Published Sunday January 12th, 2003


Heh, well.. its sunday again. so what? well.. this means that i will have to go to school yet again tomorrow morning.. bwah. fun. heh.. i didnt really do much today, which is fine. i got up at around 1330 and... did stuff.. ate lunch.... sat here on the computer and listened to music, and.. come to think of it.. i dont remember what i did here.... heh.. hrm.. interesting.... what DID i do here.... wtf.. i dont even know.. heh.. haha.. oh well.. thats okay!... no need to know! its all good... right?.. yes! yes yes! i agree! okay!... uh... then... i showered at 1700 and watched Alias at 1800.. then.. ate dinner durring Alias.. ... i did some stupid german report thingo at 1900... and.. chatted and listened to music and surfed the web while i did that, so i finally finished at around 2100... its really shitty.. but.. what do i care.. thats right.. i dont... hrm... now its.. 2208... and.. ill sit here and do whatever till 2300 and at that time ill watch xfiles.. at 0000.. ill probably go to bed because i have to go to freaking school tomorrow..bwaaah! i do hate that place very much. hell hole.
heh...
well then.. yea.... 2 days and its my birth day.. january 14th... arent we all estatic.. no, please dont be... i would be completely fine with it if everyone forgot. heh.
well...
not much more to say.. i think ill paste my shitty horrid german thingo here and that'll be it for today.. so.. here goes...
oh! may i add... something is wrong with the GD image stuff for php on this server becauyse all the jpegs are jacked up.. ARGH...

Lüthy, Marco

German 3

Mr. Flynn

13.01.2003

DJ Culture

One may wonder where the topic of DJ Culture may come from. Simply said, it originates from the Goethe Institutes website. The page briefly introduces what a DJ is and namely, how the term was coined. Further reading goes on to tell about two specific DJ's who have made it big, so to speak. A reader may also read about the development of recent events forming and sculpting the present day club scene, or night life. The page also lists facts on present day DJ's and the  music market. 

Dj's or, Disc Jockeys first made their appearance on 50ties Radio broadcasts, selecting tracks to be played on air. In the 60ties these DJ's started appearing in Disco's and replacing the normal bands playing there leaving the creative choice of records an art form. The first of the Disco's appeared in American controlled zones in West Germany (Dj Culture 1).

DJ culture and the dance scene has flourished all throughout Europe and especially German speaking countries. Since the early 90ties various new forms of music have emerged, forming present day "Disco's" or clubs. One such genre is titled Trance. "Trance has been said to have formed as an off-shoot of techno in German clubs during the early 1990's" (History 1). The genre has exploded with popularity and spread all the way to China in the east and the United States in the west.

Today, one can find and easily see that the genre has clearly made its mark, while visiting Germany or other German speaking countries like Switzerland or Austria. DJ's who play the genre and mix their vinyl before live audiences are the Britney Spears and Eminem's of Europe. Many DJ's in Germany run a small or medium sized record company of their own, producing vinyl and purchasing various synthesizers, mixer and other electronic musical equipment leaving Germany with one of the most important markets for these items (DJ Culture 1).

Trance attracts the attention of various age ranges. From teenagers to adults, people show up to clubs to dance to DJ's playing and mixing tracks up to 12 hours at a time, all through the night in crowded clubs featuring light shows. DJ's go from club to club performing and mixing for the energetic and appreciative crowd. Most DJ's often produce their own tracks to integrate into their shows and often mix other artists music as well, creating wonderfully crafted, and creative mix sets from as short as a few tracks to around 12 hours. There really is no limit on how long DJ's will spin. 

The need for new materials to spin in clubs and events  creates occupations for many young adults. These artists create tracks to be played in clubs, internationally. Often the artists create so many tracks they mix them together and sell them as an album. DJ's create and sell CD's of selected tracks that they have mixed.

Often times there are huge Trance events in gigantic stadiums where thousands of people come to dance through the night entertained by numerous DJ's and live performers. These live performing artists may play and mix their tracks live in front of the dancing audience on their synthesizers and other electronic equipment to display their very admirable talents. 

The broad popularity of Trance is easily depicted when walking into a store which sells CD's. Walking into a Media Markt, for example, one would find themselves amazed at the variety and amount of records and albums available for the genre. As one would expect to find plenty of albums for the Rap and Rock genres, one would find just as many albums for the Trance genre.

On T.V., music channels frequently play Trance music videos along with other international hits by American artists. Live coverage of events and performances is aired on various channels and covered as though it were some sport event like the Super Bowl. Current events about DJ's and Trance artists is frequently talked about on news broadcasts.

Many popular events attract millions of people from around the globe to come dance and listen to DJ's mix and perform live sets at huge events. Such events like the Love Parade in Berlin and the Street Parade in Zürich attract over a million fans and clubbers usually rendering the host city completely still on these days with people coming from all over the globe. This is a nice source of income for the countries with all the tourists and accommodations to lodge these fans (Streetparade 1). Many of these events take place throughout the year and each event often springs off "after parties" to the event which take place late into the night where DJ's further mix and artists perform live. Such after parties are Trance Energy in Amsterdam and ENERGY in Zürich.

Overall, the genre itself forms a culture of night life people, who enjoy rythm and the aesthetics of melody and sound. The genre is Europe's equivalent to American Rock and Rap.
Bibliography

1. "DJ Culture in Germany" 12 January 2003.

           <http://www.goethe.de/kug/kue/mus/thm/en28035.htm>.

 

2. "History of Trance" 12 January 2003.

                      <http://members.home.nl/jbulthuis/history_of_trance.htm>.

3. "Kleine Geschichte des Techno" 13 September 2002. 12 January 2003.

          <http://www.heute.t-online.de/ZDFheute/artikel/0,1367,MAG-0-2005189,00.html>.

4. "Streetparade Hisotyr"  12 January 2003.

          <http://www.streetparade.com>.