A little about my DJing...

Workin the EQs at my last gig.


I had to write a research paper on the graphic design world as it relates to the direction I wish to go in my career. I sent a questionnaire to all the friends I have in the DJ world, to try to get some help in explaining the parallels of my music and art. The main reason I chose to ask these questions was to get a specific viewpoint of the music and correlate that to their perception of cover art and the evolution of the scene from the early 90's to today. Here is what I sent them:

Hello there, friends.
I am working on my final thesis project at school and was wondering how many of you want to be cool and help me out. All I need is that you answer a few simple questions regarding the music you love! I am writing a thesis about the evolution of electronic music, the different views in different areas of the world, the parallels of EDM as an music form to graphic design and the art world; how both embrace human's mastery of technology to further the expression of humanity. These new art forms have created cultures and sub-cultures and allowed us to see and hear the world in new ways, and is often viewed as the future of sound, and is characteristically shown in the futuristic/robotic themes in the graphic arts associated with electronica. I won't bore you with too many details, but if you could just copy and paste the following questions below with your answers that would help me so much!! And if you know anyone else who can give good responses, please send it to them! thanks in advance ! (I answered the questions to give you an idea of what the questions mean!)

1. Your DJ Name: DJ Dylema
2. How long have you been spinning? almost 4 years
3. Where are you from? Northern California
4. What genre(s) do you spin? Anything good. Mostly techno &
electro, with some house.
5. What genre(s) are popular in your area? House, NRG, Hard house, and trance.
6. What kind of music did you spin when you started spinning records?
Techno and breakbeats.
7. DJing or Producing? I haven't produced yet, but I would love to.
So I guess djing.
8. CDs or vinyl? I am not opposed to CD spinning, but I prefer vinyl.
9. Small club or Huge rave? small club, definitely.
10. Biggest crowd you've spun for? A couple hundred, not too big.
11. Your most memorable experience spinning? A party on the beach
under the stars.
12. First record you bought? I bought two: Nigel Richards, Want to
fahk/Hallowlead, and Adam X, Over & Out EP.
13. Best art on a record sleeve in your collection? Probably one of
the Jackal & Hyde records or maybe one of Lekebusch's, the KGB art is
pretty cool.
14. Has the scene changed a lot since you started spinning? No, not
really, San Fran seems a bit stuck in their ways, in my opinion.
(They never let me play techno). Only a few DJs really excite me
around here. I do believe it is back on the upswing in terms of the
global scene.
15. Brief description of your mixing style: Some layering, some
chop-ups, I can't scratch :( It depends on what I'm spinning at the
time.
16. Genre you wish you knew more about: Drum & Bass and Hardcore
17. Major Influences: Nigel Richards and Luke Slater
18. Best Party/Club Event you ever attended: Nocturnal Wonderland
2000. Fifty-thousand ravers, DJ Monk, Rabbit in the Moon, non-stop
good music and good vibes.
19. Anyone ever asked you for an autograph? Not yet. but people
always beg me for cds.
20. Best old record you own: Kraftwerk, TransEurope Express
21. Best new record you own: David Carretta, Kill Your Radio
22. Best mixtape or CD: Nigel Richards, Live in Tampa... made me
start spinning records.
23. Label/Associations: I spin for Hardcore Trout Productions.
24. Favorite labels/notable producers: anything by Luke Slater,
Anthony Rother, Green Velvet or David Carretta, or on 611 records,
Tortured/Electrix Records, or Gigolo Records.
25. Any new stuff to plug? No, unfortunately. I'm working on a new
slammin electro demo though.
26. Anything else to add? Well... guess I should just say that i
think DJing means you are always standing on the shoulders of those
who came before you. It is a constant recycling of sounds, old and
new, and is a completely versatile form of music. But a good DJ is
one who is always looking for the freshest, most evolved sound, which
is why it is seen as the the future of music.