to see you, you can pre-record. Main thing is that in both scenarios everyone goes away feeling happy 🙂

wow.nice feedback love it

Club environment: real djing, alil freestyling Big Festivals: premixes and mashup prerecorded are ok, just jot an entire set!

Awesome man congrats.

Depends if your a DJ or a Producer. Improve comedy vs stand-up comedy. A play or a film. Similar but different. I don't care of an artist has prerecorded sets if it's their own music. As long as its not just playing their album and has a unique mix of their songs for the live show it doesnt matter to me.

reasonable points. but ye, u said it.. it's all about the passion and thats why really makes no sense to prerecord :/ like why would someone do that? that must be boring for the 'dj' too

I myself am very new to DJing and like the idea of doing it all live. The mistakes are what make it real I think and not milli vanilli

Interesting topic. Nowadays everything and everybody has to be ‘perfect’... People put chemicals in their body in an attempt to look or feel more perfect... Let’s be real! Everybody makes mistakes, isn’t perfect and there’s nothing wrong with that, even for a big audience. If a transition is to difficult go practicing more and if that doesn’t help, leave it. If you can’t handle the stress, don’t step on big stages. Others who can will take your place, yes. You can’t be good at everything... Dj-ing is like playing an instrument a form of art. When not ‘perfect’ it does not loose it’s art status. So when people are on the dancefloor for their love for the music and the art of dj-ing a pre-recorded set is not done. Pre-planning is partly ok I think. Playing a track list not so... THE best dj is the one who doesn’t plan everything and go with the flow and make the dancefloor rock. So maybe a wedding dj can deserve the status of ‘best dj’ easier than one of those ‘big’ dj’s on big stages... 👊🏻😉

Setlist are definitely not cheating, not sure why you talked about it like it was, back in the day you wouldn’t take hundreds of vinyls to your gig, you would pick them out and prepare you set aka “setlist”

I grew up with vinyl DJs who had to do it live every time. On vinyl. Lots of risk! The record could skip, could warp, etc. you didn’t have serato to give you a visual cue. Had to use your ears to beat match. I heard lots of flaws from big name DJs and that kind of made it more human and real to me. I’m all about doing it live, taking the risks.

For your own wedding gig fine.. But when someone is paying you? ?? I don't feel comfortable as the night unfolds it can take so many different twists.... so for me no bad move.... But as you explain it is obvious your not comfy with it yourself....

Plenty of rock bands have massive multi million pound events. What do they do? They play. They don't pretend to play and often improvise or jam, depending no the band. To be clear, the analogy is miming- not having a fixed setlist. It's the norm with pop groups (and occasionally with other genres of music).

Well, I'm a KZfaq DJ; a Real DJ only for my 8 kids B-day parties and family reunions. I only bought some DJ equipment just for those occasions (I do not have a dj controller). I know nothing about DJing. When sharing the memories of these occasions on social media, I've been asked to DJ many different events like weddings, anniversary, B-Day parties, etc. I let the people know that I'm not a "Real DJ" or a pro, I just like DJing my family events using KZfaq. The requester always responds by saying that can't tell the difference and they like the way I engage with the audience. They also have offered me from $500 to $1000 for three to four hour gigs. Maybe it's not so bad because I'm doing small to midsized events - and nothing like what I'm seeing on this video. I do want to learn how to really DJ, but for now, I'm satisfied with being a "fake dj I suppose. I now want to create me a brand with a logo and a name called "DJ Wannabe" or something. What do y'all think?

Prerecording is fine if you do it yourself! A lot of singers use Playback on some Gigs...

if you think that being married and continuing your music career passion are things that blend together, they never will be.

Good point of view. If I was djing by myself for a long set, I PROBABLY would prerecord segments, just long enough for me to go to the restroom and back. So maybe 7-10 minute recordings. BUT I WOULD NEVER PRE-RECORD GIGS.

Great video!!!

Especially for weddings and other events, how about short mini-mixes, like three songs long or so? That would be good for quick mashups you made yourself earlier or like a pre-made "20 80's songs in 10 minutes" for example. Or short sets of songs you usually play in order together over and over again at events. I bet lots of wedding DJ's already do stuff like that.

This helped me out a lot!

Prerecorded sets sounds smart asl ngl

Is "You're the one that I want" from the Grease soundtrack on your wedding playlist?

The only pre recorded thing I played was a max mix so I could have a quick toilet stop lol!! If you know what a max mix is you'll know I'm old and played vinyl! Back in those days I worked a club all weekend with six hours deejaying each night, all on vinyl so everything was mixed, damn hard work in those days!

But this is my thing...don't stand up there and tweak knobs for and hour yet rarely touch the plates or your track list knobs...thats what urks me...and then u read all the comments of ppl saying how superior the djay was

If i went to ultra, i would prepare something and rehearse but i won't pre record anything. It would remove all the fun of it. I'm not ready to wait for 1 hour long doing nothing

I've DJed in a club before and the thing I've noticed was that the crowds will always vary. To me, to do a pre recording was a waste of time and suicidal on my behalf. So, I do all my mix on the fly, in that way, I as the DJ have a greater control on crowd.

