David - This was a deeeep ass post. nice.
thanks, Jeffrey J. Davis fon: +1.218.8332847 (21883DAVIS) fax: +1.803.643.4085 cel: +86.158.0184.9459 [email protected] / [email protected] www.JeffreyJDavis.com jeffrey.james.davis JeffreyJDavis On Wed, Dec 9, 2009 at 1:05 PM, David Powers <[email protected]> wrote: > > I was disappointed in his final comments, because I think he missed > something really important about music. And not in his defense of > vinyl per se, but in his attempt to sum up what a DJ is. DJ's, like > live musicians, are responsible for presenting music live. The > physicality of carrying around crates of vinyl and getting your hands > dirty might be a part of DJing, but this is only a surface aspect of > DJing, and not at all the essence of what the DJ (or other live > musician) does. > > In my opinion the essence of what live musicians and DJ's do is to > create vibrations at a particular space and time for a particular > group of people. Being able to hear fully vibrations, knowing which > vibrations to create, and having the ability to create those > vibrations is what it takes to become a master of vibrations, whatever > the genre and instruments. Theo Parrish's reference to Kung Fu is > telling, for a Kung Fu master is not only one who has mastered some > technical exercises, but is suppsed to be one whose discipline has led > them to some level of spiritual insight. In other words, it is not > just the surface actions that the Kung Fu master performs, but the > state of mind from which those actions arise. > > For musicians, the ability to hear that is the key to mastery of > music. For me their are three levels of hearing: hearing with the ear, > hearing with the mind, and hearing with the soul. When you can really > hear on all three levels, you will have total awareness of the > vibrations you are creating, and knowledge of what those vibrations > do. This is fundamental to mastering all musical practice. And it is > the inability to really listen, and a lack of knowledge of great > music, not the inability to spin vinyl, that is really what gets in > the way of younger producers and DJ's. For me, it is essential to, at > minimum, have some understanding of jazz, Western classical, Indian > classical, and West African drumming. These traditions have mastered > different aspects of creating vibration that are fundamental to music > making in general, regardless of genre. > > Whether you spin vinyl, hit keys on an acoustic piano, or plug in an > ipod, if you aren't fully aware of the vibration you create, you > cannot master music, even if your actions are technically precise. > > For me, the role of a musician or DJ very close to that of a shaman. > Some I have studied with, such as William Parker and Billy Hart, have > emphasized the power of music to heal. This means that making music > publicly requires a high level of responsibility. The world is full of > negative vibrations that are used to enslave people and to produce > consumer consciousness. Vibrations can literally make people sick! > Responsible musicians and DJ's need to realize how powerful vibrations > are and how great the responsibility to use this power wisely is... > the second you leave your bedroom, you assume a part in the great > spiritual tradition of music. You have just as much of a > responsibility as the masters (individuals such as Beethoven, Chopin, > Cecil Taylor, Ravi Shankar, or John Coltrane) did to create powerful > vibrations that can heal and inspire us as human beings. > > ~David > > On Wed, Dec 9, 2009 at 9:18 AM, Martin Dust <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > On 9 Dec 2009, at 02:37, robin wrote: > > > >> > >> http://blog.awdio.com/index.php/2009/12/07/theo-parrish-interview-from-djoon-paris/ > >> > >> > >> robin... > > > > He's a bit like a cracked record tho... > > > > m
