Episode 30: What Makes a DJ an "Artist"

In Episode 30, David Michael, Tony DeSaro, and @TripTurlington discuss a sometimes convoluted topic for DJs. Are we artists? Musicians? Both? Neither? Of course, there’s no clear answer, but it doesn’t stop the PDJ crew from peeling some layers back and getting deep in to the topic. To get to the heart of the conversation, the panel roll up their sleeves, considering everything from the definition of art, the difference between artists and musicians, context, and craftsmanship. Sometimes these terms are ambiguous or harder to define (much less discuss), but we give it an honest go, while being honest about our interpretations and how it applies to DJs. The crew also discuss another hot piece of gear to come out of NAMM 2016: Pioneer DJ’s DDJ-RZ, the Rekordbox cousin to the Serato-enabled DDJ-SZ. Trip laments the lack of screens or standalone functionality on the RZ, while maintaining the SZ is still the better buy, for a Serato user. However, the whole panel agrees this is probably one step closer to what Trip alludes to in the conversation (yet doesn’t come right and say), that this is one step closer to a currently non-existent XDJ-RZ…a flagship, standalone, all-in-one to compete with all of the other companies rushing to the market with all-in-one controller units. Also discussed is Rane’s MP2014 rotary mixer. More gear reviews from NAMM 2016 to follow in future episodes!