Sure… when you go to see a famous singer who knows exactly which song he will sing at what time, you also still want to see him sing live instead of listening to playback (though it’s so much more perfect). If Carl cox one day shows up and presses play once for the entire night, I would think to myself that I’d rather listen to an AI DJ Software… Prerecorded for your own wedding is actually quite cool though! congrats to you and your future wife! Wishing you a happy and fulfilling life together!

Sasha would never use these practices. Djing is not about technical skills it's about taking the crowd off the clock. You forget where you are, you loose yourself. I remember when DJS played 8 hours and took you so far out there at the end you believed in magic. Festivals have killed the true meaning of what it feels to be free. The music is too perfect, the lights a vidieo is to perfect. I worked years as a Lighting Designer in Nightclubs and my old mentor told me to be anything I wanted to be except an Excacticon. The shameful thing is that the DJs, the crowd all look the same, act the same.

Very late to the conversation but I'll add my input anyway. I was primarily a wedding and school dance DJ. When I first started out I didn't pre record a thing, all seat of the pants and it worked well. But as time went on I changed my thinking. I would burn a CD that had a dinner music mix on it. Those songs that are popular but not really danceable . That sure beat the hell out of Kenny G CD's on repeat. I would also have 1 CD with all the specific requests on it. First dance, Father Daughter dance, wedding party dance etc..... All I would have to do is hit play on a single deck and leave me to MC the special events to a much higher degree than usual if I was busy cueing up the next song. Of course I use playlists now to do the same thing. For school dances I always keep a 30 min set ready to go in case something bad happens. Bathroom break, lighting problem , etc. I've had to use it a few times and I'm glad I had it.

Check twitch out so many fake djs. The worst part is 99% of viewers don’t know there faking turning the knobs ect

Hi Phil Very interesting and very well presented as ever. I am a fan of your channel and content and this is an example of why. This is a VERY important topic. No. Pre-recorded = recorded, as in, NOT BEING (DISC) JOCKEYED (RIDING whatever wheels/media controller could come off whatever wagon). If it says DJ is "PLAYING" a set on the flyer/website then it is actually a crime when that person just plays a prerecorded set and FAKES playing. It debases the whole culture to behold such a travesty as if it were not, a such a travesty. When a DJ is actually playing and shitting himself with that familiar mix of fear and excitement (that tennis players get too), but the ball goes in, its a winner, or hits the lines a few times or goes out. The crowd feels the same committment to face it and the same excitment and fear and elation as one mix/ball after another, comes off, and even if it comes off the rails, how doese the DJ recover, style it out, play the next point, next mix?? Its all part of what we do. Allowing tecnology to define the most fundamental aspect of an art form is the end of that art form and also the performance dimension of it. The end. Do not argue for this. Understand why it happens but let us be told if we are going to pay, what we really paying for. The reason there is so much plastic in the oceans is because too many of us are addicted to the quick fix, that pristine certainty unleashes in the brain, like cocain or retail therapy. They feel good, for a short while only, but the production processes are as demonically destructive to the people involved and the planet as the consumption and consequences for the consumer, who is blissfully unaware of the damage to the brain and body and the sweatshops where the poorest children and people on the planet are exploited, often to death and the mountains of packaging piling up, (out of our sight and mind in their back yards) and the plastics clogging and destroying marine life and the global eco system.....errr sorry. I digress. Real DJ-ing vs Pre-recorded and presenting it as live, in clubs and to dance floors where 1000s of people are in attendance, goes this deep. It's the worst thing you can possibly do in a world and culture where so much creativity, talent and skill has been lost because the creative process involved has been copied, bottled, midi-mapped, sampled etc (nothing against sampling per sey, because a single sample does not (quite ?? Pharrell Williams - Happy 488M views) make)but with freedom/power (digital rendition) comes a certain responsibility. I agree with logic of your argument, for prerecorded sets 95% ,but logic and logic gates are for computers and engineers etc. if you're good enough to play at those events, then handling the pressure comes with the territory and hearing a cock up or two or even more, handled well, 'because you're an experienced pro', is part of the entertainment. Roger Federer had match points for the Wimbledon final just last weekend, but failed to serve well in the final games (because of the pressure (indeed as had Djokovic also failed to do in one of his service games immediately before) then lost his serve and went on to lose the match, the final, in the tie break....because of the pressure. He did not deploy a ball machine to serve for him, at any time, and he had no more right to win than Djokovic. There's no hiding place and no opportunity for cheating at the level where the ball meets the racket, in a stark contrast to where the needle 'used' to meet the record. You make it happen, in REAL TIME!! Don't lie! Don't fake! Tell the truth, (you have a mic) because it will find you and all of us out, in the fulness of time if we don't. Just Be! Be Real!

If it is for personal reasons ie) your own wedding like in your case...then it's ok..if not you are a farce! DJ mean that just..to PLAY live for the masses!! Kind regards from Vancouver ,Canada!