Track Lists
I read a post somewhere about track lists recently and it got me to thinking about how I feel about them, myself. Obviously I speak from the perspective of not being one to give track titles away on occasion. Why? There are many reasons. For example as a culture, DJing is very much about sourcing music that others don’t have. Northern Soul Djs in the 60s would even fly across to the states to source limited run 45s to play. In some respects Northern Soul could be attributed with the concept of the playlist itself, with clubs and Dj’s being known as the only place to hear certain tracks.
Move forward to something I’m more familiar with, hardcore/jungle. What was my way to hear music as a kid? Pirate Radio and tape packs, and again, track listing wasn’t a thing. You’d have your favourite Dj’s based on their selection, record their sets and head down to the record shop with a track cued up on your walkman ready to play hoping they had it. The act of buying a record was an all-day affair too. Waiting in the shop listening to the latest white labels being played, then boom! There it is, that one you’ve been wanting. You’d also build up relationships with the staff, and they’d remember what you were after and hold it back for you.
Then I was involved in the scene and making my own tunes. It was all about dub plates and getting your music to certain DJ’s. You’d have to build your way up to being a part of Groove and Randall’s record box, but once you did, you made sure they had your music first and you knew what benefits that would bring you as a producer; knowing full well they weren’t gonna tell their rivals what a track was.
In the early 90s there was a definite difference between producers and DJ’s. It was never assumed that you had to do both. For one, this was in a time when vinyl sold enough for producers to not have to play out, and there was a respect for the art of djing. Some could make music better than others could mix it and visa-versa, and plus not everyone wanted to do both. Then for me I remember when there was a definite shift. It came about from an interview that Groove did for (I think) Wax magazine when he was quite possibly miss quoted as saying “I wanna thank the little people, like Dillinja”. I remember a lot of producers being like, hold on “ little people! Dillinja!”. We’re the ones making this music, you’re just playing it, how hard can this be? That was when you saw the advent of the producer-Djs. We wanted to take control of the content and realised that we could be booked based upon what we made. We’d make exclusive tracks just for ourselves, that we’d delight in drawing on a fellow producer, knowing they didn’t have it and seeing the reaction it got. In-turn, hearing a track drawn on you and being spurred on to write something better. This friendly rivalry between producers is what brought about some of the greatest music in DnB’s history in my opinion. A good example being Optical and Matrix, who basically lived to out do each other, or Photek and Source Direct and later on BC and Virus. We’d hear what they were cutting that week down at Music House and would be like “nope, not having that”. Ultimately of course we’d share with each other when we’d had the exclusive for a while as it ultimately made sense to do so. Dub plates were a commodity and this is still true today. What’s important to remember though, is that all of this was done inspite of the audience, not with them in mind. The Internet has brought the audience closer to the producer and it can be argued that the audience has gained more control, and not always for the better. Some producers’ music has changed to please the audience, to illicit a response through a paint by numbers approach. Then there are those who don’t do it for that, who make the music they want to make and try to hang on to the little power they have over their own creations.
I had a conversation with Calibre about how everyone is so guarded with their music now. No one wants to share up-front music anymore, and we basically get sent things a month before they’re released. And what’s the point? The majority of tunes I get from producers which aren’t for Exit come with the proviso "no radio or mixes”. I think this is a shame and the knock on effect is that we as Exit become guilty of the same thing in respect to the amount of time we give between giving the tune out to Dj’s and the release date. That time has been getting shorter and shorter and it’s a result of battling the diminishing shelf life of music, the audiences thirst for knowledge, and the simple fact there’s so much of it about. You basically have a couple weeks window to sell a record before something else comes along.
The simple act of not sharing track information is closely connected to all these things.
I know that a lot of producers get annoyed with me for playing stuff in mixes, but I’m now of the belief that as long as you don’t ‘edge to edge’ it and give the whole thing away, then what’s the problem? The audience won’t know what it is, anyways. I say, bring back the mystery and excitement of tracking a song down. It took me 19 years to ID one.. A lot of producers listen to each other’s mixes too. I get people hitting me up asking for tracks based on what I’ve played, so now when I give out tunes all I say is "don’t edge to edge” and in some cases no track listing.
From the Autonomic podcasts perspective, not having the track-list was part of that same fun, and added to the air of mystery that is lost today. There’d be posts on forums many pages long of fans trying to fill the gaps. Also what needs to be remembered is that, a lot of the music on the Autonomic podcasts were just ideas and sketches and were never going to see the light of day. I think producers and audiences need to recognise this. Just because it’s been made and played doesn’t mean it’s good enough to to be released. Cutting dubs was a natural filter that helped ensure only the best music was heard. I wasn’t gonna spend £25 on nonsense..
Maybe it’s my age and the era in which I grew up in, with some of the historical points I’ve made, that’s given me this perspective. I believe the internet has made many aspects of music a lazy act, from presets to templates and apps to the art of mixing itself, and, let’s be honest. It’s not that hard. So what do you have left as a Dj? Selection. Therefore I’m of the belief that, why should I do the hard work for you? No one did it for me.
Rant over. x
dB
