One Los Angeles nightclub has taken up the cause for ending lazy mixing.
Cure And The Cause, a Glendale venue dedicated to “the preservation of house music and the art of DJing,” according to its website, has effectively banned laptops from the DJ booth. In a Facebook post the club’s owner, Good For You Records boss Kenny Summit, told potential talent bookings to “keep your controller in your crib, don’t come to work with training wheels. LEARN THE TOOLS OF THE TRADE already.”
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However, he notes there are rare exceptions to the rule, which include using laptops to control vinyl like a turntablist (or, in his words, “Jazzy Jeff type shit”), or to play live. In essence, laptops are okay if they’re being used as an instrument—not if they’re basically doubling as a fancy iPod going from one track to the next.
The reaction has been largely divisive; coming from everyone from casual clubbers to DJs themselves. “Most ridiculous rule ever!” Tweeted Richie Hawtin, adding: “Stifling creativity by limiting an artists own personal approach is a step backwards.” Seth Troxler countered, “I have to say I like it rich too many kids out there who actually don’t know how to beat match…. the hard part is beat matching. Even a lot of guys in our class. If the sync is on your an entertainer, not a dj” (sic).
Following the statement, Summit spoke with Magnetic Magazine about the new policy, which he said is aimed largely toward the opening DJs that promoters have booked to warm the club’s dancefloor, saying, “Many of them show up with a laptop and controller, and that’s all they’ve ever used. That’s a problem.”
A veteran of the club scene who has danced to and played alongside the likes of David Mancuso, Nicky Siano, Danny Tenaglia, Frankie Knuckles, and David Morales, he lamented the days when “DJs didn’t dare leave their house unless they knew they could put on a good performance. But we also took pride in knowing the equipment, knowing how to set up every component in the DJ booth. The kids just don’t seem to give a fuck today. We immersed ourselves into the culture whereas this is now just a stupid hobby that anyone and everyone seem to have picked up.”
